Sebastian Horsley Turned Back From U.S.

On the eve of his book tour, notorious author Sebastian Horsley (Dandy In The Underworld) has been denied admission to the U.S.

Sebastian Horsley, a British author who has written an eyebrow-raising memoir detailing a life of rampant drug use and voluminous encounters with prostitutes, was turned back at Newark Liberty International Airport on Tuesday as he tried to enter the United States for a book party and New York news media tour.

Mr. Horsley, whose memoir, “Dandy in the Underworld,” was published last week in paperback by Harper Perennial, a unit of HarperCollins, said he was detained by United States customs authorities for eight hours and questioned about his former drug addiction, use of prostitutes and activity as a male escort.

“I’m absolutely shattered and upset and gutted about not being able to come to America,” Mr. Horsley said in a telephone interview from London, where he had returned on Wednesday. “I was very much looking forward to meeting everybody.”

Lucille Cirillo, a spokeswoman for the New York office of United States Customs and Border Protection, said she could not comment on specific cases. But in an e-mail message, she said that under a waiver program that allows British citizens to enter the United States without a visa, “travelers who have been convicted of a crime involving moral turpitude (which includes controlled-substance violations) or admit to previously having a drug addiction are not admissible.”

People who have previously admitted to drug addiction are not admissible? Wouldn't this mean that thousands would be denied every year? Including almost every British pop star? Horsely: "God bless America, land of the free, but sadly not the land of the depraved. I’m not a politician, I’m an artist. Depravity is part of the job description." I've got a copy of Horsely's book lying around here somewhere. Guess I'm going to have to see what the fuss is.