Month: January 2017

I’ve always been a confident
person and somewhat of an optimist, but I had no way of anticipating how

challenging and life-changing moving to another country at age 28 would be.

On paper, 2011 was a banner year
for me – I had an incredibly fun job producing a summer music festival in
Calgary, which facilitated the paying off of all my university debts,

I had lots of friends, and I
was in love. But inside me there was a restlessness that had been stewing for
years. I was eager to be challenged, ready to evolve and the best way I knew
how was to leave my comfort zone. Despite all the fun and funds and friends and love I had in 2011, I wasn’t satisfied. I couldn’t sit still. I had to take the plunge
and go far outside my comfort zone, leave my home of 28 years, leave the only country I’ve ever lived in: Canada. I put my
belongings in storage in Vancouver, said many rounds of goodbyes, and flew to
London on January 11, 2012. The next morning I landed at Heathrow with a couple
suitcases, a small acoustic guitar, and no idea what the heck I was getting
myself into.

Initially, my goals for the UK
were twofold: to work for the London 2012 Olympics and to stay for the full two
years that my visa afforded. After months of applications, interviews and
rejections, I achieved the first goal. The subsequent five months, May to
September, were bittersweet; the details are troubling to think about and not worth repeating now, but suffice to say working on the 2012 Games was the toughest experience of
my career. By the end of the contract I was shattered emotionally, physically,
mentally and spiritually; my confidence had dwindled to a lower depth than ever
before. I wasn’t sure I would last a whole year in London, let alone two.

As with all aspects of life,
things improved over time. And not all of 2012 was terrible – I reconnected
with acquaintances from my past and made some new, generous friends. I experienced lots of amazing theatre, art and music, and even co-founded a little theatre company. Gradually I
started to feel okay about being in London and to accept everything that
entails: being chronically underpaid, tolerating the English style of communication,
having relatively few friends, and navigating a city that’s world famous for its
size and cost. Hell, most people can’t handle being tourists in London and I am living here!

If someone had told me
how hard those first two years were going to be, I wouldn’t have believed them,
anyway. It’s easy to look back with rose-tinted glasses, so I am writing this primarily to
remind myself, more than anyone else, how hard it was and how far I’ve come.
I’m still in London, five years on, with many challenges faced and successes to
mark: I have produced some amazing events, I am in love with a wonderful woman, I have a
network of supportive friends and peers. I consider myself a Londoner.

I feel good about my decision to
leave Canada five years ago, and I hold a firm conviction that London is
exactly where I should be; not forever but it’s amazing  for now. I know I’m prone
to self-aggrandizing, bold statements but lasting five years in London is the single
greatest achievement of my 33 years.

I’ve decided to commemorate this
day with a Spotify playlist of 8 songs which represent different facets or memories of
the last five years, with some anecdotes below.

Much love from London.
Josh

[To listen, click here or scroll down.]

“Escape Artist” – The Zolas

My obsession with this song’s
lyrics started in 2012 and persists to this day. It boggles my mind how such a dense
and enigmatic narrative can be squeezed into 2:42. The verses contain so many evocative
images and clever metaphors about the pitfalls of stasis; realising your
potential too late and being unable achieve it. That’s my greatest fear and exactly why I ‘escaped’ from Canada.

“Highway 1 West” – John K. Samson

The person I was in love with
before moving to London sent me a care package about six months in and John K.
Samson’s record, Provincial, was
included. I was going through such an immensely difficult time then and the
line “too far to walk to anywhere from here” hit me hard in the chest every
time. The immeasurable distance between the life I had in Canada, which was
great in so many ways, and the unknown life that I was starting in the UK.

“Shake It Out” – Florence and the Machine

When things were at their darkest,
and I can still remember those feelings vividly, Florence’s music made me feel
better. This song is one of her many cathartic celebrations of life and I’ve
been fortunate to experience her in concert twice in London. I cherish this
song every time I hear it for the comfort it gave me then.

Personal significance aside, it’s
impossible not to feel good and pump your fist to this jam!

“The Daily Mail” – Radiohead

I love making lists, especially about
music, but I only recently realised that most of my all-time favourite artists
are British – and Radiohead have been at the top of that list for more than
half my life. This song, a B-side from The
King of Limbs no less, is the best thing they’ve released since 2007. I
love the biting, satirical lyrics in the verses – more pertinent now than ever
– and the musical bombast that kicks in at 2:21 is distinctly, brilliantly
Radiohead.

“Survival” – Muse

One day in June 2012, thousands of
staff from the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games were assembled
in the Copper Box arena at London’s Olympic Park. We were shown a preview of a BBC ad to promote the Games
and this song was the soundtrack; it was the first time that the importance and
immensity of what I was doing really hit me. It’s such an epic, positive song
and exactly what I needed to hear at that time.

Side note: two years later, I
went on a date with an amazing woman who said that Muse was her favourite band.
I love the band (and her) even more now.

“Anything We Want” – Fiona Apple

After my emotional, physical, mental
and spiritual destruction in 2012, I was unfit and uninterested in romantic relationships
for a while. This song represents my optimism towards life and romance, which
took a long time to be rekindled after such a devastating year. As with
Florence, Fiona’s songs are a consistent source of positive affirmation when I
need it.

“Hunger of the Pine” – alt-J

My first camping festival in the
UK was Latitude in 2015 and it was one of many wonderful travel adventures with
my special lady. We were most excited about seeing alt-J and this was the first
song they played. It was that night that I realised I was in love with her, so
this song (particularly the live version) takes me back to that night.

“Five Years” – David Bowie

London’s most iconic artist. I
must confess, I was very late to appreciating his music (other than the radio
singles, of course) and I’ve still only scratched the surface of his catalogue.
This song was the first one I discovered after moving here and, like all the
best songs do, it offers a glimpse into characters and stories that are complex
and intriguing and demand a closer look. That’s what London is like for me.