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Used to go to soho in the early/mid 90's,it still had the sleaze factor and of course hardcore porn was still illegal so you had to enter the dirty .seedy little shops to get a film. But it was EXCITING back then,now it feels like a trip to tesco's.

It may have been exciting but people were also ripped off all the time. They still are in the small number of unlicenced places in Soho. I was ripped off there too, you would purchase a copy of a video that was a blank tape with a film recorded onto it, and get home and realise it was the wrong movie. You would take it back and the lowlife in the shop would pretend to be astonished and surprised this had happened.

I always wondered, and still do, how these people could live with themselves lying and cheating people like they did. 'Low scum' is the only way I could describe them. When the East End gang boss was looking for people to run his shops I imagine the main requirement would have been 'only dishonest, lowlife, cheating, zero-moralled people will be considered'. I also always wondered, and still do, how the authorities allow all this to go on - any other shop blatently selling illegal goods, and/or conning customers, would be shut down within the hour. These places stayed open for years and years, some for decades.

Taken a while back on a wet night in Soho: Click pics for full size.

[IMG]http://img193.imagevenue.com/loc593/th_541510586_D_2588_123_593lo.JPG[/IMG] [IMG]http://img205.imagevenue.com/loc76/th_541515388_D_2603_123_76lo.JPG[/IMG] [IMG]http://img224.imagevenue.com/loc848/th_541525593_D_2664_123_848lo.JPG[/IMG] [IMG]http://img25.imagevenue.com/loc337/th_541529173_Dx_2429_123_337lo.JPG[/IMG] [IMG]http://img193.imagevenue.com/loc229/th_354153321_Dx_2430_123_229lo.JPG[/IMG] [IMG]http://img283.imagevenue.com/loc187/th_541537235_Dx_2448_123_187lo.JPG[/IMG] [IMG]http://img294.imagevenue.com/loc254/th_541540963_Dx_2505_123_254lo.JPG[/IMG] [IMG]http://img162.imagevenue.com/loc548/th_541544641_Dx_2513_123_548lo.JPG[/IMG] [IMG]http://img103.imagevenue.com/loc903/th_541548317_Dx_2522_123_903lo.JPG[/IMG] [IMG]http://img296.imagevenue.com/loc590/th_541551314_Dx_2533_123_590lo.JPG[/IMG] [IMG]http://img204.imagevenue.com/loc122/th_541559467_Dx_2612_123_122lo.JPG[/IMG] [IMG]http://img244.imagevenue.com/loc162/th_354156432_Dx_2619_123_162lo.JPG[/IMG] [IMG]http://img218.imagevenue.com/loc634/th_541568189_Dx_2661_123_634lo.JPG[/IMG]

It's pretty much obvious that they want to develope the area, the demolition boys will be in soon !sad!

I remember Soho much earlier than in the 90's

In the early/mid 1970's If I got a long leave I always flew into Heathrow and spent a couple of days in London before before I headed home to see the folks.

Yes, there were loads of working girls around many of them working without a full time flat or maid, there were pimps around the place and plenty of guys selling drugs but it never seemed too heavy, you were never worried about being mugged as there were always cops around, the cops may have been on the take but not from the muggers.

The porn shops then were much smaller than now, they were never too brash but always displayed enough in the window to attract you. They may have all been owned by the same people who without doubt were very rich and hardened criminals who were able to bribe the police into letting them stay open. Most of these shops has a small back room that you entered thro' a sort of fly curtain, the books, mags and rolls of film they sold there quite openly were of the worst kind, you would now get you a min of 5 years if you were found in possesion of these items plus you would have been put on the child sex register for life. None of us would like to see that back again but I do miss the old place although pure nostalgia on my part.

Does anyone remember Adam Faith in 'Budgie' or Daniel Craig in 'Our Friends from the North', that was how I remember Soho.

I shot this in Piccadilly Circus just a few minutes before i walked into soho..