All these men are from different walks of life; they are different in many ways but so alike in many others. A good percentage – in fact 40 per cent – of the men are not criminals, they are straight guys. Just because they are straight does not mean they’re not tough. Many spoke of the ‘red mist’, an uncontrollable rush of adrenalin and anger so intense that it left them breathless with rage. Whilst experiencing the ‘red mist’ most felt they were capable of almost anything. Seventy per cent of the men have, at one time, been stabbed. Each and every one agrees that, incredibly, they never felt the actual stabbing. But afterwards, in the cold light of day, it hurt like hell, especially when the knife was pulled out. Ouch! Ninety-five per cent of the men that had experienced prison agreed that it was a college where they learnt more inside than out. A better education and having money would be their biggest deterrent from a life of crime – not going to jail.
But what else did they have in common? Undoubtedly they all have an inbred sense of pride and honour. They would rather kill or be killed than let anyone take a liberty with them, that’s for sure. Not one of the men I interviewed tried to make excuses for the things they had done, but neither did they apologise. Whilst researching for this book I met lots of ‘retired’ gangsters, villains, hoodlums and tough guys, all of them reformed characters. Nod, nod, wink, wink – know what I mean?
I’m not going to stand in judgement of these men. It was not my job to criticise them or challenge them on what they were telling me. That was not my intention. I knew just what they were capable of or I wouldn’t have been interviewing them. I was questioning them as a journalist. I’m just reporting the facts like a war correspondent – yeah, that’s it, a war correspondent. Because it is a war, and at times, whilst interviewing – or interrogating them as some of the men claimed I was doing – it felt like I was in the middle of a bleedin’ war zone.
Cor, mate, these men can be paranoid and touchy. If any of them got wind of who I was interviewing for the book they would sneer, ‘He’s a tossa. What you talking to him for?’ Or ‘I’d do ’im any day.’ It was like treading in a minefield. So I never mentioned who was in my book. I became sneaky, and lied. Yes, I admit it, I lied mercilessly and I don’t care. It’s my feckin’ book and I put in who I feckin’ well like! Oh dear, I just saw a bit of the red mist. I think I’ve been hanging around these tough guys too long …
But, seriously, I didn’t intend to get dragged into the politics of who’s who and what’s what. The only thing that mattered was this: is the geezer a tough guy? If the answer was yes, then I included them. If the answer was no, then I left him out. Plain and simple.
All the men in this book are as tough as nails. Hard core – they know the score!
I’ve heard it said that some of the men are tough on the outside and soft in the middle. Well, I suggest that you bite one and see …