Andy Mcnab
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http://www.theritzclub.com/magazine/archive/
Should be Issue Nr 12
So I'll put some snippets here and the complete interview is in our AMFT files.
Andy McNab: Who Dares Sells
By Andy Taylor
The target was sitting at a table, facing the room so he could see anyone who came in. He seemed deep in conversation, but his eyes whipped up as the door opened softly. Just checking. There was a brief flicker of recognition as the stranger walked in – a split second when their eyes met. It was enough…. That’s how an article about Andy McNab might start – except that he doesn’t
fit the stereotype.
Publicity photographs of the ex-SAS man, intelligence agent, and Iraqi prisoner who is now one of the most successful thriller writers of the past few years invariably have either a black bar across his face, or deep shadows hiding him. He’s one of the few celebrities who regularly turn down television appearances – there’s no point in Michael Parkinson’s researchers even dialling his number. In fact, so much time and effort have been expended on preserving his anonymity that printing a detailed
description of him probably contravenes the Official Secrets Act. As he himself points out, it’s also possibly something of an anti-climax. “I walk in to give a talk or something, and you can see people thinking, ‘Well, he ought to be right up here and out there,” he says, stretching his arms to sketch out the size of a giant. Well, he’s not: in fact, even if he’s not quite the sort of man who would get sand kicked in his face on the beach, he’s not particularly big either. But more of a shock to those with the
standard image of SAS men and special forces soldiers as cold-faced killers would be his easygoing geniality and apparently limitless enthusiasm. Once out from those sinister shadows, Andy McNab is like the Duracell bunny with blue eyes, muscles and a big grin.
(.......)
At his home in a quiet village ‘somewhere in England’, the neighbours have no idea that the converted barn in the garden is the place where best-sellers like Fire Wall, Liberation Day and now Deep Black are turned out at a rate of one a year. “When we first moved in, a lot of people thought I was a
manager for McDonald’s. I think that’s gone away now, but I’ve no idea what they think. It’s fine,” he says. He has another home in New York: there, too, the neighbours know nothing about his past or his fame.
(.....)
Whoever he is, the name of Andy McNab has been kind to him. Since Bravo
Two Zero, eleven years and ten books ago, his writing has made him a millionaire
several times over. The books are translated into Japanese, Czech, and a dozen other
languages, and the Andy McNab brand sells beer, watches, and hiking boots on both
sides of the Atlantic: if he didn’t want to, he’d never need to write another word again.
(.....)
His former mates in the SAS don’t always treat him seriously – “I get so many
texts taking the piss every time some journalist writes something about testosterone
or stuff like that, you wouldn’t believe it,” he says
(.....)
But what he’s truly serious about now is his writing. The success of Bravo Two Zero
was a surprise, and the follow-up story of his SAS career, Immediate Action, a struggle.
Since then, he’s been determined to learn with every book. “It’s a craft to me, not an
art. There are skills to learn, skills of structure, of making characters work, of moving
the story from place to place,” he says.
Ask him if he thinks each of his books is better than the one before, and the ever-
present grin vanishes from his face. “Yes, very much so. I’m working at it all the time.
(.....)
The sense of humour is genuine, and completely unshakable. At least – remembering what I said about the Duracell bunny – I hope so.
:-)
>>By Lynn (Monday, 8 May 2006 13:51)
Thanks, Lynn!
What a nice interview, even tho it's not all that in-depth (no stunning revelations or anything), it comes across as relaxed and sincere, neither biased nor pandering.
Have to wonder, tho, cuz if "testosterone" results in loads of piss-taking texts, what the heck did the "Duracell Bunny" do?!? Yep, if I were Andy Taylor, I'd sure be hoping, too! LOL!!! :oD
>>By am-i-binned (Monday, 8 May 2006 15:00)
Hi all, have to post quick as I'm at work and they now have this stupid "accountability" initiative...
Lynn, thanks for the interview. Will post at GML as soon as new layout finished, should be just a couple of days out.
AIB quote: If I do have it, do you think there's a chance of maybe using your technical wizardry to make it available via greymansland? ;o)
My buddy Chris "Third Eye" Patel handles the VHS-to-digital stuff for me, however you must know it would be illegal for me to offer copyrighted material at GML. So yes, I'll do it.
>>By Just Jon (Monday, 8 May 2006 16:31)
LOL! I knew we could count on you to accept this mission, Mr. Hunt... err... Smith... err, I mean, Mr. Jon. Just remind me, tho, never to reveal my true identity to you! Oh, and one more thing: Run, Patel! Run!
>>By am-i-binned (Monday, 8 May 2006 17:41)
Wow Mr. Whatever.. looking forward to the New & Improved GML :-)
@ VHS stuff: You gotta love the unofficial aspect of GML too ;-)
>>By Lynn (Monday, 8 May 2006 23:45)
Dare I say??? A webcast coming to Greymans? Dare I say real life conversation? Who might that be? Stay tuned, maybe even a personel call from God (ANDY) for the ladies!! Well Maybe?
SATY TUNED!!
>>By Reighnman (Tuesday, 9 May 2006 06:39)
hahahah neat spelling trick I preformed...DTO go bed now..tired!!haha
>>By Reighnman (Tuesday, 9 May 2006 06:43)
Quick comment (before work this time)...The GML podcast might be delayed a bit due to technical issues. 12 May is the target release date, but don't hold me to that.
If you have anything to say about Andy or books or what a stupid idea a GML podcast is, please send me your thoughts and I'll probably use them--be sure to indicate what screenname you wish to be called by. If you really want to help out, record your comments or thoughts and send me an .mp3 or .wav file--I promise I'll use anything within reason.
As to Andy showing up...Reighnman is teasing ya'll. Andy disowned me, but I've got news for Mr. SAS Superhero--my parents beat ya to it!
>>By Just Jon (Tuesday, 9 May 2006 15:05)
Are you up for adoption Jon?
@ disowned by Andy... it has to be that way Jon, you know that AND you prefer that, GML is 'ours' - getting approval for every item would make it time consuming, boring, far less creative
etc... ;-) Much better to be able to make your own decisions. Right? Right!
>>By Lynn (Tuesday, 9 May 2006 15:20)
Chatzy is STILL down.... sigh, it would be so nice if these people would send a message or something like... we're going to do....and it will take..... But I'm not addicted. No no.
;-)
>>By Lynn (Tuesday, 9 May 2006 20:06)
I feel your pain Lynn--I'm not addicted to all sorts of stuff.
I've once again implemented a chat solution at gml, it's not perfect but I've now satisfied aib's requirement that it save chats. Before I tell you where to go test it, please keep in mind that I'm not bothering at all with interface and crap like that right now, just basic functionality. Also, PICK A USERNAME YOU WANT TO KEEP, as username/password is stored unlike chatzy. Just click "create account" to get started.
Help us test it out at http://www.greymansland.com/undertow/index.php
You can leave feedback there or email me at webmaster@greymansland.com
Again, PLEASE let's worry about function right now and not how it looks, why I named it "undertow," etc...I'm on a tight schedule with new gml and am trying to get everything ready to roughly coincide with launch of The Grey Man. Thanks.
>>By Just Jon (Wednesday, 10 May 2006 06:55)
Seems to work Jon :-)
I did absolutely not ignore how it looks but I did not worry - I do have a question though...
"Andy McNab and Artisan Bread" ???
>>By Lynn (Wednesday, 10 May 2006 15:28)
Thanks for testing it, I'm now working on making it less annoying. And don't worry, the name will change. I'm taking out the part about Andy McNab. ; )
>>By Just Jon (Wednesday, 10 May 2006 18:10)
Goodnews,
Seems due to Jons great shopping expertise, for a male, has found the technology we needed to complete our recordings for our podcast launch.
Looks like May 12 or 13 you fantastic folks will be able to hear us at GML.
The books our on there way and you'll hear all about the quick read and other non-intresting opines from us.
>>By Reighnman (Wednesday, 10 May 2006 20:40)
"to hear US at GML" ..... US?? US?? Who's US?
>>By Lynn (Wednesday, 10 May 2006 21:33)
aahhh 'speak of hearing' --- CONVERSATION HOUR Richard Fidles talks to Andy McNab !!
Go to
http://www.abc.net.au/queensland/
conversations/stories/s1636269.htm?nsw
Starts with:
Andy McNab, welcome to the Conversation Hour....You’ve done very well for a lad from Peckham Andy, haven’t you?
Yes, It’s worked out allright..yeah..
;-))
>>By Lynn (Friday, 12 May 2006 11:55)
Quick Review of The Grey Man,
It is what it is a "Quick Read" 98 pages. Very simple language. It has the usual Andy writing style, eating bacon sandwich, by now has me believing thats all you Brits eat, and the wit Andy does so well. Some suspense. I will tell you this, Andy does thrid person well, I suggest he try it in a big boy book. Basic story line is a set up for a banker to rob his own bank and the results of doing so. Fun. If it wernt for the few needless swear words I suggest it for Just Jon to read, but I know he avoids things of this nature. Actually its to bad, it would have been a good book for a pre-teen to read, until a few naughty words crept into it. Maybe thats what Rigby is for? I know I will not let my 11 yr old read it now. To bad.
One question though? I wonder if Andy is taking money for it? Seems a great way to be charitable.
>>By Reighnman (Saturday, 13 May 2006 22:40)
Nicely reviewed, Reighman. Thanks muchly!
And ditto you, too, Camban, for your review at AMFT (use database Search/ Title, "Grey Man").
Reighnman, re: "swear words"
Considering that The Grey Man is supposedly targeting adults with reading deficiencies rather than younger (non)readers, I guess I wouldn't be too surprised at naughty words. And, after all, it IS McNab... :oP .... heck, there's even a bit of @#$%'ing in the Boy Soldier books. You do have me wondering, tho (knowing you've read all) -- are you saying there are even naughtier @#$% words?!?
LOL! If so, would that be :o# or #o# ?
Re: MIA chatrooms
It seems AM Chatter is definitely history. Emails to Chatzy's administrators are bouncing back as "undeliverable." And, unfortunately, the GreyMansLand alternative has also been disabled, but at least it's only down temporarily. As soon as Dr. Jon finishes some re-programming surgery, we should have our very own, new-and-improved, who-needs-Chatzy-anyway chatroom back online! :o)
>>By am-i-binned (Sunday, 14 May 2006 16:24)
And now... (as Monty Python would say)... for something completely different...
http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2006210185,00.html
LOL!!!!!!
>>By am-i-binned (Sunday, 14 May 2006 16:44)
Oh, and...
Happy Mother's Day!!!
>:D<
>>By am-i-binned (Sunday, 14 May 2006 16:54)
Re: Swear words,
I guess the tone of The Grey Man is very light, indeed. That being said, it would have been unnecesary for the particlar words that were used. Though aimed for adults, it was written in a form that a pre-teen could have simply understood. Thats what is to bad.
As for me I swear like a Mother...... opps Happy Moms Day!!!!!! Lynn, Ninja, Majorette, AIB, ......from all us F- Troop men!!! You all have beutiful proud Children..Congrates.
Ok no more sappy stuff.
>>By Reighnman (Sunday, 14 May 2006 17:08)
Hello AIB, what a hoot !! It could be a nice supllement to their daily practises, crashing parties ? Just think, you have all your neighbours in your back garden and having a bbq.. out of the blue ..... WHAM BHAM .. Hello, where's the beer ? lol
Happy M-day ladies
>>By Ninjawoman (Sunday, 14 May 2006 21:37)
AIB: On chatzy.com you'll find now: On May 6, our server was taken offline and our harddisks were apparently moved to the new location. Since then WebHostPlus has been having great difficult getting us - and a lot of other web sites - online again.
We are deeply sorry for this disturbance in our service. We are doing everything we can (which unfortunately is not much since we are highly dependent on our hosting provider) to get Chatzy up and running again.
So see y'all back there...soon?
>>By Lynn (Wednesday, 17 May 2006 11:23)
Thanks for the update, Lynn. Sad, tho, that it comes from you rather than directly from the Chatzy folks (still no email reply, 6 inquiries).
I guess I don't feel very forgiving anymore, especially considering that Chatzy didn't put up an explanation until yesterday (right click anywhere on their webpage and select "View Page Info"). How lame is it that it took them 10 days to set up a simple webpage? Plus, in their explanation, they let the cat out of the bag -- they openly state they knew a migration was planned and that they even anticipated downtime during the migration. But did they even consider advising users in advance so that contingency plans could be made? No, obviously not! Well then, as AM or NS would say: @#$% 'em!
The search for an alternative chatroom continues....
>>By am-i-binned (Wednesday, 17 May 2006 14:40)
How does that translate in Dutch? ;-)
>>By Lynn (Wednesday, 17 May 2006 18:55)
I have been working feverishly for 60 some days to entertain the folks here at Andy McNabs fan friendly gnook board via a podcast. Althought the investment and technology was rather cheap and simple, it seems the podcast is not going to happen.
The info is out there via itunes and other podcast carriers. I would encourge other talented creative people to try it for themselves. The failure of the MSM in todays society lends credence to the rising popularity of such mediums.
Also I would encourage all of us to look for Military Bloggers on the web. These guys and gals are in theater, telling stories that the MSM simply is failing to tell. One of my favorite is AmericanSoldier. Add some www's and a "com" to the beginning and the end of that. There you'll be able to link to some other great bloggers
Well I am sure by now most of you are relieved?
>>By Reighnman (Friday, 19 May 2006 07:08)
This is an example of an audio podcast that MSM will never report.
http://shepherdaway.blogspot.com/
I hope this is not boring to most of you. Andy is saying little as of late.
Just a note on the missing chatty, Seems to me from there main page saying it's a server problem they are using. Well if it is true, why wait for another company to get there act together. Move it to someone that will do it right, why bitch about? Excuses and As&#^oles ,we all got one, huh? These Chatty guys are bums!
>>By Reighnman (Friday, 19 May 2006 19:01)
1) The rumours of the podcast's demise have been greatly exaggerated.
2) Military bloggers--agreed.
3) Chatzy does suck, though I really don't care either way. Anyone who can't manage to communicate by other means is not a person who can contribute to my life.
4) Da Vinci code...See the movie, go to Hell...That simple.
5) If Special Forces guys are so tough, why have they produced world-class runners, kayakers, mountain climbers...but not one world-class fighter? I think it's clear that they're very determined, but they ain't badasses in the way that a fighter is. And no, Jesse Ventura is not a fighter.
Last bit just food for thought, would like to hear opinions. Fans of early UFC will remember Ranger unarmed-combat instructor taking the beatdown.
>>By Just Jon (Saturday, 20 May 2006 00:22)
Disappointed at lack of response to question above...Wasn't meant to insult anyone, I do think it's interesting in that unimformed opinion primarily thinks of Spec Ops as jap-slapping types, but in reality it's the more "mundane" tasks (if you can call skydiving and scaling buildings mundane) that allow them to do their jobs. If a SAS bloke has to go hand-to-hand, the mission's probably already fouled up.
I think another things is, they are taught "self-defense" type stuff, what would be called cheap shots in the ring, and they are primarily trained to fight an unskilled or at least un-ready opponent. Again, if a SAS dude ends up squaring off against an enemy without surprise on his side, something's gone seriously wrong.
I just think it's an interesting topic. I wish our Muay Thai friend Doc Jay were here to chime in.
Fony, I hope, will give us some p.o.v. on this.
>>By Just Jon (Saturday, 20 May 2006 19:37)
thats an easy one for the last question jon, different kind of violence. all out brutality where as ufc ain't.
>>By fony (Saturday, 20 May 2006 21:23)
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