SPEND A DAY WITH...

Are you a sinner? Or are you a winner? Find out with Phil

2007-05-11T07:18:00.000-07:00

If you've ever strolled down Oxford Street you'll probably know Phil. For years his sharp Scouse accent took aim at the patrons of TopShop and H&M. To him, they were sinners; he was a winner. He'd embraced Christianity and forgotten vanity. His mission was to turn the heathen shoppers into a troupe of well-drilled worshippers.

Before receiving enlightenment Phil was a wealthy stockbroker. Turning his back on the profession that made him a handsome living, Phil traded in his family and his job for a small hotel room and a Bible.

We used to see him on the streets, all day, every day. As a public we have an uncomfortable relationship with strong believers in any religion. Forcing it on us is seen as very un-British. But there's a person beyond the preacher; he captured what he does away from the mic for us in the latest Spend a Day With.

THE STANDY STILL PEOPLE

2007-02-20T06:49:00.000-08:00

To some people they’re artists; to others they’re just deeply annoying. But there’s more to costumed street statues than being decked in odd clothes, sweating silver make up and asking children for money.

Paula and Andres are statues in the bohemian Buenos Aires district of San Telmo. Every Sunday thousands of people pound the cobbled streets of Calle Defensa, where they’re confronted by an army of standing still statues.

Both are in the photos; the words are mainly Paula’s.

2007-02-20T06:47:00.000-08:00

"When I was in Barcelona there were loads of statues. I didn’t give them a penny"

Who are your characters?

We’re European immigrants that arrived in Buenos Aires in the thirties. We wanted to do something that was specific to San Telmo and to Argentina. I’m from the Spanish people and Andres is the son of Italians.

Other than standing still, what do you do in your act?

When we’re given money we say a little bit in Italian:
“Hello. We’re fresh off the boat.” Sometimes we improvise.

Do you do the act elsewhere?

We only do the Sunday act here in San Telmo, but sometimes we’re hired to do weddings and restaurant openings. We don’t advertise; people just come up and ask for our phone numbers during our act. We don’t get that many gigs – but just enough.

Is this your first act?

Yes – we’d never done any kind of street performing before what we do now.

Where do you get the costumes?

We make our own. My suitcase and Andres’ hat are my granny’s from Spain.

Why do you do it?

We do it because it gives us enough time to do other stuff. We wanted a job where we still had enough time to do our theatre work.

What do you do when you’re not standing still?

I’m still studying theatre direction – which Andres graduated from last year. We also give acting classes during the week to earn some money, but we come to San Telmo because it’s awash with cash.

2007-02-20T06:43:00.000-08:00

Is there a rivalry between the different street performers?

There’s no rivalry between the statues – we’re all buddies. We’re particularly good friends with the windy people, and we’re also friends with Chaplin. The windy people are musicians and are also in a reggae band.

We all met doing this work, and became friends through the art of statuing. Outside work we all go to eat at each other’s houses.

What do you think of the other acts?

The tropical pigeon man gets his birds to pick out cards and give them to you. They’re meant to tell your fortune. The pigeon thing is old school.

If you had $10 to give to the street performers on a Sunday, how would you divide it?

Our favourite act is the windy people. There’s also a Chilean puppeteer with drunk puppets who we like.

Can anybody just turn up on a Sunday and start performing on Defensa?
We have the legal backing backing of the council, so we’re legitimate. We have a license now. We used to be able to simply arrive and just set up, but then we had problems with the police. Depending on who was on the beat we used to get various problems – but now with the license system it’s more secure.

So you don’t get hassled any more?

Yes and no – this is Argentina. There’s a police station round the corner, and another down the road. Depending on who’s working they may give you trouble – or not.
For example, one weekend the police changed and they didn’t let the windies work.

What do the locals think of you?

The local restaurant owners and businessmen like us, so we’re allowed to stay. Not because everyone gets money – it’s because it’s pretty. We’re not in competition with the businesses.

2007-02-20T06:33:00.000-08:00

Which act is the most lucrative?

The tango dancers or the musicians generally get the most money. And within the statues the windies have got their game trump tight. Defensa is Defensa in terms of a perfect spot. Anywhere on it is perfect.

What’s the most you’ve earned on a Sunday?

Our record was $280 [Argentine Pesos] and US$12, because there was a cruise boat in town. We normally get about $150 [AP] on a Sunday, but it’s not unheard of to make upwards of $200. We don’t work for that long – other people work for longer which is why they make more.

How long did it take for the novelty to wear off?

We’re sick of it.

How has the act changed?

We were originally three; that’s the only way in which our act has changed. But the third was Chilean and she went off to get married.

What preparations do you have to do and how long do they take?

We used to improvise a bit more, but now we’re so sick of it we keep it to the bare minimum. We used to move a lot more when people gave us money. Now we’re still for longer.

Do you have to do your make up at home and travel in costume?

It takes half an hour to get ready. We get changed in the street.

Does your costume ever scare any kids?

Some really tiny kids get scared.

What tactics do you use to get money out of people?

Every now and then we’ll throw in a “WHOA!”

Do you practice at home?

We used to practice standing still at home. We’d watch each other and give each other tips.

How has the act evolved to where it is now?

We modify the act according to the audience. We realised how long we should stand still for and when we should do the sudden movements.

Do people ever realise who you are when you’re out of character?

We never get recognised.

Why are people are so interested in it?

People like it because they’re on holiday, they’re relaxing. It’s different and fun. That’s what San Telmo is all about.

But I personally don’t like it – when I was in Barcelona, on Las Ramblas there were loads of statues. I didn’t give them a penny.

2007-02-20T06:23:00.000-08:00

What other projects do you work on?

We’re putting on a play at the moment – Little Hotel Chernobyl. It’s about four characters, and it’s very Argentine in essence. All the problems of the country are played out through the characters. It’s an allegory – about failure.

How has you’re theatre work been received?

All our stuff has been well received but looking back there’s things we’d change about our early work because we’d not done much then. We’ve won loads of prizes – like best feature, best direction, audience award and festivals. We’ve been all around, we’ve done festivals in Argentina and Brazil. Our first stuff was well received but, in retrospect, we consider it to be terrible.

Where do you want to go with your theatre?

We’re at a place now that we’re really happy with what we’re doing professionally, doing independent theatre. We don’t want to be on at the big venues – we’re not interested in commercial theatre. We’re very happy.

What do the other statues do the rest of the week?

Chaplin is a mime. He gives classes in that. He’s very good. The place where he works is run by one of the country’s foremost mimes, Angel Lisondro.

What do like the most about what you do?

We’re our own bosses. Obviously we work with people, but we organise everything.

2007-02-20T06:17:00.000-08:00

What piece of your work are you most fond of?

Llanto de perro is the play that we’re most proud of. When we did it there was a great group vibe – everyone was lovely, all the actors were great and the theatre treated us well. Andres writes everything.

How successful do you think you’d have to be to give up your Sunday work?

We’re planning on quitting the statue business quite son. There’s a possibility that in December we’ll go to Bahia Blanco – where I’m from – to direct something through the summer. When we get back there’s a chance we’ll give up the statues. We’ll do a lot of teaching.

What aspirations did you have when you where younger?

[Andres] I wanted to be a singer.
[Paula] I can’t remember.

Do you ever wish you had a normal, nine to five job?

When we see people going to their nine to fives we’re glad we don’t have to. But in life everyone makes their own choices. Its difficult to do it in a country like Argentina and we’re so happy we have the chance to.

Translation by Mr Will Massa. Many thanks.

2007-02-20T06:05:00.000-08:00

THE CRANE MAN

2007-01-04T12:31:00.000-08:00

We spent months trying to convince strangers to take photos of their days; one finally relented. John is an East London crane driver who was working on Old Street last summer. He spent a day recording how he fills his days, and then handed over the undeveloped camera to us. We now own his day - and we're sharing it with you. And if the pictures aren't enough then there are some words downstairs. Enjoy.

And if you do, then coming up soon are London's notorious Sinner/Winner street preacher and some performers from Buenos Aires. Thanks for taking the time to check us out..

2007-01-04T12:24:00.000-08:00

“ He thought he was a bird and could fly. And he’d just qualified to be an air traffic controller ”

Does it get lonely in the cab?

Not really. It’s quite appealing as it goes. It’s good up there. You’re your own boss – you’ve got your music, and if you want to read you can. It gets you away from everyone down below for a while.

What keeps you company?

The radio is my partner in crime for the day.

Do you always win the best prizes on the arm which picks up the toys at fairs?

No, not at all. There’s no truth in that.

What qualities make you a good crane man?

I think I’ve got the patience for the job. I just go with the flow – I don’t lose my head and I’m very laid back.

What’s the most number of steps you’ve had to climb up to get into your cab?

Well the highest I’ve been would’ve been 450ft. I don’t really count the ladders.

And you’re not scared of heights?

Not at all. But, saying that, sometimes I might go to the funfair and people think I want to be tossed and turned all round the place. But my job doesn’t mean that I want to do that. I will though.

Has anyone ever fallen off the steps?

There’s people who’ve been hurt, and injured. You’ve got handrails beside you and there are guards at the top of your tower. But if you did slip you’d have a bit of a fall.

2007-01-04T12:21:00.000-08:00

Do you bring an empty bottle with you for when you’ve drunk too much cordial before a shift?

If you really need to go there’s always going to be a bottle up there. And you bring it down at the end of the day.

Is it possible to operate a crane with a hangover?

Yes. Very much so. Yes.

How long have you been a cranelogist?

I’ve been driving cranes for twenty years. And I got into it by accident. It’s just stayed with me now really. I started on the ground with the fella with the radio who tells the crane where he wants it to go. Then he asked me if I wanted to go and drive them. I was only young at the time. And that was it. It went from there.

Is it a good chat-up line?

It is, but you can use it another way round by saying that you’re a heavy lifting specialist.

Are the views the best part of the job?

Yes, they are.

What’s the most unusual thing you’ve lifted?

There’ve been numerous things. I lifted a settee once for someone who lived opposite. They couldn’t get their settee up so I dropped it onto the roof for them. They couldn’t get it through the doors or the windows but there was a way in through the top. They asked about it and I said I’d throw it up there, if they bought me a drink for doing it.

How much higher can you go in the crane world?

As high as it takes me.

2007-01-04T12:19:00.000-08:00

What are the dangers of craning and do your family ever worry about you?

There have been accidents where people have been killed. They were putting one of the cranes up at a new shopping centre in Bayswater and they were doing the test load with it – there were two of the drivers and one of the fitters – and the load wouldn’t stop going out. Bosh. Two of them killed.

And we had a job opposite Regent’s Park mosque. We went into work one morning and there was a fella up on the crane, on the end of the jib. We got there and the police and the fire brigade were there.

Then as this fella from the mosque came out and said something to him on the loud speaker – Islam abhors suicide – he made a perfect dive off. He didn’t land in the water, but even if he had done there was only about 7 or 8ft. He landed on his legs. There was no blood. He’d left some prayer books on the crane and he’d written that he thought he was a bird and could fly. And that fella had just qualified to be an air traffic controller at Heathrow.

Who, if you saw them walking down the street would you like to pick up and drop?

Sven Goran Eriksson. That’d do me.

On the day you took your photos, when did you get up?

I got up as normal, about 6am.

What was the first thing you saw?

My girlfriend, Diane, next to me.

What did you have for breakfast?

Normally I’ll have cereal but also, later on, I’ll have another breakfast. A couple of times I’ll have fried food and a couple of times sandwiches.

Did you consider a GI index value or calorie intake when chose your food?

No. I just eat.

2007-01-04T12:15:00.000-08:00

How far do you commute [to Old Street, E1]?

Not far. I’m only St John’s Wood.

Who’s the first person you saw at work?

Roger. He’s the banksmen, he’s my second in command on the ground in control of the radio. I don’t always work with him but on this job he’s my banksman. He’ll tell me where he wants me to go and I’ll get in that position.

Is there lingo?

Not really. You’ve got some signals, but language wise it’s pretty straightforward, like ‘down you come’ and ‘up you go’.

Do you have to do any preparations before you go in the cab?

Just give it a quick check over.

What were you picking up?

Steel.

What do you see from the cab?

I’m not that high really, but I can still see quite a lot.

Do you see people getting changed?

There was a girl last week who had a little fling with her bloke on the roof over there. She knew I was watching and she carried on anyway. She kept looking up and waving over.

Did you have a packed lunch?

I had some sandwiches.

How were you feeling in the cab that day?

A bit silly with the camera, taking all the photographs. When I was trying to take one of myself I was like that [pulls confused face].

2007-01-04T12:13:00.000-08:00

How many portions of fruit and veg do you eat in a day?

I eat a couple of apples and bananas when I’m up there. And I eat veg every night, so I have all my portions without a doubt.

How do you normally relax after?

I’ll go out and have a drink.

Did it differ from any other days?

Yeah – when I was telling people about what I was doing with the camera.

Do you ever look down on London, put on a Geordie accent and say ‘Day one in the Big Brother household’?

No.

How many people can you fit in the crane?

Depending on what cab you could easily get four of you in there. Plenty of room.

Have you joined the Mile High club?

[Regretfully] I tried do – didn’t happen yet. Nearly. It was nearly.

2007-01-04T11:52:00.000-08:00