The Golden Straitjacket: I lost an arm, I lost my sanity, but I never lost my sense of humour

Chris Joseph walked out of university to become a priest. It was a tough decision, and the tasks set by the bishop, even tougher. From nightclub bouncer to Benedictine monk, he worked in a dilapidated iron foundry where he survived a horrific industrial accident. Disabled but undaunted, he finished his degree before joining the world of advertising. Having established his own award-winning agency in the heart of London’s West End, he was struck down by mental illness and the inevitable stigma and chaos that accompany instability. He used his advertising skills to publicise and settle High Court copyright and banking disputes with several high profile multinational companies including Barclays Bank.

‘The Golden Straitjacket’ is a series of short, true, humorous and horrific stories from Chris Joseph’s life that can be read together or in isolation. They should give readers an insight into the joyful, painful, but certainly crazy world that he has inhabited where insanity often follows creativity. Whether it’s madness or genius you be the judge...!