Umbrella
Fashion Architecture Travel Ideas Sport Design
ÂŁFree Issue ten Spring 2014 www.umbrellamagazine.co.uk
Introduction 3
Umbrella Manifesto little over three and half years ago, Umbrella was launched onto a men’s magazine market in a state of flux, with titles losing readers every month as the internet became increasingly dominant. Rather than be cowed by this, we spotted an opportunity. We were fans of blogs that covered topics like urban exploration, maps, style, cycling and yes, metros – and thought they merited a magazine of their own. And so Umbrella came into being with the express intention of celebrating the urban experience wherever it could be found (not just in London). Ten issues on, we’re as in love with cities as ever, and proud to produce a magazine for the hundreds of thousands of Brolly readers who feel the same. Enjoy the issue.
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Anthony Teasdale and Matt Reynolds, London, early spring 2014
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PRINTED Printed copies COPIES Beautiful printed copies of Umbrella are now available to order online here Umbrella magazine www.umbrellamagazine.co.uk
Contents 5
44 Portraits
Issue 10 contents 9 Editions 10 In the heat of the night Ibizan graphic art of the 1980s 12 News London’s Phonica celebrates 10 years in dance music, Brooklyn Bowl opens at the O2, Wellingtons Travel maps 16 Column: The story of the blues by Phil Thornton 17 Column: Past it by Joe Barnes 19 The simple pleasures of… Dim sum 20 Caravan’s freshest recipes 24 Cocktail recipes by Merchants Tavern 26 Q&A with Charles Montgomery, author of Happy City 28 Our favourite things Loake Royal brogue
31 Field trip 32 York: glorious evolution How the ancient northern capital of England is managing to balance tourism with providing a stimulating, safe environment for residents 36 Rolling news Why winter riding pays off when it starts to get warmer 40 Berlin, Bowie and the brilliant U-bahn How Berlin’s metro survived the bizarre days of the ’60s, ’70s and ”80s
41 Stories 42 G rand don’t come for free Tim Parks on the commercial compromises that define Milan’s Centrale railway station 44 National treasure National Geographic celebrates 125 of human photography 54 When all’s said and done Phil Thornton on why your accent still defines you
59 Fashion 60 U mbrella loves Aigle parka 62 N ews Duffer of St George Japan 64 Outfits 68 Jackets, shoes 79 Watches
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82 Obsessions Playlists
32 York www.umbrellamagazine.co.uk
79 Watches
Contributors 7
Issue ten’s contributors Urban theorists, pop-culture polemicists and students of the Cold War provide insight and entertainment in this instalment of Umbrella
CHARLES MONTGOMERY One of the most respected thinkers of the age, Montgomery’s book Happy City looks at how our environment can be used to improve our wellbeing. In this issue, we talk with Charles about the urban (and suburban) experience in its many guises.
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PHIL THORNTON
TIM PARKS
One of the first people to write about would be known as ‘casual’, Phil remains one of the UK’s most astute commentators on popular culture. Always opinionated, he provides two essays in Umbrella 10: one on pop music; the other an examination of British accents.
The writer of this issue’s piece on Milan’s Centrale railway station, Tim grew up in London, studied at Cambridge and Harvard, before moving to Italy in 1981. He is the acclaimed author of A Season with Verona, Teach Us to Sit Still and Italian Ways.
JAMIE MATTOCKS
WOLFGANG DIEHL
This bearded cyclist and artist “takes inspiration from fashion, urban culture, graffiti and tattoo art”. A tattoo apprentice by day and freelance illustrator by night, Jamie works on projects from print to 3D objects and everything in between. More at www.create-and-destroy.co.uk
A lifelong fan of FC Kaiserslautern and Liverpool FC, Wolfgang has edited fanzines since the ’80s. Currently writing about popular culture on his own blog theminority73.wordpress.com, in this issue he tells the story of the bizarre world of the Berlin U-Bahn during the Cold War.
Umbrella Magazine is published by Wool Media Ltd, © 2014 Editor Anthony Teasdale (tony@umbrellamagazine.co.uk) Creative Director Matt Reynolds (matt@umbrellamagazine.co.uk) Staff Writer Elliott Lewis-George (elliott@umbrellamagazine.co.uk) Contributing Editor Phil Thornton Technological Development Dan Nicolson (daniel@umbrellamagazine.co.uk) Advertising Manager Jon Clements (advertising@umbrellamagazine.co.uk) Picture Researcher John Ritchie Other contributors Don G. Cornelius, John Mackin, Joe Barnes UMB023
ON THE COVER The cover photo shows the Weiner Reisenrad, Vienna’s big wheel, which was constructed in 1897.
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Editions Photography, ideas, technology, food, amusement
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14: Celebrating 10 years in dance with Phonica Records 16: What lies behind the greatest pop music? 20: Canteen: coffee and love
Isle of love
PICTURE: © IDDEAS BOOKS
Discover the amazing art and photography from ’70s and ’80s Ibiza on page 10.
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10 Editions
IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT ong before it became the centre of the European raving experience, Ibiza was something else entirely, something rather more interesting. From the 1960s, the White Island evolved into a haven for free-spirited Spaniards looking to escape the cloying, brutal rule of fascist dictator General Franco. While they shared the island – though mostly not the clubs – with British sunseekers, these outsiders lived a life of freedom, indulging in pleasures near-impossible on the Spanish mainland. By the early ’80s, Ibiza was home to three of the most decadent nightclubs on the planet: Amnesia (home to original Balearic DJ, Alfredo), Ku (the only club with an Olympic-sized swimming pool in its grounds) and Pacha (the island’s superglam playground). These were places where gay and straight would mix, dancing (and indulging in other activities) to an eclectic soundtrack that took in everything from yacht rock and Belgian new beat to flamenco and disco. So inspired were four adventurous British clubbers (including DJs Danny Rampling and Paul Oakenfold) by their visits to these party palaces, they set up their own versions back home, with Rampling’s Shoom and Oakenfold’s Spectrum nights kicking off acid house, and a clubbing revolution that’s still with us today.
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Ibiza in the 1980s spawned the birth of modern club culture, as one stunning exhibition illustrates Every nightclub needs publicity, and the likes of Amnesia, Ku and Pacha employed graphic artist Yves Uro and boutique owner Armin Heinemann to create the visual branding for their events. Even today, the work is striking – taking in influences from pop art, Americana and high fashion advertising. It promotes a highly sexual world where nothing is off-limits and anything – no matter how naughty –goes. The art reflected the crowd: an ensemble of the beautiful and the strange able to truly express themselves in Ibiza, a world away from the disapproving stares of home. London photographer, Derek Ridgers, perhaps known best for his pictures of the capital’s clubbing freaks that appeared in Loaded during the ’90s, went along in 1984 to document these people, highlighting a nocturnal world utterly alien to most ordinary revellers. Today, both these aspects – the art and the photos – of ’80s Ibizan culture have been collated by IDEA books for an exhibition, Ibiza: Moments In Love, at the ICA in London, with a contemporary soundtrack courtesy of dance music blog Test Pressing. It captures a special moment in time when the worlds of art, dance, sex and music collided on this small outcrop in the Mediterranean. And while that period can be truly recreated, the art it spawned reminds us, that in our hearts at least, the good times can go on and on.
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Man alive! The easy-going, gay-friendly attitude of the island was reflected in the poster art for clubs like the legendary Space.
Covered: Music, design
To find out more about Moments in Love, go to Idea Books: www.idea-books.com and testpressing.org
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12 Editions
News & information A selection of the things that make the season worth living
U-feed What Umbrella likes this issue… If you’re a fan of the Prague underground (probably a yes if you read Umbrella) then you’ll be keen to check out the photos from Kate Seabrook, who took a picture of every station on the network in just one day. Check them out at konecnastanice.tumblr.com… US Tex-Mex fast food giant Taco Bell chain is giving hungry customers the chance to order their wares from their phones through a new app, with rumours that McDonald’s are about to do the same… While violent crimes in the UK are about half what they were 20 years ago, workplace assaults have jumped up by 60 per cent since 2008 according to the Office of National Statistics… Good news for Spanish football fans (unless they support the Big Two): the country’s parliament is debating a measure that would stop any club earning more than four times the broadcasting revenue of any other, something that would hit both Real and Barcelona, as, unlike clubs in England, they’re allowed to negotiate their own broadcast deals… Finally, European architecture lovers are deciding to show their love of the continent’s grandest buildings by building replicas overseas. In the gambling mecca of Macau, a 2,500-room casino complex is being constructed that’s modelled on the Palace of Versailles in France, while Londoners living in Florida can soon sate their desire for home when an exact replica of King’s Cross station (and its neighbourhood) opens at Universal Studios. It’s part of the resort’s Harry Potter-themed Islands of Adventure… TRAMS
Tallinn fails no-fare test Free public transport fails to increase numbers The cost of public transport is often seen as one of the reasons that people are reluctant to swap their car for the metro or bus on their daily commute. However, that certainly wasn’t the case in the Estonian
capital, Tallinn, when a recent scheme to give city residents free transport resulted in only a tiny increase in usage. Researchers from the Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden found that numbers using metro and bus rose by only 1.2 per cent during
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the test period. The main reason, according to the Swedish team, was that the city of 430,000 people already has a high number of public transport commuters with 40 per cent of residents using it to get to work, compared to the 26 per cent who commute by car.
Covered: Transport, architecture
Ground design Real Madrid’s stadium to get futuristic makeover Real Madrid have unveiled plans for a drastic rejuvenation of their Santiago Bernabéu stadium, with images showing the whole ground covered in a ‘smart’ titanium skin which will be able to change appearance and react to outside elements. According to the project’s architects, GMP, the exterior wall will join a new retractable roof in bringing cutting edge technology to the ground. “Thanks to the LED system,” said Volkwin Marg
LEISURE
Roll deep Beautifully designed bowling alley cements the reputation of London’s O2 How London’s money-bleeding Dome transformed itself into the O2, the most successful live venue in the world is one of the great success stories of our time. The Greenwich venue is now building on that success with the opening of Brooklyn Bowl, a retrothemed bowling alley. Comprising a live music arena, bowling alley, three bars and a restaurant run by Michelin-starred chef, Bruce Bromberg, the 32,000sq ft venue was designed by London architects Bar Gazetas. The practice’s designs make a feature of Richard Rogers’ iconic ‘Quadropods’ which provide the focal point of the bowling alley. Rather than
disguising the structure, the distinctive shape has been celebrated with clever lighting and a mirror ball suspended between the pillars. The extension’s recycled corrugated iron roof is dramatically shaped by skewed triangular clerestory lighting set within the roof. An advanced addition to the building’s exterior is a soundproof, timber-clad mechanical window which is raised to allow glimpses of the venue’s interior, and then lowered and sealed when bands are playing to prevent noise escaping, and adding to the authentic Brooklyn experience inside. Though, hopefully, without too many hipsters. www.theo2.co.uk
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from GMP, “the stadium’s outer skin will be vibrant, and breathe and respond to the crowd’s emotions, transforming the new stadium into a building that will blend in seamlessly with its surroundings.” Club president Florentino Pérez said: “We want to turn the Santiago Bernabéu into the best stadium in the world. The best stadium in a unique location that will be a global symbol.” The ground’s redesign, which will cost £330m is expected to be ready by 2017. It’s not known whether the work will increase the Bernabéu’s 85,000 capacity.
14 Editions
News & information A selection of the things that make the season worth living
MUSIC Q&A
Plastic fantastic After a decade of selling vinyl, London’s Phonica shows that record shops can prosper against all the odds
One of the casualties of internet commerce is unsurprisingly, the record shop. Largely wiped out by downloads and online retailers, stores that once provided a cultural service way beyond that of a mere store are now largely consigned to history. The shops that do remain are those that cater for specialist customers – people who still like hard copies of their music (and other media) and are looking to be challenged by new, fresh sounds. Phonica in London’s Soho is a prime example of this. Celebrating ten years in the business, the store specialises in
music from across the dance spectrum, which can go from reggae re-edits to experimental ambient CDs with a prime selection of house, techno and electro thrown in for good measure. Like many great record shops before it, Phonica is also the place where clubbers and DJs visit to find details of up-and-coming parties. They even have plenty of chairs for bored DJ widows/widowers to lounge in while their partners blow their wages on vinyl. Put simply, Phonica matters. To mark Phonica’s tenth year, the shop is releasing a triple album crammed with exclusive tracks from their favourite producers. Umbrella spoke to owner Simon Rigg about dance music, growing a business in a difficult market and the importance of filtering out the wheat from the chaff. Hi Simon. You started the shop when dance music felt like it was under attack. Were you worried that the house bubble had burst? I don’t remember it being quite like that. I recall a few shops had closed and sales were down, but myself, Tom and Heidi [the other founders] were confident we could attract customers to the new shop just through word of mouth and loads of exciting new imports from Germany – Kompakt records and the like. What were the big records when you started? How’s music changed since then? Then it was electro-house: MANDY, Tiefschwarz, Ivan Smagghe – all the big electro-house anthems sold well in the early years. Minimal was the other big bubble: Perlon, Villalobos and Doppelwhipper, peppered with the bigselling oddity such as reggae re-reubs of Angie Stone or The Beatles! Disco edits have always done consistently well. I think we sold over 500 copies of The Revenge’s Night Flight! What is it that you love most about dance music? It’s always been the genre of music that I’ve been passionate about, that’s why we always sold most genres that could be termed ‘dance’. Despite it being here
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Covered: Music, maps LONDON
for 40 years, it’s constantly changing and providing surprises. The thing I enjoy most about my job is that every day I hear new, amazing music, it’s never the same – and then I get to see other people enjoying that music too when we stock it.
Capital idea
What role does the internet play in your business? Do you offer downloads for those who’ve foresaken their turntables in favour of laptops? The mail order/website provides about half of our sales – limited records can sell out in minutes on our site. We don’t offer downloads at present but we plan to in the next few years. No rush though! There used to be lots of record shops in Soho. Most have closed. How come you’re thriving? You’ll have to ask the customers. I think it boils down to the fact that we’re pretty on it with what we stock. If it’s good and available we’re more than likely to have it. We filter out the non-essential stuff for people who don’t have time to listen to 500 records a week. The shop is a nice environment to hang out in with friendly staff who have good knowledge (or at least we try!).
PHONICA PICTURES: © SARAH GINN
Phonica Records is out now on Phonica, www.phonicarecords.com
Craftsmanship and artistry merge for London map With the thriving trade in antiquarian maps, Wellington Travel has decided to use the cartography of old to inspire the new in its Grand Map of London. This handsome, sepia-hued, Victorian-style map of the modern city was three years in the making and shows all the capital’s 21st Century landmarks, hand-drawn in a style that would have been familiar to Phileas Fogg. Tourist sites from The Shard to Buckingham Palace, railways, churches and parks are all displayed in traditional figurative representations, while the map also features a guide for travellers, describing London’s neighbourhoods, taverns and markets. And with Wellingtons working on a world map, the journey certainly doesn’t end here. Company founder Taige Zhang says: “We’ve started drafting something up, but our focus is on the quality. Unlike many technology companies, we don’t have that pressure to rush things out to the market. We can make it exactly the way we want it before we release it. That’s a luxury.” www.wellingtonstravel.com
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16 Editions
ne abiding memory I have of childhood is being sat on the back seat of whatever lousy car me dad had bought, en route to North Wales for our annual summer holiday, sharing the cramped back seat with my two younger brothers, my younger sister and me nan. Passing through those old, coast road towns like Connah’s Quay, Flint and Gronant, with my mum and dad and nan’s ciggie smoke filling the tiny space inside the car and Glen Campbell’s greatest hits blaring from the cassette player, me and our Claire would cheerily sing along to every word of Galveston, Wichita Lineman, Where’s the Playground, Susie? and By the Time I Get to Phoenix. These Jimmy Webb compositions are still ingrained in my subconscious, not only because of their beautiful melodies and orchestral sweep, or the haunting, strong-yet-tender voice of Campbell but for the impossibly sophisticated lyrical stories of relationships breaking apart. Webb was not yet 24 by the time he’d written all of these heartrending epics. Likewise, The Beatles were still in their mid-20s when McCartney wrote Eleanor Rigby and She’s Leaving Home, Lennon In My Life and A Day in The Life. These songs had such humanity and empathy for the lonely, the elderly, those touched by loss and failure, love and pity, it’s hard to square them with the young pop stars who escaped their whirlwind world of screaming adulation to place themselves in the shoes of others far less fortunate.
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The story of the blues How did the songwriters of the 1960s and ’70s encapsulate the emotions of those older than themselves? Here, Phil Thornton ponders whether grown-ups can really identify with ‘grown-up’ music As with most things in pop music we should probably blame or praise (depending on your point of view) Bob Dylan. Dylan fused together the older tradition of folk protest with rock rebellion and, rather than rely on simply singing standards or seeking the assistance of Tin Pan Alley producers, did it all on his own. After Bob, everyone had to up their game and not only the Beatles and British beat bands like The Who, The Kinks and The Stones, but The Beach Boys, and the Motown artists still reliant on the HollandDozier-Holland formula. The Isleys, Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye and The Four Tops began to forge far meatier and substantial songs by the mid-’60s. If rock ’n’ roll was all about sex then these songs were more about getting, having and holding (or dropping) just as country and the blues were tales of economic or emotional woe. The largely Jewish Broadway tradition also filtered through with the suave orchestration, lush melodies and lyrical brilliance of Leiber and Stoller, Goffin and King, Phil Spector, Bacharach and David, Simon and Garfunkel. If Hal David’s lyrics were deceptively simple
they raised Bacharach’s silky, not to say gloopy, symphonies above mere pastiche. Do you Know the Way to San José is maybe the greatest song about the myth of the American Dream ever written despite the happy-go-lucky, skippy dippy melody and Dionne Warwick’s sterile vocal. My favourite lyrics in pop are still these from Jagger’s Satisfaction. “When I’m watching my TV/ And that man comes on to tell me/ How white my shirts can be/ But he can’t be a man cause he doesn’t smoke/ The same cigarettes as me” An entire culture of advertising, consumerism, male insecurities and the mass media is dissected in those five short lines. It speaks more of the ’60s than an entire volume of academic narrative. The whole song is a discourse upon the false gods offered up by capitalism; sex, knowledge, material goods. It’s all surface, all message, all spin and spunk, and even though Jagger realises this, still, he’s seduced by it. Of course, when I was growing up and heard Satisfaction, these lyrics went totally over my head as they probably did with most people of Jagger’s own age or older. My dad always claimed he went off The Beatles once they went ‘weird’. Yet both Sergeant Pepper and Abbey Road were Coast Road favourites along with The Beach Boys Greatest Hits, 10cc’s How Dare You, Simon and Garfunkel’s Bridge Over Troubled Water and er, Neil Sedaka’s The Tra-La Days are Over. Speaking of Sedaka, his rather paunchy MOR image belied his past as (Oh) Carole King’s former beau. Carole was no wilting violet when it came to her men. It’s Too Late’s brutal admission that something inside Carole had died, and she just couldn’t hide it or fake it with lover and writing partner Bernie Goffin must have killed him. This 1971 song is just one of many from the era that transcended the usual hippie and pop clichés. Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On? album of the same year also brought into sharp focus the juvenile parameters imposed by Motown’s Berry Gordy. Marvin was a man, an adult, an artist, not a kid to palmed off with coy duets and conveyor belt ballads. In Awopbopaloobop Alopbamboom, published in 69, Nik Cohn bemoans the rise of ‘solemn’ pop – pop that take itself far too seriously, pop that wants to educate and inform, pop that pretends to be poetry or worse, philosophy. His gods are Elvis and Little Richard and PJ Proby, the young, dumb-and-full-of-cum entertainers who shake their hips, rattle their gold and roll their eyes, and make young girls scream with nubile arousal. The Beatles are belittled as victims of this LSD-fuelled pseudospiritual slide into pomposity and decadence. He’s right, too. The group’s best LPs are still Rubber Soul and Revolver. The Beatles may well have been a wiser band post ’66 but they were undoubtedly worse. Now, aged 47, I’m old enough to appreciate what Jimmy Webb was writing about when he was 25 years younger than I am now. I admire his ability to spin such tales of adult regret, love lost and dreams shattered. His lyrics occupy a space that makes small town British boys think of vast prairies, Laurel Canyon love nests, rural dustbowl towns and Texan motels where grown-up people do grown-up things. But y’know what, now I can relate to these feelings and these emotions, I prefer the twee, neanderthal thump of The Who or The Temptations, the childish blow-job whine of Please Please Me, and the cars and girls, cheap Cali thrills of I Get Around. Maybe adult songs are meant to be heard by children and childish songs by adults. Life’s complicated enough to be reminded of it, after all. I said, a-one for the money!
OPINIONS
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Covered: Music, youth cutlure
Past it?
OPINIONS
ver the last few years in Britain, we’ve witnessed young people look back to bygone eras with smash-andgrab missions to reinstate the best elements from the glory days of culture. The originators of the scenes may bristle at new members of their formally exclusive club making themselves at home but wise words from the Twitter suggest they’re wrong to protect their love-child: “Those arriving latest will define a scene whilst the upstarts and originators remain happy to sit on it, leaving it to stagnate in its former glories,” said one Tweeter. House music and rave culture is experiencing one such revival at the hands of young innovators who take inspiration from parts of a departed era to form a vibrant scene in an era polluted by drivel like One Direction. Liverpool club night Rubix, which has just celebrated its first birthday, is a case in point. Rubix may be a modern-day club event but its influences are rooted deeply in the house movement of the late 1980s and early-’90s. Despite the fact that most of the punters weren’t even born till rave was in full swing, they’ve embraced the warehouse vibe that their parents enjoyed during acid house. But there is a counter argument to this – and perhaps it rings true: how can there be a revival when these cultures have never left us, merely just split into smaller subcultures or genres – if we’re still talking house music. A great way to illustrate this is by looking at The Stone Roses, coming back from nowhere to sell out gigantic outdoor shows and headline numerous worldwide
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festivals, after 15 years in the wilderness. But had Brown and co really departed the stage? The answer is no. The legacy they left was strong enough to influence countless bands who’ve become part of the furniture since The Second Coming. Blur, Oasis, The Verve and others will have been influenced by the Roses, but who accused them of borrowing the best elements of something else to create a sound their fans loved? It’s not just the newcomers that can be thankful though, after Gary Numan publicly showed support for Margaret Thatcher in the ’80s, he was exiled and became a laughing stock for decades. But after cleverly avoiding comeback tours, and getting support from the likes of The Prodigy and Marilyn Manson, Numan has is acknowledged as a pioneer of the electronic era. So, what about us? Those who are young now? As time passes, will our children and grandchildren take inspiration from the Naughties like we’ve pillaged from the past? Perhaps elements of Twitter and Snap Chat will be taken forward and used for something completely unthought-of? The world of popular culture can’t live without both tribes: the ‘got the T-shirt’ crowd and the new enthusiasts. The scenes would be non-existent if the once young innovator hadn’t developed a brilliant idea only for the same process to be repeated somewhere down the line. Perhaps then, from rock ’n’ roll to acid house, there are no trend-setters, just pacemakers who innovate the fading spirits of a departed era.
PICTURES: © UMBRELLA
Twenty-two-year-old Joe Barnes has the nagging feeling that he’s missed the golden age of youth culture, no matter how much his generation tries to reinvent it
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Covered: Food, dim sum
THE SIMPLE PLEASURES OF…
Dim sum Good things often come in parcels – and that’s as true at the dining table as it is at Christmas. Perhaps that’s why dim sum always feel like such a treat… im sum is linked with the older tradition of tea drinking (yum cha) in Cantonese culture and consists mainly of a variety of dumplings, served fresh from bamboo steaming baskets. Like many Chinese dishes, the onus is on sharing, though that often goes out of the window when the spare ribs arrive. To see a dim sum chef at work is to witness someone completely at one with their craft. A huge amount of skill is needed to create the translucent dough that embodies the perfect dumpling, though, like ravioli for Italians, it’s the filling that gives each one its individual character. As Vinata Frans, head chef of dim sum restaurant Ping Pong says: “Chefs must have a delicate but speedy touch. To make each dumpling exactly the same size and consistency takes practice, and our chefs each
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have over eight years’ experience making them. A good tip – cool hands will make better dumplings.” The staple dumpling is the har gau, a parcel of chopped or whole shrimp wrapped in a wheat starch skin. When split open, its juices merge with the dipping sauce to create a cocktail of deeply savoury flavours. Heat – the temperature kind – is a factor, too. You’re not really getting the full dim sum experience unless you spend a good portion of the meal desperately trying to cool a freshly opened dumpling by blowing on it. Of course, it’s not just about prawn. A dim sum feast can encompass guotie (north Chinese dumplings that are steamed then fried), char siu baau (a pork bun) and the slightly less appealing, but very authentic, ‘phoenix claws’ – chickens’ feet.
Like tapas, dim sum works on the principle that food is best when it’s shared and the diner experiences a wide range of flavours. In the perfect dim sum environment, one will taste sweet, hot, sour and savoury all in the space of a few mouthfuls. And, if we’re doing it properly, it should be washed down with tea – a relic of dim sum’s beginning as by-product of the tea ceremony. Best of all though, is when you reach that point when it becomes clear that the original order wasn’t quite enough to satisfy the appetites of those present. And so the waiter’s eye is caught, more har gau is ordered and the experience continues long into the night. www.pingpong.com
PICTURE: © WWW.PINGPONGDIMSUM.CO.UK
‘Chefs must have a delicate but speedy touch’
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20 Editions
Carry on camping
CORNBREAD WITH CHIPOTLE BUTTER
It may not be on wheels, but Caravan provides food we’d travel far afield for t’s a long way from London to New Zealand. But there’s no doubt that one of best restaurants in the English capital is run by three kiwis, who share an obsession with good coffee and a global take on cuisine. The restaurant in question is London’s Caravan, which now lives in two places: its original home on Exmouth Market in Clerkenwell, and just up the road, a newer, bigger space just behind King’s Cross railway station in a renovated Victorian warehouse. On any given morning, the informal King’s Cross restaurant is buzzing with activity, as diners tuck into a series of dishes that take in staples like jalapeno corn bread, soutzouki sausage, and corn and morcilla fritters. All washed down with steaming cups of exceptional coffee – courtesy of the computercontrolled bean roaster in the back. The man behind the food is chef Miles Kirby, originally from Wellington, who started Caravan with two mates from NZ, Laura Harper-Hynton and Chris Ammerman. From the start, good
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coffee was at the heart of the Caravan philosophy. “We wanted to show that there was a better way of drinking coffee than a quick cup of instant after a meal,” says Miles. Our beans come from an agency in France, so we know that the farmers will be getting a good deal.” That same obsession with making something great goes into Caravan’s cuisine, which takes in ingredients and flavours from all over the world. Miles again. “It’s well travelled food,” he says. “New Zealand is isolated so when anyone showed up with any new ingredients we’d adopt them. Through my travels I’d take ingredients and put them on the plate. I constantly read cookbooks for inspiration, find an idea and run with it.” With the King’s Cross site accessible to both Londoners and out-of-towners, there’s no reason why Umbrella readers can’t try Caravan out for themselves. But for those who are unable to visit any time soon, Miles presents the recipes for three simple Caravan classics. Time to get cooking.
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“Cornbread is so easy to make, and a great start to any meal. It’s warming and hearty as well as being really tasty. The dish has been on the menu at both Caravan King’s Cross and Exmouth Market since we opened, and it’s a firm favourite with our customers and staff.” Serves 4 CHIPOTLE BUTTER 250g soft butter Pinch salt ½ tsp minced chipotle ½ lime (juice) ¼ cup chopped coriander Method – Mix all ingredients together – Serve whilst soft but the excess will keep in the fridge for up to 1 week CORNBREAD 400ml milk 3 eggs 60g melted butter 200g corn ½ bunch of spring onions (chopped) 1 tbsp baking powder 1 tbsp caster sugar 1 tbsp table salt 1 cup polenta ½ cup bread flour Method – Begin with preheating the oven to 200c. In a large bowl, combine the milk, eggs, butter, corn and spring onions. In a separate bowl, mix the baking powder, caster sugar, salt, polenta and bread flour. Combine the wet and dry ingredients, and promptly pour into a paper-lined loaf tin and place immediately in the oven.
Covered: Food, recipes
‘This is the simplest dish in the world’
AVOCADO ON TOAST “This is perhaps the simplest dish in the world to prepare but it relies on a number of factors to take it from being mediocre to great. Firstly, you must choose a great bread: at Caravan King’s Cross we use a fantastic grain loaf from the St John Bakery. The avocado must be perfectly ripe, soft and not at all discoloured. You’ve also got to use a good quality olive oil and the chilli flakes need to be soft and palatable, we use a Turkish flaked chilli called ‘Aleppo’.” Serves 4 2 perfectly ripe avocadoes Loaf of good quality bread Olive oil Aleppo chili flakes Method – Take 2 avocados, cut in half around the stone and spoon the fruit into a mixing bowl. – Gently cut/mash the avocado with a fork until it’s still offering texture and some large chunks and some more mashed avocado. Irregularity of shape is important to the look of the dish. – Add to the avocado, a good glug of olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste. – Toast the slices of grain bread and Spoon the avocado mixture onto each slice of toast and sprinkle with the chilli flakes. Drizzle a little more oil over the top to make it look glossy, and serve.
MOROCCAN LAMB MEATBALLS, CUCUMBER RAITA, DRIED APRICOTS “Our lamb supplier is Daphne Tilley from the Elwy Valley in North Wales. As a chef I’ve had a great relationship with Daphne and her family for many years. At Caravan, we have our meatballs made to our specification by Daphne and her butcher in Wales. They’re made from a combination of finely ground leg and shoulder meat and are heavily seasoned with mint and cumin. Delicious!”
and bring to boil. Simmer for 5 minutes, then cover lamb meatballs in the sauce. Braise for 30 minutes, cool and rest.
Serves 4 1kg lamb meatballs, sealed off in large pans, transferred to deep roasting tray
RAS EL HANOUT 1 tsp black peppercorns, ground 1 tsp cumin seeds, roasted and ground 1 tsp coriander seeds, roasted and ground ½ tsp nutmeg, ground 2 cardamom pods, seeds only, ground 1 tsp ground ginger 1.5 tbsp paprika ½ tsp turmeric ¼ tsp ground allspice
Braising sauce 1/2 onion, finely diced 1/2 bulb fennel, finely diced 1 carrot, finely diced 1/2 bunch coriander 100g ras el hanout (see below) 2 tins goma tomatoes 1 pinch saffron 200g halved dried apricots Veg stock to cover Salt and pepper to taste Method – Place finely diced onion, fennel and carrot in a large saucepan, add the saffron, and sweat off the vegetables. Add the coriander and ras el hanout and cook until onion, fennel and carrot are soft. – Add apricots, tomatoes and veg,
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CUCUMBER RAITA 1 cucumber, seeds scraped out and diced to 3mm ½ bunch mint chopped 500ml thick Greek yoghurt ½ tbsp confit garlic minced 1 lemon zest plus ½ juiced
To serve Spoon three meatballs into a bowl, dollop with cucumber raita and sprinkle with chopped, dried apricot and picked coriander. Caravan King’s Cross, 1 Granary Square, London, N1C 4AA www.caravankingscross.co.uk or Caravan Clerkenwell, 11-13 Exmouth Market, London, EC1R 4QD
22 Editions
‘The onus is on classics with a twist, using spirits from around the world’ www.umbrellamagazine.co.uk
Covered: Cocktails THE UMBRELLA BAR
Complementary medicine S
London’s Merchants Tavern makes cocktails so good they may take your mind off the food for just a while MERCHANTS NEGRONI “This one’s a little bit different from a regular negroni, as it contains more gin. We then add some Sacred Spiced English vermouth to give it a unique taste.”
Ingredients: 50ml Tanqueray gin 25ml Campari 15ml Sacred vermouth
Dash of grapefruit bitters Garnish with grapefruit twist
OLD STREET FASHIONED “This is based on rum old-fashioned, but we use this fantastic rum from Venezuela to make it really stand out. It’s a very meaty, very boozy cocktail. One for the grown-ups.” Ingredients: 50ml Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva Rum 25ml Courvoisier VSOP Exclusif cognac
Dash of orange bitter Dash of chocolate bitters Orange twist
EZRA STREET RUNNER “This is a really lovely cocktail that’s easy to drink thanks to the absinthe we rinse the glass with. A really good way to start an evening.” Ingredients: 50ml Bacardi Superior rum 15ml fresh lime 5ml Green Chartreuse 5ml gomme syrup
Shake with mint Serve in an absintherinsed glass Garnish with grapefruit twist
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Merchants Tavern, 36 Charlotte Road, London, EC2A 3PG, www.merchantstavern.co.uk
PICTURES: © UMBRELLA
ometimes a place just works. That’s certainly the case with the Merchants Tavern, the pub-cum-restaurant-cumhang-out that should serve as a template for what a modern licensed venue should be. Located at the bottom of Charlotte Road in London’s Shoreditch – once the home of Cantaloupe, one of the venues that originally turned EC2 into the cool kids’ neighbourhood of choice – Merchants Tavern is the brainchild of chef Angela Hartnett and her partner (and also chef) Neil Borthwick, with a little help from Canteen, the specialist British restaurant group. Unsurprisingly, it’s brilliant. While we could happily wax on about the quality of the food (think substantial, but beautifully executed) or the decor of the venue (gastropub-meets-upmarket diner), today we’re here for the cocktails. The onus at the MT is on classics with a twist, using spirits from around the world to create drinks of complexity aimed at the palates of the more sophisticated EC2 reveller. Here, assistant bar manager Phil McClement takes Umbrella through three Merchants Tavern favourites, all put together by the venue’s brilliant bar manager Michael Cook. Be warned, though, these are cocktails aimed at grown-ups. Just like the Tavern itself.
Editor’s choice
24 Editions
Q&A CHARLE S MONTGOMERY mbrella: Hi Charles, first thing – what is it that fascinates you about cities? Charles Montgomery: I’m interested in the intersection between the shapes and system of cities, and the architecture of our own minds. What I found through my research is that our cities influence us: the way we feel, behave and how we regard other people in ways we don’t even realise.
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In the second of our interviews around the urban environment, the author of Happy City tells us how our lives can be transformed through design, architecture and planning
Such as? This autumn, we conducted some experiments. We created two virtual reality booths and invited volunteers to sit in them for eight minutes for a payment of eight dollars. In one, there was a nature scene, in the other, you looked at an urban scene while listening to city noise. At the end of the experience, we asked some dummy questions, then paid the volunteers. Then we asked them to donate some money to a good cause. We found people who’d been exposed to nature were more generous than those that had been in the ‘urban’ booth. So you’re saying a rural experience is happier than the urban one? No, it’s just one example. We know that access to nature is good for us and makes for more pro-social behaviour. But this is just one ingredient in a whole stew. If you look at human well-being the most powerful ingredient in happiness are strong, positive social relationships. Although our micro environment can affect how we feel, the urban system that guides our everyday movement is much more powerful. Here’s what we know: people who live in car-dependent communities on the edge of urban sprawl in the United
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Covered: Cities, philosophy
Does this affect us health-wise? We have a health crisis in America and the UK, where the fear of the inner city has led planners, policy makers, city builders and regular people to see a rural existence as safer. But what we know from studies in the US that you’re in far greater danger of being killed by a stranger on the suburban edge than in the inner city. That means taking into account deaths from being hit by a motor vehicle. This is less so in the UK. Cycling is big in London (and increasingly in other UK cities). Is it the future of urban transport? I’m not a futurist, but if we want to build cities that are happier then we have to be interested in the notion of freedom. Our systems should make us free to move in as many different modes as possible. A happy future is multimodal: it includes bicycles, taxis, cars, and sexy, fast transit systems. It’s a question of balance. For too long we’ve privileged the mode of transport that’s least efficient – the private automobile. We’ve learnt that we can never solve the problem of traffic by building more and more road space. It just increases demand. But fear is a big factor in stopping people cycling… Yes. If we want to build a city that’s more free, we have to invest in ‘retrofits’ that make cycling safer and the most privileged form of transport, so cyclists and people who travel on transit systems always arrive before car drivers. I wouldn’t get on a bike in London, it looks terrifying. Until our children and grandparents are cycling it’s not safe enough. What should the ideal city do? The most important role is social. Our cities succeed or fail to the extent they enable us to spend good time with family or
friends and maximise positive interactions with strangers. We know this is essential for economic development, to remain strong in the face of say economic hardship or environmental disaster. Coincidentally, the social city that enables us to come together is also the one that values experience over things. Therefore, it’s a green city which will help us overcome the environmental challenges of the next century. What’s the situation with low carbon, green cities in north America? Is it seen as an elite idea there? I’ve heard this before, but it’s bullshit. The happier city is necessarily more fair to people who earn less money and who use resources more efficiently. The concern about the elitism for ‘happy city’ projects is that most retrofits are happening in city centres where wealthy people are moving back to the city centre. If we don’t retrofit the suburbs, many people will be left out. It’s crucial we retrofit sprawl to create mixed use town centres which people can use. Isn’t this happening in America, particularly in the Pacific north-west area? You can point to Vancouver for its mix of density and green space, but it’s one of the least affordable cities for housing on the continent. Portland’s a good example: by bringing in a gross boundary [green belt], they invested in public transit and incentivised new developments downtown and in the neighbourhoods. Every year by doing this, Portlanders have saved a billion dollars on gasoline. Instead of giving their money to huge gas or car companies, they spend it at home on craft beer and in the city’s restaurants. What’s the upshot? They’re healthier, wealthier and the local economy has got more resilient. Other cities are trying to do this, but they’re facing a backlash– sometimes from business sometimes from the Tea Party. It reflects the cognitive quirks we’ve been dealing with for centuries.
Cognitive quirks? Are you familiar with Daniel Kahneman – a psychologist who won the Nobel prize for economics? He’s a leader in the field of behavioural economics. Most people systematically fail to make choices that maximise long term happiness. We get it wrong again and again, and in really predictable ways. This is true for architects, mayors planners and real estate developers who try to build happiness into cities. How does this manifest itself? We saw this in the British new towns when modernists worked to separate the city in discrete districts, also following the 1963 Traffic in Towns report where planners separated pedestrians from traffic. This is a manifestation of our need to simplify problems. We pay far too much attention to salient dangers that scare us, too little to the dangers that creep up over time. A suburban housewife is scared of the person with the knife in the city so moves to the urban edge, but what she doesn’t realise is silent killers are building up on her like diabetes and heart disease. And they’re far more likely to get her.
‘I WOUDN’T CYCLE IN LONDON NOW – IT’S TERRIFYING’
So people act in the short term? The biggest error we make is that we pay attention to rewards we can see and too little to systems that shape our experiences. We think of the big house we want, but economists have found that the happiness effect of new purchases wears off over three or four months. The effect of experiences never wears off. So you’ll experience your irritating commute in a new way every day, but you’ll never get bored of time spent with friends. Social time offers us a new pleasure or pain every day. Are you optimistic for the future? There’s glimmers of hope everywhere. I see it in Vancouver, where I live. We’re moving beyond an obsession with towers and enabling a gentle density in neighbourhoods like the one I live in. Now in the city every detached homeowner has the permission to turn their basements into a rental suite and their back yard garage into a rental cottage. This is the biggest urban infill project on the continent. What easy, practical steps can be taken to improve urban and suburban existences? A housing estate can be retrofitted by adding a mixed use core. Change the rules so people can run shops and services out of their own homes. This adds freedom. I’d also say, it needs more dense, village-like nodes, narrowing roads, creating incentives for friendly urban developments in the suburbs. It’ll makes our lives richer, easier and healthier.
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Happy City by Charles Montgomery is published by Penguin. www.penguin.co.uk
ILLUSTRATION: © JOHN RITCHIE
States are less likely to have dinner with their families, trust their neighbours, volunteer and get involved politically than people who live in more dense, mixed-use neighbourhoods.
26 Editions
US, eh? Despite its name, the Royal is more of an American-style shoe than Loake’s ‘Ashby’ brogue. The key is the ‘correct’ grain leather used and the longer wing.
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Covered: Shoes
OUR FAVOURITE THINGS…
LOAKE ROYAL BROGUE The ultimate suedehead shoe is still the brogue of choice for men who like to step out in style kinhead fashion will always be associated with certain items of clothing: the Crombie coat, sta-prest trousers, Ben Sherman (or Brutus) button-down shirts and Doctor Marten’s boots. There’s no argument that this anything but a timeless look, but certainly as far as this magazine concerned, the slightly softer ‘suedehead’ variation is the one that really works for us. With more of an Ivy League influence at play – whether they knew it or not –the late- ’60s/early’70s suedeheads preferred a little more formality in their footwear than their skin cousins, who increasingly favoured the DM. The result was the appropriation of Loake’s Royal brogue, an American-style ‘wing tip’ that looked perfect with narrow jeans or trousers. But only in oxblood. Re-released by Loake in 2000, the Royal differs from regular brogues in that its ‘wing cap’ goes all around the shoe rather than petering out halfway down, creating a distinctive sweep. The rounded toe lends a further air of informality, which makes it perfect in a modern smart-casual outfit. The fact that wearers still receive approving nods from ageing suedies and smart skins just adds to the appeal. While the current fad for white-soled work shoes will no doubt fade soon enough, the Royal will never go out of style – and these days you no longer have to be suedehead to sport a pair. Just don’t buy them in black. www.loake.co.uk
‘The rounded toe lends an air of informality’
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PICTURES: © UMBRELLA
S
Field trip Architecture, travel and transport
Wall story The bizarre world of Berlin’s U-Bahn in the Cold War, page 36.
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32: York: the perfect small British city 34: Why late winter cycling rules
30 Field trip
CITY REPORT
York: glorious evolution Once the second city of England, York is establishing itself as the cultural, educational and gastronomic capital of the rural north, says Anthony Teasdale
ou can tell a lot about a city from its railway station. While airports tend – with some notable exceptions – to blend into one harshly lit shopping mall, train terminuses still have the power to instill that sense of wonder and expectation regular air travellers have long since forgotten. York, a city of around 200,000 people 210 miles north of London, is lucky enough to have one of Britain’s most spectacular, reflecting its longtime status as a regional hub – it was founded by the Romans on the confluence of the Ouse and Foss rivers – and its the home of the National Railway Museum. Arriving in the city today, the station’s curved roof, immaculate platforms and ornate bridges project an image of historical artistry. It may not bustle like Leeds, 30 miles to the south, but, as locals will tell you, it doesn’t need to. York is unique. People in Britain tend feel warm
Y
about York. Like Cambridge, Oxford, Durham and Norwich, it’s one of those places that was at its most influential in the pre-industrial age, when it acted as England’s northern capital – a status that’s still reflected in the Archbishop of York’s position as number two in the Church of England. The interesting question is this: what is York for now? The most obvious answer is tourism. On any weekend, the streets around the stunning gothic edifice of York Minster are swamped with people (York gets seven million visitors a year), sampling the wares in both the independent and chain stores, as well as filling up on goodies from assorted ‘ye olde worlde’ shops. Surrounded by rural North Yorkshire, York’s independent food stores reflect its place as the capital of the county, a place to sell stuff in and visit for that fix of city culture (it’s crammed with museums). Umbrella readers looking for style solutions will find plenty of
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Covered: York, cities
surprise that York is full of decent pubs, its medieval streets and passages (‘ginnels’) are made for cosy boozers and out-of-the-way inns. But what’s most heartening is the microbrewery scene that’s appeared here, with shop-cum-breweries-cum pubs dotted around the city centre. At venues such as the maze-like Trembling Madness, thirsty visitors can stock up with ales from all over the world, before settling down to bar-cooked food in the pub upstairs. The York Brewery, meanwhile, has five pubs in the city alone – while the Treboom and Rudgate breweries make beer in the surrounding countryside. That spirit of independence can be found outside the city centre, too in the area around Bishopthorpe Road (AKA “Bishy Rd”), which is crammed with fiercely independent local shops. The spirit that runs through places like Chorlton in Manchester, Stoke Newington in London and Oxford’s Cowley Road can be found
here, too – something that’s now been reinforced by the area’s own BishyRoad website. Unsurprisingly, cycling is increasingly important part of York’s public transport philosophy. With a crowded city centre, much of which is off-limits to cars, bikes are an ideal way to get around. The council’s keen to get the city’s residents cycling through an extensive network of cycle paths and, with two universities, there are plenty of students all too happy to use two wheels to get around. Shops like Cycle Heaven on Bishopthorpe Road and the Your Bike Shed repair shop/cafe on Micklegate keep up the impression that this is a town serious about making cycling safe and fun. Other British cities, take note. And while York probably isn’t big enough to justify a tram network, the bus service is impressive, all the more so thanks to the smart arrivals boards at every stop. Good use of typeface, too. A city of York’s size is never going to battle against the big boys of London, Manchester and Glasgow, but it also refuses to rest on its beautiful laurels and simply count the inevitable tourist pounds. Instead, the people and city council have helped to create a mini-metropolis that cherrypicks the best of the urban experience, a place that’s more like a city in Holland or Belgium than one in car-dominated Britain. Other similar towns in Britain would do take note. With property at affordable levels (well, at least outside the yuppie-ish Westgate development) and unrivalled links to the rest of the country, York is physically and mentally poised for the challenges of the coming decades. Those Romans really did know a fine place when they saw it.
‘It’s more like a city in Belgium or Holland’
Umbrella travelled to York courtesy of Grand Central Railways www.grandcentralrail.com, and stayed at the Old Gallery apartments, part of the Trembling Madness group www.tremblingmadness.co.uk. If you’d like to find out more about visiting York, go to www.visityork.org
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PICTURES: © UMBRELLA, FOTOLIA
traditional country clothing shops, though the excellent Coggles, one of the great menswear stores in the north, has now closed its shop on Low Petergate, and become an onlineonly retailer. Further out from roads like the Shambles – the most perfectly preserved medieval street in Britain – locals are free to enjoy what the city can offer without having to mix too much with the daytrippers. On Fossgate, leading south-east out of the city you’ll find a mix of food shops, vintage clothes stores and restaurants. From the upmarket Blue Bicycle to Thai hang out, Khao San Road, this is a great place to eat. The excellent Blue Bell pub, which keeps the stag parties out with its ‘Private Party’ signs serves homemade pork pies alongside its varied selection of ales. Aside from Fossgate, restaurants of every hue abide, with Umbrella particularly enamoured with smart riverside cafe, the Star Inn the City. Of course, it should come as no
32 Field trip ROLLING NEWS
Sportive nation You and I both know winter’s hanging on, the weather’s been bad, epic winds, biblical flooding – is that an ark I see? Pothotles on every road. This isn’t a time to be putting in the miles, you tell yourself. But it is… ENDURANCE Now is the best time because as a friend once told me “winter miles equal summer smiles”. Make it hurt now when you’re constantly riding into a headwind, suffering hill reps in the dark unlit dawn, when you’ve got to grit your teeth to pull your cycling gear on after a hard day at work and ride that 60-odd miles into a rain-soaked evening, and you’ll be glad of it when it’s time to race up a mountain in the heat of summer, when you’re part of a chain gang cranking out the miles along a valley floor, or descending alone down a coast road, top unzipped and sweat pouring off you. Because cyclists everywhere are preparing for a summer of ‘sportives’, randonee cyclosportives to give them their full French title, or gran fondos as they’re known in Italy. These titles describe any short-to-long distance organised mass participation annual cycling event. You can ride them fast, racing others, racing the clock, or just try to get to the finish anyway you can. Riding on closed roads, or ones open to any and all traffic, sportives allow you to pay for the privilege of following in the wheel tracks of the legends of cycling. If you have a list of things to do before your life as a cyclist ends, riding in a sportive should be one of them. Whether it is: L’Eroica; the Tour of Wessex; ParisRoubaix; Liege-Bastogne-Liege; London to Paris; or the Ardéchoise, preparing to emulate your heroes, who rode these self-same roads is one of the reasons to get out on the bike when the Great British Weather is doing its worst.
The same desire that drives people to put themselves through the agony of running a marathon (the London Marathon had over 200,000 applicants for 37,000 places in 2013) now sees cyclists flocking to ride on some of the most historically potent roads in Europe. Riding to work will never feel the same again after having struggled for over 200km over pave, mountains, windswept peaks, and long winding descents. The first ever cyclosportive (we think) was La Marmotte, which was first run in 1982 on a route starting in Bourg d’Oisans and taking in the Col de la Croix de Fer, Col du Telegraphe, Col du Galibier and Col
‘Riding to work will never feel the same again’ du Lautaret before climbing to finish at the peak of the iconic Alpe d’Huez. But being first doesn’t necessarily make you the best, or the most wanted, as thousands fail to gain a place in l’Etape du Tour, where you get the chance to suffer like Chris Froome over a route which follows, usually mountainous, a single stage of that year’s Tour de France. But evocatively named sportives aren’t just the preserve of the French, you can ride them all over the world, all year round, from Belgium’s Tour of Flanders, to Italy’s Maratona dles Dolomites, taking in South Africa’s Cape Argus Cycle Tour along the way or closer to home, Wales’ Dragon Ride. What are you waiting for?
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Covered: Cycling CYCLE GEAR
Jean genie
Get your training plans ready and see which sportives hits the right spot…
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Cape Argus Cycle Tour, South Africa Where and when: Cape Town, March, 109km cycletour.co.za
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La Marmotte, France Where and when: Bourg d’Oisans-Alpe d’Huez, July, 174km sportcommunication.info
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Dragon Ride, UK Where and when: Port Talbot, South Wales, June, 206/125/37km wiggledragonride.com
+ Maratona dles Dolomites, Italy
Where and when: Dolomites, July, 138/106/55km maratona.it
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Quebrantahuesos, Spain Where and when: Sabinanigo, northern Spain, June, 205km quebrantahuesos.com
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Fred Whitton Challenge, UK Where and when: Lake District May, 180km fredwhittonchallenge.org.uk
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Vätternrundan, Sweden Where and when: Motala, Sweden, June, 300km vätternrundan.se
+ Hotter’N Hell Hundred, USA
Where and when: Wichata Falls, Texas, August, 100 miles hh100.org
+ Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge,
New Zealand Where and when: Lake Taupo, North Island, November, 160km cyclechallenge.com
+ Etape du Tour, France
Where and when: Alps, July letapedutour.com
Love it or hate it, if you’re male and over 25 you will be described as a MAMIL (Middle Aged Man In Lycra, as if you didn’t know) whether you wear lycra or not. Now I have no problems wearing lycra, my own personal rule is if your ride’s an hour or longer without any significant breaks, and/ or over ten miles, then lycra can and probably should be worn. I’ve been saddle-sore before, never again. But if your journey doesn’t fulfil those criteria, then put the team issue kit down, and think about wearing something a bit more casual. And by casual I mean jeans. But not your common-or-garden jeans, something more designed, thought-about, cut for riding in, and made with a bit more forethought for the rigours of on bike movement than those Japanese selvedge jeans you’ve been wearing in for the last year. Now take my word for it, if you’ve been riding for any sort of length of time, your thighs will be bigger than you expect, and getting into the currently in-vogue skinny jean will be difficult, if not nigh on impossible. Another point to remember is that you’ll wear out the crotch in your jeans, sweat, friction (your mighty thighs rubbing together), and constant use (once you find a pair of jeans you can ride in, you’ll wonder why you didn’t do it before), will mean that the fabric will thin and then holes will appear. Don’t despair this is a rite of passage, think of it as a battle scar. Every pair of jeans I’ve ever owned that I’ve ridden in, cycling specific or not have needed to be patched, usually more than once. So your new favourite legwear will have: a cycling specific cut – low at the front so it doesn’t cut into your gut/stomach/six-pack and high at the back so you don’t
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show too much builder’s crack to following traffic; have some stretchability built into the fabric; be durable and robust enough to withstand the rigours of city riding; and also have some nifty bike specific features, such as reflective material which shows when you roll up your trouser leg, or rear pockets large enough to fit a Kryptonite Mini –D lock, or a seamless crotch so you don’t have to sit on a stitching every time you ride. So now I’ve laid that all out, here are some you can buy and ride in yourself. Editor’s choice
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Cadence Raw Denim Jean, $94 buy
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Levi’s 511 Commuter Jeans, £85 buy
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Muxu Ride Cycling Jeans, £90 buy
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Swrve Jeans, From £80 buy
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Betabrand Indigo Ride to Work Britches, $108 buy
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Rapha Jeans, £150 buy
PICTURES: © FOTOLIA
Hard times
Read the pages of any newspaper article, magazine feature, blog post, or tweet, supposedly funny or serious about cycling, and the term MAMIL, will be entered there. It has entered the common lexicon, much like selfie, faux-hawk, BYOD, emoji, or phablet…
34 Field trip
Missing you I’ve got a confession to make. It’s been six weeks, and counting since I last rode my bike. Six weeks… The longest period of time in the last, what, seven, eight years, that I’ve been off the bike, and that includes the year I went travelling round the world. It’s my own fault, a combination of self-mutilation, travelling for work, and Christmas merriment have turned me into something I’d never thought I’d be again: a full-time public transport commuter. Don’t get me wrong, I love train journeys, get excited as soon as the doors close and the greenery starts whooshing past the window. I’m still enthusiastic about bus rides, too – up top, at the front, pretending to be a tourist, or at the back hogging the seats as if I’m still at school. The Tube still manages to elicit a thrill of delight through that secret knowledge of positioning on platforms, knowing the quickest way of exiting trains and stations reminding me that I was born and raised in London. But to use them every day to get to work. Fuck me! I think it all starts with the sheer monotony of it. The sameness of it. The routine of it. Once you figure out the quickest, most efficient route to work via public transport, you’re stuck with it. Never deviating, never changing, locked into get on here, change here, walk to there. But the restrictions, the waiting, the delays, the knowledge that this is what everyone does every day, the rising hatred of everyone and everything.
Who is it that said, “Hell is other people”? Because commuting via public transport is just that: loud one-way phone conversations; bags placed on seats; the nostril-clogging volume of colognes and perfumes, rank body odour and musty clothes; the obliviousness of people as they commune with their technology; the fight to get on and off; the push and shove to secure enough space, to not be impinged upon; the trudge to exits and entrances, queuing up like just another cog in the machine, shuffling, shuffling, shuffling along; the knowledge that every journey is but station to station, and there’s still a walk, never properly factored in time-wise that will extend the journey. But above and beyond that, I miss the freedom that cycling gives me. Not a prisoner to anyone’s timetable but my own. Able to change direction or destination whenever it suits me, secure in the knowledge that my journey will be a door-to-door one: I miss being able to decide on the pace of my journey, of going fast, of going slow; of stopping to buy something along the way; of stopping to take a photo of anything that catches my eye; the interactions with traffic and pedestrians, whether good or bad; seeing the city change around me on a day to day basis; knowing every pedal stroke gets me fit and keeps me fit; arriving to work full of endorphins and ready to hit the ground running. But most of all, I miss the joy of riding my bike, the smile it brings to my lips, and how content I feel as I merge into traffic and wend my way down the tarmac to whichever destination I’ve chosen. So now even as the rest of the population bemoans the cold and the wet, the chill and the gales, even as my feet squish around in damp socks, and my face is rubbed raw by winds, I’m as happy as any person has a right to be. I’m back on the bike and loving every minute of it.
ROLLING NEWS
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36 Field trip
Berlin, Bowie and the brilliant U-Bahn Divided for 30 years, it’s taken 20 more for Berlin’s subway system to bring the two sides of the German capital back together. Here, Wolfgang Diehl tells the story of the city’s metro, the U-Bahn, since the days of the Cold War
fter the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989 and the subsequent reunification of Germany in October the following year, Berlin faced a great number of challenges. One of biggest and most complex was reconnecting the public transport system between the former eastern and western parts that had been severed so abruptly by the construction of the Berlin Wall by the East German government in 1961. During the Cold War, the only connecting public transport station between East and West was at Friedrichstraße in the heart of the city which served as a checkpoint for travellers between the two parts. The East/West connection was served by the suburban railway, the S-Bahn, operated by the East German transport authority, the Reichsbahn, and therefore boycotted by a vast majority of West Berlin citizens. There was also U-Bahn
A
line U6 running from AltMariendorf in the south underneath the East Berlin to the north terminating at Alt-Tegel. Apart from Friedrichstraße station, the other six stations on the U6 in East Berlin were closed off and trains passed slowly through the so-called Geisterbahnhöfe (ghost stations) that were additionally guarded by East German police, the ‘Vopos’ – short for Volkspolizisten. According to eyewitnesses, this made for some spooky journeys until one finally got used to the fact that sometimes, all of a sudden, communist police officers with rifles appeared out of the dark staring into the windows of the passing trains. Today, tourists would probably pay for such an experience. The U6 wasn’t the only one to suffer this bizarre fate. Metro line U8, from Wittenau in the north to (then) Leinestraße in Neukölln (coincidentally, an instrumental track on David
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Covered: Berlin, metros
1940
1961
2014
ABOVE: BERLIN’ S-BAHN L E F T: A BERLIN’
EVOLUTION OF S U-BAHN + SINCE 1961, T R A I N PA S S E S S TV TOWER
Bowie’s Heroes album – Neukölln has always been famous for its drug trade) suffered the same fate with six stations closed off and more spooky Vopos watching from the dark. If you’re into 1970s Bowie (who isn’t?) then Berlin’s longest metro line, the U7 – from Rathaus Spandau in the north-west to Rudow in the south-west – might be of special interest, because Kleistpark station is the closest to Hauptstraße 155 in Schöneberg, where Bowie and Iggy were shacked up while recording albums at Hansa Studios (Bowie that is, not Iggy). Two further U-Bahn lines were cut off by the separation of Berlin. The U1, then running from Ruhleben
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in the West to central Warschauer Straße in Friedrichshain – today, probably home to the biggest youth hostel in the city – was shortened by one stop and terminated at Schlesisches Tor on the other side of the river Spree in Kreuzberg (then in West Berlin). Today, U1 directly connects Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg with the Ku’damm, the luxury shopping boulevard situated in Charlottenburg, the former centre of West Berlin nightlife in the ’50s and ’60s, running from Warschauer Straße to Uhlandstraße. The other line that had been cut off was the U2, one of the longest in the system, then running from Krumme Lanke in the south-west suburb of Zehlendorf all the way up to Pankow in the north-east. In the divided city, this line now ended at Gleisdreieck in the borough of Schönebergin the West and at Thälmannplatz in Mitte in the East. Thälmannplatz station was renamed Mohrenstraße after reunification in order to rid the city of socialist-themed street names. A few years before in the early 1980s several housing schemes were built on the site of the former Thälmannpark, which had given the station its name. In its current incarnation, U2 runs from Pankow all the way out to Ruhleben, taking over the former U1 stations from Gleisdreieck station onwards. The only metro line that exclusively served East Berlin was the U5, running from the suburb of Hönow through the high-rise estates of Hellersdorf and Marzahn – places that haven’t changed much since the days of the GDR – to Alexanderplatz in the centre of town. U5 will eventually reach the former West Berlin if things go as planned. The line is going to be extended from Alexanderplatz station onwards, connecting the Museumsinsel (Museum island, which houses five of Berlin’s most prestigious museums) with Unter den Linden, the Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag, terminating at Berlin’s new central station – the Hauptbahnhof – which opened on time for the World Cup 2006. (This is not always the case
38 Field trip
in Germany and especially not in Berlin, where the new Berlin-Brandenburg International Airport doesn’t even have an opening date – it was scheduled to open in June 2012. So much for German efficiency and punctuality.) This brings us to Berlin’s shortest metro line, the U55, with just three stations, from Hauptbahnhof to Brandenburg Gate, spanning just 1.8km. It’s also called the ‘Kanzler-U-Bahn’ after former German chancellor Helmut Kohl, because the construction of U55 had been a part of the agreements regulating the move of the German parliament from Bonn to Berlin. It’s quite ironic that by the time parliament eventually did move to Berlin in 1999, Kohl had been replaced as chancellor by Gerhard Schröder, which illustrates nicely that even the big man wasn’t able to control everything. U55 will be the western end of the extended U5 after construction along Under den Linden, hopefully by 2019. This extension has faced criticism as it runs parallel with the suburban rail S-Bahn that already connects
T H I S PA G E : S PA R S E DESIGN DEFINES THE U-BAHN
Alexanderplatz and the Hauptbahnhof. Its main purpose is to bring tourists even closer to the sights of Under den Linden, the Museumsinsel and shopping boulevard, Friedrichstraße. The area around the Hauptbahnhof, situated right on the former East/West divide, is at present, a real hub of activity thanks to the construction of new public transport infrastructure projects. There will be an additional S-Bahn line, S21, connecting the Hauptbahnhof with the northern part of the S-Bahn orbital and eventually towards the south to Potsdamer Platz. Finally, the Tram, which had been serving the former eastern part of the city exclusively, will be reintroduced to the West with the extension of lines M8 and M10 from Nordbahnhof station to Hauptbahnhof. This is scheduled to be completed sometime in 2014 and then the void of the former wasteland between East and West will finally be filled again. Although Berliners are usually very passionate when it comes to
complaining, it has to be stressed that the public transport network of the city has been quite encompassing for a serious amount of time. There’s been the odd problem during the arctic phases of the winter when those freezing eastern winds hit town hard, but these are just unpleasant exceptions, not the rule. Getting around in the city – no matter if East or West – is as easy and quick as it gets as soon as you’re halfway familiar with the network. Also, at the weekends most U-Bahn lines run
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all night, and quite a few trams and buses as well, so getting from one watering hole or club to another isn’t difficult. Just watch out for the gangs snatching smartphones – a popular sport at the moment. With the city finally feeling like unification is a reality, the U-Bahn has become a vital tool in helping to make Berliners to feel at one with their town again. It really is just the ticket.
PICTURES: © FOTOLIA
‘At weekends, U-Bahn trains run all night’
BROLLY Brolly BRIEF Brief THE
BB
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Stories Journalism from the front line of the modern world
41
48: Why Milano Centrale tells you everything that’s wrong with the modern world 58: The British and their accents: the triumph of bland
MAN ALIVE
PICTURE: © NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
National Geographic celebrates 125 years of documenting the human race – see its greatest photos on page 50
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42 Stories
GRAND DON’T COME FOR FREE Milano Centrale is one of the great railway stations of Europe, but as Tim Parks notes, its classical splendour is now compromised by the detritus of modern day capitalism
f coming to Milan I get off my Interregionale at Lambrate, returning, I board whatever train I take at Centrale. Because it’s convenient, and because I love going through Centrale. In particular, I love entering it, being outside it and moving inside, for this is surely the most monumental railway station in western Europe. More than anywhere I know, Milano Centrale gives the traveller the impression that he really must be setting out on a very serious journey. This is a trite comic when you hurry through the colossal central portal and across the majestic ticket hall as a matter of routine. You should be setting off to Berlin, or Paris, or even some other world or dimension, and instead here you are worrying about whether the ticket lines are too long to pick up a few supplementi Intercity for Verona Porta Nuova. Contrary to popular belief, the station was not dreamed up by the Fascists. The design, by a certain Ulisse Stacchini, dates back to ten years before the March on Rome. But the project was interrupted by the First World War, and by the time the funds were there to resume it, the Fascists were in power and the look of the thing was somewhat altered. It’s the massive volumes of the stone spaces combined with the highly stylised ornamentation that create the special Centrale effect. As you approach the main entrance from the piazza, two solemn horses bow their necks to greet you from 40 feet above. Inside the ticket hall, and again high, high above your head, dozens of statues and friezes of classical warriors, their swords, shields and lances in action, alternate with Liberty-like bas-reliefs of trains and planes and buses. It’s Fascism’s double gesture of looking back to the glory that was Rome and forward to some unimaginably efficient, technological Italy of the future. Aesthetically, at least in this space of greyishwhite stone with coloured marble and granite inserts, it works wonderfully. But you see all this beauty only if you lift your eye. And it’s amazing how rarely the eye lifts when you are commuting. “Each man fixed his eyes before his feet,” TS Eliot said of the crowd flowing over London Bridge.
I
It’s no different in Milano Centrale. It was years before I noticed the zodiac signs in bas-relief all up one wall of the ticket hall. To make it even less likely that you will really see the building, its grand spaces are being invaded and broken up by aggressive advertising campaigns involving huge poster panels suspended from the high ceiling to swing only a little way above eye level. At the moment, Coca-Cola has taken over the entrance to the station with a score of towering images so brightly coloured that the delicate greys and browns of the stone facade seem as invisible as wet asphalt in twilight. Inside the ticket hall, Naomi Campbell mirrors herself everywhere; 20 feet high in various glossily aggressive poses she shows just how long a girl’s legs can be when she wears a short, tight skirt. I forget the manufacturer’s name. So the archetypal images that were to establish a sense of Italian nationhood, of continuity from past to present and from present to future, are eclipsed by fizzy drinks and fashion goods. A sticky film of postmodern parody wraps around everything that was supposed to be uplifting, majestic. It’s curious to think that Mussolini, who was so enthusiastic about this station, was a sworn enemy of international capitalism, and that when the Americans occupied Rome what distressed him most was the thought that black-skinned soldiers should have captured and, as he saw it, defiled the monuments of ancient empire. I imagine Il Duce, after his summary execution, passing through that portal over which is written ‘Abandon all hope ye who enter here’ – perhaps the design (for even the gates of hell must have an architect) is not so different from that of Milano Centrale – only to find an advertising campaign for canned soda featuring the gorgeously dark Naomi Campbell. This is an extract from Tim Parks’ excellent Italian Ways: On and Off the Rails From Milan to Palermo. It’s published by Vintage, www.vintage-books.co.uk
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Covered: Train stations, Italy
ILLUSTRATION: JAMIE MATTOCKS WWW.CREATE-AND-DESTROY.CO.UK
‘A STICKY FILM OF POSTMODERN PARODY WRAPS ITSELF AROUND EVERYTHING’
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44 Stories
NATIONAL TREASURE
The photographs from National Geographic’s 125-year history show the astounding breadth of human existence
ou don’t need to be an astronomer to understand what a fantastic planet the Earth is. While other celestial bodies may look a big deal – witness Saturn’s showy rings and Jupiter’s angry Great Red Spot – they never actually produce anything particularly interesting. Sure, there’s talk of oceans of ammonia and temperatures that range from don’tskip-on-the-chilli-mate hot to coolerthan-the-chest-freezers-at-Iceland cold, but when you get up close (though not personal, that would be suicidal), it’s all a big show. There’s nothing there but deadly chemicals and poisonous gases – like the West Midlands in the 1970s. Earth is different. Competing against those dull greys, off-yellows and dirty oranges of its sister planets, in galactic terms this cutesy bauble of green and blue looks like something – say a posh lamp or a Banksy print – you’d bring into your house to offset the magnolia paint and Billy bookcases. Diverting, yet a bit insubstantial. But there’s a lot more to this little ball of rock than just a few nice colours. And at the centre of what makes Earth great is one particular set of apes who’ve cast off the body hair and tree-dwelling to do something very interesting indeed. Namely, be humans. Over the last 125 years, the excellent National Geographic magazine has documented the adventures of our peculiar species: taking us from the Rift Valley to the deathly catacombs of Paris, stopping off at Rome, London, Hong Kong
Y
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Covered: Photography, human geography
A replica of the Mayflower enters New York Harbour, 1957. Photo: B Anthony Stewart
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46 Stories
and a thousand other fascinating places along the way. Employing some of the greatest photographers on the planet, our habits, rituals and monuments have been captured for good in the pages of a magazine that never fails to deliver month on month. Sure, there’s stuff about animals in there, too, but until parrots come out with something as good as, say, the Channel Tunnel, beasts will always take second place in our hearts to the achievements of humankind. A three-volume collection of the magazine’s greatest stories, National Geographic: Around the World in 125 Years has now been published by Taschen – painting a picture of a planet at a time of its greatest change, certainly where humans
‘OUR HABITS AND RITUALS CAPTURED’
Lost motorist, New Mexico, 1939. Photo: Luis Marden
are concerned. Mixing on-location journalism with stunning images, it shows just how much the world has both changed and remained the same in the past century-and-a-half. We’ve taken our favourite images from the book to give you a little taster of what’s inside, concentrating, predictably, on people and cities – humans and habitats that chime with the values of this magazine. What a journey. National Geographic: Around The World in 125 Years, edited by Reuel Golden is published by Taschen, priced £349 www.taschen.com
Tribal festival, Papua New Guinea, 2000. Photo: Jodi Cobb
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Covered: xxxxxxxx
British Hong Kong, 1931. Photo: W Robert Moore
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48 Stories
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Covered: Photography, human geography
Tourists at Yosemite Valley, 1965. Photo: B Anthony Stewart
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50 Stories
India, 1948. Photo: Volkmar K Wentzel
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Covered: Photography, human geography
The ‘Martyrs’ Memorial, Baghdad, 1984. Photo: Steve McCurry
Fishermen, Sri Lanka, 1995. Photo: Steve McCurry
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52 Stories
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Covered: Photography, human geography
Street scene in Beirut, 1957. Photo: Thomas Abercrombie
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54 Stories
WHEN ALL’S SAID AND DONE In Britain, your accent – or lack of – is a clear indicator of regional, educational and class background. But as Phil Thornton points out, ignorance over large swathes of the country’s speech patterns is a clear sign that those in positions of power hold many of their fellow citizens in contempt
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Covered: Accents, class
he old punk credo “Never trust a hippie” has been adapted to many other uses but my own personal take on it is this; “Never trust anyone who doesn’t have a regional accent.” OK, so it’s not as snappy and doesn’t fit onto a pin badge, but nevertheless, the message is something that I try to live my sad, hate-consumed life by. Living in the north-west of England, accents change and mutate within a few miles in any direction. To some unschooled in the subtleties of north-western dialects – Coronation Street producers or Shane Meadows for example – we may appear to sound the same, but to the trained ear certain nuances of speech and colloquialisms can pinpoint an individual to within a mile or two of where they were brought up. I’ll use myself as an example. I live in Runcorn in north Cheshire, on the shores of the Manchester Ship Canal and the River Mersey. A mile to the north lies Widnes, until 1974, a Lancashire town with a Lancashire culture; rugby league, chippies on every corner, chronic lung disease and a sing-song accent like no other, not even St Helens. I can spot a ‘Wid’ accent from a hundred yards, yet to Scousers, say, it would just be a generic ‘wool’ accent, as indistinguishable from a Wigan or a Rochdale twang. Our accent is ‘Cheshire’ which is essentially soft Mancunian or south Manc for the most part. Yet, as the borders of Ye Olde County Palatine of Cheshyre used to stretch from the Welsh borders, up the Wirral to Birkenhead and Wallasey, along the southern bank of the Mersey through Stockport and up the Pennine/Peak district foothills of Hyde and Stalybridge, there are many mutations, from the ‘Stowkey’inflected Crewe and Congleton to the Scouse-ish Wirral and on to the hard Manc vowels of Hyde. Warrington which, like Widnes, was shunted from Lancashire to Cheshire in the county changes of 1974, has yet another accent. To the west of the town, the accent is more Scouse, to the centre and the east, it shares the same rhythms and cadences as the Salford and north Manc accent. Y’know, “Towoh Zingoh Burgoh” ’n’ all that. Strange that another Cheshire-like accent also has a corridor between Merseyside and Greater Manchester that begins around Newton-Le-Willows goes north through Ormskirk and then hugs the West Lancs coast from Southport up the Fylde, north again past Morecambe and Lancaster and ends in Barrow. This accent totally bypasses the Lancashire belt of Bolton, Wigan, Preston and Blackburn and seems to exist in isolation from the rest of the county. As something of an accent obsessive, I like to guess where people are from and I’m usually right within a 10 mile radius. For example, this fella came to mend our photocopier in work and I got talking to him. He was a Scot and he sounded Glaswegian but not too Glaswegian. Having a few friends from Motherwell, I asked him if he hailed from that beautiful Lanark suburb and he replied “Almost, I’m from Hamilton,” which is just up the road. There are obviously blurred lines where different regional accents merge into one another, the Yorkshire/Geordie fusion that defines Teeside or the half ’n’ half drawl of South Staffs/Black Country Brummie. My personal favourite is the East Midlands accent of Nottingham, Leicester and Derby, duck. The aforementioned Shane Meadows has done much to popularise this still rather obscure accent via his films yet, like soap operas, all his movies feature a range of northern accents all occupying the same town, estate or even family. It always annoys me when critics rave about actors ‘mastering’ an accent as if these critics can tell or not. English actors doing American accents for example, whether that’s Hugh Laurie in House, Idris Elba in The Wire, Damian Lewis in Homeland or Stephen Graham in Boardwalk Empire, are spoken of as masters of their craft. Yet only a black Baltimoran would be able to tell you if Stringer’s accent was spot on. The truth is that the actors in The Wire came from all over the US, just as those in Willy Russell films were hardly ever Scousers.
T
Plenty of people think they can do regional accents yet to those who come from the area these are met with hilarity and embarrassment on the most part. The Fast Show probably got it right with their ‘We’re Cockneys’ sketch and yet Paul Whitehouse seemingly shows no shame at mangling just about every regional accent in those ‘hilarious’ insurance adverts. Likewise, his ‘chum’ Harry Enfield truly believed his “Calm down, calm down” Scouser, “Oim considerably wealthier than yow” Brummie and his “Bish, bash, bosh Loadsamanny” Cockney accents were authentic to the last detail. The Scouse accent is one that many people think they can do and yet, no-one has ever got right. Likewise, Scousers never get Manc accents right. When actor Michael Starke aka Sinbad played a character in Corry, he spoke with a bizarre Yorkshire accent with Scouse undertones and when challenged about this claimed his accent was based on the “Runcorn accent”. I didn’t know Runcorn was anywhere near Rotherham myself. Runcorn is also a new town and for the past 40 years or so, we’ve shared our homeland with 30,000 or more Scousers. Consequently, subconsciously, we’ve picked up some of their vocal ticks and every time we go abroad, people ask us whereabouts in Liverpool we’re from. When we were young ne’erdowells we’d get called Scousers by Mancs and Mancs by Scousers which didn’t help us in either city and often resulted in fisticuffs outside coaches at 3am. I think I can do a fair impression of both but the thing to remember is that no accent is static and the past decade has seen a mutation in both Manc and Scouse, especially amongst the younger population. Just as Cockneys of all ethnic backgrounds have adopted the “Y’get me” intonations of the grime MC, so both Manc and Scouse accents have become harder, more exaggerated. Some of the young Scouse accents sound almost like Mandarin Chinese – a tonal language that only fellow ‘North Face ninjas’ can decipher. When the Happy Mondays first became famous suddenly their Salfordian speech alerted NME hacks to the reality of the real Manc accent, the like of which rarely intruded into that mythical Salford portrayed in Weatherfield. Yet, when interviews with Shaun and Bez appeared the music journos always wrote ‘fuck’ as ‘fook.’ Now, to we northerners, we don’t read ‘fook’ as in ‘luck’ but ‘fook’ as in ‘Luke.’ It’s not a hard ‘uh’ but a high ‘oo’, you patronising, posh media ‘coonts’. Whereas once the self-elected, cultural gurus predicted a ‘transatlantic drawl’ would gradually usurp all regional accents, the opposite has happened in the inner cities. In those bland, flat pack estates and suburbs of the ‘in-between’, those temporary homogenous zones where everyone speaks the same, regionality has disappeared completely. Listening to these kids on trains as they travel home from their ‘uni’ cocoons, they all speak exactly the same, wherever they come from. It’s not ye olde posh of their parents’ or grandparents’ generation but ‘posh nouveau’, a sonic stew of Home Counties horsey set, Californian Valleyspeak, pseudo-Hackney urbanisms and Aussie question mark patter. I feel sorry for ’em. No, really I do. People always assume that we proles suffer from so-called ‘class envy’ but I don’t envy these automatons, I pity them. Take posh, revisionist, sneerer-maximus, Jonathan Meades for example. Now, I’ve been a fan of JM’s shtick
‘IN THE NORTHWEST, ACCENTS MUTATE EVERY FEW MILES’
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56 Stories
for years but as he gets older, so his public school prejudices begin to undermine his reasoning. Here he bemoans his own privileged lot in life, a man who has his own TV programmes, books, newspaper columns and friends in very high places who indulge his fascistic hatred for the ‘little people’. “Why are former footballers like Alan Hansen and the one who looks like a porky hairdresser paid more than Jeremy Paxman, the most authoritative broadcast journalist in Britain? Is it because they invent new units of measurement – ‘half a yard’ – or model provincial disco clothes, or talk drivel about ‘role models’? “Were these dorks themselves ‘role models’ as broadcasters, they might learn to parse syntactically and grammatically correct sentences in comprehensibly accented English. (The BBC’s eschewal of received pronunciation – RP – is inverse snobbery: it was a useful instrument of pan-British comprehensibility. The regional accents that have replaced RP are vocal manifestations of identity politics, of parochial apartheid.)” This hysterical, self-pitying and patrician snobbery is exactly the same manifestation of class hatred that caused revolutions in France and Russia. In Meades’ iconoclastic igloo of alliterative impunity, he dangles his line through the ice of establishment control hoping to snag a fish dumb enough to take his bait. I am that fish! I’ve no argument with the depiction of Hansen and ‘Lawro’ (a great description) but to compare them to the vastly over-rated Paxman (“the most authoritative broadcast journalist in Britain,” no less) is like comparing Jeremy Clarkson to PJ O’Rourke or for that matter, to Meades himself. Paxman’s own historical programmes are laughably lightweight, being to historical investigation what Michael Palin was to travel journalism. His interviewing technique is now so hackneyed he has become a selfparody which is why I suspect Meades rates him so highly. They are both of the same stamp; wealthy establishment toadies who like to portray themselves as mavericks. His defence of RP as “a useful instrument of pan-British comprehensibility” is merely an excuse for the imperialist brutality and cultural oppression of the poor. It’s a lie, too – regional accents have not replaced RP at the BBC. What you get at the BBC is that same, boil-in-the-bag ‘posh’ voice that dominates all their programming. Yes, there are the odd ‘soft’ Welsh, Scots or ‘northern’ accents here and there but I challenge anyone to tune in to Radio 4 at any point in the day and identify a regional accent. This ‘parochial apartheid’ is a figment of Meades’ own fevered imagination. He fears that his days are numbered: the white, middle-aged, public school chap pontificating to camera. He views himself in the same lineage as Kenneth Clark, the posho intellectual ‘explaining’ culture to the plebs. He equates the rise of ‘reality’ and
‘lifestyle’ programmes as undermining ‘seriousness.’ By ‘seriousness’ he means ‘his’ brand of seriousness. Culture is totally subjective, it is what we believe it to be. I refuse to allow people like Meades and his ilk to dictate how I speak, how I think, how I behave. Those who condemn regional accents as inverted parochial snobbery, fear only their own invisibility and rootlessness. They invent demons to protect their own position, the privileges they have enjoyed, the old school connections that cemented their career paths. They then refuse to admit that they got on, not through their own talent and application, but because others are too lazy and dumb to achieve. If only the BBC and other broadcasters did allow regional accents to reflect the true nature of British cultural diversity, then perhaps millions of people wouldn’t feel as isolated, neglected and alienated from the political and cultural life of those in the Houses of Parliament or the inner sanctums of the establishment; the judiciary, the military, the police, the civil service and the media. But, hey, let’s not be too political, yah? If I return to my own accent for a moment, it’s ‘broad’ as they say and I hate to hear myself speak when I’m occasionally asked to do so, not for my accent itself but the slow, laboured quality of my voice. I sound, quite frankly, thick as fuck. My mate has a fear of flying and, as a fellow unreconstructed commie, he always maintains that the only time he ever wants to hear a posh accent is when the pilot announces himself on the plane. To hear a Scouse accent would terrify him maybe because his own inverted snobbery dictates that posh people are better educated and more reliable than his own breed. Me, I’ll leave you with a piece of wisdom from two great men, Noam Chomsky and my dad’s brother, Cyril: “Language is a process of free creation; its laws and principles are fixed, but the manner in which the principles of generation are used is free and infinitely varied. Even the interpretation and use of words involves a process of free creation.” Chomsky “What the fuck is he talking about, Nipper? [my dad].” Uncle ‘Squibby’ Cyril
‘I REFUSE TO ALLOW PEOPLE TO DICTATE HOW I SPEAK OR THINK’
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59
Fashion
60: Piece of the month 62: Duffer of St George, Japan 64: This month’s outfits 75: Shoes and trainers Clothing for the modern metropolitan from around the world
Time’s up!
ALL FASHION PICTURES: © UMBRELLA
Watches make their first full appearance in Umbrella for Issue 10. See both automatic and quartz timepieces on page 79.
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60 Fashion UMBRELLA LOVES…
Aigle Addison Mix Oxford jacket
BUY
£220 from www.aigle.com There’s something about a good parka that appeals to British men – a relic of a recent past that takes in both WWII militaria and scooterriding mods of the 1960s. This example from Aigle absolutely nails what a modern casual jacket should be. In practical terms, it’ll keep out the rain, but more importantly, the contrast between the waterproof cotton and denim-like chambray lends the coat a hand-finished look that separates it from similar jackets. It’s fantastic, and we’re proud to have Aigle – a brand we’ve admired for some time now – in the pages of Umbrella. We hope you feel the same way, too.
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Covered: Coats
THE AIGLE HAS LANDED French brand Aigle has been making jackets aimed at outdoor explorers since 1853. This pedigree is borne out by this great coat.
Blue order The top part of the coat is made of waterproof cotton that will keep your shoulders dry.
FITTING RIGHT IN The drawstrings at the side of the coat increase the tailored feel of the jacket, making it look more fitted and enhacing the wearer’s shape.
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62 Fashion
MENSWEAR NEWS
Duffer of St. George Japan An old favourite returns with an exclusive new collection n the early ’90s, Duffer of St Geroge was probably the most influential menswear label in Britain. Favoured by post-acid house clubbers, its stripy roll necks and brilliantly branded T-shirts and sweatshirts set a modernist/casual template that still runs through many contemporary collections. At the label’s height toward the end of the ’90s, Duffer had two stores in London’s Covent Garden (one casual, one formal – the latter known for its excellent Vicri shirts) plus another on Savile Row. Duffer was a big deal. And then things seemed to go wrong. Maybe it expanded too much, perhaps the rest of menswear industry caught up, but the 1984-founded label disappeared from view, before reappearing a few years later as part of JD Sports. While we have no problem with this – JD does understand the brand – one of the key things about Duffer was its exclusivity. When you pulled on a sweatshirt with ‘Duffer’ emblazoned on the front, you were making a statement. And one that only the initiated understood. Today, happily, things are looking a little brighter for Duffer with the launch of its upmarket Japanese-only range. Very much in keeping with the brand’s original ethos, the new collections use arcane references from past popular culture to mark them out – and no more so than in the new S/S 14 range. With a mix of 90s-style fabrics (horizontal stripes play a big role), ’70s surf graphics and a touch of Ivy League shirting, it all adds up to a collection that’s wearable, yet just a little bit off-kilter – exactly what Duffer should be. Duffer of St George can be found at www.thedufferofstgeorge.com – though there’s no reference to the Japanese collection on the website. You may have to check your nearest menswear retailer for more information. www.thedufferofstgeorge.com
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Covered: Fashion
Shore thing The collection is ideal for the beach, but the tailored cuts lift it to a refined level.
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64 Fashion
Outfit 1 ‘The Ivy League insider’ s the weather gets warmer, our style solution is to go full-on preppy with a combination that brings to mind Ivy League colleges, ’50s baseball cards and high tar cigarettes. Albam striped top, £49, Loake Georgetown loafers, £115, Triwa brown Lansen watch, £149, Notch Croydon jeans, £80, Archibald Optics glasses, £175 loake.co.uk buy albamclothing.com buy archibaldoptics.com buy triwa.com buy
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Covered: Outfits
Outfit 2 ‘The rainbow warrior’ ven if you’re spending your days on the beach, the warm weather’s no excuse for standards slipping. This pukka outfit has at its centre a beautiful scarlet polo, which is accessorised with rakish shorts and blue chukkas courtesy of Clae. Realm & Empire red polo shirt, £45, Blue Clae chukka boots, £80, Supreme Being shorts, £55, Realm & Empire cream blazer, £115 realmandempire.com buy www.clae.com buy
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66 Fashion
Outfit 3 ‘The nonoutward bounder’ hile the great outdoors only really appeals to us when it’s been concreted over and covered with metro stations and continental sportswear shops, if you must insist on going to the country, this trio from Penfield will ensure you stand out from the smock-wearing locals. Penfield Renno sweatshirt, £60, Penfield Caspa 5 panel cap, £30, and Penfield Gibson hooded jacket, £125 penfield.com buy
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Covered: Outfits
Outfit 4 ‘The floral fashion follower’ ur first outfit for those spring days when you can’t go fully ‘summer’, but you can let it be known that the seasons are changing. The floral shirt adds a rakish touch to the preppy-ish trousers and shoes. Realm & Empire floral shirt, £75, Le Coq Sportif chinos, £90, Pointer Willard shoes, £120, Triwa Turtle Clyde sunglasses, £115 realmandempire.com buy lecoqsportif.com buy pointerfootwear.com buy
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68 Fashion
Peregrine AllTerrain jacket, £199, Gymphlex shirt, £70 and shetland wool jumper, £90 n those days when spring decides it fancies giving winter some time back in the saddle this combo will keep you snug. We love the bus/taxi pattern of this Gymphlex cotton shirt, which works well with the jumper and Peregrine jacket. peregrineclothing.co.uk buy
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Covered: Jackets, shirts, shoes
Sole power Clae has been making shoes since 2001 with an emphasis on informality.
Gymphlex harrington jacket, £160 Henri Lloyd Toledo shirt, £70, Clae lace-ups, £105 he harrington gers a psychedelic makeover with this smart reversible version. Combined with the mod-ish Henri Lloyd shirt and summer Clae shoes, it’s just the ticket for the face who likes to keep it tidy. www.gymplex.co.uk buy www.clae.com buy www.henrilloyd.com buy
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70 Fashion
Aigle Huntingjack blazer, £165, Penfield Flint shirt, £70 Igle brings its Alpine know-how to this rugged blazer, with plenty of useful pockets and a fit that’ll bring out the best in your figure. A superb ’90s-style button-down shirt from Penfield adds a left-of-field touch to the ensemble. Think the world’s hippest DIY dad. www.aigle.com buy www.penfield.com buy
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Covered: Blazers, shirts, T-shirts
CP Company city T-shirt, £80, Universal Works Town blazer, £175 P is an urban brand. This weighty T-shirt keeps up that tradition with its ace depiction of New York’s Flatiron building, brought out perfectly by the tailored Universal Works blazer we’ve teamed it with. cpcompany.co.uk buy universalworks.co.uk buy
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72 Fashion
War time
CP Company overshirt, £POA, R&E overshirt, £100
Realm & Empire’s overshirt is part of their ‘Desert Rat’ theme – militaria for the sunniest days.
he overshirt is a much underrated item – having the same function as a blazer, but not quite as formal. These two from CP and Realm & Empire are great: smart and casual. cpcompany.co.uk buy realmandempire.com buy
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Covered: Jackets, shirts
Henri Lloyd Campbell coat, £225, Ryder cagoule, £110 pring coats don’t get much better than these two from HL. With Lloyd’s sailing pedigree, it should come as no surprise that both jackets are completely waterproof. Now, do you go for the padded version or not? www.henrilloyd.com buy
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74 Fashion
CP Company Goggle jacket, £750 hat was once called the Mille Miglia, the Goggle jacket, is an undoubted classic. This version is constructed in Japanese ‘micro kei’, a starchy-feeling material that’s completely waterproof. This gives the piece a rugged stiffness. www.company.co.uk buy
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Covered: Jackets, shoes
Strap up! Loake double-monk straps will work brilliantly with a suit or slimline formal trouser.
Loake Cannon double-monk-strap shoes, £209 here’s only one contender for the ‘formal shoe of the moment’ crown and that’s the double-monk-strap. These versions by Loake combine the quality you’d expect with a contemporary slim shape. www.loake.co.uk buy
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76 Fashion
Le Coq Sportif Eclat, £65, Eclat Premium trainers, £100 t’s Vive Le France time as Le Coq Sportif continues its rise back to the big time. These trainers have a great mid-’80s vibe, which means they’ll perform as well on the running machine as they will on the street. www.lecoqsportif.com buy
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Covered: Trainers
Nike Free Run Power Line shoes, £95 onstructed in Nike’s Flywire mesh, these super-light running trainers manage to look brilliant in a casual outfit, despite their technical prowess. A welcome addition to the range. Adidas, take note. www.nike.com buy
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Covered: Watches
SWEDISH STYLE
Triwa watches Subtle, but sporty watches courtesy of an accessories brand we’ve got time for
Triwa Lansen watch, £149
Rose gold-plated watch with braided leather strap from Tärnsjö, Sweden. Quartz movement. www.triwa.com buy
Triwa Lansen chronograph, £230
Rose gold-plated chrono with date at 4 o’clock. Round indexes at 12 and 6. Quartz movement. www.triwa.com buy
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80 Fashion
1,2 Dreyfuss & Co. day-date watch, £495
UMBRELLA LOVES…
Dreyfuss & Co. Quality quartz and automatic movements meet classic styling in this selection from Swiss horologists, Dreyfuss & Co. … the only question is which one will look best with your favourite outift?
Seriously smart day-date quartz watch made in two-tone rose gold. www.dreyfussandco.com buy
3,4 Dreyfuss & Co. skeleton watch, £675 Rose gold skeleton watch with automatic movement. www.dreyfussandco.com buy
5,6 Dreyfuss & Co. rose gold watch, £630 Lovely automatic watch with seethrough face and rose gold case. www.dreyfussandco.com buy
7 Dreyfuss & Co. steel bezel watch, £350 Minimalist design to the fore on this subtle quartz watch. www.dreyfussandco.com buy
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Covered: Watches
Editor’s choice
Covered: Music
82 And finally…
Obsessions: Playlists Umbrella’s creative director Matt Reynolds comes clean about his iTunes habit Time
here used to be a gag about keeping your record collection stored alphabetically. It was meant to be a jibe – directed at someone so anal about cataloguing music that they spent their time joylessly indexing their precious ‘collection’ instead of just enjoying listening to it. I never did that. But then iTunes came along. My iMac G3 (Apple’s first mega-popular desktop machine, released in 1998) introduced me to iTunes. Back in those days I was a light user, I just dabbled with the software. My addiction hadn’t taken over yet. I set about manually transferring my music from compact disc to hard drive. The process took ages – held up by a fairly large record collection and a dial-up internet connection that only intermittently provided (incorrect) track names. Within a few weeks however I had laid the foundations of my ‘iTunes library’.
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‘To be a curator gives me a deep sense of satisfaction’ I loved the way I could now organise tracks by artist, by album, by genre. Beyond that, I could organise them by length of time (in ascending or descending order) or by track name – though this did increase the risk of hearing A Forest followed by A Forest (Demo) followed by A Forest (Extended instrumental 18-minute dubplate mix). That was when I moved onto playlists. I began to divide up my newly-created library along straightforward lines at first: Pop, Rock, Soul – that kind of thing. Soon I discovered that iTunes allowed sub-folders within playlist folders. So Rock now became home to Psychedelic Rock, Instrumental Rock, Garage Rock, Acid Rock, Krautrock and Post Rock. You get the idea. Sometimes I’d sub-categorise again – after all, the instrumental Post Rock of Tortoise had no business next to the vocal-led output of Slint. And, thinking about it, weren’t the Canadians so prolific with their millennial Post Rock output that they deserved a playlist of their own? Suddenly I’d become an indexer. Arrange my record collection alphabetically? Sure I do – I arrange my ‘Instrumental/Canadian/Post Rock /‘98-‘04’ playlist in reverse alphabetical artist
order, since you’re asking. That way the Hrsta records play before the Godspeed ones. Got it? That was ten years ago. Since then my strange experimentation with sub-folders and arranging by artist name has led to a fully-blown, and very male, playlist addiction. I can lose hours in front of iTunes, stopping to examine, reorder or update any one of the hundreds of playlists that nestle on the left hand side of the display. Endlessly procrastinating, I might decide that Dum Dum Boys from The Idiot really does deserve a place in the ‘Best of Bowie + Iggy In Berlin’ playlist, or that Turn it on Again from Duke is worthy of inclusion in the ‘PostGabriel Genesis’ list (it definitely is, by the way). And it doesn’t stop there. ‘Smart’ playlists allow me to create lists according to a file’s ‘metadata’ (stay with me), so for example, the ‘Forgotten Hits of 2002’ smart playlist would contain all tracks that had the year set to 2002 and a star rating of 4 or 5. How else would I remember to listen to Burn Out by the Cinematic Orchestra? Exactly. Today, I know I should share the playlists on Spotify so that others can benefit from the fruits of my labour, but still they remain hidden in my iTunes account, locked away and private. Like a collector’s toy cars in their sealed boxes. For shame. So why do it? Because, simply, there’s joy in the creation of these lists – a joy that comes from knowing that I have the musical knowledge, taste and ability to create them. To be a curator. Something that gives me a deep sense of satisfaction. Hang on, did someone mention satisfaction? Now, where’s that ‘Rock/60s/US number ones by a UK band’ list when you need it…
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Artist
OBSESSIONS
WORDS: MATT REYNOLDS
Name
NEXT Next ISSUE issue Umbrella’s favourite city insignia, the story of bossa nova, bizarre medieval myths and the best in wearable male fashion Umbrella magazine www.umbrellamagazine.co.uk