James Hees

Eddie Money was not only a rock and roll icon because of a string of hit songs, he was also known for his comedic manner. I had a face-to-face encounter with Eddie and his comical nature when he was one of the headliners at a rock concert put on by the radio station I was working for. I've written about it in my book, Born to be Mild. Here's an excerpt: "I was in a hotel elevator crowded with rock stars. We were headed to a top floor suite where the group Heart was having an

Every time wildfire smoke dims the summer sun and makes it harder to breathe, I think back to being surrounded by the forest fire my crew and I were fighting when I was a teenager. We were in a mountainous area of British Columbia called the Wildhorse. The event is chronicled in my soon to be published book, Born to be Mild. Here's a sample: We lugged the 60 pound millstones we called piss cans up a steep hill to a thick grove of trees at the edge of the fire. Wading through

I'm excited to be able to tell you my book will finally be launched in July! Born to be Mild has been a labour of love for more than a decade. Sometimes disturbing and often hilarious accounts of incidents I experienced while making my way from the poor side of a small town to receiving journalism awards in the Big Apple. More information coming this week.

Some memoirs are written to celebrate a life. Others are written to explain one. In Born to be Mild, James Hees does neither. Instead, he tells stories. With the keen eye of a journalist and the timing of a seasoned storyteller, Hees introduces readers to a cast of unforgettable characters, improbable situations, and moments that are by turns funny, unsettling, and surprisingly moving. His humour is rarely loud. More often, it emerges from the contrast between ordinary people

At first glance, the title Born to be Mild sounds like a contradiction. After all, the memoir recounts a life filled with close calls, questionable decisions, colourful characters, and situations that often teetered on the edge of disaster. Yet the title is more than a play on words—it reflects the personality at the heart of the story. Unlike the fearless adventurers often celebrated in coming-of-age tales, James Hees never saw himself as a risk-taker. Growing up in a poor n

In Born to be Mild, former CBC journalist James Hees reflects on a life spent standing uncomfortably close to danger. Growing up in a working-class community in