During my last night in London two years ago, I stayed at a hostel on my own and ended up befriending this DJ named Wandi who looked after the hostel’s internet cafe. We talked hip-hop and politics and why American food comes in such large portions. He asked me to design his album cover when I would get back to the States, which would include sheep dressed in suits – a comment on how so many people seem to be rushing to and from places in this appearance that the office requires them (or us, or you) to wear at least 5 days a week (4, if you have casual Fridays, but you get my point), but that in the end, it might just take a beat or two to bring everyone together.
A tangent, but: I was supposed to wake up at 5am, catch the tube to London Victoria, catch a train to Brighton, catch a cab to the storage place, grab my luggage, throw it in another cab, catch a train to Gatwick airport, and catch a plane to LA. Of course, I woke up an hour late. I stormed out of the hostel half dressed with my toothbrush in my mouth (crazy American). That morning was the first time I experienced the tube being empty enough so all the office types stood out. I saw briefcases, cell phones, black clothed crowds clinging onto the railings, frowns, yelling, negotiations. They looked like sheep. In suits.
In my rush to catch my flight (which I narrowly succeeded in doing), I lost Wandi’s contact info. So if you ever see this Wandi, and you still need album art, hit me up. I hope you Google yourself periodically.
