This one is wild. We invited Drayton Bird (who knew and worked with some of the original mad men) to join us for the 165th episode of The Copywriter Club Podcast. Drayton has been around the world of advertising and direct marketing since the 1960s and he has the stories to prove it. As we talked, it occurred to us that if Drayton wasn't the inspiration for The Most Interesting Man in the World, he probably should have been. We asked Drayton about:

•  what happened to him the last time he went to San Diego

•  how he became a successful copywriter—it’s not about creativity

•  how he spent his teen-age years and why he carried 2 library cards

•  Why he couldn’t choose a niche when he started writing

•  the one thing Drayton says you need to be a good copywriter

•  the intriguing letter he sent to David Ogilvy that got an immediate reply

•  the 7 big lessons he learned from David Ogilvy

•  whether being interesting is something we are or something we become

•  some of the questions he asks to get better creative work

•  the legacy he has built and the story he shares in his latest book

•  the bizarre thing his mother saw his father doing in their living room

•  the time a stripper nearly killed him hitting him in the face with a plate

•  the Maori princess who broke his heart when she ran off with a Swedish lawyer

•  his parents’ crazy, loving and destructive relationship

•  the advice he got from a Polish Count that saved Drayton’s life

•  what you need to think about constantly if you really want to be really good at copy

Like we said, this one is different from any other interview we've done. You won't want to miss it. Click the play button below to listen (or download the episode to your favorite podcast player), or scroll down to read a full transcript.

 

The people and stuff we mentioned on the show:

The VW Snowplow Ad

David Ogilvy

Ogilvy on Advertising

Drayton’s Biography (read this page)

Drayton's Book

Kira’s website

Rob’s website

The Copywriter Club Facebook Group

The Copywriter Underground

 

Full Transcript:

This episode is brought to you by The Copywriter Club, In Real Life, our live event in San Diego, March 12th through 14th. Get your tickets now at thecopywriterclub.com/tccirl.

Rob:   What if you could hang out with seriously talented copywriters and other experts, ask them about their successes and failures, their work processes and their habits, then steal an idea or two to inspire your own work? That's what Kira and I do every week at The Copywriter Club Podcast.

Kira:   You're invited to join the club for episode 165 as we chat with one of the original Mad Men, copywriter Drayton Bird about his place among the original Mad Men of advertising, what all copywriters need to master to make their writing better, getting stabbed three times and surviving, and the good advice he got from a Polish count many years ago.

Rob:   Hey Drayton.

Kira:   Welcome Drayton.

Drayton:        Nice to talk to you. And I'll tell you something. I got involved in my most sad most expensive marriage to one of the ladies who did have a go at sticking a knife in me. Well, she didn't ever go, she didn't stick a knife in me,  because I was in San Diego. It was all your fault. I'd been doing a speech in Los Angeles and afterward, I went with some friends and we made our way down the coast staying somewhere terribly expensive. I can't remember.

And then we went to San Diego Zoo and had one or two drinks and my friends said, ‘Let's go down to Mexico.’ And so we went down to the Mexican border to a dangerous town. I think, I believe one of the most dangerous places in Mexico. And that's where I got married as a result of being intoxicated.

Kira:   That's a romantic, romantic story.

Rob:   So are you telling us you're not going to come to San Diego for our event? Is that what you're saying here? Too dangerous?

Drayton:        Can't afford to come twice. Tijuana,