"You can't do anything legally except crime and prostitution."

May 1, 2010 9:35 AM

A short film about Bernard Hare and his book Urban Grimshaw and the Shed Crew. The book (published in 2005) documents his time spent associating with the 'feral' teenagers of the Leeds underclass.
posted by criticalbill (10 comments total)

Great post, thanks (best read from right to left)
posted by Flashman at 10:27 AM on May 1, 2010

wow, that last link...sometimes it's fun watching old media drive nails into its own coffin, other times, not so much...
posted by sexyrobot at 10:32 AM on May 1, 2010

Dear Andy Robbins films,

This looks like a very interesting show. But since the only download option is for iThing, and I'm not planning on installing Quicktime again in this lifetime, we won't be partaking of this small cultural feast.

Yours etc.,

Mr. & Mrs. Sneebler
posted by sneebler at 11:25 AM on May 1, 2010

I apologise to the Sneeblers, what can you do?

I overlooked this review of the book, which features a reply from Bernard Hare calling it "undoubtedly the most intelligent review of my book that I’ve ever read."
posted by criticalbill at 12:14 PM on May 1, 2010

Dear Andy Robbins films,

This looks like a very interesting show. But since the only download option is for iThing, and I'm not planning on installing Quicktime again in this lifetime, we won't be partaking of this small cultural feast.

Yours etc.,

Mr. & Mrs. Sneebler

The video plays fine in VLC, and as far as I can tell, did not invoke iTunes in any way.
posted by !Jim at 1:13 PM on May 1, 2010

Powell's wish list, here's another one.
posted by four panels at 1:52 PM on May 1, 2010

For Chris, I recommended James Frey's A Million Little Pieces, a compelling story of rehab. I'm pleased to report that Chris loved Frey, and wrote a review of it,

D'oh.
posted by drjimmy11 at 8:55 PM on May 1, 2010

Just watched the film on VLC as well (another one with no Quicktime here). Thanks for the post, criticalbill. That bit in one of the articles about how the way we talk about young men means they're scared of each other was a telling and chilling observation.
posted by Abiezer at 10:34 PM on May 1, 2010

My mum worked with kids like that in Leeds all through the 90s, and every single damn word of that is stuff that's familiar to me through her. I don't know whether to send her these links or not - whether she'd be interested or just depressed that nothing has changed.
posted by Coobeastie at 5:11 AM on May 2, 2010

"We're supposed to be a civilized country and moved on since Dickens's time, you know. But we haven't; it's probably worse now."

The forces that create oppression and maintain ignorance haven't changed. It'd have to be worse now, as the UK's not an Empire any more. Don't feel lonesome, there, the US is being steered to the same place. Perpetually, we're to be just smart enuf to do the jobs.

We shall not try to make these people or any of their children into philosophers or men of learning or men of science. We have not to raise up from among them authors, educators, poets or men of letters. We shall not search for embryo great artists, painters, musicians, nor lawyers, doctors, preachers, politicians, statesmen, of whom we have ample supply. The task we set before ourselves is very simple...we will organize children...and teach them to do in a perfect way the things their fathers and mothers are doing in an imperfect way.


posted by Twang at 3:02 PM on May 2, 2010