SMART ALEC

"Be open to your dreams, people. Embrace that distant shore. Because our mortal journey is over all too soon." - Chris Stevens (Northern Exposure)

Those who take the old adage, 'Jack of all trades, master of none' as gospel, clearly never met Alec Lawless.

Alec defied that lazy stereotype because he was master of all the trades he put his mind to, which ranged from perfumer, oenophile and buddhist practitioner to intrepid explorer and psychology expert, a heady mix indeed.

His natural swagger and charm, as well as his slighly crooked, lopsided smile might have initially brought to mind that of a bible salesman; so confident was he in weighing in with his expert opinion on subjects that it seemed as if he could only ever be trying to sell something to you.

But the truth was, although he was a natural salesman, he was genuinely passionate to an almost obsessive degree about the subjects, projects, people and businesses he felt drawn to.

And now, as I look back, I can see that his friendly exuberance, which some mistook for showing off, was actually an invitation for us all to scoop a glass from his ever flowing fount of knowledge. Maybe some felt daunted by his sprawling intellect and his wicked sense of humour (with that inimitable cheeky grin) but ultimately his heart was good and his generosity and loyalty unquestioned. If time is money, as the hackneyed business phrase goes, then he certainly gave a lot of it away for free to his friends.  

I can clearly remember talking with Alec over dinner one evening as he expertly dissected a script I had been assisting a producer with based on the subject of Freud and Jung, specifically their conflicted relationship over a mutual patient of theirs, Sabina Spielren. As we spent many hours into the late night, pouring over the many inaccuracies and technical inconsistencies in the screenplay, Alec gave me what I can only describe as a super compressed intensive course on the history of psychoanalysis.

As way of belated thanks and just to prove that all that information he imparted to me didn't simply go through one ear and out the other, I have decided to utilize some of what he taught me in a tribute to the great man himself.

Of the twelve Jungian archetypes of personality, my friend Alec Lawless possessed at least seven of them that I can accurately assess from memory.

The Outlaw

If Walter White (Breaking Bad), Chris Stevens (Northern Exposure) & Andy Dufresne (The Shawshank Redemption) had gone into the perfume business together, they might resemble a perfect composite of Alec Lawless.

After some dalliances with the authorities that resulted in a short stretch in prison,  Alec continued to utilize his mildly criminal sensibility to his advantage on the outside of the jail cell when he was finally released.

If not quite the trickster archetype, there was clearly an obvious rebellious streak in him that displayed itself in his suspicion of authority and his strong minded, free thinking approach to life and work.

And of course, it was in the name.

Lawless.

The Jester

Alec would definitely struggle in today's climate of ill humoured, conformist piety, of safe spaces and minimising offence in public so as to protect delicate sensibilities. He was, how shall I say? An Alec Provocateur. A lover of political incorrectness and pushing the barriers of good taste, he had little time for vetting a joke before it left his mouth. But he did have a secret weapon in the form of a seemingly progressive veneer which would possibly shield him from being cancelled by the rabid puritans of our modern age. That, and his extraordinary knowledge of cultural anthropology, would surely render ignorant critics dumb.

He also had begun to develop a series of YouTube comic alter egos including Boris the Perfumer and Gérard La Taupe (see videos below) which convey some of his idiosyncratic approach to comedy.

The Explorer

Alec would often go on daring expeditions to the outer reaches of the globe and push himself to daunting geographical challenges in places like South America, India, Tibet etc. I like to imagine he was something of a cross between Indiana Jones, Ernest Shackleton and J. Peterman from Seinfeld. I'm sure there's still obscure tribes in these faraway places that can remember the gregarious figure with face half concealed by a Shemagh scarf who talked to them as if he was a native of their culture. No cultural appropriator was Alec though, just a universalist in the best Joseph Campbell sense of the word, a Jedi communicator of the highest order.

The Everyman

Although to some, Alec would appear lofty at times, he was in his personality pretty grounded socially and able to converse effortlessly with people from all stratas of society, whether it be a stone mason or a free mason. His natural wit allowed to him to unlock all sorts of defences in other people and find a way to loosen any conversational inhibitions that may have prevented engagement.

Dressed in a smart nautical type of boho fashion, with a somewhat bow-legged walk, Alec could give the impression of being both a casual layabout and a high powered exec all at the same time. He knew how to mix it up without having to over style himself.

He was also someone who continually looked for ways to belong, whether it be with a motorcycle club, a buddhist sect, or as a contributing member of his local community.

But there was no doubt that Alec was also a loner, not necessarily by choice, but because of inherent behaviours that are common with entrepreneurs which set them apart from the herd in their bid to pursue their ambitious goals.

The Magician

All visionaries are magicians of sorts, especially when they turn their dreams into reality so that their sorcery cannot be doubted by those watching on.

Whether it was his expert cooking, his alchemy with wine and perfume, or his classical guitar playing, Alec was a polymath of seemingly infinite talents and once he focused on adding an extra string to his bow, would seemingly conjure yet another one from thin air.

Those of us with only a single string could only look on enviously and limply pluck a doleful note.

The Sage

Alec sought knowledge of damn near all things with such a ravenous appetite, you wondered how he could possibly retain all the information and learning he did. But the true delight for him was being able to dispense all that he had learnt for himself in order to give it away to others. In this way, it would feel as if he was learning for the world, not just himself and those of us lucky enough to benefit from his accumulated knowledge were blessed, even if we didn't always know it at the time. In fact, some of us to our deep shame may have even stifled a yawn at times.  

Sorry, mate.

The Hero

Alec was the hero of his own life story and frequently proved his courage in matching his ambition with practical application. His dreams did not remain in his head for long before he set to work on making them a reality. Whether it was creating an internationally successful perfume business, becoming eminently qualified in esoteric subjects such as the history of psychoanalysis or eastern religions and quite literally climbing mountains, there was no doubt that Alec fufilled the hero archetype criteria of his life magnificently.

There are some people in life who appear to be able to live multiple lives all at once.

Alec was one such person.

The last time I saw Alec before he died, I was surrounded by some highly agitated children in Waitrose car park who I was about to take to the park for a picnic.

"Keep it down will you? I don't come to Waitrose for this. If I wanted that kind of noisy rabble I would have gone to Tesco."

Both infuriated and amused at his quip, I found myself unable to reply, totally and utterly check mated.

But that was Alec to a tee.

Caustic, witty and wise.

If only he was still around, I might finally get to deliver a retort.