29 things to do before he's 30

Jan 30 2009 By Adam Courtney

What makes a man with no pronounced streak of exhibitionism or inclination to risk life and limb suddenly decide to climb Ben Nevis, dress up as a drag queen or become a dairy farmer for a day?

For James Corless it was the number 29. In what the Shepperton Studios sound engineer describes as a "eureka moment", he, after discussions with mates, decided the start of his 30th year, on December 29, represented his final chance to experience a crazier side of life.

So he pledged to complete 29 tasks, many outlandish, in 29 weeks. Now in week 13, James has so far overcome a fear of horses by learning to ride; mastered water skiing; been a male stripper for a night; joined a womens' rugby club; met religious leaders; worked for London homeless charity, CRISIS; recorded a rap song; remade his favourite film, ET; become a London tourist for a day; visited his grandfather's war grave in Belgium; and, on Saturday, he became a drag queen.

His rationale behind this epic odyssey, which will raise money for UNICEF, is far simpler than the daunting task list itself.

"I just wanted a different way of celebrating my birthday," he said. "Twenty-nine is a bit of a nothing milestone, but it's the last before 30, which I feel is the cut-off point for being able to do things that are completely ridiculous. The idea was conceived from a night drinking with my friends where we discussed things you should do before you're 30 and it's just snowballed."

James concedes he's never been a thrillseeker and says the biggest risk he'd taken previously was pursuing his dream of becoming a sound engineer. It makes the choice of tasks, dreamed up by the friends, all the more extraordinary.

How exactly does a man, who has never performed in public, go about writing and performing a comedy sketch, learning drums from scratch in 25 weeks with a gig at the end, and becoming a street act on the South Bank?

"It's difficult because I'm not an exhibitionist at all," he said. "But the fear factor seems to drop after each task. It's not that I've become completely fearless, it's just that until I actually get to the scenario, the experience doesn't seem real and then when I'm there I just seem to go into auto-pilot.

"The performance tasks are a complete leap of faith. I've tried to pull out a couple of times but I've discussed it with so many people and my friends just won't let me.

"But everytime I complete a task there's a sense of euphoria. I was absolutely terrified of horses but got through it and felt amazing afterwards. And with the stripping, I figured it would be over in 10 minutes and I'd be watched by people I'd never see again. And being surrounded by women cant be that bad can it?"

One task he's genuinely petrified about is performing stand-up comedy at a London club - the Paris marathon, which he'll complete in April, pales into insignificance by comparison.

"With the running, you put the hours in and the worst that can happen is you tweak a muscle and can't complete," he said. "But the comedy's different - I'll have friends and family there and I've seen comics die and death on stage. It's awful just watching, never mind doing it. Ten minutes is a long time to be on a stage. I've got to write stuff that's funny and there won't be time to rehearse. I think I'm going to be sick to the stomach."

But James says his experiences have opened his mind and altered his conceptions.

He added: "I'd would say to anyone now that being out of your comfort zone is no bad thing. I've come into contact with worlds and people I would never even have considered and it's changed my views. Strippers, for example, you'd pigeon hole them but, talking to them, they're just normal guys.

"My visit to a mosque was another great example. We get fed a lot of things through the media and it was great to be able to form my own opinions. I've learned if you've got things you want to do but keep putting them off, you're just making excuses and what's the point?

"I had always wanted to visit my grandfather's grave but it was one of those things that would always get put off. But now I've done it and I feel a sense of achievment."

The logistical and financial challenges in organising this monumental lifestyle change, all the while continuing in the day job, occasionally leave James wanted to go back to his previous carnation as Mr Ordinary.

"Sometimes I do feel like I want my old life back because there's so much to. Drum rehearsals, table tennis practice (he's due to play a top professional in March), booking tickets, it's crazy, and sometimes seems endless. And I've given up drinking after visiting the mosque.

"When I stop and think about what I'm doing, it seems ridiculous. I walked in to Tesco to buy some waxing cream (for the stripping) and just thought what the hell am I doing?

"Some things I'm getting sponsored for and others I'm putting on a credit card. I probably can't afford them, but life's too short and, besides, I reckon I'll be able to dine out on this for the rest of my life!"

SOME OF THE 29 TASKS

¥Learn to horse ride

¥Learn to waterski

¥Become a London tourist for a day

¥Meet religious leaders

¥Become a stripper

¥Visit grandfather's war grave

¥Learn to skjateboard

¥Remake a film

¥Join a women's rugby club

¥Make a rap record

¥Work for homeless charity

¥Play table tennis champion

¥Climb Ben Nevis

¥Rock climb

¥Become a dairy farmer

¥Become a zoo keeper

¥Run Paris Marathon

¥Learn drums

¥Perform at a comedy gig

¥Brew own beer

¥Become a drag queen

¥Work as a UNICEF charity collector

¥Be a street performer