No Time to Cry: Tales of a Leicester Bouncer Jeff Shaw Who Am I? - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

No Time to Cry:

Tales of a Leicester Bouncer

Jeff Shaw

Who Am I?

• 15 years experience as a

Doorman

• I didn’t and don’t like to be

called a Bouncer

• Too many negative images
• Look at the tales of Geoff

Thompson, Stilks, Cas Pennant

• None of whom I had any

knowledge of!! PS: We didn’t get called Door Supervisors then

The Good Old Days

• 40+ years Bodybuilding
• Arnold – my hero
• Steroids
• Trophobolene, Dianabol,

Durabolin, Deca Durabolin, Primoblan,

Anavar, Winstrol, Methyl Testosterone, Testosterone and more

Not taken any

steroids

since 1989

• I’d been training at

Sugars Gym for years

• Steroid use was very
• pen
• Nubret’s Gym was a

regular haunt

Why Write a Book?

• Living in Australia and had been writing a

Newsletter

• Included ‘funny’ snippets of my old life
• Publishing a book was never on my mind
• Made redundant so used the time to write it all down
• Poured out of me
• Early versions were REALLY nasty
• I’ve been attacked and criticised

Publish? Never!

• Sent about 100 copies out to

friends and family

• Convinced me to turn it into a

book

• No publishing house would

touch it

• Self-published
• Believed I would never sell

ONE

ISBN-13: 978-1468101591

What’s the Story Then?

‘1980's Leicester – a dull and grey city in the East Midlands’ ‘The emergence of the Alternative crowd’ ‘Steroids’ ‘A new type of bar – Helsinki’s’ ‘A respectable city centre hotel’ ‘Shy old me’ ‘the Goth Magnet’ ‘A bastard boss’ ‘I changed. Doorwork changed me’ ‘Something had to give’

‘ … and it DID!’

Shy Old Me

• Didn’t drink or smoke
• Never went to the movies
• Didn't go out for meals
• Had few friends outside the gym
• Didn’t even take an aspirin
• Guess I was boring. V-E-R-Y
• There really isn't much else to say

Bouncing

• NEVER wanted to be a Doorman
• Steroids and a rubbish car drained me of cash
• Getting a door job was easy – no SIA
• USELESS, scared, intimidated and

uncomfortable

• HATED it… thumpity-thump
• Pretty soon back to no cash
• Stumbled across Helsinki’s (January 1984)
• GOB-SMACKED

A Timeline

Year Event 1972 Started training 1983 Steroids 1983 Force 8 1984 Helsinki Bar 1984 Centre Bar 1985 The Meteors 1986 Last Contest 1988 Bastard Boss 1989 Drug Free 1990 Bar Closes 1991 Security 1992 Spencers 1993 Injured 1997 Emporium 1998 Retired

The Helsinki Bar

The Helsinki Bar

• Located in the quieter part of town
• Right off the street with warehouses and offices

either side

• Huge glass windows that would steam up
• Piano towards the back
• Chalk boards offering a bewildering array of exotic

cocktails

• Not Force 8! We didn’t stop a soul
• Students, Punks, Goths, Rockabillys, Psychobillys,

singers, druggies, gays, happy people

• Women!
• Me on the door. My door

Customers

• Hidden beneath the variously named

Centre, Penguin and International Hotel

• Same crowd
• Similar music
• Bands
• Parties
• Weddings
• My skills expanded rapidly
• Loved it!
• Closed at start of the 90’s
• Went to Spencers

The Centre Bar

The Alternative World

One of my first influences: Sisters of Mercy - No Time to Cry

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCbTf0uLVG8

Thanks Sharon: Killing Joke - Love Like Blood

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znjRf1zh2fA

Leicester’s own: Crazyhead - Time Has Taken its Toll on You

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fARsQd4Tp5w&feature=fvwrel

I didn’t have a CLUE!!!

The chicken dance: Meteors - Wreckin Crew

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ey8E5UPP-4M

Bodybuilding and Doorwork

• Started to take more and more

and more steroids

• Wanted to be Mr. Olympia
• Drugs gave me

confidence

• Never won a

thing

• Stopped

competing Loved being called ‘Big’ Jeff

The Effects of the Gear

THE GOOD

• Size, size and

more size

• Da pump!
• Strong as an ox –

620lb squats for reps

• Sexy – yeah!

THE BAD

• Bit spotty. A bit!
• Marginally

aggressive… um…

• Stretch marks
• Nose bleeds
• All good things come

to an END

A Different Man

• Coupled with an difficult boss lost

all rationale and care

• Very cold
• No more thumpity-thumps
• Bombing? Who cares?
• Glassing?
• It’s only a scratch
• Another woman? Um…
• Rude to everyone

Something Had to Give

• Cried a lot
• What was wrong

with me?

• Came off the gear -

cold turkey

• Got another job
• Started to calm down
• Spent a lot of time
• reading, learning, rationalising
• Finally got it in perspective

Retirement

• Didn’t like to be hemmed in
• Old and out of place on the doors
• Over for me
• Missed it for years
• Getting dressed up
• My door buddies
• Meeting people
• Having a good time
• Didn’t miss the hassle

The Reunion

• Came back from Australia in 2009
• Not happy - no job
• Sought better memories
• Seems a lot of people felt the same!

Maybe the 80’s WERE great!

‘A story of the risk of achieving the ultimate physique at all costs’ Warks ‘It got to the point where I couldn’t put it down’ Rob D ‘You certainly do bare your soul’ PP ‘Not pretentious, just honest’ Dan ‘So many names, so many memories’ Kim B ‘Damn good read’ Jon ‘A very worthwhile read from a warm and frank author’ Dan B

No Time to Cry: Tales of a Leicester Bouncer

ISBN-13: 978-1468101591

Q & A