Glamour, Granduer, Sleaze & Disease

It has been a month now since I arrived in London, I've cris crossed the metropolis, been on every colour tube line, overground train, bus, lived in the south west and north east corners, yet everyday there is more and more to explore. It is hard to explain, but London is such a high-low city, it is either one extreme or the other. Steaming hot or freezing cold, crimey and grimey or grand and glamourous, the richest or the poorest, the oldest and the newest, the happiest high or the saddest low. The way people dress, the way they talk, the art, it all comes down to this underlying contradiction. This is what defines it's eccentric character, which is probably why London is currently booming creatively. The 'high-low' quality perfectly captures this moment in fashion and post modern art, irreverently mixing references from polar opposite ends of the spectrum, to generate the now, and putting the city at the forefront. Even though sometimes so horrible and confusing, you can't help but love the place; there is a sparkling diamond hidden beneath the grime, and although sometimes hard to see, you always feel it is there. A friend who has lived in London for nearly two years summed it up quite well; 

" I love London. It is like the lover who treats you so badly and rips you off, but you can't leave! Even though I hate London sometimes, I really do love the old whore."

It has the power to turn you into a brilliant superstar, a cold, hard bitch or a defeated shadow. London's icons are rich royalty, or drug addicted pop stars and models, in downward spirals of self destruction. It is the ugliest, most beautiful place I ever been. So for my one month 'rough diamond' anniversary, let's celebrate the glamour, granduer, sleaze and disease that make this city shine in all it's hometown glory!