We Brits are a self-deprecating bunch. As I tend to tweet about what I'm up to - and right now I'm on tour - that means I've been tweeting about my travels.
And I've noticed that whenever I mention that I'm heading to a town - any British town - I instantly get a load of replies from people saying, "I wouldn't bother heading there if I were you... it's horrible!"
And these tweets come from locals. Not from people in the town just up the road. From people who live there. Because if there's one thing that unites Britain, it's our inability to like wherever it is we're from. It seems to be a knee-jerk reaction for people who just automatically dislike the town they live in.
Which makes me wonder a) why they live there and b) quite what delights they think the other towns of Britain possess.
But also... well, it seems to misunderstand the purpose of my visit. I'm not going to hang out in the centre of town watching youths drink cider. I'm going to a theatre to do my job. Which is, y'know... kinda fun.
Even if it's true that a particular town is horrible, the chances are that the people who buy tickets to come and sit in the theatre there aren't. They tend to be lovely. So I get to see a lovely side of the place. All of them. I certainly have so far.
I think it also relates to the peculiar idea people have that I'm somehow picking and choosing which towns I visit. The prosaic truth, of course, is that, like all self-employed people I'm going where the work is.
I make myself available for touring... some theatres book the show... and... um, that's it.
I don't research each town to see that its residents are delighted and proud to call it home first before deciding to accept the booking. If I did, I wouldn't end up accepting many gigs... British people hate their home towns far too much for that.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Home Town Hatred.
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16 comments:
I live in Winchester. I like my home town. But you're not coming here.
(I've lived in a few different places, and I've liked most of them too. I wasn't too keen on Farnborough when I lived there though!)
Hmm... and I've played in both Winchester and Farnborough before. Whether you (or anyone else) liked them wasn't the criteria. Them booking me was!
The tour does seem to be surrounding you... you're in the middle of a Salisbury, Portsmouth, Aldershot triangle - all places we've been so far... and Bournemouth is still to come.
Adam Hills said much the same when he was here in Norwich the other night. He said that Norwich seemed to be the exception, but he may have just been being nice.
I love my hometown. The town next door is horrible...
I live in Bedford (and am coming to see you at the Corn Exchange tomorrow night for the second time).
I am constantly defending this town even to my friends who have also lived here most of their lives. It has problems a couple of dodgy areas, a few scumbags and lacks some of the nightlife I'd like to have locally but on the whole it's a nice place with good shopping, a beautiful embankment, lovely victorian buildings and quite a bit of culture if you take the time to research it.
The Corn Exchange itself is a cracking building.
Looking forward to seeing you and if you have time while on the way in or out, take a drive or even stroll along the embankment at night. The illumination is quite magical.
Nottingham might be the one exception. People from Nottingham bloody love it and 'big it up' every chance they get. Apart from the ones that moved away. Like me.
Just finished your games book by the way. Very good. Thankyou.
I suspect the thing is that those people who do like their hometown don't feel the need to tell you about it on twitter... it's the moaners who like to moan... even so, it has no bearing on whether or not I'm visiting!
I love the town where I am from (Exeter) but hate the town where I live (Aylesbury). Hopefully won't live here too much longer!
You are visiting the nearby High Wycombe though (where we will see you), and that is a splendid place!
We have some horrible towns here in America, too. I hope you'll come visit them again soon, especially Los Angeles, where I live, which is the absolute worst.
When I visit any town, familiar or not, I like to experience the friendly, face. Spending any length of time anywhere and awareness of the less than pleasant is inevitable. I live in Gosport and although I know that there is a grubby element, bearded men shouting at strangers at the bus station, bewildered youths smelling of glue and the like I try not to involve myself too much.
Just finished Dave Gorman vs the rest of teh world, bloody loved it!! Cheers.
I liken this to the way people are afraid to be known to be good at stuff, especially at school, where clever people are ridiculed and people who left their homework to the last minute or didn't study (and thus failed) exams are treated like heroes - they're not, they're idiots! There seems to be a stigma attached to been good at maths for example, to the point where people often "boast" about how terrible they are at maths, and others chip in with how they are too, only worse, it's like an anti-competitive thing. I don't understand it. Been good at stuff should be a good thing. Don't be ashamed.
I'm a Brummie (hated by all, except Brummies!) and I now live in Harrow (sounds posh, isn't really, but has a posh, expensive school).
I love living in London - caught your Hoxton show and shall be seeing you in Hammersmith, which is a place that seems to be all Bus Station and offices. Looking forward to it!
Damn, that Anonymous should be Bookmole
I live in Shrewsbury, I love Shrewsbury, I love you, I love your shows, I loved your show in Shrewsbury... my life is officially perfect :)
If you get the chance to visit Oxford, stay in town. It's beautiful, warm, interesting and feels good.
Don't go towards the ring-road. It's a pernicious mix of concrete, the same design house upon house for three square miles... And you'll probably get inappropriately violated by somebody's pet, as they desperately try and escape to an area of variance...
My guess is the people of our "great" country might be pointing towards similar areas of their own town...
@Simon: we are visiting Oxford. It's on the tour. November 8th.
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