MICHAEL PEMBERTON JNR
YEARS IN THE MAKING
MICHAEL PEMBERTON JNR
YEARS IN THE MAKING ARTIST MINERAL WATER MAGNATE WAITER/BARTENDER MAGAZINE EDITOR NIGHTCLUB ENTREPRENEUR FILM PRODUCER ACTOR ARTIST LAND DEVELOPER INTERIOR DESIGNER ARTIST
1974 -2014
70s THE
‘The two most important days of your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why’ MARK TWAIN
Michael entered the world in a year marked by unrest – a threeday week, two general elections, and extensive IRA bombing. A dramatic forceps delivery he began life the way he would go on, the type to make an entrance. His father had rushed from counting money to counting beats between contractions ‘It’s a boy alright’ he’d shouted at the top of his voice when he beheld his son for the first time. ‘The boy alright’ soon became the hub of our lives – he made a big splash at six months and swam before he walked, talked or had a hair on his head. A contented and easy baby we were unprepared for the toddler from hell and at one point seriously considered branding his scalp and changing his name to Damien. In the small suburban enclave where we lived his high jinks were notorious. A hosepipe stuffed through a neighbor’s letterbox caused a devastating flood. Our pet Persian kittens narrowly escaped suffocation after incarceration in Grandma’s handbag. And a stream of household staff came and went ‘The kid’s a
demon, needs a bloody good hiding’ one chauffeur was overheard mumbling before handing in his notice. Then Madeleine came into his life, and it all changed. A wonderfully warm, fun loving Swiss French au pair who seemed to belong to our family from the first moment she set foot over the threshold. An only child he’d eagerly anticipated her arrival and instantly called her Da Dummy, no one ever knew why. He was almost two, Madeleine eighteen, yet they were as one. And along with Doreen our scatty home help, who adored Michael like her own they became an inseparable threesome. Now he had the audience and attention he craved. It was great while lasted – too bad it didn’t last long. By the close of Michael’s first decade his idyllic suburban life had come to an abrupt end. In the late 70s his father had sold his company and we’d up sticks from Brum to Barbados. An adventure that was the change all or lives forever.
‘Our Sleeping Beauty’
‘Granny Knows Best’
‘That’s Our Boy’
‘Boy Racer’
‘One Long Holiday’
‘Birmingham to Barbados’
1974 -2014
80s THE
‘Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway’ ANONYMOUS
The slow laid back West Indian culture did nothing to quench Michael’s thirst for mischief. If anything it increased. Glitterbay Hotel, set in twelve acres with a large staff, terrified of ‘De Boss Man’s Son’ would prove to be a bigger and better stage. Malleable kids were soon press- ganged to help create mayhem. When Ollie, a young houseman went missing no one thought to look in a dark unused basement. He’d been there ten hours, before Michael admitted guilt and handed over the key. Setting fire to the hotel staff room almost proved catastrophic and the near drowning of an American guest costly. When checking out several guests were heard to comment that they would love to return to the hotel if ‘Somebody could get rid of the kid’ . During this time we lived in Bachelor Hall, an idyllic waterfront house where so many happy memories were made. Surrounded by a bevy of doting aunties, Jilly, Patti and Anny, Michael enjoyed beach BBQ birthdays, joyous Christmases’ parties and home produced pantos.
Kids came and went yet – few stayed unless they obeyed. One such was Sophie, a lifelong friend, unusual since his first stab at impressing her was to pee over her pretty head while she was swimming laps in the pool. In 1985 Michael and I returned to England to live first in Surrey then later Kent. Northfields, the quintessential country house was our home. Complete with stables, swimming pool, tennis court and dogs plus a skinny white cat called Libra-who loved wrapping himself around Michael’s neck, so much he gave him the nickname. ‘The Siamese Scarf’. When he was thirteen Michael went to Rugby. For the first few months boarding school was hell, so much so we made a deal, if he still felt the same after a year he could change school. His love of painting, a great art faculty and an inspirational teacher proved to be his salvation, and before the end of his 2nd term he’d settled into public school life, as much as Michael would ever settle or conform to discipline.
‘Glittering Days’
‘He Sleeps with the Fishes’
‘Back to Blighty’
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Michael’s childhood was populated by a bevy of adoring nannies including Jilly Pattie and others
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Michael always took Libra’s spa treatments seriously
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Philip Kingsley hair product gave Michael a new identity
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Michael loved borrowing his father’s car but his first driving lesson proved problematic
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Michael hit on a successful idea for baiting hooks when shark fishing with his Pa
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Michael’s revamp of Glitter Bay water sports hit on a new and novel addition to the thrill of surfing
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Michael’s impression of a poolside shower did not impress his friend Sophie
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Michael’s talent for remodelling created a lot of local employment
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Michael took over human resources at The Royal Pavilion and raised the bar in staff relations
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Michael was thrown out of Whitelaw for pretending to be a prefect
1974 -2014
90s THE
‘It’s not what happens to you but how you respond that counts’ STEVE BACKLEY, AUTHOR
Michael’s academic star never dazzled, so when on holiday in Sardinia in 1990 his father and I were both surprised to learn he’d passed all his O levels with good grades. This gave him the leverage he needed to cut a deal – could he leave school if he gained his A levels in a year? We agreed – he succeeded and left at seventeen in a blaze of glory. Some would disagree, most notably his headmaster, who didn’t react well to Michael hijacking the public address system on speech day to condemn the unfair dismissal of a favorite teacher. He excelled at art therefore entry to art school was a given, yet it was to be short lived. Michael was a painter, but cared more about what he could and should become and his desire to be an entrepreneur took hold. He was barely eighteen when he decided to launch a bottled water business, and our basement was soon home to bottles of various shapes and sizes and a weird pump machine that appar-
ently put the sparkle into London pop. This venture was only the beginning-but more of that later. He celebrated his 18th in Ireland the childhood home of his maternal grandmother, who he resembles, and his 21st in Scotland – no reason apart from the fact Ackergill Castle was a really great party house. He was now roughing it in a cool split level flat in Chelsea and planning to open The Voodoo Lounge, a nightclub in Leicester Sq, London. Holidays were spent in Barbados where he excelled at living life to the full. A natural mimic with a playful wit he became party animal par excellence. Yet during those hedonistic times he founded real and enduring friendships that remain constant to this day. At the dawn of the millennium Michael was fast growing into a man with a zest for life, insatiable enthusiasm, and a love of adventure that was soon to take him on his next journey.
‘Leaving home blues’
‘Best Man Ever’
‘18th in Cork’
‘BB The Best’
‘A Slice of Paradise’
‘Jingle Bells in Bachelor Hall’
‘Coming of Age at Ackergill’
‘St Barths Bake’
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Michael’s idea for a new Olympic Sport attracted the unwelcome attention of animal welfare activists
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A humble man, Michael was never afraid to slum it when travelling
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Michael was always a family man and enjoyed warm relations with his mother and father
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Michael’s 21st in Scotland raised hems and eyebrows
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Michael’s first polo lesson didn’t go too well
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Michael’s venture into the bottled water industry ran into distribution problems
1974 -2014
00s THE
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‘Mistakes are the portals of discovery’ JAMES JOYCE
This era saw Michael’s horizons dramatically change course – Hollywood beckoned. Ever the chameleon he threw himself into his new role. Film production and acting school now dominated his life. He lived in Bel Air-he had the looks, charm and charisma – he would become a film star-so far he’d had a charmed life – so why not? The following few years were spent walking the tenuous tightrope of casting agents, auditions, callbacks and facing rejection that is the everyday stuff of the movie industry. All destined to take their toll on even the toughest Teflon coated souls. And after a small role in ‘Cruel Intentions 3’ a part he hated Michael decided to return to what he knew best, what he did best – painting. A year later he launched a successful exhibition in London and we really thought, nay hoped, that he’d rekindled his true
love and would go on to paint. We were wrong, and within months he’d announced he was leaving London to live in Brazil. As with all his ventures Michael launched into his new guise with great gusto. He learned Portuguese, networked with the local landowners who welcomed the charming gringo, and along with his new business partner Henry, and his father’s support began working on a hotel development. Eventually the deal was done, financing in place, ready to rock and roll when the financial collapse of 2008 brought it all crashing down. With the Brazil dream in tatters- he decamped to the US and yet another stint in LA as an interior designer – this ended quickly when he moved to New York to live in a cool apartment in Patchin Place located in the hip West Village. This decade has seen him become The English Godfather with countless Godchildren, and latterly come full circle with a return his first love – art.
‘The English Godfather’
‘The Toxic Series 2005-2006’
‘Would Like Some of What Michael’s On’
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Next Michael turned to interior design and proved a smash in New York remodelling a friends apartment (well not really a friend - he never liked the guy)
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In New York Michael found it easy to downsize his living standards
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To win over the locals for his Brazilian real estate venture, Michael invited them all to a BBQ
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Michaels arrival in Argentina sparked welcoming scenes of exultation
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Michael was so busy talking on the telephone – he often left the bath taps running in his apartment block – causing some inconvenience to his neighbours
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THE EVIL STEPFATHER The Evil Stepfather.
The Evil Stepfather
Morgan
Morgan
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Morgan
Michael took his audition for Tarzan seriously but the producers were not impressed
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Michael’s acting attracted rave reviews but he tired of being type cast
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Michael’s art was striking but he had a problem with noses he could never overcome
Michael has done more in 40 years than most people do in several lifetimes. He has lived the dream. You are a son who has given extraordinary joy, touched so many people with your humor, generosity and love. You have a truly special place in our hearts – a place to be yourself, to grow, to laugh, to cry, to dream and to strive for whatever your heart desires.
‘Take, if you must, this little bag of dreams, unloose the cord, and they will wrap you round’ YEATS