Witts/The Velvet Underground, 1. New York City

Although New York is not the capital of the United States, it is without doubt the capital of America’s broken rules. And it’s by far the largest city in the land, the nation’s focus for finance, fashion and freakery. Many heartland Americans resent the place. They see New York City as a spot solely for making money and throwing it around. Others consider it a shred of old Europe that drifted over the Atlantic ocean and got stuck around the mouth of the Hudson River, an island full of churlish misfits. Nevertheless, these critics concede – even admire – the productive, adrenalin energy and the kinetic vigour to be found in “the city that never sleeps”. Perhaps, as Jean Baudrillard argues, “There is no human reason to be here, except for the sheer ecstasy of being crowded together.” The Velvet Underground’s chief songwriter Lou Reed describes it as a place where you must “Run run run run run” just to keep yourself in drugs.