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James Browne: Not an Ordinary Memoir
Nothing about James Browne’s life has ever conformed to stereotype; privately educated, he became a champion fencer, eventually, he would become one of London’s most infamous criminals before becoming one of its best performers.
Even in crime, I could not describe James as ordinary, the conveyor belt of under-educated, disruptive and often from the UK care system criminal stereotype, that pass through the corridors of the UK prison system each year, all have a story to tell; but their story differs greatly from that of James.
Military life offered James a route into the ordinary, but even that spiralled into something extremely different and unique.
The mark of a man is not how far he falls, but how he picks himself up again and James Browne’s evolution shines through. Rubbing shoulders with London’s elite; James would become the bodyguard for Amy Winehouse, Pete Doherty, and was brutally assaulted by police whilst with Noel Fielding, the celebrated comedian. It’s not ordinary to win a legal case against the police and receive substantial damages, nor is it ordinary for a solicitor to help with legal cases in their own time after work.
As a poet, James is certainly extraordinary, performing his one-man show at The Roundhouse and around London on several occasions. James collaborated with the likes of Ledfoot and Smutty Smiff; a genius with his own addictive and unique twist on words and language. James proves repeatedly, he has risen above his clouded and shadowed past.
This isn’t an ordinary memoir, James isn’t an ordinary man and his life story is not an ordinary life story - read about the life and times of one of London’s most charismatic inhabitants and one of their most celebrated poets.
Even in crime, I could not describe James as ordinary, the conveyor belt of under-educated, disruptive and often from the UK care system criminal stereotype, that pass through the corridors of the UK prison system each year, all have a story to tell; but their story differs greatly from that of James.
Military life offered James a route into the ordinary, but even that spiralled into something extremely different and unique.
The mark of a man is not how far he falls, but how he picks himself up again and James Browne’s evolution shines through. Rubbing shoulders with London’s elite; James would become the bodyguard for Amy Winehouse, Pete Doherty, and was brutally assaulted by police whilst with Noel Fielding, the celebrated comedian. It’s not ordinary to win a legal case against the police and receive substantial damages, nor is it ordinary for a solicitor to help with legal cases in their own time after work.
As a poet, James is certainly extraordinary, performing his one-man show at The Roundhouse and around London on several occasions. James collaborated with the likes of Ledfoot and Smutty Smiff; a genius with his own addictive and unique twist on words and language. James proves repeatedly, he has risen above his clouded and shadowed past.
This isn’t an ordinary memoir, James isn’t an ordinary man and his life story is not an ordinary life story - read about the life and times of one of London’s most charismatic inhabitants and one of their most celebrated poets.
Paperback
Published January 1, 2021
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About the author
James Browne
181 booksDr. James Browne was a Scottish journalist and man of letters. He was a friend of the Irish nationalist Daniel O'Connell and author of A History of the Highlands and of the Highland Clans (1834 - 1836).
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
January 28, 2022
James is a friend. He is an intense, and mezmerizing performer. Definitely has had an interesting life. I'm glad that he has evolved as he puts it.
Displaying 1 of 1 review