Stories about London, Culture & Creativity

We’re going to have a bit of a different one this week, I started working on this podcast idea about 2 years ago, I love podcasts and I love my culture, I know most of you know that and we have so many people with the best of stories so I got it together and recorded some, Jack Murray, Will Robson Scott, Any Gillman, Done London and Jamal Peace, they are the early ones in the series but it took me pretty much a year before I put them out. Anxiety, confidence and making my business and work more important than feeding my soul all came into play and I couldn’t justify spending all the time it’d take to do this. I stored the recordings.
Then Jan passed away in late December 2017. I’d known him since the 90’s, properly. It hit hard. The funeral was a few weeks later and I went with my friend and fellow NW6er Sam. It was great to see all these people come to pay respects to Jan. A tearful and yet joyous event full of stories, memories, laughs and tears. He touched a crazy amount of people, we walked his coffin down Kilburn High Rd. and locked it off there was so many of us. A beautiful but sad day.
Pretty soon after the funeral, I decided I was going to do these interviews and get this podcast going and I did. I had wanted Jan round to chat, I should have had him round in 2017, but life is what it is and at the time I wasn’t sure I was going to do the podcast at all.
Him going let me know I needed to do this, he did everything he put his mind too and so I was going to do the same. About 2 -3 weeks after the funeral I had around that time, heard the final Combat Jack podcast, one I’d been listening to for 7 odd years, Combat had passed from Cancer and Dallas Penn, A King, Premium Pete, Just Blaze, Ben Haeremeen, and a couple other of his colleagues and friends got together to talk about Combat, his accomplishments, his life and work, I thought that’d be great for Jan, bringing us to this week which is a special episode as we have a glimpse into Jan’s life through one of his best mates, his crew partner, his travelling companion, festival goer and party starter, Jack.
We recorded it early July and it was tough, especially on Jack but we told stories, had laughs and remembered our friend.
This is some of Jan’s London, Culture and Creativity story.

This week on the F24 Podcast we’ve got Maddy or as some of you may know him, Amba SDF.

Maddy’s had some adventures and we get into quite a few including his introduction to hip hop and graffiti culture, travelling and living in cities and also about his Syrian family and roots. We’re very close in age so it was amazing for me to hear about his side of London whilst I was exploring mine and also hearing about his run in’s with famous BTP officers.

Real great having him over, look out for his show today and on the first Friday of every month on k2kradio.com at 4pm.. Enjoy!

This week’s conversation is with Jamal Peace. I met Jamal about 8 years ago and immediately noticed he carried loads of energy and although he wasn’t doing what he would end up doing currently, I knew he was on a journey that was to include culture and creativity. We chat about travels abroad and living in other countries in his youth with the family, going back and fourth to London and roaming the city. Living up to the working class notion of getting a trade and then finding creativity through culture. Jamal’s story is dope, he’s a travel bug, a creative and for the people. Enjoy!

This week’s chat is with Done London’s Will and Tom. You have probably seen their clothing gracing peoples bodies with nods to the London Underground and you may have also seen their stickers and pieces about the place. Had a great chat with these two about their journeys, the cultures being chosen and working in a creative world in any way they could in order to be in the position to take an opportunity and go for it with setting up Done. Great story about  their interactions with London, Culture and Creativity.

This weeks chat is with Andrew Gillman, he is an artist, photographer and explorer.  I met Andrew in the early 2000’s in Brighton, where I was living at the time. He was writing graffiti and his name was known widely, it was one of those, real pleasure to meet you mate!. His crew was doing the do in the culture and watching the events that unfolded over the following years was intriguing, thought provoking, conversation starting and emotional. Andrews story so far is crazy, I really appreciate him coming over and having this conversation and letting us know how he dealt with all that came with his lifestyle and what he is doing and producing now. This is his London, Culture and Creativity story. Enjoy!