City People

This is an article I wrote a year or so ago for YEAH magazine -

http://www.yeah-magazine.com/

"London is the epitome of an oxymoron. Beautiful in it’s grime; colourful in it’s concrete. When I hear urban, I think London. Once I was lost in and around Leicester Square and I had wandered up and down the same street about four times when a homeless guy stood up and walked over to me. Another oxymoron. He didn’t mug me as the fool in me expected, but smiled and said, “You wanna go left at the other end of this road love.” Only in London can a poor man politely help out a stranger, whereas a rich man can be rude to waiters and leave no tip.

The vibrancy and variety in London is part of what makes it triumph over most other places I have ben. It’s why when on holiday I tend to think “It’s nice here, but it’s not England.” I can go to a ballet and get MacDonald’s on the same road. Eat foie gras and go to a basement club on the same square. It’s not dissimilar to wearing a ball gown with a hoodie, trainers and chunky gold jewellery…you would never think of it, but somehow Lily Allen can pull that shit off.

The trains are even stranger to me. So many different people streaming on and off, never speaking, never even acknowledging each others presence even if they are standing mere inches away from each other reading the same book pressed against their noses. Ever noticed how a crowed train carriage can be silent, yet one with two people in it can be deafening?

When I go to London, it’s more of an exciting trip than the norm. I usually head straight to Camden Loch with a load of friends and see how much free stuff we can get. Start at Starbucks, because they always have endless trays of mini tasters, then go around talking to the mowhawked, pierced and tattooed advertisers of the underworld giving out leaflets. Haggling with the stall owners, getting bargains, eating dodgy pizza and fooling around with my friends seems to be the perfect day to me. So why is this a businessman’s idea of a bad day? As men who commute to London everyday, they can’t fathom how intrigued us young’uns are by the city. Instead of getting a travel card and trying to go to as many places as possible, he will go out for dinner or to a wine tasting session with colleagues.

Initially, I can’t help but to be in awe of the sparking lights, the buildings, statues and the massive billboards. But what really makes London what it is, is the people. The snobs, the homeless, the preachers, sellers, buyers, eccentrics, businessman. This bizarre combination of so many opposites makes our pride and joy extraordinary. What do they see when they avoiding each other’s gaze when walking out in the city?

It’s ridiculous how isolated the city people are in their own personal space. It’s not the tea, scones and Big Ben that makes London urban (although we do love these things.) It’s the behaviours of all these people. Next time you’re in London, just stop and look around you. This is the reality of urban life – don’t waste it."