Algren, Allen, Baudelaire

"Yet once you've come to be part of this particular patch, you'll never love another. Like loving a woman with a broken nose, you may well find lovlier lovlies. But never a lovely so real."

- Nelson Algren, Chicago: City on the Make (pg. 23)


"Then a kid came along to offer a hand
But before she had time to accept it
Hits her over the head, doesn't care if she's dead
Cause he's got all her jewelery and wallet

You might laugh you might frown
Walkin' round London town

Sun is in the sky oh why oh why?
Would I wanna be anywhere else"

- Lily Allen, 'LDN'

Why yes, I did just put a Nelson Algren quote and Lily Allen lyrics side by side. Something about them makes sense though. Both of their civic pride stems from things people generally hate about cities. There's a grittiness to the city that each tries to capture. Ok, so Allen has been accused of inauthenticity about the people she's describing since her dad is rich and famous (which Algren was neither the former and still isn't the latter). Perhaps its both's understanding of irony that makes me equate one with the other. Going even further back, Baudelaire, about Paris, as quoted in the intro to Algren:

"I love thee, infamous city! Harlots and
Hunted have pleasures of their own to give,
The vulgar herd can never understand. "           (from 'Epilogue')

This attraction is odd. Because I feel it too. Maybe it's because I grew up in the suburbs, but I like living in a city that has a rough reputation. Of course, it doesn't even have to be as ugly as all that. Looking at the 10 day forecast, the temperature doesn't ever reach above freezing, and it's been like that consistently for months. Why the actual fuck do so many of us live here? "The Cubs suck." "The trains suck." "The politicians are corrupt." The city is demonstrably and demon-ously segregated. There's little support for artists. That's why even Algren moved away!

So obviously there's great things about the city. The food is great. The music is great. The parks are great. The coffee is great. Malort is great. The skyline and architecture are phenomenal. I walked into the Silver Cloud alone last night and left feeling better. I met drunks that argued about music and started conversation before introducing themselves.

Everyone that lives in this city has a broken nose. If they don't, they move to New York (but something else is probably broken inside of them). I take my broken nose and I stare right at you and make you look at it, and the city does the same. LOOK AT ME the Sears Tower demands. LOOK AT ME the El train roars. LOOK AT ME the South Side pleads. LOOK AT ME the city sings in unison.

Why oh why would I want to live anywhere else?