London Stills - jesse d's travel journal

13/03/03 - 11.22 am
Here's the Captain's Cabin and the Odeon Cinema in Leicester Square which is also quite near us.

The other night I went out and I met Thomas, this Lithuanian guy who used to work here. He was real cool and he said he used to stay in my room with Ash. I thought the floor of our room was burnt from cigarettes but apparently they got drunk one night and set Ash on fire :) according to him.

Ash left the other day after being here over a year, the owners, Merv and Julie didn't seem sad but only annoyed at the fact he was going. I don't think they care too much for their live in staff but for the work we do.

The E on my keyboard is being insolent.

18/03/03 - 3.20 PM
Missing the desert, missing the trees. This place is not too ecologically satisfying. Better get out to the country side soon before I go crazy.

On Thursday I will most likely be seeing 'Dance Of Death', the play starring Sir Ian McKellen. I have absolutely no idea what it's about or even what genre it's in. But that's ok, I must see all the plays.

I have a ticket to see 'The Roots' at Jeppe's behest. They're a hip-hop band and it's in two weeks. Should be different and exciting.

'The Whitlams' play mid-way through next month. Definitely hanging out to experience them in London. I've decided I'm going to stay here until then but if I'm still not digging the central London vibe I'll go travelling somewhere in Europe, find somewhere else to live, or just book one back home.

Many people give me advice, on what to do, where to go, to simply stay here. I can't live on somebody elses advice though. In the end it comes down to what I want to do. Red sand is in my veins.

02/04/03 - 7.09 PM
The Roots were spectacular. Cody ChestnuTT featured and sung that fabulous Seed song of his and the funk and musicianship they brought to the stage was a sight surely worth 16 pounds to see.

Yesterday, however, marked the end of my employment with the 'Captain's Cabin'.

Julie brought me aside and informed me she was giving 'a weeks notice' to me. I suppose because I don't seem enthusiastic enough, my previous entry might explain that. As far as I'm concerned though I had been a good worker, not fantastic, but I was always getting more and more used to the situation.

As soon as that happened I went to ask Dave (the regular pokie addict who sells UK merch yer?) where the travel agent was but as soon as I said 'Hey Dave' "Oh allo Jesse!" we got into a conversation about how I got fired and spoke for a while. He's very easy to talk to and gave some surprisingly wise advice, great guy. But in the 10 minutes we were talking about 5 tourists approached him only after directions for this and that... I thought I'd better leave the travel agent question to the internet :P hehe.

The Captain's cabin, it's certainly not the ideal pub for me.

The location, even though it's in the middle of the West End and I like the idea of one day acting myself, it's still the middle of London. It's busy, polluted, full of concrete, stripped of plant life and everyone is in a rush.

The clientel, in the daytime you can occasionally get kind tourists or regulars but it's mostly impossibly arrogant suits, English ones (pardon my prejudice). The night gets better, you get a share of absolute characters that never go a night without a pint at the Cabin, if it wasn't for the characters we get I think I may have packed my bags a fortnight ago. Then when 10 pm hits, Phantom of the Opera has just finished and the theatre convoy pours in, (a portion of the crew have made the Cabin their nightly after-work spot). Loud, cheerful and free people who smile as if they've just popped in from a land of magic and make-believe. They have really.

Every night that's what I'd hold out for, 10-11.20 when the theatre people are here. The other employees would encourage me to tell them all to finish their drinks at closing time so we could clean up and get out but I never wanted to, I wanted them to stay! I think it's just my admiration for the theatre.

So now I'm left with alot on my plate to choose from. They slammed the cabin door and there's so many that have opened up. Tomorrow I am going to North London and I am going to stop by a few pubs and ask for work.

Most every pub is run by one of something like a dozen large companies. Companies that buy up independently owned establishments and convert them into their 'brand' of pub. Thus you end up with hundreds upon hundreds of pubs in this one city with so many of them being exactly the same as another.

Same beer on tap, same menu, same standards of workmanship, same atmosphere.

The Captain's Cabin is owned by 'Scottish and Newcastle Retail' which is just one of these companies. They have a digital radio station which plays a mind numbing selection of commercially proven hits of the past. They stream this passe drone into every pub they own in England. So when I hear the 80s smash hit 'Broken Wings' subtly terrorising the cabin, I know that the exact track is being played down the road at 'The Comedy' at that exact same time... unsettling.

There are however, still independent pubs with their own identity still in existense in London. 'The Queens' my ma's ex place of London employment is (still) one of these. I went there today and took photos, it's right next to Primrose Hill. I asked them if they had any employment and the guy said 'no' but when i explained that my mother had worked there he admitted he didn't actually know and to come back tomorrow at 3pm. I had a Guiness there aswell.

Went to Abbey Road today! and I entrusted a friendly looking couple with my camera so as they could take a photo of me walking the crossing (they didn't steal it). It was great being where the Beatle's walked and the Chili Peppers walked naked.

05/04/03 - 1.35 am
Holed up here above the Captain's Cabin listening to Idlewild's 'You Held The World In Your Arms' and wondering what to do. The lyrics go "and what if you held the world in your arms?" not to say I hold the world in my arms but it feels more like that than ever. I have Perth, London, Brighton and Melbourne to choose from.

I have friends and family to listen to, telling me what they reckon.

There's the ever intelligent Jeppe "DO NOT GO HOME; and thank me later"

The cool kat carefree Keegan 'Do what you want, come here, stay there or go home, just have fun'

And my segatious mother who hasn't really pushed advice upon me very hard at all, probably because she trusts whichever decision I make will be the right one for myself.

Staying in London for more than 2 weeks is pretty unlikely. I have a ticket to The Whitlams on the 19th and it is a key factor in my desire to even stick around that long.

Before making a decision whether to come home or not I know I must explore locations that are close to but outside of London, namely Paris and Brighton. It would be such a crime to leave Europe only having seen London.

I don't see how I can make friends in England because I find it pretty hard to make friends with people I work with. I can't relate to them because the majority of people I've worked with, be it at BP, Dewson's or The Captain's Cabin have taken their day jobs way too seriously and I'm unable to understand why.

Seeing Public Enemy, The Roots, numerous West End plays, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, walking across the Abbey Road crossing, living in a room with Trafalgar Square three blocks to my right, Leicester Square three blocks in front of me and Piccadilly Circus two blocks to my left has been incredible, but without friends to share it with it's only a fraction of what it could be.

I'm a confused kid with way too many important decisions on my plate.

Whatever happens I'm pretty excited about saying goodbye to working at the Cabin forever tomorrow. As much as I enjoy some of the people that drink there, the constant grey scowl directed at me by a certain manageress is really beginning to freak this funkapus out.

war protest in piccadilly circus, couple of days after the first strike.

The great Camden Arches. All the way to the end you can find big long op shops with a steady stock of funky clothes.

NEXT


		02/04/03 - 7.09 PM The Roots were spectacular. Cody ChestnuTT featured and sung that fabulous Seed song of his and the funk and musicianship they brought to the stage was a sight surely worth 16 pounds to see. Yesterday, however, marked the end of my employment with the 'Captain's Cabin'. Julie brought me aside and informed me she was giving 'a weeks notice' to me. I suppose because I don't seem enthusiastic enough, my previous entry might explain that. As far as I'm concerned though I had been a good worker, not fantastic, but I was always getting more and more used to the situation. As soon as that happened I went to ask Dave (the regular pokie addict who sells UK merch yer?) where the travel agent was but as soon as I said 'Hey Dave' "Oh allo Jesse!" we got into a conversation about how I got fired and spoke for a while. He's very easy to talk to and gave some surprisingly wise advice, great guy. But in the 10 minutes we were talking about 5 tourists approached him only after directions for this and that... I thought I'd better leave the travel agent question to the internet :P hehe. The Captain's cabin, it's certainly not the ideal pub for me. The location, even though it's in the middle of the West End and I like the idea of one day acting myself, it's still the middle of London. It's busy, polluted, full of concrete, stripped of plant life and everyone is in a rush. The clientel, in the daytime you can occasionally get kind tourists or regulars but it's mostly impossibly arrogant suits, English ones (pardon my prejudice). The night gets better, you get a share of absolute characters that never go a night without a pint at the Cabin, if it wasn't for the characters we get I think I may have packed my bags a fortnight ago. Then when 10 pm hits, Phantom of the Opera has just finished and the theatre convoy pours in, (a portion of the crew have made the Cabin their nightly after-work spot). Loud, cheerful and free people who smile as if they've just popped in from a land of magic and make-believe. They have really. Every night that's what I'd hold out for, 10-11.20 when the theatre people are here. The other employees would encourage me to tell them all to finish their drinks at closing time so we could clean up and get out but I never wanted to, I wanted them to stay! I think it's just my admiration for the theatre. So now I'm left with alot on my plate to choose from. They slammed the cabin door and there's so many that have opened up. Tomorrow I am going to North London and I am going to stop by a few pubs and ask for work. Most every pub is run by one of something like a dozen large companies. Companies that buy up independently owned establishments and convert them into their 'brand' of pub. Thus you end up with hundreds upon hundreds of pubs in this one city with so many of them being exactly the same as another. Same beer on tap, same menu, same standards of workmanship, same atmosphere. The Captain's Cabin is owned by 'Scottish and Newcastle Retail' which is just one of these companies. They have a digital radio station which plays a mind numbing selection of commercially proven hits of the past. They stream this passe drone into every pub they own in England. So when I hear the 80s smash hit 'Broken Wings' subtly terrorising the cabin, I know that the exact track is being played down the road at 'The Comedy' at that exact same time... unsettling. There are however, still independent pubs with their own identity still in existense in London. 'The Queens' my ma's ex place of London employment is (still) one of these. I went there today and took photos, it's right next to Primrose Hill. I asked them if they had any employment and the guy said 'no' but when i explained that my mother had worked there he admitted he didn't actually know and to come back tomorrow at 3pm. I had a Guiness there aswell. Went to Abbey Road today! and I entrusted a friendly looking couple with my camera so as they could take a photo of me walking the crossing (they didn't steal it). It was great being where the Beatle's walked and the Chili Peppers walked naked.



05/04/03 - 1.35 am Holed up here above the Captain's Cabin listening to Idlewild's 'You Held The World In Your Arms' and wondering what to do. The lyrics go "and what if you held the world in your arms?" not to say I hold the world in my arms but it feels more like that than ever. I have Perth, London, Brighton and Melbourne to choose from. I have friends and family to listen to, telling me what they reckon. There's the ever intelligent Jeppe "DO NOT GO HOME; and thank me later" The cool kat carefree Keegan 'Do what you want, come here, stay there or go home, just have fun' And my segatious mother who hasn't really pushed advice upon me very hard at all, probably because she trusts whichever decision I make will be the right one for myself. Staying in London for more than 2 weeks is pretty unlikely. I have a ticket to The Whitlams on the 19th and it is a key factor in my desire to even stick around that long. Before making a decision whether to come home or not I know I must explore locations that are close to but outside of London, namely Paris and Brighton. It would be such a crime to leave Europe only having seen London. I don't see how I can make friends in England because I find it pretty hard to make friends with people I work with. I can't relate to them because the majority of people I've worked with, be it at BP, Dewson's or The Captain's Cabin have taken their day jobs way too seriously and I'm unable to understand why. Seeing Public Enemy, The Roots, numerous West End plays, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, walking across the Abbey Road crossing, living in a room with Trafalgar Square three blocks to my right, Leicester Square three blocks in front of me and Piccadilly Circus two blocks to my left has been incredible, but without friends to share it with it's only a fraction of what it could be. I'm a confused kid with way too many important decisions on my plate. Whatever happens I'm pretty excited about saying goodbye to working at the Cabin forever tomorrow. As much as I enjoy some of the people that drink there, the constant grey scowl directed at me by a certain manageress is really beginning to freak this funkapus out.

		war protest in piccadilly circus, couple of days after the first strike.

The great Camden Arches. All the way to the end you can find big long op shops with a steady stock of funky clothes.
	NEXT