Vendor interview: Michael Francis
Photo: Emil Lombardo
How did you get involved in selling DOPE magazine?
I actually saw a seller selling it … but he doesn't do it anymore. He’s been a bit naughty, so he doesn't do it anymore. But I caught on with it, and I think I’m a natural.
I used to be a manager, so I can speak quite well to people. I know how to communicate, empathize, stuff like that.
Do you find the magazine useful for you?
Absolutely 100%. It helps me, monetarily, obviously, it helped me to get by, out of my difficult situation.
Where do you sell the magazine?
London fields, Tower Hamlets, Walthamstow, Layton, the Bakers arm, I sell it pretty much everywhere. I've done Notting Hill as well, but it’s a bit far to travel, I like East London. Stoke Newington, Highbury, I’ve sold to Keira Knightley, you know and Clive from the BBC. I’ve met quite a lot of celebrities actually.
What do you do when you're not selling the paper?
I try to keep fit, in a training camp or whatever if I can, but I can’t afford to pay for the club anymore, so I just train by myself in the park. Go to the library, read a lot, and try to catch up on, you know, what's going on in the world really.
I’m a free spirted person, I believe truth and honesty is very important, and just not being brainwashed by what media says is right and what’s not right. It’s a catch 22 situation because what’s not right for someone might be right for someone else. So it’s always that debate.
If you could change one thing about the world tomorrow, what would you change?
I would try and change all the preservatives in food, that’s what’s killing a lot of people, with skin cancers, and all these different cancers that you can get, its man-made really.
So you meet a lot of different people every day…..
Yeah, different people, absolutely.
…. what do you want people to understand about you, and your life.
Well, I don’t try to promote my life, I try to promote the newspaper, I’ve actually said that quite clear, I don’t want to promote or get sympathy for my personal situation, I try to promote the magazine and what it stands for, and I believe some of what is written is pretty good.
You don’t have to say that!
No no, I will always promote the good things you know what I mean. I think the education question about taking from the 1% and putting it from private schools to comprehensive schools, excellent idea, I thought. But apparently the prime minister is doing some kind of tax which is similar, but that’s what he says, whether he does – different thing.
You never know with politicians. Do you have anything else you want to talk about in the interview? It's kind of a space for anything you want to say.
No no, keep it brief, just want to let people know, I’m out here, still struggling, you know, still selling DOPE to get by, so buy copies! Please! That’s what I’m about, buy as many as you can, because I sell them all the time, and it helps me. It’s a good thing.
