30 Years: A Life Lived Every Day

Published: December 2023.

ISBN: 9781780916521, 328 Pages

Ebook - eISBN: 9781781563441 available on Amazon

Imagine having your whole life documented. A real-life Truman Show. Meet Cory McLeod, who at 30 years of age, has had a photo taken every day of his life from birth and chronicled all of it. His time-lapse videos online have reached an audience in their millions, and now he is here to tell the full story.

This dark, inspiring and hysterically funny autobiography follows Cory as he navigates his way through everyday life. Cory battles anxiety, faces a gun to the face and pays 40 dollars to remove a knife from his chest.

He runs down from Mount Everest because he’s late for a wedding, climbs Mount Fuji with a broken rib and drives a tuk-tuk 3500km across India. If that wasn’t enough, Cory gets Rihanna’s lipstick on his lips, falls out with Prince Harry and parties with David Haye. He’s then grounded by reality after becoming friends with a curtain whilst on a mushroom trip in Indonesia. He names her Gusty Gail.

Wild, unpredictable and chaotic, 30 Years: A Life Lived Every Day by Cory McLeod is a story the everyday person can relate to. One minute life is going to plan, the next you’re wondering “How the f*** did it come to this?”

See below 'About the Author' for quotes from the book

To watch Cory's video "30 Years: A Photo of Cory Every Day" on YouTube click on the link  https://youtu.be/655A3dzVfRc

About the Author

Cory McLeod was born in Harrogate, North Yorkshire (UK) in 1991. He studied film and television production at university but decided to move to Dubai to pursue a career in events. Cory also spent one year working in Sydney and has travelled to more than 60 countries. He founded his own DJ, lighting and sound company and has more recently worked as a business development manager.

Cory's father took a photo of him every day of his life from birth and they released the first 21 years as a time-lapse on YouTube, in 2012 ('21 Years' on 'cloddyclips' channel). The video received more than 6 million views and had them doing interviews on CBS America, ITV and the BBC, among others. Cory has continued the project and has since uploaded '30 Years: A Photo of Cory Every Day' on his YouTube channel @coryeveryday.

30 Years: A Life Lived Every Day is Cory's second book, after he released 'How NOT To Trek to Mount Everest' in 2020. Cory is currently working on two screenplays for film.
 
You can find out about all of Cory's projects here - www.linktr.ee/coryeveryday or follow him at @coryeveryday_ on Instagram and @coryeveryday on TikTok.

Reviews

“Wild, unpredictable and chaotic!”

“A rollercoaster journey of highs and lows from an exciting young author who has travelled to every corner of the globe and experienced the highs and lows of everyday life. A future cult classic!”

Harrogate Advertiser - "Cory's new book is, in turns, inspiring, despairing and hysterically funny....Having finally completed this entertaining but very honest autobiography after a struggle to get it all into words, Cory's biggest worry now is some of the stories might accidentally upset his parents. "I’m already regretting some of the things I’ve put into the book, joked Cory."

Quotes from the book

My Cheeky, Loveable Dad

However, on the whole, his eight years as a boarder was a sad time in his life. Unlike the other boarders, he didn’t have much pocket money and his allowance could only afford him one apple on a Wednesday afternoon and five boiled sweets on a Saturday. There was little or no money for clothes, so ‘cast-offs’ kept him going. Ronnie was always hungry, and the butler, a man called Eladio, would occasionally slip him some buttered bread.

How I Met Your Mother

Mum said she saw Dad across the room in art class and his T-shirt had an image of an ant, that said, “I’m so happy I could shit.” The ant had its head in its hand looking depressed and apparently Dad was doing exactly the same pose and she asked herself, “Who on earth is that guy!?”

Havana Bad Time in Cuba

She had the time of her life, but had no idea how badly it was going to go wrong. On one of their trips the captain accidently crossed international waters into Cuban territory. This didn’t go down well with the Cuban authority and they surrounded the yacht and starting firing shots at it. The captain took Ruth, my mum and the rest of the crew below deck for safety. Mum said it was a terrifying experience and she thought she was going to die. 

Unlucky for Some

During my first three months, I developed a severe allergy. I was in immense pain with my skin ravaged by rashes. I’d spend the entire night writhing in bed, rubbing the skin from my face and scratching my thighs with my toe nails. My parents were distraught seeing me suffer and had many sleepless nights. 

Young Backpacker

 In December 1992, my parents decided to take me backpacking with them in Chile. Grandad Ronnie, Granny Cecilia, Aunty Lis and her kids were all living in Viña del Mar, on the West Coast of Chile so we stayed with them before boarding a train south towards Patagonia.

My First Home

One night, my dad invited a DJ from The Haçienda club in Manchester to play the music for his house party. He installed lasers, smoked machines, the lot. The house was packed and we couldn’t afford a baby sitter at the time so I was running around with my rave stick.

Right Little Shit!

My mum once asked my dad what he wants to achieve in life. His response was, “I want to leave this world knowing I have set my son on the right path.”

The Hustle of Being a Dickhead

I was renowned for being the class clown and always doing my best to disrupt the class - to impress my peers. In the short-term it worked but in the long-term it counted for nothing.

January Transfer Window 

All the name-calling would build up over the day and by the time I arrived home, I would be depressed wondering why people were horrible to me. My parents could see the effect the school was having on me and knew something had to change.

I Can Now Pronounce You, Not a Bastard

My parents’ wedding was twenty-six years after they started dating. At 15-years-old, I guess most kids don’t get to experience their own parents’ wedding, so in that sense I was lucky. I say I experienced it, but in truth, I don’t remember much of it.

All These Things I’ve Done

This ‘lad’ - who looked like a bit of a twat anyway, did a ‘Jonny Wilkinson’, cusping his hands and bending his knees, before taking a run-up and kicking the can as if it was the last minute of the 2003 Rugby World Cup Final. He kicked the base of the can so hard, that the piss fired out the other end, all over his face. 

Casino Car Crash

My friend managed to turn the wheel in time and we missed the fence by a matter of inches. He was traumatised, aware he’d nearly killed his mates. 

The Curious Case of the Apple and the Gun

They had zero patience and became more aggressive the more we weren’t responding. Eventually, one of the guys hit me on the head with the gun, knocking me to the floor. As blood dripped from my scalp, he stood over me and pointed the gun in my face.

City Above The Clouds

One guy, who was a few inches taller, squared up to me and pulled out a knife. Again, he shouted “Dinero.” I learnt my lesson from last time. I gave him all the cash I had on me.

Bwian Bwewery

Being ‘Dam virgins we picked the strongest weed in Amsterdam and toked like it was our last day on Earth. I developed a severe inability to focus and every move of the checkers piece seemed too difficult to comprehend. I’d finally move to another square, then we’d burst out laughing. Everything became so funny and Charles didn’t help matters. He convinced himself that he had Buggs Bunny teeth growing out of his mouth and was panicking, trying to push them back in. This made Drew and I laugh even more. Eventually, it became too much for Charles and he ran upstairs. 

Tomorrowland 

At this point in my life, I’d never even considered ecstasy. I found music euphoric, even when sober. Eventually the jealousy kicked in. I was having an amazing time but the people I was with were on another level. As Avicii arrived on stage to play the headline set, they offered me some. 

Viral

We were interviewed on BBC Radio 4 by Sian Williams and Richard Coles, then CBS America paid for us to go down to London. We were chauffeured in a Mercedes and housed in a classy London hotel. The story aired on CBS This Morning a few weeks later and the video jumped by another 3 million views. I had tweets from celebrities, such as Alyssa Milano who said, “Wow! Is this you?” and Sebastian Ingrosso (Swedish House Mafia), who said it was “Cool.” 
 

The High Life

On the final night of my first Formula One weekend, we finished our shift and gatecrashed some parties. It was a crazy night. I woke up and couldn’t remember a thing. When I checked my phone for evidence, I found a photo of David Haye taking a selfie of me, him and my friend Adam. 

Everything In Its Right Place

I couldn’t endure another night on a bus with Luke’s snoring so double-dropped some Xanax. Taking one dose helps you relax if you’re struggling to sleep. Taking two… well, you’re fucked.

Hell of a Trip!

We were meant to go to the beach rave, instead five of us sat in our hostel room for the entire night until the sun came up. It was one hell of a trip. We took it in turns to stand at the end of the bed and do stand-up comedy sketches.

Peace in the Dark

As we stepped out, we heard a repetitive thud. We followed the sound of the beat and arrived at a gate. Two policeman flashed us with a torch. I was so close to my first illegal rave. I’d heard so many good stories from my dad’s partying days in the late 80s - I wanted a taste of it!

Meeting British Royalty 

I was chosen as Prince Harry’s private server. I’ve never been so nervous. For the first hour, I followed him around with a tray of fresh juices, bending the knee as I served. I looked like a moron.

3500km Across India in a Tuk-Tuk

As we escorted the rickshaws to a mechanic, two kids tried grabbing Linda’s bag. A trustworthy-looking man in a semi-ironed business shirt whispered in our ears, “You need to leave before dark, otherwise you’re in trouble.” The sun was disappearing behind the trees and tensions were starting to mount. 

Shutting Down

After two drags my body didn’t know if it was up or down. I hyperventilated and collapsed on the floor. This wasn’t just a panic attack, I felt like I was going to have a heart attack. 

Good Fortune 

I called the embassy, fast-tracked a visa and booked a flight leaving the following day via Dublin and Philadelphia. The next job was to break the news to my boss. I told them I won a competition and it was too good an opportunity to miss.

Madness!

I sat in The Enmore Theatre thinking how ridiculous yet perfect it all was. Out of all the times we debated going out, the one we did resulted in becoming mates with Suggsy and Deano for a week.

Spontaneous Decisions Bring Great Results

It was a crazy last week leading up to my spontaneous decision. I lost my visa card at ‘Transvestite Bingo’, involving a bottle of Fireball and a 40-year-old Columbian. A day later, I almost died at the staff party.

How Not To Trek to Mount Everest 

Approaching the most dangerous airport in the world was as traumatic as it sounds. Fellow passengers screamed as the plane battled the high winds. As we approached the incredibly short runway, the pilot slammed the breaks and made a sharp turn into what looked more like a supermarket car park than airport terminal. 

Takashi’s Dream

I played the meteor shower and sunrise back in my mind, then envisioned Takashi summitting and fulfilling his life-long dream. He looked defeated so I hobbled back down and sat beside him on the wall. “Together, we are going to do this… whatever it takes!”

Radioactive

“I was born in Chernobyl and there the night of the disaster. We were evacuated and this is the first time I’ve been back.” I was stunned! “It was too sad to return but now I am old enough and have the courage.” I didn’t know what to say but tried to be comforting. 

Becoming An Athlete

Eventually, the hazy silhouettes in the distance disappeared altogether. I was on my own and had 12kms left before returning to base. I slurped (with the limited energy I had) from the hydration tube but nothing came out. “Holy shit!” It was 43 degrees, I had no water and I was lost! I was heading in the general direction, but going slightly off track could mean potentially life-threatening time spent in the sun.

Sheikkkkhhhhh! 

We were only 250 kilometres from Damascus. The closer we drove to the border, the more tents and refugees we spotted down the side of the road. Families and whole communities were finding any empty space outside the warzones to take shelter. 

Return to Normality (Hopefully)

I understand the complexities prioritising certain things during a pandemic, but I do feel people suffering with mental health issues were neglected. You need some freedoms to maintain a healthy mind and being locked up isn’t one of them. The feeling of being trapped and there being no sign of it ending takes its toll. 

Karma

I went for the best piss of my life during that set. My urine entered a black hole and all the walls in the bathroom pulsated, morphing into different colours. I didn’t want it to end! 

Family Time

We were horrified to discover they’d called backup and six of them came charging back at us. Everything happened so quickly. We didn’t know whether it was best to jump in the water or try scare them. My dad started barking at them which didn’t help. 

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