Chester
Culture were lucky enough to interview the infamous @shitchester.
A
part of Chester's current cultural scene-- most people in the city
are talking about this Twitter Account- or wearing the T-shirt !
Just
in case you have not heard of them.... @shitchester is a Twitter and
Facebook account that takes a close look at everything "Chester".
In
the gritty style of legend Clint Eastwood the "Uomo senza nome"
*
takes
a look at the good, the bad and the ugly.
It
is a raw and honest look at the city we live in.
Humour
is an integral part-- and they have hooked 6,000 followers to date.
Wow!
Needless
to say-- we were very curious to get to know a little bit more about
this person/account/phenomenon.
Here
goes:
First
of all, Many Thanks for taking the time to talk with us at
Chester Culture.
We
are amazed at what you have achieved in such a short space of time.
Your
site has promoted awareness and a boost to the cultural scene in
Chester.
What
was the basic idea in the beginning and how did it develop?
I
was a big fan of the account @shitLondon on twitter. They also
have a facebook page and I enjoyed contributing from my London
visits, seeking out the bizarre from misspelt signs to abandoned
items in the street to bizarre graffiti. One day last March I was
walking down Frodsham street and saw the infamous “we need more
shit” message. I thought it was pretty bizarre and clever at the
same time, the fact that whoever did it chose to deface the side of a
bank suggested a deeper anti- consumerist message to me. I began
noticing more random sights and developing an eye for looking the
often unseen details of urban life. My close friend Jennie set up the
account on twitter as a joke and we slowly began to gain followers.
At the start it was really a private joke between us, it was
absolutely never expected to get this far.
The
name “shitchester” was never intended to be negative , it was a
random creation, and it just seemed to work. Soon
I was finding new stuff every day and people were sending us
contributions, it captured my imagination and I found I was making
new connections and friends in the virtual world. It also helped me
to showcase my love for photography.
Over
time it developed organically from quirky pictures to encompass all
aspects of life in our great city. I found myself being the
facilitator of political debates, memories of the past and future
hopes, and the key part learning more about the all good stuff that
goes on.
I
went on a civil war tour, attended a life drawing class at the Music
Theatre, started going to see productions by Tip Top, made the effort
to see local bands, befriending The Suns and Me and Deboe. I went to
comedy nights at The Commercial,
attended Chester Micro Plays, went to see Chester Phoenix at the
arena etc. Most of this I had no idea about before.
There
is a huge amount of positive material on the account now. I view it
as a community, and if it makes one person smile then its all worth
it. The growth of the account stunned me, I recall being very excited
at getting 100 followers.
To
have 6000 still amazes me and feels like a dream but I'm proud of all
the work I've put into the account.
To
be mentioned on the radio and in the paper is both surreal and
flattering. Of course if Jennie hadn't had the flash of random genius
to set the ball rolling I would never be in this place so a massive
thanks to her. Its just me running things now and it's
hard work keeping things fresh and finding new material but there's
always a surprise out there, e.g the plastic teapot inexplicably
chained to the bike racks outside Wetherspoons..
or the UFO sculpture outside the university's Kingsway buildings.
I
keep it varied with vintage material, old pics I find and my lego
creations centring around Chester people and scenes.
I
add film and movie references, popular culture etc with a Chester
twist, I try and have some fun with it.
@shitchester
prefers to remain anonymous and we respect that - can you tell us a
little bit about yourself? Are you Chester born?
Yes,
I was born in Chester and have lived here all of my life. I work in
the city, the account
is
not about me so I don't feel there's
anything to gain by going public about my identity. I'm a shy person,
I'm not sure what people expect of me so I don't meet up in the “real
world” with many. Yet I have made some brilliant friends and found
people I have things in common with through the account. It has
caused a bit of an identity crisis for me at times. I'm not sure
where the real me begins and ends and the “shitchester” persona
takes over.
The
focus should be on the city and not me, if I was known I would never
live up to people's expectations.
Do
you feel that the well publicised disagreement between @Shitchester
and the leader of the council has damaged your or his image?
I
think Mike did me a great favour, it really boosted my profile in the
city. I was already known by many people in the media, but it got us
so many new followers after we were featured in all the local papers
and the row was discussed on Dee 106.3
It
surely backfired on him and created a lot of negative publicity,
making him look ignorant and I still maintain, a bully. Mike wants to
silence anyone that doesn't
agree with him or anyone that isn't
talking on message. The fact is that there are many people
dissatisfied with his leadership and the way the council executive
are running things. My account gives people a voice and brings people
together from all political angles. I am not aware of any such forum
on twitter or other social media.
I
am still hurt by the leaders comment that I should be “ashamed of
myself” and that I am driving investment away. I would say 90% of
people can see the ironic intent of the account, I assume Mike is a
fairly intelligent man, as he has attained a high political office
yet his comments to me were bizarre and offensive. In particular his
order to me that I change the name of the account.
Last
time I checked we had free speech in this country! It made him look
like a dictatorial bully. Noticeably Mike no longer replies when I
try engagement with him on twitter, perhaps he knows because he's not
very popular and he's going to look out of touch and stupid again.
But I don't bear a grudge, not every one “gets” the account and I
wouldn't expect everyone to. Its just a shame that I get labelled as
negative and blamed for Chester's economic problems.
Where
is it going? Do you have hopes/plans for the future of the site?
A
tricky one, Its a challenge when I already have a
full time job. I got some business cards and
flyers produced which seemed to make an impact and we have sold a few
T shirts to cover various costs. I don't make any profit from this,
but there's a lot of good will from businesses etc and the followers
are very kind. The staff at Yo Sushi very kindly invited myself and
some close friends to a Sushi school just before Christmas, I'd like
to be involved in more things like this, but the anonymous persona
makes it a bit harder.
With
@Shitchester having so many followers are you thinking of any
commercialisation of the site for promotions etc?
I'm
open to ideas about promotions and offers if the business community
want to be involved, but its not something I am actively pursuing. I
have recently met up with the organisers of Chester Fringe and am
hopeful of contributing to events later in the year
in some way. My dream for the future is to have a book published of
my photographs which show the random and creative side of Chester
life. Apart from that I aim to continue with the same approach.
What
do you think would improve the culture in Chester most, Cinema,
Theatre or street entertainment/parades??
I
think we need a cinema back and the theatre to bring people in at
night. The Northgate development sounds fantastic in principle. Like
most Cestrians I'm frustrated that its taken so long and the
market/forum has been allowed to fall into decay. That has to be the
main focus. There are many fantastic independent groups working
within the city, the musical and artistic community
feels thriving to me, we have great venues in Telfords,
Alexanders and now The Live Rooms etc. There has been some great
parades over Christmas, the Roman Saturnalia was my favourite, at its
best Chester has a unique, historic and special atmosphere.
What,
if any, is your view on the current planning decisions allowing
modern buildings within the city?
--
I'm no expert on planning. In the past there has been lots of damage
done. Chester has many wonderful buildings, the rows are great and
should be cherished. There was the student village controversy and
Mike Jones's determination to destroy the green
belt. We should do more to develop existing unused buildings as there
is more than enough.. but its not really my area of expertise.
@Shitchester
has been criticised for "Driving investment away from the City"
what is your position on this? What can Chester do to encourage more
visitors, shoppers etc?
There
is no evidence to support this. I have had tweets from people saying
thanks to me they have discovered a new shop or business, or found an
independent coffee shop to go to. I work with many traders in the
city, I've had great help with my T shirts from Tri-active, Football
boutique and Becnick's Emporium
I have discovered so many great places through
this account. Chester feels like a city with a lot wasted potential,
look at the amphitheatre.. We need a cultural centre as soon as
possible. We should keep doing the parades etc, there is always
something going on in Chester but it needs more promotion and raising
awareness. How many people know the town hall is open for visitors
for example?
--
It has been said by some that @shitchester takes a negative look at
the city - your thoughts:
Its
not a negative account, if it was we would not have gained so many
followers. No one wants to read endless tweets saying
how bad things are. The account allows people to keep up to date with
what is going on in Chester, the good and the
bad, exchange views and opinions and network.
It
is a magical city and I think the account showcases this, whether it
is the sunset behind the Eastgate,
an early morning shot over the canal, or some street art in an
alleyway. We helped with the campaign to find the graffiti tagger
“Daka/Jaka” I'm quite proud of that.
We
are followed by many Ex Cestrians who use to account to keep up to
date with what's
going on here, there is one guy in Canada for example, and there
are also
a lot of ex students.
The
account does a lot to raise the profile of Chester in a fun way, its
not po faced and if something is rubbish I will say it. The account
gains around 100 followers every week so its great for businesses, I
can normally retweet things people want to share, offers, new shops
opening etc, bands that are playing.
If
I share something negative I will try and do it in a light hearted
way, the world can be a melancholy place, things can be a bit of a
mess, its a crazy world, but we're all in it together. The driving
force behind the account is positive and hopeful. Perhaps if we
started again I wouldn't call it “shitchester” but if it was
called something else we would never have come this far, the name has
given us a certain level of notoriety , but once people start to
follow they can see that things are not all bad.
Thank
You @shitchester. We appreciate you taking the times to share your
history, views and opinions with all of us. All the best of luck -
keep it going!!! Chester support you and will keep watching for your
Tweets and posts. #originalauthenticamazing
This interview was conducted via social media. The man remains anonymous.
*
Man
with no name
