'King of Soho' Dies Aged 82

Paul Raymond was dubbed the 'King of Soho'. We're used to Soho being the seedier part of London. We go there because it's sleazy. It seems that we're obsessed with sex and sleaze. Glitterditch writes about strip teases and Burlesque, Time Out have just gone crazy about sex and books. Not forgetting the 'Soho writer' who's got his own column in the ever dubious LondonPaper. We're just not ready to let the Soho sleaze go.

It's possible that this wouldn't exist without Paul Raymond. That's not to say there wouldn't still be brothels and erm 'models'. But Raymond brought the mainstream striptease to Soho. The first ever in London way back in 1958. Raymond's Revue Bar is now Soho Revue Bar. Things really haven't changed that much, save for a different name, a drag queen and a Prince or two.

Whether we think strip clubs are acceptable or not, we enjoy the mix that Soho gives us. It's edgy. It's cool because it gives Londoners the feeling that they're getting up to no good. Even if they're just going out for a cocktail.

Of course, Raymond gave people the option to get up to no good, if they wanted to. This is the Soho we know. This is the Soho people adore. Whether it would have taken this turn eventually anyway is something we can all wonder, but ultimately, modern Soho was down to one man.

Flickr image from Conboy's photostream.