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on the London Underground.

Thursday, February 10, 2005

Oystercard Capping

A reason for the Oystercard not to be shoved up your a**ehole?????

I'm afraid I know close to nothing about Oystercards as I don't have one, but I've not heard wonderful things about them and after
Anthony Smith's rant yesterday in the comments the non prepay ones don't sound like the greatest things since sliced bread.

But Jon Allen today gave me news that will apparently please people: "who complained about the Oystercard being a rip off if you use pre-pay more than a couple of times in one day".

From the BBC's site we learn that "From 27 February capping on pre-pay cards will be introduced allowing passengers to pay the lowest daily fare once every journey has been assessed. The cap will apply at the appropriate one-day Travelcard or Bus Pass rate.

The London Transport Users' Committee (LTUC) has urged for capping to be introduced for a long time
."

Nothing on the LU website at the moment. So read more on the Beeb's.


; Posted by Unknown Thursday, February 10, 2005 Permalink COMMENT HERE
http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2005/02/oystercard-capping.html

Wednesday, February 09, 2005

Who would live in a lift like this?

Celebs earn extra cash on the Tube

I'm sure anyone who's got into the lift at Covent Garden Tube station has heard some familiar very, very rounded vowels telling people "turn left four Neeeeel Street and roight for the Piazza and of course one of my very favourite mooooseums, The London Transport Mooooseum". Moind the GapProbably cos I was travelling at the tail end of the rush hour last night, the lift wasn't full of tourists but people who were laughing about Loyd Grossman (for it was his voice, extolling the virtues of the London Transport Museum) and people were loudly wondering how much he got paid for doing that voice over.

I had thought that he was the only celebrity that does automated announcements on the Tube or has anyone heard any others? One of my colleagues thinks she's heard Joanna Lumley (ages ago) and John Cleese on the Jubilee Line.

I do remember that LU did some experiments once to try to see what type of voice was best for announcements, and bizarrely a breathy sounding Marilyn Monroe voice
scored really highly. Perhaps Emma Clarke will be out of a job soon.


; Posted by Unknown Wednesday, February 09, 2005 Permalink COMMENT HERE
http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2005/02/who-would-live-in-lift-like-this.html

Another hidden corridoor

Can anyone help?

Last Thursday we all loads of hidden passages and rooms attached to the Tube in the horror film Creep. But there are loads of real hidden passages and closed down stations that really exist on the Tube.

Tim Moore read Geoff's entry about
a hidden passage at Notting Hill Gate and wondered if we could help with the following:

"When changing to the Piccadilly line from the Jubilee/Victoria (after that long long walk) at Green Park you go over the Westbound line before descending the stairs.

At that twist/turn, the passageway is blocked off by a grille. On two occasions, I've walked past and the lights are on in the passage (much like sometimes the maintenance lights are on in the train tunnels themselves). Despite this, I still can't see the end of the passage. It's at least 20 yards long if not longer. For a while I thought it would lead to another platform, maybe going to Aldwych.

But of course, the old tube maps say that branch line started at Holborn (where you can see the links to the old platforms). So what's down there?

Maybe your readers could satisfy my curiosity.
"

Can anyone????


; Posted by Unknown Wednesday, February 09, 2005 Permalink COMMENT HERE
http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2005/02/another-hidden-corridoor.html

Tuesday, February 08, 2005

New Victoria Line trains now being built!

Just seen on the TV news, and then looked it up
here on the BBC news website, that the first of the new batch of Victoria line trains are now being built.

Two trains should be in service (says the website) by 2009, but the TV news report I watched just now said 'by 2007' ! So take your pick.

Interestingly, I got wind from a friend yesterday that there appears to be a new campaign coming up to 'promote' the Vic line as the PR agency were looking for people's suggestions to straplines that could be used. Whether this is for the current system, or whether they're doing all their work 4 years in advance of the new trains being rolled out I'm not sure, but amongst my friends we managed to come up with the following gems:

There's a fine line between E17 and SW9
Your only way to hook up with Seven Sisters
Your fast track to the West End
Two Parks, a Circus and Seven Sisters. What else could you want?
The Queen, Kings Cross, a stones throw from Walthamstow.
Tottenham Hale, Oxford Street sale...
The thin blue line: Keeping you on the straight and narrow


And my favourite ('cause it's disparaging)

The Victoria Line : We are not amused

Any other offerings?


; Posted by geofftech Tuesday, February 08, 2005 Permalink COMMENT HERE
http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2005/02/new-victoria-line-trains-now-being.html

Harry Beck's Map - updated for 21st century

It's about time we had another picture on this blog

Closed tube map

I spose it says it all really - found on the excellent man who fell asleep website by Jon Allen. More wacky tube maps on Geoff's website and my main Going Underground tube map page.


; Posted by Unknown Tuesday, February 08, 2005 Permalink COMMENT HERE
http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2005/02/harry-becks-map-updated-for-21st.html

In the Indie

We were in the Independent

I suppose I should have said this yesterday, but I only found out today (cheers
Liz), that we were among the Top 12 blogs in the Indie newspaper. (Note to self - look at blog stats more often).

As it means we're rubbing shoulders with Boris Johnson's blog, and the wonderful Boing Boing, I'm pretty chuffed.

Here's what they said:

"Written by: "Annie Mole", Tube lore expert

Completely unofficial, and so not quite the inside scoop you might wish for (as it's written by people who use the Tube, rather than any of its staff). But plenty of promise as it grows in popularity. "Things I'd like to see on the Tube: a penalty ticket inspector who isn't a sadist; a Photo-Me booth you can fit more than a mouse into; a District Line train that doesn't stop between every stop." Also full of "Tube rules" (how to sit, how to dress, how to ignore the weirdo in the carriage). Sprawling (so you'll need to wait for the page to load) and enjoyable, and written by someone who - gasp - is not afraid to ring up, say, the people who devised an advertising campaign based around the Underground and ask them why."


Check out the other 11 blogs here. And many thanks to the teccy journalist Charles Arthur for selecting us.


; Posted by Unknown Tuesday, February 08, 2005 Permalink COMMENT HERE
http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2005/02/in-indie.html

Interesting tube map project

Ambitious but useful

Dominic Sayers got in touch with me a few days ago with the idea for a collaborative tube resource inspired by Astrid Kirchner's art project
Living In A Tube Map which we blogged in December.

Basically he wants to try to bring together a user edited resource linked to a clickable tube map so you could find out a whole range of netty things based on or around a particular tube station.

He said: "It's a bit difficult to explain without HTML so I posted a bit more
detail here and I have made a rough start here
".

So each station would have piccies of or around the station, a webcam, streetmap link, bloggers who live nearby, search engine links to the station, the list could go on and on and include wikipedia entries, official TFL or tubeplanner.com info about the station etc etc. Personally I think it's a great idea (but very ambitious) and if anyone has any thoughts or would like to help out with the project please leave comments below or email Dominic directly.


; Posted by Unknown Tuesday, February 08, 2005 Permalink COMMENT HERE
http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2005/02/interesting-tube-map-project.html

Saturday, February 05, 2005

Pissed on / Pissed off

I was gutted... sooo gutted & pissed off that I did not have my camera with me (for once) when going home last night to take a photo of what I'm about to describe.

I went via Richmond, which I don't normally do and was changing from the tube to the train there. As I got off, I noticed a tramp on the platform that started harrassing a suited city gent type for money.

It was quite a hardcore down-and-out sort of guy, he had a long tangled messy beard, his clothes were all just filthy, he was carrying what once used to be a white duvet over his shoulder, and he smelt quite disgusting as I walked past even at quite a distance so as to avoid him.

Oh, and he was drunk and was clutching the almost obligatory can of super-tennants in one hand.

I walked past, ignored him, forgot about it, but was still up in the concourse area (checking out train times) a few minutes later when I heard a commotion back down on the District platforms.

The drunk/tramp in question was now merrily taking a piss, standing on the edge of platform and weeing merrily down onto the tracks.

My first thought was "He'd better be a good aim, or he's gonna get 400V shooting up through a senstive part of his body", my second thought was "That's going to annoy the driver of this train coming in now, isn't it?"

And indeed ... a train was attempting to pull into the platfrom where the chap was having his leak. So the driver edged the train up really slowly to where the guy was, leaned out of his window, and offered some suggestful advice that the guy might like to cease from peeing on the track, or he'd have him removed from the station.

But the tramp had other ideas, and so stuck two fingers up at the driver who had to sit and wait a few more seconds until he'd finished his business and went back and collapsed on the bench on the platform.

The driver brought the train in, and I watched him as he spoke to the station supervisor to go about getting security down to turf the guy out of the station. Whilst he's doing this, I notice the tramp pick up his grubby belongings and stagger onto the now empty train that the driver's just brought in.

The driver comes walking back throgh the concourse towards his train. "Er.. you might like to know he just got on the third carriage down mate", I say to him

"He's not staying on my bloody train!" he replied and walks down to the carriage in question to go and find him.

It takes a moment for the security people to wander down too, and I'm just pointing them in the right direction of where to go as they get to me when we all hear "Fight! fight! fight!" - and we all turn and look at a bunch of guys (passengers) on the platform, pointing and waving at the third carriage down.

We all run down, and catch the tail end of what I suspect was the drunk taking a swing at the driver, and in a blur, the security guys storm the train, ping the drunk down and drag him off the train as he's yelling and screaming at them. The driver chips in with a few more verbal suggestions of his own, dusts himself down and walks back to the front and gets in the cab.

"This would never happen back home!" offers up one of the three who'd seen it - a bunch of New Zealand guys, who I then got chatting to and who seemed quite amused by the whole episode.

"That's because you don't have super tennants" I said, and with the smell still lingering in the air of tramp who was now being carried through the barriers by the two brave security guys of Richmond station, I scurried off to catch my train home.

Who'd want to be a driver eh?

Cartoon by Ralf Zeigermann from One Stop Shrot of Barking


; Posted by geofftech Saturday, February 05, 2005 Permalink COMMENT HERE
http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2005/02/pissed-on-pissed-off.html

Friday, February 04, 2005

'cause I'm (still) a creep

So we had mini 'bloggers' meetup and film night last night then as in our official capacity, as "tubies" (or something) we checked out new 'horror' film Creep that is in the cinemas at the moment, which we couldn't really not go and see - considering that most of it is based on the tube and filmed in places like Aldwych and the old Jubilee line platforms at Charing Cross.

So is it any good?

Well... to be honest it was "ok". I've seen a lot better films - but I've also seen ones which were a lot worse as well, but I could have course just been enjoying it from the anorak value of trying to work if it really was Down Street where some of the filming happened (it wasn't).

No suprises for guessing quite early on that the young, attractive and blond main character in the film ends up surviving the adventure (just), whilst lots of other people get killed in rather gruesome ways along the way...

There were too many holes to pick about technical inaccuracies, or things that were just physically wrong, but that would just be petty, and you should accept the film for the entertainment it offers - even if the most scary moment (for me) was when the dog first appears! Right, I'll shush now and not spoil the plot anymore.

Afterwards thought, I went home via the Jubilee and changed at a rather empty platform at Bond Steet, and stood up on end with no-one else about and it was a bit spooky!

Just don't fall asleep on a platform though whilst waiting for the last train home after a big night out tonight, you never know what may be lurking in the tunnels...

UPDATE FROM ANNIE

My PC has finally been fixed so I can start blogging from home again, but just wanted to say a quick thanks to all the bloggers who came along to see Creep last night - You may want to read their reviews of Creep which are in brackets -
Pixeldiva, Helene - Stroppycow (Helene's Creep Review) Tom from Random Reality, Adrian from Chaotique (Adrian's Creep review), Charles from Purely for Self Amusement Purposes (Chz's Creep Review) and of course Geoff n Neil (Neil's review - She should have waited for a taxi).

Coincidentally Diamond Geezer also went to see Creep last night and has his own review here.


; Posted by geofftech Friday, February 04, 2005 Permalink COMMENT HERE
http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2005/02/cause-im-still-creep.html

Thursday, February 03, 2005

London Underground Song - 1,000 downloads a day

More London Underground Song News

I will stop blogging about this eventually, but the spoof Tube song based on The Jam's classic Going Underground is just so brilliant, I find myself singing every day on the Drain. Anyway, the latest news (kindly brought to me by Marc Mentzer in Saskatchewan, Canada - why does it take someone from Canada to point you to your local newspaper?) is that yesterday
The Evening Standard have finally picked up on the song and spoke to one of the writers - Dr Adam Kay.

"More than 50,000 copies of the doctors' version, protesting against strikes and delays, have been downloaded from their website and they are getting around 1,000 emails a day asking for a copy."

This figure obviously doesn't include the thousands copies that were flying around the net days (including Geoff's copy here - blogged on the 11th January) before we discovered who actually wrote it. Plus the many downloads of the flash movie of the song which we blogged on 31st January.

Adam continues: "Having lived in London all my 24 years you get used to the Tube service,

"Once in a while you are three hours late after what should have been a 20-minute journey. It has struck a chord with people. They also like the swear words, they seem to get people going."

After exposure in The Standard it's just going to get bigger and bigger. Nice work guys.


; Posted by Unknown Thursday, February 03, 2005 Permalink COMMENT HERE
http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2005/02/london-underground-song-1000-downloads.html

Dust Masks on the Tube

Dust anyone? No... Dust? Dust?

This is going to disappoint
Marjorie Dawes and the Fat Fighters Club from Little Britain who loves dust because it is low in calories, but this entry is about the nastier side of dust and how to avoid it on the tube.

People who read the comments would have noticed commenting regular Anthony Smith with his one man campaign to promote the wearing of dust masks on the Tube. Recently he asked me why we never blogged it and although I think I have blogged about dust levels on the Tube in the past, I said, I'd never seen anyone wearing a dust mask on the Tube, but if he would like to send in a picture of himself wearing one, that I would blog it.

Anthony in dusk mask on the Piccadilly LineSooooooo, no sooner said than done, we have the brill picture of Anthony resplendant in 3M dust mask reading a copy of Tuesday's Metro which featured a picture of a woman wearing a dust mask.

I'm sure people will now prove me wrong by saying they have seen loads of people wearing dust masks on the Tube. I'm not sure seeing a Japanese person in a mask counts, because don't they wear masks if they have colds to prevent themselves spreading germs? correct me on this, I'm not a doctor or an expert in Japanese culture.

Anyway, Anthony also went a step further and supplied a picture of a new mask next to one which has several days/hours/minutes????? use on the Tube.

Not in the news that recently, but I do remember reading something about travelling on the Tube being the equivalent of smoking 10 fags a day (or some such figure) and in the past people have sent me delightful emails describing the contents of their handkerchiefs after they've blown their nose after a morning's commute.



Anthony has now produced a webpage with some more information on the masks which he'll be updating over the weeks to come.


; Posted by Unknown Thursday, February 03, 2005 Permalink COMMENT HERE
http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2005/02/dust-masks-on-tube.html

Wednesday, February 02, 2005

A request.....Any tube sounds for an art installation?

Does anyone have any underground noises?

I had a request from an artist in Chicago whose oil painting of a tube map has been selected to as an entrant in a Winter Art Festival in Chicago, and the picture wil be displayed in their gallery on 11 - 13th February.

Used with the permission of the artist Alan NazerianHe wondered if I knew of anywhere where he could get some background sounds of the Tube, to use as background "music" to add to the effect of his installation (more pictures here).

"Sounds of the roaring trains, their brakes, the crowd on the platform and in the trains, various buskers, dogs, and especially the lady's voice saying things like, 'please stand clear of the doors,' or 'this is a Bakerloo Line train to Elephant & Castle,' and all the other wonderful things she says. Even that man who shouts out so loud over and over about the Gap, why not."

I directed him to the two usual suspects that I know although the former are just official pre-recorded announcements and the latter toward the bottom of the page has some more "in situ" announcements with accompanying Tube train noises. I even sent him a recording of some Tube buskers singing Going Underground (not the spoof one).

If anyone knows of any other places that have Tube sounds Alan Nazerian would love to hear or even if you fancy going out and recording some for him, you know that people in an art gallery in Chicago may well be listening to them. His contact details are at the bottom of his webpage.


; Posted by Unknown Wednesday, February 02, 2005 Permalink COMMENT HERE
http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2005/02/requestany-tube-sounds-for-art.html

Tuesday, February 01, 2005

Escalator Etiquette

Escalator Blues

From a 1920's LT ad campaign & featured in One Stop Short of BarkingYesterday when I was coming up on the escalator at Waterloo, I remembered that another thing that makes tourists stand out a mile is how they stand on escalators. Not just the annoying way they will stand two abreast or stand on the right even when there are loads and loads of signs saying "stand to the left" (Freudian Slip right). But it's when they stand right behind you. Everyone knows that you're supposed to leave a step in between you and the person in front of you. Or maybe this has happened because they've been doing the annoying two abreast thing and then someone has made them realsie the error of their ways and they've moved into titcy one step space remaining.

Also on the subject of escalators Rob from the Londonist reminded me today that there's a cool song by a band called Florida about finding love on an escalator. The song is a duet between a bloke who pines for a woman who passes him on an escalator and a hypothetical version of the girl in question. You can download it here.


; Posted by Unknown Tuesday, February 01, 2005 Permalink COMMENT HERE
http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2005/02/escalator-etiquette.html

Monday, January 31, 2005

London Underground Song - The Video

You've heard the song, now see the flash movie

If like just about every other Londoner with internet access, you've heard the
London Underground spoof song (blogged below 11th & 20th Jan) written to the tune of The Jam's classic Going Underground - well now there's a flash movie!

London Underground Song The VideoTim Ireland from Bloggerheads (with the co-operation of writers Dr Suman Biswas and Dr Adam Kay - incidentally rumours of Adam's death seem to have been exaggerated!!) has put together a great little flash movie to accompany the song.

I particularly like the last image of the Oystercard alongside some KY Jelly - which illustrates - the brill last lines - "Take your Oystercard and shove it up your arsehole" .... Quality


; Posted by Unknown Monday, January 31, 2005 Permalink COMMENT HERE
http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2005/01/london-underground-song-video.html

Friday, January 28, 2005

Why haven't I come across this before?

London Underground RETRO photos

When I started
Going Underground in 1999 the only sites about the Tube were the official tube site and a few hobbyist sites and lots and lots of sites with pictures of rolling stock (trains to the unintiated). I'd never been wild about seeing rows upon rows of pictures of trains, especially if there was no story behind them. Then came a few sites with pictures of stations but it's only today through the excellent Londonist that I came across Londonstation.com. A few years ago G Goldwater, started taking black and white pictures of Tube stations and then hand coloured them in Adobe Photoshop. (Incidentally, I really can't remember when the seats at Hammersmith station looked like this picture below, so it's great that someone is recording old stations before they change beyond recognition)

Benches at Hammersmith apparently I never remember them looking like this


The results are really brill and give a great retro look to the stations. It may be because he's (apologies if G Goldwater is a woman) deliberately chosen older stations on the network before they get refurbished, but it's as though he's given them a lick of paint himself. I bet the Tube would love it, if they could tart up stations this way.

Chalk Farm


Anyway, G Goldwater received a grant from The London College of Printing for the work and has had exhibitions and been featured on radio and in print and is now asking people to send in anecdotes and Tube stories as it looks as though a book will be coming out. Well done. Check out all of the pictures at www.londonstation.com


; Posted by Unknown Friday, January 28, 2005 Permalink COMMENT HERE
http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2005/01/why-havent-i-come-across-this-before.html

Thursday, January 27, 2005

What do station assistants do when they're bored?

Write poetry apparently

There's a lot of people who work on the Tube who look as though they're doing nothing. You might see guys and gals standing by the escalators making sure people don't get their feet chopped off or heels stuck. Or you'll give a cursory glance to those standing by the ticket barriers making sure the tickets go through or stopping fare dodgers or "double bunkers" or "slipstreamers" (I don't know what the real word for this is, but you know people who press up close behind you and try to get through the barrier on your fare). You might think "Jeesus what a dull job what must be going through their minds every day", well more than you might think.

Chris Gyrce, who works on the Misery Line (Northern Line) as a station assistant on escalator duty and "gateline" (official term for barrier duty - you learn something new every day) and carries a notebook with him - not for spotting odd or illegal behaviour or reporting defunct escalators, but to write poetry.

Chris said: "Prior to working at an open air station I used to be based at dusty, dirty, Camden Town. The poems that I'm submitting were written during moments of boredom while on gateline and escalator duty at Old Street/Camden Town (part of the Camden Town group)"

So with Chris's permission I've published one here:

AT THE GATELINE

Boredom and monotony are my
Well acquainted friends,
As I at the Gateline passenger tickets "mend".

Customers generally are honest and polite,
While I upon their tickets alight,
May I see your ticket, Madam/Sir,
As those gates "hum and whirr"

Father and daughter slipstream
Through the gates together,
Dad, can I see your ticket now or never.....
He hurls obsenities at me,
The worst of humankind maybe.....?

Some passengers gingerly place their tickets in the slot,
Fearful that the gate machine may "gobble" the lot,
Others are in such a hurry,
That their ticket "shivers" from the worry!!

Love in the ticket hall area,
Young couples, giggle, embrace and kiss,
A sight bored eyes do not miss.

I come across this brown-haired young lady,
With a query,
And I but weary,
Notice the multiple silver rings on her finger,
Can I see those rings I enquire?
A gradual smile belies her initial ire.


Perhaps we'll find the next Pam Ayres on the Tube.


; Posted by Unknown Thursday, January 27, 2005 Permalink COMMENT HERE
http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2005/01/what-do-station-assistants-do-when.html

Tuesday, January 25, 2005

VOTE FOR US, VOTE FOR US

We've made the Bloggie finals again

Please, vote for us Best British or Irish Blog AND Best Topical Blog
Many thanks to all of you who nominated us for the 2005 Bloggies. Well the results were out this morning and The London Underground Tube Diary is in the finals for not one, but two (count em) two categories - Best British or Irish Weblog and Best Topical Weblog (funnily enough the same categories the blog made it into for 2004). I'm really pleased and I'm sure Neil n Geoff will echo this, we have some really stiff competition in both categories (especially the British or Irish category as I'm much more familiar with the blogs there - D'OH Greenfairy, and D'OH Londonist).

So more international and new visitors will be coming this way - hope you enjoy what you see and us Londoners aren't really too bad, once you get to know us.

Anyway, it's up you the voting public now to cast your votes - you have until January 31st - use your vote and tell your mates and their mates. If we win we'll share the KitKat that's on offer as one of the prizes. Thank you once again.

UPDATE - Just received the following email from the organiser:

My apologies, but I'm sending out another mass e-mail since a lot of finalists have been asking about the status of the Bloggies site. This is my first year hosting the Weblog Awards on a different server, which is why I got caught with too little bandwidth. I arranged today with my host to get some extra for the next month, so the site's back online, plus the voting has been extended to February 3 to make up for the downtime. So now voting can really commence. :)

Hoorah!!!!


; Posted by Unknown Tuesday, January 25, 2005 Permalink COMMENT HERE
http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2005/01/vote-for-us-vote-for-us.html

Monday, January 24, 2005

I'm such a creep

This got mention in last Friday's Evening Standard, but I've only just remembered to blog it.

The posters for the new 'Creep' film (as discussed below - 17th Jan) have been banned from London Ungerground stations in case they "Frighten customers".

I kid you not.

Er.. Hello! [Taps on glass] what is the what coming to when LU now want to censor a poster which to me isn't at all offensive.

But the posters for this film haven't been banned from NR stations (and hence I saw this one at Epsom on my way in this morning), but this also means that you will get them at places like Waterloo where there are NR trains and LU trains.

Does anyone else think it's a bit stupid, or does anyone agree with this?

Anyway, looks like I'd better go and see it now to see what all the fuss is about!

UPDATE FROM ANNIE - The ban has been lifted now following "Intervention" from the
Evening Standard. BTW we're still arranging a mini blog meet to go and see the film - it looks like the 3rd February is the date - if anyone wants to come and see it with us please email me or leave a note in the comments. Nice review of the film here:

"The London Underground; the tube � our capital city�s 250 plus miles of mainly antiquated and filthy tracks and tunnels. We hate it. We hang from roof handles like monkeys, jam packed in ancient rolling stock full of enough sweat to drown an elephant. It�s hell. Well, at least we think it is....."


; Posted by geofftech Monday, January 24, 2005 Permalink COMMENT HERE
http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2005/01/im-such-creep.html

Thursday, January 20, 2005

London Underground Song - the writers

We know who wrote it

I'm sure most people have now heard the famous
London Underground Song written to the tune of The Jam's Going Underground. I've just received an email from Jakob Whitfield from Imperial College who wrote:

"I noticed that the (by now infamous) rude tube song has been featured on
your website and weblog.
(11th January below) I thought you might like to know that it's from an album of comedy/parody songs written by two medical students at Imperial College, Adam Kay and Suman Biswas. Unfortunately, Adam died earlier this year. Suman is donating all proceeds from sales of the album (�5.50) to Macmillan Cancer Relief. More info and details on ordering the CD can be found at http://www.amateurtransplants.com"

The London Underground song is track 8, nestled between The Menstrual Rag and Mr Burton.

Cheers Jakob now that will put a stop to the rumour that it was our very own Neil and Geoff.


; Posted by Unknown Thursday, January 20, 2005 Permalink COMMENT HERE
http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2005/01/london-underground-song-writers.html

Mobile Phones on the Tube

"Don't advertise your mobile to thieves"

Says the byline on this ad campaign you've probably seen on the Tube at the moment.



Although it should say "Just change your ringtone to Mozart and it will scare off the thieves" if the Tube really want to continue their classical music crime crack down (see 13th Jan entry below).

My mobile is so old that no one in their right mind would want to steal it, although I was slightly aware than when I was taking the picture above, I was using and advertising to all and sundry my whizzy new Samsung digital camera. But why are those ads limited to mobile phones? Perhaps there should be a whole set of ads saying "Don't advertise your IPod to thieves", "Don't advertise your camera to thieves", "Don't advertise your bag to thieves" - in fact "Don't get on the Tube with anything of any value"

I much prefer the spoof ads that appeared a while back which might make people more aware of their Tube mobile phone usage.

Taken by Donald McGarr from Tube Prune's website


; Posted by Unknown Thursday, January 20, 2005 Permalink COMMENT HERE
http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2005/01/mobile-phones-on-tube.html
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