Tom Sturridge and Rob Pattinson in New York City
When friends grow up together, they form a special bond – one that lasts a lifetime. No matter if they become rich or poor, they are forever friends. New friends may come and go, but seldom does any new friend ever come close to achieving the closeness of childhood friends. That’s because they’re soul-friends. Forever friends.
Such soul-friends are Rob Pattinson and his Brit-Pack – Sam Bradley, Bobby Long, Marcus Foster, and Tom Sturridge. These British lads no longer live together in crowded, dumpy flats over pizzerias in London. They no longer stay up all night playing their guitars, writing songs, watching movies, and eating pizza on the rooftop of their flat. Instead, they’ve all entered the next phase of their lives and careers. They are musicians, singer/songwriters, actors. Vagabonds. Bohemians. Romantics. Citizens of the world. Hotels or touring buses/vans to call home.
A vagabond is characterized by almost continuous travelling, lacking a fixed home, temporary abode, or permanent residence. It appears to be necessary if an actor or musician wants to advance in his/her career and that’s what Rob, Sam, Bobby and Marcus are doing.
Historically, "vagabond" was a British legal term similar to vagrant, deriving from the Latin for purposeless wandering. Following the Peasants' Revolt, British constables were authorized under a 1383 statute to collar vagabonds and force them to show their means of support; if they could not, they were jailed. Under a 1495 statute, vagabonds could be sentenced to the stocks for three days and nights; in 1530, whipping was added.
By the 19th century the vagabond was associated more closely with Bohemianism, which has been defined as people "with a vagrant strain in the blood, a natural inquisitiveness about the world beyond their doors." Examples included Henry David Thoreau, Michael John Arthur Bujold, Walt Whitman, Leo Tolstoy, William Hazlitt, and Thomas de Quincey. These men were all Bohemians with highly romantic souls who graced our pages and history books throughout history.
The 21st century gives us London’s Brit-Pack – Rob, Sam, Bobby, Marcus and Tom. Soul-friends who have become Bohemians/vagabonds/romantics of the world.
Rob is now a famous actor – famous beyond his wildest dreams – living in the U.S. and Canada and hotels worldwide since becoming an overnight sensation, thanks to the Twilight franchise. Sam, Bobby and Marcus have all embarked on careers as solo artists - singer/songwriters – and have been touring throughout the U.S., Canada, and Europe. Tour buses, airports, hotels, and friends’ homes, have become their homes and their managers have become their families. A moment with their “childhood buddies” has become rare and precious.
Even though they no longer live together or are able to spend a lot of time together, these young Brits appear to remain close. Their friendship seems to be a result of mutually cooperative and supportive behavior of each other. Rob has been seen showing full support at Bobby’s, Sam’s and Marcus’s shows when his schedule permits. And, he has been seen hanging out with his friend, Tom whenever there’s time. As gleaned from their interviews, the boys’ relationship with one another involves mutual esteem, affection, and respect along with a degree of rendering service to friends in times of need or crisis. (Rob said that he borrowed Marcus Foster’s shirt to wear at the Teen Choice Awards because all of his were dirty. This is just a little example of the friends’ loyalty and support of each other.)
These friends trust each other and exhibit loyalty towards each other, often to the point of altruism. Their tastes are similar; most of them like to wear “homeless chic” clothes, plaid shirts, tattered t-shirts, ripped jeans, and scruffy/tousled hair. Sam is the exception; he’s rather debonair with a Bobby Darin look – classic, tailored clothes consisting of suits, jeans, blazers and cool shirts. Above all, these guys seem to trust each other. After all, they are all just a text-message away from one another and they have all grown up together, with the exception of Bobby, who only met them a few years ago.
Marcus Foster and Sam Bradley
Sam has been living in Vancouver the past few years and is more or less a citizen of the world as a result of his touring; Bobby still technically resides in London, but has been living “on the road” with his manager and fans during his summer U.S. and European tour. Marcus, who just completed a degree in Art, stays in France a lot of the time, writing songs when he’s not touring in Europe and the U.S., and Tom resides wherever his next movie is being shot.
Like Henry David Thoreau and Walt Whitman, these boys are romantics, which is illustrated in their music and songwriting and in Rob’s and Tom's acting. Romantic living is soulful; it’s something that is inside of us and it is something that true artists can uncover, nurture and cultivate.
Rob, Sam, Bobby, Tom, and Marcus are changing our world because they are the new romantics of the 21st century. Likewise, the Romantics of history changed our world, because they spent themselves. They used every ounce of energy and resources they had just to survive. They weren't interested in getting their “piece of pie” out of life. Their deepest desires were to give something to life. They found pleasure in the nuances of living, thrill in the risk of pain and loss, and fulfillment in being needed by others. They didn't hate life, but loved it and lived it in a more active, intimate and soulful way. The romantic spirit expands oneself, which is what our Brit-Pack are doing. Expanding. Growing.
The more difficult task for the romantic is to remain in cloistered safety. It's more difficult to hang on to what one knows that is secure, than it is to risk it on an experience of life. This is what Rob, Sam, Bobby, Marcus and Tom are doing today. They are risking everything and are experiencing life. They are living life in the most active, soulful and intimate way – through their songwriting, art, music and acting. Creating – whether it’s music, art, writing or acting – holds a power for us. It lifts stress from us. It refreshes us and recharges us. It restores our optimism. It changes our perspective, stimulating creativity. It romanticizes us. It renews our ability to accomplish the work of the world. By anyone's reckoning, those are remarkably worthy achievements.
Music, art, songwriting and acting may in fact be the highest expression of our humanity, both imitating and advancing the evolutionary process. The creative soul is that quintessential experience that is almost impossible to define—because it encompasses infinite variability—but which we all recognize when we see, or experience.
The creative soul is our free connection to pure possibility. It is going to be interesting to watch these friends – Rob, Bobby, Sam, Marcus and Tom – as they move forward in life and do what they do best; create. One thing we can be sure of: these guys will remain the best of friends no matter how rich or famous – or poor – they become. And I can't wait to see what they do next.
Comments
another great article! love your perspective on everything.
A great, positive, TRUE, informative article. Thank you!
best article on rob i ever read
really like this article. i hope you keep on writing about these guys.
Beautiful article and sooo true of them!!
This was a great article. They are so creative and incredibly talented. I wish every success for each one of them.
Thank you so much for this very touching article. It almost brought tears to my eyes. Thank you again. I just love it.
Wow! You have an amazing way of sayign things. I love your writing and I love this article about the brit pack.
simply the most beautiful, amazing article i've ever read about these boys. i love it, love it, love it, love it.
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