Swearing in English: Tall Tales at Shotgun

Long before they were written down, these stories were told and retold many times: to family, friends, strangers, anyone who would listen with an ear for a story. They share one thing in common - they are all true. Events, people, actions taken, words spoken, have been faithfully reproduced no matter how "tall" the tale. They follow the dictum that truth is stranger than fiction; passionate, ridiculous, rich in meaning. JOHN MERCER was born and grew up in the northern English city of Leeds in Yorkshire. In his twenties he spent several years living and working in Scotland, first on a west coast estate as a sheep farmer. He returned to work on a boat as a herring fisherman to pay his fees at a school of spiritual education in the Scottish Borders. He came to San Francisco in 1979 to help open an antique shop doomed to fail, fell in love and stayed, starting his own business as a cabinetmaker instead. He has been acting in the Bay Area since 2000.