Graham Hughes
Graham David Hughes was born in Liverpool at the wrong end of the seventies. If you had to define in a sentence what drives him perhaps it’s the desire that years from now schoolchildren across the land will be required to learn his date of birth.
From an early age Graham has stood out from the crowd. With his striking auburn hair and encyclopaedic knowledge of smutty jokes he was always going to be noticed and he has grown up into a person that once you meet him, he’s hard to forget.
Graham has always had a plan to make his mark and has always has a madcap scheme or three in the offing — once he finds something he wants to do he sets about it wholeheartedly. He is the one shouting the loudest, his hand is up highest, he is the squeaky wheel after the oil. He is a keen reader, and has a range of knowledge that includes (but goes way beyond) current affairs and copious amounts of pop culture. If you’re ever at a house party with him, be prepared to find yourself deep in conversation about anything from the Crab Nebula to the politics of modern Africa to the films of Akira Kurosawa, via Jabba the Hutt, monkey butlers and Viz Magazine.
Graham’s major passions are travel and cinema, both were cultivated from childhood. He was in Eastern Europe as the map was redrawn after the end of the cold war, and partook in some eccentric summer holidays road-tripping in a Cadillac through the country lanes of Wales. Since leaving Manchester University with a degree in Politics and Modern History, Graham has taken in more of the world – single-handedly travelling around the world in 2002, and picking up his sassy Aussie girlfriend Mandy along the way. A trip to Serbia’s Exit Festival in 2007 took in Albania, Bosnia and Kosovo (amongst others) on a meandering return leg, bringing his ‘country tally’ up to a total of seventy.
Since returning to Liverpool, Graham has devoted his time to a number of enterprises, specifically his company, Hydra Studios. With Hydra he has written and directed a number of excellent short films and won the inaugural Liverpool 48 Hour Film Challenge in 2006. He has also been heavily involved in the Liverpool Music Scene, shooting or producing videos for Hot Club De Paris, The Dead 60′s, The Basement, (We are) Performance, Peter And The Wolf, Lyons And Tigers, China Crisis, The Coral, The Real Kicks, The Sonic Hearts, Metro Manila Aide, Kaya, The White Rose Movement and filming for the release of the Arctic Monkeys second album, Favourite Worst Nightmare. He has also written numerous treatments for larger film projects and has developed scripts with the support of the UK Film Council.
Never one for the ‘normal’ 9 to 5 lifestyle, Graham can normally be found beavering away on a project or painting the town red. Or (more typically) both at the same time. He is at his best with a deadline and a plan of how to get it done. Forever plunging headfirst into new experiences — he’s the guy who always says ‘yes’ and then worries about how he’s going to do it afterwards. Anywhere he lays his head is home for the night. It is this spontaneous and unpredictable attitude that has shaped his life so far, given him some of his funniest stories and his incredibly eclectic group of friends.
THE ODYSSEY is the culmination of his decade-long dream to travel to every country in the world, set a new world record, raise money for a worthy cause and entertain people along the way. Christ knows he’s been banging on about it long enough.
- Dino Deasha, December 2008
Comments
6 Responses to “Graham Hughes”Comment on this post
Go on, you know you want to...(and if you want a pic to show with your comment, go get a gravatar)
NOTE: Comments do not appear immediately, but instead, await moderation before being published
hallo graham
its michael… 4 more to go GODBLESS YOU ON YOUR JOURNEY… m home already… GODSPEED BRO….
Yo Michael!! Thanks for making my time on the Mell Sembawang such an enjoyable one. Enjoy your holiday and keep in touch – I’m sure we’ll meet again (I promise not to do karaoke next time!).
Hi Graham,
Sadly Sheila & I are now at home after a wonderful Cruise around New Zealand and then up Brisbane via the Pacific Highway. I dont expect you to remember me from the ship but you shared our table a acouple on nights for dinner. I am the white haired pensioner from West Derby travelling with an old mate from Blackmoor Park days. You won’t remember but I did promise to give details of your adventures to my nephew who will contact you.
Take care
Val
Hi Val,
Of course I remember you! Don’t forget to pop in on my mum and dad for a cup of tea and a natter… they’re expecting you!!!
All the best,
Graham
Hi Graham, hope all goes well for your next adventure to Nauru. It was good fun having you on our cruise around NZ. We had a great game of Jeopardise didn’t we? Look forward to seeing how the rest of your amazing Odyssey goes. Love Jane and Caitlin Hackett.
Hee hee! You’d think a Guinness World Record holder from Liverpool would know what the most stolen book from public libraries is!!! (Clue: It’s The Guinness Book of Records!) Oh well, good job that $18,500 was only Monopoly money