Phil's Substack
A journey through the streets of London
Driving through the streets of London in my cab continued to take me to places into the unknown. I was always spontaneous too try my hand at any new project that came my way. These London happenings went from the sublime to satirical excesses. In my last blog I focussed on the great clown Joseph Grimaldi and my association with Clowns International. So, I will continue to enlighten you on the colourful events that played out over the intervening years.
I continued to attend the annual memorial service in Dalston. Only now it had become a family event, where I was conveying my five grandchildren to this vibrant spectacle. I did not take into account that a few of my grandchildren were terrified of clowns. Somehow my wife and I managed to calm them down before entering the church.
After becoming a trustee of Clowns International, I was now attending the memorial service in Grimaldi Park, located on northside of Pentonville Road. On the 31st May clowns gathered around the graveside of Grimaldi to lay a wreath in his honour. This was date of the anniversary of Grimaldi’s passing. In the greenery of Grimaldi Park amongst the blackened headstones, I witnessed a symbolic event to recall one of London’s renowned characters.
The momentum with the clowns gathered pace, as my creative ideas came to fruition. I had made short films on London topics in the past, I was now committed to make a short film on the clowns. I had partnered with Harish Patel, a fine cameraman and producer in recent years. It was in the summer of 2010 when the cameras started to roll. The locations that we shot, included the clowns Church, Grimaldi Park and residences where Grimaldi had lived. An interview with Mattie the Clown who elaborated on the illustrious life of Grimaldi, gave the film a humorous element.
My obsession with Grimaldi the clowns lasted for ten years. Nonetheless, I realised it was now time to move on and indulge myself in another London peculiar. I informed the secretary of Clowns International that I would be terminating my tenure as a trustee. It was an amicable parting of the waves. Tony Eldridge the secretary of Clowns International thanked me for my commitment down the years,
On my disassociation with the clowns, I had wanted to go out with a long-lasting memory. My wife Angela and I dressed up as clowns in full slap and motley to attend the annual memorial service. It was a fitting tribute to Grimaldi. During the church service we sat in the front pews with the clowns, which was a surreal moment. As I looked around the church, It was was a time of contemplation to what had taken place throughout the last ten years.
At the end of the memorial service, I said a tearful goodbye to the clowns and departed. On leaving the church I felt a little emotional after reminiscing about our time together. As drove home in my cab to northwest London my thoughts turned inwards, as I recalled my magical moments with the clowns. The whole episode had given me a deeper understanding of these satirical characters. A few months after I had ceased being a trustee of Clown International, I was invited to BBC Radio London to be interviewed by the broadcaster Robert Elms. I gave a full account of my involvement with the clowns and Joseph Grimaldi.
One of Grimaldi’s famous quotes that has always resonated with me. “Life is a game we are bound to play, the wise enjoy it, some grow sick of it; Losers we find have their stakes to pay, the winners may laugh. For that’s the trick of it”…