In 2011 Jon Ronson wrote The Psychopath Test, a bestselling book that went on to open many people’s – including this reviewer’s – eyes to the truth about what psychopathy actually is, how it is diagnosed and just how many people have it. Gone were the illusions about serial killers and bathtubs full of body parts. Instead, psychopathy infested the highest echelons in society. Indeed, in many ways, being a psychopath could be seen as the perfect personality type for running huge corporations, countries even. Steely determination, the ability to make cold-hearted decisions, insincere charm. There are a few world-famous individuals that come to mind when looking at the checklist for spotting a psychopath.
It is a real treat, then, to have Ronson in Bristol for Psychopath Night. For decades he has been a pioneering investigative journalist and broadcaster, and has launched himself headfirst into understanding the porn industry, the Bilderberg group and…goat psychics. This afternoon, his trademark self-effacing wit and ability to find a perfect incision point in a topic is at the forefront as he takes us through his often alarming findings. With one in a hundred people scoring highly on the psychopath checklist, there are perhaps 18 in the Beacon this afternoon, although, as he reassures us, if you’re worried that you’re a psychopath, then you’re almost certainly not one. Psychopaths aren’t worried about being psychopaths.
While much of Ronson’s material will be familiar to readers of the original book, he brings out “mystery guests” who enliven proceedings. Mary takes us through her relationship with a supposed CIA operative, who ended up being revealed as a serial bigamist who defrauded her for hundreds of thousands of pounds while siring several children with a different wife, plus their nanny. Colin, meanwhile, is introduced as a man wrongfully accused of the sensational killing of Rachel Nickell in 1992. He was honeytrapped by the police in an almost comically absurd case, and he makes a dryly amusing interviewee.
Elsewhere, there are entertaining stories of boardroom behemoths who are unrepentant in their slashing of jobs and psychopathic criminals who were given LSD as a way of making them more empathetic. The result? They learned how to mimic empathy, and used it to offend again. A Jeremy Kyle booker reveals how she looks into potential guests’ medication to make sure they’re the right kind of mad, and ChatGPT is revealed to have psychopathic tendencies. While Ronson’s reminiscences of his gate-crashing of Bohemian Grove with Alex Jones are wildly entertaining, they don’t really relate to the main theme, and in a way could do with a whole show to themselves.
What Ronson has demonstrated this afternoon is his outstanding ability to spin a good yarn, to leave listeners yearning for a resolution. His natural wit and ability to infiltrate the outermost limits of our society make him a fascinating speaker.