Acquiring the Taste — Interview with Shireen Clifford
An interview by Julie Holmes from Februs 3 A Julie Holmes interview for Februs I met Shireen Clifford on my way to the Janus shop a couple of months ago. You remember those unpredictable heavy storms we kept having? Well, Shireen and I both dived into the same doorway in Dean Street just as the heavens opened up. We did the usual British bit of gazing steadfastly skywards but eventually I felt compelled to break the awkward silence. I meant to say something about the rain letting up soon or how I intended to make a dash for it, but instead I nodded towards a card by the entry-phone and said, ‘I wonder if the weather affects trade?’ The coded message described a delinquent blonde needing correction and I instantly regretted drawing attention to it. Suppose my companion did not speak English? What if she was a member of the Clean Up Soho Campaign? What if…? ‘I wonder what it’s like to be paid for it?’ was how she actually respon...