Music history rendered on a London Tube Map

February 12, 2006 2:44 AM

Music history rendered on a London Tube Map They say: "Could we chart the branches and connections of 100 years of music using the London Underground map? Dorian Lynskey explains how a box of coloured crayons and lot of swearing helped." I say: Look also at the comments in the accompanying thread, which features trolling, snarkiness and repetition, beginning with "Why did you do this? What is the point? Wouldn't you have been better off doing something else? Sometimes you media people really worry me." The Guardian are introducing commenter registration on their new blog.
posted by feelinglistless (18 comments total)

i like it but it's really arbitrary--why use London's tube map for an international music thing, and why isn't coherent in some way? (chronologically or something)

of course, it is the most beautifully designed map of them all, i think.
posted by amberglow at 3:33 AM on February 12, 2006

It's a great map, I agree amberglow; suitable for framing.

heh.. I just posted on another forum this map (now they'll think I stole it from Metafilter) and another example of fun with the London UG map anagrammed.
posted by reflecked at 3:44 AM on February 12, 2006

hmmm.. the linky thing didn't work. anagrammed
posted by reflecked at 3:45 AM on February 12, 2006

why use London's tube map for an international music thing

The tube map is way too easy.... a challenge would have been the Paris Métro. An ugly, ugly map.
posted by three blind mice at 4:09 AM on February 12, 2006

An ugly, ugly map.

Even as a tiny thumbnail. Larger image of the Paris Métro here.
posted by three blind mice at 4:12 AM on February 12, 2006

Oh man, I love subway maps. Current, old, alternative-reality and fictional.

Thank you, I think I found my new wallpaper.
posted by piratebowling at 4:13 AM on February 12, 2006

i really like that anagrammed one--thanks, reflecked.
posted by amberglow at 4:14 AM on February 12, 2006

what's funny about the Paris Metro is that they actually have too many stops really close together (and London has too few once you get out of the center)
posted by amberglow at 4:15 AM on February 12, 2006

I like the fact that Highgate is Run-DMC.
posted by Lotto at 4:17 AM on February 12, 2006

I once got lost in the Paris Metro system. I walked and traveled for nearly half an hour to get to place then realised I'd been following the wrong line -- I'd gotten the two shades of pink mixed up.
posted by feelinglistless at 4:24 AM on February 12, 2006

what's funny about the Paris Metro is that they actually have too many stops really close together (and London has too few once you get out of the center)

Too few stops? You obviously don't travel on the Northern Line too often Amberglow. ;) The stations may be far apart, but the stops occur every hundred meters or so.
posted by three blind mice at 5:02 AM on February 12, 2006

Proabably the reason the London Underground map is used Amberglow is in homage, (one of many coming out now), to Simon Patterson's The Great Bear in which the names of the tube stations were replaced with those of artists, philosophers, etc.
posted by jettloe at 5:45 AM on February 12, 2006

This is great. I knew Beck would get to be King's Cross St Pancras before I looked.
posted by Protocols of the Elders of Awesome at 5:54 AM on February 12, 2006

The Great Bear is wonderful--i'd never heard of it or him--thanks, jettloe (all Patterson's stuff is)
posted by amberglow at 8:16 AM on February 12, 2006

The plethora of London tube maps, including the Grandaddy "Great Bear" map (which is hung in the Tate) are collected at Tube Map Variations. A pal saw my post and sent me the link.
posted by reflecked at 4:39 PM on February 12, 2006

The registration on the Guardian blogs is nothing to do with trolling, especially not on that blog - but to do with UK libel law. as this Sunday Herald piece explains.
posted by DangerIsMyMiddleName at 4:59 PM on February 12, 2006

This is cute, but I really think it could have been done better. Or maybe I'm just not cultured enough. But The Clash is at the end of a line?
posted by blacklite at 11:37 PM on February 12, 2006

The Guardian tube map thing was a pretty pointless exercise, having been done better before. Having said that, it did provide five minutes of "They've missed off"s and "What are they doing there"s which I suppose is the aim.

But what really, really annoys me is the ineptly implemented comment system they use. Posts reappear four or five times scattered loosely about the place. Reading a load of them at a time is like skimming As I Lay Dying while hammered.
posted by Hartster at 4:55 AM on February 13, 2006