--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Watching the urban decay all around us…" description: "\"Watching the urban decay all around us, oh boy\" — Julian Casablancas" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/878/julian-casablancas-3841_urban_watching-the-urban-decay-all-around-us-o_98884.png" --- # Watching the urban decay all around us, oh boy ![“Watching the urban decay all around us, oh boy” quote by Julian Casablancas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/878/julian-casablancas-3841_urban_watching-the-urban-decay-all-around-us-o_98884.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/878/julian-casablancas-3841_urban_watching-the-urban-decay-all-around-us-o_98884.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/878/julian-casablancas-3841_urban_watching-the-urban-decay-all-around-us-o_98884.png) > “Watching the urban decay all around us, oh boy” [Julian Casablancas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-casablancas/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Observing city decay evokes a mix of fascination and melancholy, highlighting urban neglect’s aesthetic impact. **In simple terms:** Urban decay is oddly compelling. Key Takeaway Neglect can be aesthetically striking. Themes urban decay aesthetic melancholy observation Mood wistful curious Type observation cultural commentary When to use this quote - photographer documenting abandoned buildings - urban planner assessing blight - artist creating ruin-inspired work Key Concepts sociocultural critique beauty in ruin Practical Applications - Document decay for preservation awareness - Incorporate reclaimed spaces into design Questions to Reflect On - What draws us to ruined environments? - How can decay be transformed into community benefit? A Different Perspective Romanticizing decay may overlook human suffering it entails. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Decay Oh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decay-oh-1204365/) [Urban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/urban/) [Urban Decay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/urban-decay-1204363/) [Watching](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/watching/) [Watching Urban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/watching-urban-1204364/) ## Related quotes > [I like Urban Decay lip products, but I don't wear much make-up on a day-to-day basis. I just apply a little mascara on my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-roberts/i-like-urban-decay-lip-products-but-i-don-t-wear-much-make-up-on-a/) [Ashley Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-roberts/) > [I always take a story that's kind of out there, like an urban myth. I take some possibility that people imagine, that they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecelia-ahern/i-always-take-a-story-that-s-kind-of-out-there-like-an-urban-myth-i/) [Cecelia Ahern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecelia-ahern/) > [Environmental damage such as graffiti, fly-posting and general littering is a menace that is becoming all too prevalent, not just in inner cities but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-beckett/environmental-damage-such-as-graffiti-fly-posting-and-general/) [Margaret Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-beckett/) > [ So \[Republicans\] packed all the Democrats into districts, very Democratic districts. What that's done is made our party urban, more liberal, and so those… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/collin-peterson/so-republicans-packed-all-the-democrats-into-districts-very/) [Collin Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/collin-peterson/) > [I love dipping into worlds at a fast and furious pace. A little glimpse allows the audience to put together the rest of that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-peele/i-love-dipping-into-worlds-at-a-fast-and-furious-pace-a-little/) [Jordan Peele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-peele/) > [After Land I wanted to continue exploring the theme but I needed a new challenge so turned to colour. I explored Bradford and produced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-godwin/after-land-i-wanted-to-continue-exploring-the-theme-but-i-needed-a/) [Fay Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-godwin/) > [The other thing that I got back then - the Parker novels have never had much of anything to do with race. There have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/the-other-thing-that-i-got-back-then-the-parker-novels-have-never-had/) [Donald E. Westlake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-e-westlake/) > [Deeply disturbing in a way that only the most honest stories are, YACCUB is a fiercely written, daring journey through America's urban wilderness and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-massey/deeply-disturbing-in-a-way-that-only-the-most-honest-stories-are/) [Brandon Massey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-massey/) > [We are producing urban places which are disjointed and disconnected and not worthy of our civilisation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moshe-safdie/we-are-producing-urban-places-which-are-disjointed-and-disconnected/) [Moshe Safdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moshe-safdie/) > [I grew up in Italy, and our country is a country of great agriculture and food produce. It wasn't like I was urban and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabella-rossellini/i-grew-up-in-italy-and-our-country-is-a-country-of-great-agriculture/) [Isabella Rossellini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabella-rossellini/) > [Louisville is a place with no labels. It’s not the South, it’s not Chicago, and you don’t think of it as you think of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-james/louisville-is-a-place-with-no-labels-it-s-not-the-south-it-s-not/) [Jim James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-james/) > [ Anthropology has always struggled with an intense, fascinated repulsion towards its subject… \[The anthropologist\] submits himself to the exotic to confirm his own inner… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/anthropology-has-always-struggled-with-an-intense-fascinated/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) > [The situation in the West Bank and Gaza involves a military occupation amid urban guerrilla warfare, analogous to the British security measures in Northern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-schwartz/the-situation-in-the-west-bank-and-gaza-involves-a-military/) [Jack Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-schwartz/) > [I come from a young, hip-hop, urban world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-t-jackson/i-come-from-a-young-hip-hop-urban-world/) [Brandon T. Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-t-jackson/) > [The Urban Literate Southern California Sub-Group of the Early Atomic Period has not yet produced a distinct body of folk music of its own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-hinton/the-urban-literate-southern-california-sub-group-of-the-early-atomic/) [Sam Hinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-hinton/) ## More by Julian Casablancas > [When the Strokes first started playing gigs, instead of getting into a costume for the shows, we talked about how we should dress every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-casablancas/when-the-strokes-first-started-playing-gigs-instead-of-getting-into-a/) [Julian Casablancas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-casablancas/) > [Can our mind evolve to be something other than an extension of our animal needs?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-casablancas/can-our-mind-evolve-to-be-something-other-than-an-extension-of-our/) [Julian Casablancas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-casablancas/) > [I over-think stuff a lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-casablancas/i-over-think-stuff-a-lot/) [Julian Casablancas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-casablancas/) > [I see myself out of my own eyes, which means I have no idea what's going on the other way around. I just think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-casablancas/i-see-myself-out-of-my-own-eyes-which-means-i-have-no-idea-what-s/) [Julian Casablancas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-casablancas/) > [It's like an inner struggle for me, between saying I don't give a \*\*\*\* and trying to make it work. You want to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-casablancas/it-s-like-an-inner-struggle-for-me-between-saying-i-don-t-give-a-and/) [Julian Casablancas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-casablancas/) > [The Strokes can play anything. They could play 'Thriller,' and it would just sound like 'Thriller' as played by the Strokes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-casablancas/the-strokes-can-play-anything-they-could-play-thriller-and-it-would/) [Julian Casablancas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-casablancas/) > [You are looking for your own voice, but in others](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-casablancas/you-are-looking-for-your-own-voice-but-in-others/) [Julian Casablancas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-casablancas/) > [My parents separated when I was eight. I grew up with my mom alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-casablancas/my-parents-separated-when-i-was-eight-i-grew-up-with-my-mom-alone/) [Julian Casablancas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-casablancas/) > [I guess the best thing about marriage is the fact you've got the coolest partner you can imagine by your side for all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-casablancas/i-guess-the-best-thing-about-marriage-is-the-fact-you-ve-got-the/) [Julian Casablancas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-casablancas/) > [The best artists are the ones that work the hardest, and if you work hard enough, you'll eventually experience the happy accidents that are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-casablancas/the-best-artists-are-the-ones-that-work-the-hardest-and-if-you-work/) [Julian Casablancas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-casablancas/) > [So when's it coming? This life's new great movement that I can join](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-casablancas/so-when-s-it-coming-this-life-s-new-great-movement-that-i-can-join/) [Julian Casablancas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-casablancas/) > [Oh I got music, coming outta my hands and feet and kisses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-casablancas/oh-i-got-music-coming-outta-my-hands-and-feet-and-kisses/) [Julian Casablancas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-casablancas/) > [I'm just going to try and be a good dad and not spoil the kid: give him love and encouragement but also discipline. Me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-casablancas/i-m-just-going-to-try-and-be-a-good-dad-and-not-spoil-the-kid-give/) [Julian Casablancas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-casablancas/) > [No matter who I'm talking to, I always talk like I'm doing an interview.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-casablancas/no-matter-who-i-m-talking-to-i-always-talk-like-i-m-doing-an-interview/) [Julian Casablancas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-casablancas/) > [I want to be one of those people, be they writers, poets, musicians, who leaves clues for the next generation. The really good people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-casablancas/i-want-to-be-one-of-those-people-be-they-writers-poets-musicians-who/) [Julian Casablancas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-casablancas/) [Explore all 121 Julian Casablancas quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-casablancas/) ## More Urban quotes > [The Urban Literate Southern California Sub-Group of the Early Atomic Period has not yet produced a distinct body of folk music of its own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-hinton/the-urban-literate-southern-california-sub-group-of-the-early-atomic/) [Sam Hinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-hinton/) > [I come from a young, hip-hop, urban world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-t-jackson/i-come-from-a-young-hip-hop-urban-world/) [Brandon T. Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-t-jackson/) > [The situation in the West Bank and Gaza involves a military occupation amid urban guerrilla warfare, analogous to the British security measures in Northern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-schwartz/the-situation-in-the-west-bank-and-gaza-involves-a-military/) [Jack Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-schwartz/) > [ Anthropology has always struggled with an intense, fascinated repulsion towards its subject… \[The anthropologist\] submits himself to the exotic to confirm his own inner… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/anthropology-has-always-struggled-with-an-intense-fascinated/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) > [Louisville is a place with no labels. It’s not the South, it’s not Chicago, and you don’t think of it as you think of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-james/louisville-is-a-place-with-no-labels-it-s-not-the-south-it-s-not/) [Jim James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-james/) > [I grew up in Italy, and our country is a country of great agriculture and food produce. It wasn't like I was urban and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabella-rossellini/i-grew-up-in-italy-and-our-country-is-a-country-of-great-agriculture/) [Isabella Rossellini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabella-rossellini/) > [We are producing urban places which are disjointed and disconnected and not worthy of our civilisation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moshe-safdie/we-are-producing-urban-places-which-are-disjointed-and-disconnected/) [Moshe Safdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moshe-safdie/) > [Deeply disturbing in a way that only the most honest stories are, YACCUB is a fiercely written, daring journey through America's urban wilderness and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-massey/deeply-disturbing-in-a-way-that-only-the-most-honest-stories-are/) [Brandon Massey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-massey/) > [The other thing that I got back then - the Parker novels have never had much of anything to do with race. There have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/the-other-thing-that-i-got-back-then-the-parker-novels-have-never-had/) [Donald E. Westlake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-e-westlake/) > [After Land I wanted to continue exploring the theme but I needed a new challenge so turned to colour. I explored Bradford and produced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-godwin/after-land-i-wanted-to-continue-exploring-the-theme-but-i-needed-a/) [Fay Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-godwin/) > [I love dipping into worlds at a fast and furious pace. A little glimpse allows the audience to put together the rest of that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-peele/i-love-dipping-into-worlds-at-a-fast-and-furious-pace-a-little/) [Jordan Peele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-peele/) > [ So \[Republicans\] packed all the Democrats into districts, very Democratic districts. What that's done is made our party urban, more liberal, and so those… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/collin-peterson/so-republicans-packed-all-the-democrats-into-districts-very/) [Collin Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/collin-peterson/) > [Environmental damage such as graffiti, fly-posting and general littering is a menace that is becoming all too prevalent, not just in inner cities but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-beckett/environmental-damage-such-as-graffiti-fly-posting-and-general/) [Margaret Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-beckett/) > [I always take a story that's kind of out there, like an urban myth. I take some possibility that people imagine, that they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecelia-ahern/i-always-take-a-story-that-s-kind-of-out-there-like-an-urban-myth-i/) [Cecelia Ahern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecelia-ahern/) > [ I think the book \[Straight to the Heart: Political Cantos\] has meaning for any large city with urban problems. There are political machines in… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-alioto/i-think-the-book-straight-to-the-heart-political-cantos-has-meaning/) [Angela Alioto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-alioto/) [Browse all 809 Urban quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/urban/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Watching the urban decay all around us, oh boy", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Julian Casablancas" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-casablancas/watching-the-urban-decay-all-around-us-oh-boy/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Urban" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-casablancas/watching-the-urban-decay-all-around-us-oh-boy/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/878/julian-casablancas-3841_urban_watching-the-urban-decay-all-around-us-o_98884.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/878/julian-casablancas-3841_urban_watching-the-urban-decay-all-around-us-o_98884.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/878/julian-casablancas-3841_urban_watching-the-urban-decay-all-around-us-o_98884.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Watching the urban decay all around us, oh boy” — Julian Casablancas", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Julian Casablancas", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-casablancas/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Watching the urban decay all around...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-casablancas/watching-the-urban-decay-all-around-us-oh-boy/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-casablancas/watching-the-urban-decay-all-around-us-oh-boy/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```