FUCK YOUR BLOG

Anyone who knows me knows I maintain an unhealthy obsession with born and bred Battle boys and maudlin pop ivory-tinklers Keane. I came across this fote below on the band's website, taken by drummer Richard Hughes (whose clearly been indulging in my favourite pastime of guerilla manbagging) on his US blog featuring their own performances plus a variety of hipsters and generally atmospheric shots from Texas's SXSW festival. I'm not normally enamoured of American sartorial style, but lets face it, this guy's manbag seriously epitomises 21st century post-ironic coolness. I'm seeing 'the chaps' play again next month, and a Keane show is a religious experience equalled only by the likes of seminal indie fops Richard Ashcroft and Sir Stephen Patrick Morrissey. People sometimes take the piss out of Keane for being southern posh nonces (read...'middle class') who dare to write epic, emotional, piano-based tunes about their feelings. These people are twats. Click here to see a very funny example.  

GUERILLA MANBAGGING III

The West London massive flying the man-bag flag loud and proud, summer 2011...young or old, gay or straight, media wanker or chavtastic benefit scrounger...Top Man - you have a lot to answer for!! 

GUERILLA MANBAGGING II

I'm doing a second guerilla manbagging post because as you all know the manbag never sleeps!!! With such a selection of elegant manbags gracing the shoulders of London gents, well, it really is a crime not to share...

A great looking Far Eastern gentleman temporarily lost in the heart of Mayfair...is it all just a wonderful dream Mr Manbag?

More of a Rough Trade From Suburbia In The Big Smoke To Load Up The Credit Card type of gent, relaxing with a manly snout on the Edgeware Road 

Contravening the strict rules of guerilla manbagging (not strictly 'une manbag' if draped across the shoulder in the classical masculine fashion, as above) but the daring canary-yellow colour warranted this chap's inclusion

 

And finally, this brilliant double whammy spotted at the Tate Modern No Soul For Sale event last weekend...two exceedingly fashion-forward chaps sporting twin manbags...fierce!

GUERILLA MANBAGGING

One of my favourite pursuits to indulge in these days is a spot of guerilla manbagging. Essentially, guerilla manbagging involves the taking of surreptitious photos from behind of fashion-forward chaps sporting manbags. It steals the concept of photographing hip-looking people on the streets in their cool outfits from The Sartorialist but its as though the photos have been taken by an anxious, sweaty stalker suffering from social phobia.

I find the British man somewhat unapproachable at the best of times, never mind when you're trying to capture an ironic picture of his natty knapsack. That's why surreptitious is best. Occasionally you might get a guy clocking you suspiciously from the corner of his eye (the same expression dogs get when they take a shit and they know someones watching), in that case I just pretend I am sex-texting my nextdoor neighbour. These stylish men are hardly likely to blow their cool and challenge you to a manbags-at-dawn duel anyway.

Guerilla manbagging can brighten up a really boring walk to the tube or trip home from work and can be done wherever there are well-dressed post-modern chaps about. Just whip out your phone and get snapping. The best guerilla manbagging I ever managed was on New Year's Eve in Lisbon in 2006. It seemed the entire city was strolling back through Baxia from Rossio Square post fireworks, the streets awash with happy drunken Portuguese people celebrating the turn of the calendar. In front of me stood an unpretentious little local man all trussed up in his Sunday best, complete with an early edition manbag draped over his shoulder - a study in casual nonchalance. Total poetry in motion.