Maximum exposure
I was surprised by my meeting with Max Clifford. Here was the man who had toppled Tory giants such as Jeffery Archer and Jonathan Aitkin, exposed Gary Glitter and Michael Barrymore and most recently had a hand in the Hamilton rape allegations. I had expected to meet a figure who exuded power and influence but instead I met a man who seemed, well, demure. My pre-planned criticisms felt strangely inappropriate. This wasn't someone I wanted to fight with; this was a man I wanted to have tea with.
As Britain's best known publicist, Clifford has represented the individuals behind numerous high profile news stories; the runaway parents Jeff and Jennifer Bramley, the octuplet's mother Mandy Allwood, former spy Richard Tomlinson and brain damaged boxer Michael Watson. Yet ask anyone how they have heard of Max Clifford and their answer will be the same; his leaks to the tabloid press concerning the sex scandals that brought the Conservative government to its knees in the 1990s.
So does Clifford consider himself to be the media's 'king of sleaze' or an ardent crusader for truth? He seems to be under no illusions about the latter: "You've only go to look at my track record, from Freddie Starr ate my hamster to David Copperfield and Claudia Schiffer to a multitude of other things. An important part of public relations is to manipulate the media to hide the truth, for the protection and promotion of your clients... I'm more than happy to perpetuate stories of that nature knowing them to be untrue." Yet the media manipulator is not quite as amoral as first appears. His indifference to truth has its limits, and he adds that he "keeps clear of politics because then it becomes serious... whether Freddie Starr ate a hamster or not is not really too much of a problem."
Our discussion then passed into when truth, according to Clifford, does become important: the stories concerning David Mellor, Neil Hamilton, Jeffrey Archer, Sophie Wessex and Ron Davies. One senses a change in Clifford as soon as he enters this subject. He begins to lean forward, to look more earnest, his voice takes on a harder edge: "You ever try showing up someone in a position of power and influence for what they really are, and you'll begin to understand just how difficult it is." He continued: "when it comes to showing up corruption and victimisation, the truth is very important and I work very hard to bring the truth out." Yet there remains an arbitrary nature to his decisions, which he expresses in the phrase aired several times during the interview: "you treat as you find."
I wondered if Clifford was as much concerned about his own public image as that of his clients. Max was keen to deny this: "No, I love every minute of it. The fact is that I have a small and very successful and hugely enjoyable business - I do what I love to do and I do it in my own way." He makes reference to his most controversial involvements; OJ Simpson and the boys accused of murdering Steven Lawrence: "I think in a democracy you should hear both sides, you only often hear one side from the media." However, this has not prevented him from being the victim of verbal attacks and death threats.
Talk of democracy leads us to a discussion of Clifford's political revelations, and non-revelations: "I was aware of Robin Cook's extra-marital affairs long before it ever became public. But he wasn't lecturing us on family values, or back to basics, or hiding behind his wife for self-image... I'd much rather have a politician who is doing his best, doing what he or she really believes in, even if they have a mistress or lover, than someone who cowtows, who's weak and conniving but pure as the driven snow. Clinton was a good example - the reason the Americans voted for him was that they were very happy with what he did for them, and that should be the most important thing. For every politician I've exposed, there's a dozen I haven't."
Clifford is evidently a passionate democrat, and he bemoans the "distorted, political, perverse and dishonest" British press. He claims that since "newspapers don't have the money to invest in investigative journalism, a lot of it is done by me." Critics may have branded him a purveyor of sleaze who pimps his stories around Fleet Street, but listening to Max Clifford's dulcet tones lulls me into a more favourable impression. He could really be the saviour of modern democracy. I almost want to thank him. Ah, where would we be without good old Uncle Max?
21st Feb 2002