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07/04/2006: "Masked"

Landed on the guest list for Friday's Rock night - a Masked Ball! I quickly found a couple masks on Carnaby Street: Beckham, Victoria, Blair, Bush, Bin Laden, and Saddam Hussein all neatly sitting on a shelf. I opted for Bin Laden and Saddam - Beckham and Victoria were out (very uncool), and I thought Blair or Bush would get me punched in the face.

The event was fabulous, but really blew me away was the adoration that Osama received. People litterally came to pay their respects, to have their picture taken, and we even had a couple of really rough looking guys give us their special handshakes and "knowing" hugs. Girls loved it, wanted to dance along...



I thought of Prince Harry who'd be lambasted for wearing a Nazi SS uniform at a party, and here I was, wearning the face of the symbol of vicious terrorism and bombs and 9/11 and London bombs (remember I was on the underground on that day). Was it because people hate Blair and Bush and the US so much, that the only symbol of successful resistance against them must be popular?

As Saddam and Osama walked out of that club, the guys at the cloakroom didn't bother asking for our initials, just handed our coats back, and even the taciturn security guys openly laughed and made way. A cool night - but not sure quite what it all meant morally and all that.