Felix Dennis: poet, pioneer, party planner and prolific planter

http://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/jun/23/felix-dennis-poet-pioneer-oz-publisher

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A poem with the enigmatic title Sign to Be Erected at the Gate to Argyle Wood sums up in many ways the character of Felix Dennis, the publisher, wide-boy and latter-day poet who has died of cancer at the age of 67.

It was Judge Michael Argyle who, at the Old Bailey in 1971, jailed Dennis along with his two fellow editors of the underground magazine Oz. Argyle famously gave Dennis the shortest sentence because he was "the least intelligent", but his hopelessly flawed summing-up led to a successful appeal and subsequent ridicule.

In the poem, which Dennis wrote decades later at his home on the island of Mustique – did the judge ever dream that the long-haired defendant would become a multimillionaire with his own Caribbean retreat? – he forgave Argyle and portrayed him as just another victim of the establishment: "Now rest, you daft old fool."

Dennis, who probably planted more trees in Britain than any other individual in his lifetime, dedicated a wood to Argyle, "a bad judge, but not a bad man".

It was in the wake of the eventual demise of Oz that Dennis embarked on his extraordinary career, founding Dennis Publishing. His remarkable ability to spot a wave just before it crested was first demonstrated by Kung-Fu Monthly, which capitalised on the cult following of the martial artist Bruce Lee. Former Oz contributors, writing under assumed names, padded out what was essentially a monthly poster of Lee. It was reprinted in 11 languages and made Dennis his first  fortune.

An eclectic mix of publications followed, catering to anyone interested in, say, skateboards, science fiction or motorcycles. A volume called Man-Eating Sharks, cashing in on the Jaws phenomenon, was written by a trio of hacks, each given a handful of library books and a 10-day deadline. There was a prescient breakthrough into computer magazines and the world of IT (no longer confused with the grandfather of Britain's underground mags of the same name).

While Dennis thrived, despite some wild addictions, not all of his underground contemporaries did. But when money had to found for a lawyer in a drugs trial, a bill paid for rehab, or a wake organised, Dennis and his team were usually first on the scene. His parties – notably one on the Derry and Toms Roof Gardens in Kensington to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Oz trial – were spectacular. Where else would you encounter flamingoes, George Melly and Andy Fairweather Low singing Wide Eyed and Legless?

Roger Hutchinson, who co-edited Oz in its later stages, remembers his early days there: "I would dutifully get in around 10am. If Felix appeared, it was sometime after 4pm. I thought he was testing my initiative. He wasn't. He was living the life he wanted to lead, on his own terms, and that never changed."

Richard Adams, the designer who worked alongside Dennis for many years, recalls meeting him "wearing a muddy brown, pinstriped and double-breasted suit by Cecil Gee, kipper tie, crocodile boots and carrying a smart tan leather Samsonite briefcase". He remembers Dennis's "ability to create something from bugger all … More than his generosity, he will be remembered for his unquestioning friendship – whether you were up and sky-high, or down and out, he could always be counted upon to give you a hand up".

Could Argyle have imagined that the unrepentant young hippie would one day be described by Tom Wolfe as a "21st-century Kipling"? His late career as a best-selling, hall-filling poet was puzzling to many, but it was not only the titles of his poetry tours – Did I Mention the Free Wine? – that led to his success.

Over the years, Dennis commissioned dozens of bronze statues on his Warwickshire estate to celebrate his heroes, including – along with Kipling and Darwin – Chuck Berry, Stephen Hawking, Woody Guthrie, the Few, Brunel, Billie Holiday and the Owl and the Pussycat. A collection as wild and eccentric as the life.