Tom Vague’s
HOLLYWOOD W11


Notting Hill: The Musical – From Absolute Beginners to Leo The Last, It Happened Here in West Eleven. A psychogeographical journey through the streets of Hollywood W11.
Editor Jane Carroll Portobello Pirate TV London Psychogeography production Vague 35 2005

‘Portobello Road, Portobello Road, street where the riches of ages are stowed, anything and everything a chap can unload is sold off the barrow in Portobello Road, you’ll find what you want in the Porto Bello Road’
Tom Vague has been getting it straight in Notting Hill Gate since 1978, as punk fanzine editor, music and film critic, local historian on www.historytalk.org and publisher of the acclaimed London Psychogeography Reports.

‘Some sightseers are bemused when the tour takes a left-turn into Powis Square. As the guide attempts to explain the attractions of the location, most have no idea what he’s talking about and are keen to move on to Hugh Grant’s bookshop on the Portobello Road. Jonathan Raban’s ‘elderly children’ on the Portobello Road ‘smirking complacently under broad-brimmed hats’ may still be with us, but a sense of genuine community spirit in Notting Hill is gradually dissolving, prompting local counter-culture chronicler Tom Vague to publish his series of London Psychogeographies.’
– Ali Catterall and Simon Wells, ‘The Notting Hill Film: Performance’; ‘Your Face Here: British Cult Movies Since the 60s’ 4th Estate 2001

‘London psychogeographer Tom Vague guides us through the roads, buildings, myths and vibes which infused and inspired ‘London Calling’.’
– Pat Gilbert, The Clash ‘London Calling’ 25th anniversary edition

‘The Clash were a particularly colourful thread in the tapestry of local history… they helped make the Westway an urban icon… Paddington, Notting Hill and North Kensington have a rich cultural tradition, embracing not only the greatest rock band of the 1970s and 80s, but pop, jazz, reggae and all its antecedents and variations. I am forever indebted to ‘Getting It Straight In Notting Hill Gate’, Tom Vague’s pop history on the Kensington History website for the knowledge that Eric Clapton formed Cream when he was living in Ladbroke Grove; Mick Jagger played the reclusive star of ‘Performance’ – but not in Notting Hill; Pink Floyd played their first gigs at the old All Saints church hall, etc… The truth is that we do not commemorate or celebrate this aspect of local history and urban culture nearly enough. Modern music in all its forms has always had a great deal to say about cities, and as we struggle to live in them (against, it must be said, a constant refrain about how the rural life is best), we need all the help we can get.’
– Karen Buck, Regent’s Park and Kensington North Labour MP, Kensington News ‘View From The House’ 19/8/2004

‘Tom Vague is a central figure in British pop situationism. His magazine began as a punk fanzine, developed in the 80s and 90s into an eclectic and lively celebration of anarcho-post-modernism. Vague’s anti-political political stance has proved curiously contemporary, providing one of the best and most honest reflections of the post-modern British urban zeitgeist.’
– Newcastle University’s ‘Journal of Urban Exploration’

‘Psychogeography: The study of the specific effects of the geographical environment, consciously organised or not, on the emotions and behaviour of individuals.’
– Situationist International Definitions 1958