Billy Hayes reveals the real Midnight Express

Billy Hayes has been trying to make amends with the Turkish state after the Turks issued international warrants against him, for what they considered libelous slander as depicted in the film directed by Alan Parker.

The movie deviates from the book's accounts of the story – especially in its portrayal of Turks– and some have criticized the movie version, including Billy Hayes himself. Later, both Stone, who wrote the script, and Hayes expressed their regret on how Turkish people were portrayed in the movie.

New Greek TV caught up with Billy Hayes and talked with the man who suffered endless trials and tribulations before escaping the nightmare of Turkish prisons. Now amidst controversy for his flag raising you can read what he said about the movie that depicted his misadventures, it's differences with events, but also about his passage through Greece, which for him was “the land of freedom,” and learn why it was no surprise that he took part in the ceremony on Wednesday, on Wall Street.

Interview

Q: Mr Hayes, you are currently running a show in New York, called "Riding the Midnight Express with Billy Hayes".  I suppose it is about your well known story taking place in Turkish prison. What is the concept of the show?

A: The show deals with the complete story of my adventures in Istanbul that turned into a strange nightmare, because getting sentenced to life in Turkish prison was the worst and the best thing that ever happened to me. I tell this story during my time on stage. italk about the differences between the book and the film and my own discoveries during this long wondrous ride on the Midnight Express.

Q: Will the audience have the opportunity to ask you questions during the show?

A: After the show there is a 15 minute Q&A with the audience.

Q: It has been almost 40 years since you escaped from the turkish prison and came back to New York. You were very young, so you restarted your life and left this experience behind.  How easy was that?  How can someone go on after living five years in prison - thinking that he has been sentenced to life imprisonment - and experiencing a very dangerous situation, such as the escape?

A: What made you decide to give permission for your book to be adapted to a script?

One of the many things I value from prison and then escaping is an appreciation of every little moment. I don't take things for granted now and know how sweet and precious life really is.  

Q: Were you aware that the script would be a bit different from the book and the real facts?

A: My book was written immediately upon returning home to New York City then was optioned by Columbia pictures before the book was even finished. It was all a whirlwind. And I knew that once I signed the rights to a studio, all control on my part was over.

Q: Do you think that Brad Davis encaptured your character?

A: I loved what Brad did. He gave his heart and soul to the role...I miss him...

Q: If we could go back to the late 70s, knowing what happened after the making of the film, would you still give your permission for adaptation?

A: Looking back to the 70's is just the road not taken, all those branching trails off into another existence for us...life...

Q: When you escaped, you crossed the borders over to Greece and after a couple of weeks you returned back to New York .  How was your experience in Greece?

A: Greece was wonderful for me and to me. It represented freedom and I knew the Greeks would never send me back to Turkey, not for 2 kilos of pot after 5 years in prison...

Q: I would like you to give a message to the youth... As a person who made mistakes, suffered and fought for his freedom...

A: My message is always the same--Do what you like, and know what you're doing. This means taking responsibility for your actions because you have to live with the consequences...Or Tape it under your arms, they'll never search you there...something like that...

Following is the speech delivered by Billy Hayes, during the ceremony on Wednesday:

I want to thank the honorable Consul General, all the Turkish Officials and my friend, Ibrahim Kurtulus, for inviting me to this ceremony today, where we celebrate the great work of Mustapha Kemal Ataturk and the founding of the Republic of Turkey. The irony of the moment is not lost on me. Billy Hayes, raising the Turkish flag above Wall Street, is not an event any of us would have predicted. But life is full of twists and turns, as my own history with the nation of Turkey can attest to. My early visits to the magical city of Istanbul gave me a deep appreciation of the Turkish people and their culture. My following 5 years in prison gave me another view. I’ve written extensively about my time in Turkey but the world knows about my experience, for the most part, through a very powerful film which, unfortunately, does not portray Turkey or its people as I knew them or
wrote about them. This unfair portrayal has caused much pain and misunderstanding. I can only hope that my gesture here today, of raising the Turkish flag, is a symbol of not only Independence but of healing and balance and forgiveness…Inshallah…Thank you…