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 The 48-year-old Australian, whose Big Pictures photo agency in
London helped to usher in the modern paparazzi era with its ruthless
pursuit of celebrity pictures, was recently elected mayor of his
hometown of Geelong, just south of Melbourne.
Sporting his signature mohawk haircut and fur-lined mayoral robes
when Reuters visited his home for a photo shoot, Lyons believes his
penchant for flair is just what the city needs.
"At the end of the day, if you want to sell Wilson tennis balls, who
would you want to have doing it? Roger Federer. If you want to sell
a restaurant, you want Gordon Ramsey," he told Reuters in an
interview at City Hall.
Whether or not Lyons is on a par with that kind of company, Geelong
needs all the help it can get.
The city of 180,000 people is struggling with the flight of
thousands of manufacturing jobs, placing Lyons improbably at the
centre of efforts to save one of Australia's major centers.
Although his reputation has dark spots he admits to cocaine abuse
at the height of his celebrity but denies reports that his
formidable abdominal muscles are implants there is much to
recommend his business savvy.
Born the youngest of three children to a middle-class family in
Geelong, Lyons began working as a photographer for local newspapers
straight out of school.
In 1988, Lyons says, he arrived in London with just A$500 in his
pocket about $400 at the time. A chance meeting with media baron
Rupert Murdoch landed him a job with The Daily Mail, a British
tabloid for whom he photographed the Balkan wars.
In 1992, Lyons founded Big Pictures and turned from stalking snipers
to celebrities. At its height, the company had dozens of staff
photographers around the world and made him very rich.
Among his treasures in addition to the private jet and yacht are
the last photographs of Britain's Princess Diana as she was dying,
which he keeps locked away in a safe.
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His success led to a star turn in 2005 when the BBC aired
"Paparazzi", a behind-the-scenes look at his company. That led to
further slots on reality TV shows like "Celebrity Big Brother" and
"Dragons' Den".
Although Lyons was one of Britain's most recognizable faces, his
business was battered by the global financial crisis and collapsed
in 2012, leaving him at a crossroads.
Early last year he decided he'd had enough of the celebrity
lifestyle and, together with fiancιe Elissa Friday, returned
triumphantly to Geelong.
Friday, a former contestant on the "Beauty and the Geek" reality TV
show a lascivious portrait in the mayor's home makes it clear
which role she played is referred to by Lyons as the "mayoress".
His campaign for the election held last November was attacked by the
business community, whose members went so far as to take out
negative ads in Geelong's main newspaper.
Lyons won easily with almost 30 percent of the ballot and, after his
first 100 days in office, is genuinely popular. He was just
nominated for the quirky World Mayor Competition.
Even the business community seems to appreciate the attention he is
drawing to the embattled city.
"I see the mayor's role as a marketing tool," Lyons said with a
broad grin. "The people of Geelong, mostly, love it as a marketing
tool."
(Editing by John O'Callaghan)
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