Johnny Marr

Its a great day when you walk into a studio, knowing you ‘re going to photograph a guitar legend like Johnny Marr.  The Smiths were an important part of my teenage years and a key figure behind that was the one and only Johnny Marr.  He was as cool as they come, but not arrogant in any way.  If anything I’d say he was modest, interesting to talk to and pretty chilled.  I had a few different ideas that I ran past him and, although he did hesitate a few seconds as I pulled out the acoustic 1/2 size guitar, he agreed to pretty much everything.  Even though he has his own guitar brand he didn’t object to posing with a cheap acoustic guitar, but he was hesitant due to the size.  “I’m not a fan of these small guitars some artists bring out” - a fair and just explanation to why he didn’t want to hold the guitar at least. 

Shot for Observer New Review

Flashback!

Old images from the family albums of celebrities replicated today. This month I feature James Bay, Peter Andre, Bez and Spandau Ballet’s Martin Kemp and Stephen Norman.

Elton John and John Grant

It’s not every day you get an invite to Elton’s fairytale mansion.  Of course, the invite would have been a little more special had it been an invite for lunch, but I’ll settle for an invite to photograph Elton in his place. It is however really unfortunate that we are in Covid times, as the restrictions on where we could shoot meant we were could only shoot outside. I can only imagine how dazzling the inside of his house would be.  

Elton is helping promote the artist John Grant, so the shoot was of the two together.  Not much time and restricted to one setup, but we managed to get a backdrop up, battle the summer breeze and plow through the summer heat.  Admittedly my face mask at the end bore proof of the heat and the rush to get it all done in the allocated time.

It was a shoot with tinted sunglasses, Gucci outfits and Talk-Talk T-shirts, Rolex watch and Doctor Martin boots.  

Elton was friendly and professional.  He knew what was expected of him.  John was genuinely humble, kind and lovely to work with.  Next time I hope to get to shoot them individually.  Not just one frame on a 10X8 analogue camera (which I managed to squeeze in) - but two whole shoots with them individually.  But as I started off saying - with Elton you take what you can get.

Shot for the Observer New Review

Tiffany

You do not have to be around in the 80’s to know Tiffany - but it helps.  I remember her biggest hit very well, as it was a big hitter just as I was in my most impressionable age.  Well - she’s back!  Or, has she always been back but just not on my radar?  

This shoot took place at a rehearsing studio in Brighton where she was rehearsing with her band prior to a UK tour.  

Shot for Observer New Review

Rob Brydon

My first shoot with Rob Brydon was way back when he played the taxi driver Keith Barrett. Since then I have been commissioned by several different publications to photograph him, I’ve shot a live DVD cover with Rob and the poster to his live standup tour. This shoot was promoting a youtube podcast series where he interviews other comedians and celebrities. The show is a result of Covid, and is an entertaining and fun podcast with Rob having a banter with close celebrity friends, comedians and actors he has worked with and knows well.  The beauty with Rob is that his comedy is not loud and in your face.  Working with him is like having a relaxed banter amongst friends with his sharp whit injected into the conversations.  He is a normal family dad, talking of his love for Bruce Springsteen and comedy films such as Daddy’s Home.  He doesn’t keep this part of his life separate from his comedy but incorporates it, and makes it flow as natural as it can be.  No point in taking yourself too serious, as that would only allow for you to be ridiculed by subtle comments perfectly placed.  Always a pleasure working with Rob and I can only hope I will do so many more times in the future. 

Shot for Observer Magazine

Jeff Goldblum

I often get asked, “Who would you most like to photograph?” and I always hesitate and at times lack an answer. The question is hard because you want to meet people for different reasons. It may be that meeting someone you respect would be great, but it doesn’t mean they are great to photograph. However, as soon as I heard I was photographing Jeff Goldblum I had a lightbulb moment. A moment when I thought “YES! - That’s a guy I’d love photograph.” I think that pretty much sums up my relationship with Goldblum; I love him, his work, his style, but he doesn’t consciously appear in my mind as a favourite unless mentioned.

When I also heard that he was releasing a Jazz album, I was double excited. This guy could possibly be my dream BFF, (an abbreviation I thought I’d never use). Soon after, I listened to the live recording and I was not disappointed. Jeff isn’t just an actor who’s used his time waiting between sets to tinker with a piano, later to convince himself that he was amazing. No, Jeff’s got it! His album will be well received by jazz musicians and Jeff fans alike.

So, Jeff would surely fall at the last hurdle - the shoot. He could surely not be just an all around good guy with a bucket full of talent? The shoot was to be a jam + interview with the food critic/jazz pianist Jay Rayner. My part was to photograph the two together, jamming, as well as to get a moment with Jeff on his own. I was prepared to be disappointed, as there was surely no way he could impress from the already high expectations I had. I was wrong. The man was cool with a capital “C” and 10 x ‘o’s. A smooth cat, groovy dude, fun gent and handsome as hell! I had a moment standing on top of the piano, photographing Jay and Jeff from above to get all 4 hands, keys and the two pianist in one shot. I was stomping my foot to Herbie Hancock’s Cantaloup Island whilst trying to get a shot. I wanted to be in Jay’s place, crossing arms with Jeff and playing sweet music. Is this a man crush I’m feeling? Blush….

Shot for The Observer Magazine

Lily Allen

On one of the first sunny, warm days of the year I found myself down in a dark basement photography studio in Haggerston. Just as well, as working when it’s too hot can slow things down, and this shoot was going to be a busy one. (Also because I am Nordic and prefer working when there’s a bit of a chill - like an igloo.) Lily arrived with a full entourage. A full team to help create three very different looks in one hour. Lily has gone from a soft, innocent and playful image, to a harder, more mature fashionable one, since she made it big just a little over 10 years ago. My shoot was for The Observer New Review, same mother publication as Observer Music used to be under, the publication that helped launch Lily’s career back in the beginning.

The shoot with Lily boarded onto playfulness, but it felt as Lily never let completely go. Maybe she felt restricted by experience and the need to have control of the image which is portrayed, but there were moments when the guard came down and it felt like Lily let go - like a beam of light through the slight opening of a door. She has been through the tabloid mill, something that would make any person cautious. (And why would she roar like a lioness just because I demand it?) The moment she let go however she showed a playful and fun Lily which is what I had hoped for. But the serious and more restrained part of Lily reminded me of working with her dad Keith Allen whom I have photographed a couple of times.

Lily was great in getting into the roles of the outfits she was wearing. Like a chameleon she moved from free flow movements in a back lit, free flowing colourful outfit - to - giving Dizzee Rascal a visual nod by mimicking the bull’s horns when crouching in a corner - to - finally bringing a bit of Punk to the table (or as Tony Bell from The Observer remarked when discussing the results - it’s Keith Flint meets Bjørk).

Brett Anderson

I knew from the word “go” that a shoot with Brett Anderson from Suede had great potential. He has always been a man of style. From his glam days as a lead singer in Suede until today, he’s stayed true to his cool image. Although a little toned down now from his younger days, his skinny jeans and sleek look is still a strong look. So, when deciding how to shoot Brett I was determined to move away from stereotypical “male imagery” and brought in pink, pink and more pink. I made an educated guess that he’d be wearing black and if anyone could make pink overload work, then it would be Brett. Brett famously described himself as “a bisexual man who never had a homosexual experience” - so the femininity that is traditionally, (and I emphasise the word ‘traditionally’) associated with pink would surely pass.

I also chose to have a second setup playing with lots of different colour gel, an idea I had, giving a visual nod towards the late 80’s and the glam period that saw Suede at their biggest.

Brett came in to the room and didn’t flinch at the big pink backdrop and pink chair. He introduced himself with confidence and introduced a small selection of outfits. Brett was engaged in the image process and showed great interest in the images. Not in a critical and disapproving way, but agreed with the direction and let me know his own favourites.

Great man to work with, bringing both style and character to the shoot.

Observer New Review

Gene Simmons

I checked out a little about the legend Gene Simmons before I went to shoot him in a small hotel room in Soho. It was obvious that this was a man who knew about marketing himself and I was prepared for it. I expected logos, books, action figures and all other merchandise that could point us in his direction, and if needed I would negotiate a golden middle way. However, all that was in the hotel room was a safe/vault, (his new ultimate record collection comes in the form of a vault,) and nothing else. I quite liked the vault, included it in one of my setup ideas and Gene entered the room.

Gene was a taller than I expected. A handshake soon changed into a fist bump and off to the wonderful world of Gene we went. He took the Mick out of the cockney accent, with a not tooooo bad of an impression. (It’s the first time I have heard an American criticise the Brits for not pronouncing their ’t’s’.) His playlist, played off his phone, was unexpected, finishing with a tune that left us all speechless, with goosebumps and a tear in the eye. If you don’t react to Nat King Cole’s rendition of Charlie Chaplin’s song ‘Smile’ then you are cold as ice.

The shoot didn’t feel as a shoot in many ways. I didn’t control the timings as I had Gene’s attention for a couple of minutes before he’d decided he’d had enough of that setup. Don’t get me wrong, Gene was generous with his time, he just didn’t want to hang around for that infamous ‘just one more shot’. It was then for me to move around and try something else, and again he would accommodate and contribute for a couple more minutes, and so it went. 10 min chat and laughs followed by a couple of minutes photography. At the end I had to ask - ‘bathtub??’ - and in he went. No water though, that may have been going too far, and as he was still in his rock outfit, it would leave him wet for the rest of the day. Anyway, I wasn’t really aiming to show Gene in the bath getting clean, but wanted more to create a “rock’n roll” image, giving a hint to the rock star that finds himself in the bathtub at the end of a hard night.

Gene’s team was present, hoping he wouldn’t be too vocal on certain issues and in the hope that their presence may prevent Gene from telling a few un-pc jokes. It may have restricted him a little but a Willie Nelson joke was still served on a silver platter in exchange for a promise not to publish it. The manager was urging Gene not to say it as ‘It’s a delicate climate nowadays and we all have to watch what we say.’ I can imagine that the manager has his work cut out trying to keep Gene on the right side of political correctness, but where would Rock rock be if they obeyed by the rules of Political Correctness and health and safety?

Noel Gallagher

It seems a life time ago since I photographed Noel for the first time, and as far as my photography career is concerned, then it probably was. Last time I was restricted to a small boardroom, so it was a pleasure to have a whole studio space to play with. Noel rocked up that late Monday afternoon, (I don’t know if Noel can actually just ‘arrive’ at a destination - he is most certainly a ‘rocked up’ kinda guy). Guitar in hand and looking sharp, even though he himself said he was knackered having just had a whole weekend of events. One of them being the Manchester memorial concert “We Are Manchester”, where he was amongst a group of musicians invited to play at the reopening of Manchester Arena after the terror attack in May. And what better act to reopen a space like Manchester Arena after a tragedy than Noel and “Don’t Look Back in Anger”. The tune is not only personal to Gallagher but also rings true in so many situations.

The shoot itself was casual. We talked about love for South America, particularly Buenos Aires, his new album and life in general. It was the kind of chilled shoot that should allow for a sit down and an ice cold Mojito. However, 45 minutes and a few setups to work through meant no time for play. And I am sure that after a busy weekend Noel would rather go home, fill the bathtub with some bubbles and gobble up the caviar, than sit and chat to some photographer at a random studio. Maybe I’ll suggest bathtub and caviar for the next shoot?!

Shot for Sunday Times Culture

Barry Gibb

There are few people around the world who have not tapped their feet to a bit of Bee Gees. In my case, I’d go as far as having walked to the rhythm of You Should be Dancing with etc sound of my cord flares swishing to the beat, I have pointed to my belt followed by a point to the disco ball above on several occasions to the sound of Staying Alive, I’ve had collars so big that they slapped me in the face as I was moovin’ and groovin’ to Saturday Night Fever, I’ve tried to do the Jive Talking with little or no success and I’ve had teenage moments on the dance floor to How Deep is your Love, followed by a long journey home, feeling FOR SURE that I was in love. Who would have thought that I would one day meet the great man, Barry Gibb himself. We found ourselves in an Indian Restaurant not far from London. Barry Gibb’s favourite restaurant near his UK home. The interview that preceded the shoot involved a journalist who was looking for a ghostly aura around Mr Gibb with two metal sticks. Yes - this shoot was never going to be ordinary.

When I finally got Barry Gibb’s full attention I met a modest and friendly man. A man that seemed to be still buzzing from a recent performance at Glastonbury. A moment that would parr with some of his many big moments. This is a man who helped shape the fashion, music and style of the 70’s. This is a man who made hairy chests and open shirts sexy, he made skin tight flares the talk of the town and found a walk to match it. Yet - this is a man, that carried off being a man, yet having a voice 10 bars higher than the sweetest of angels. Barry Gibb did not only create timeless music that will always make people jump up on the dance floor, strut and stride, want to dance cheek to cheek and whispers sweet nothings…. but this man re-wrote the rule book of how to be a man. Respect!!!

Bruce Dickinson

Ask a boy what he wants to be when he grows up and most will answer either a pilot or a rock musician (if not Police and fireman). So it is hard not to be jealous when you meet Bruce Dickinson, the lead singer of Iron Maiden (one of the world’s most successful heavy metal bands in history with over 90 million album sales worldwide) and who also owns Cardiff Aviation Ltd, an aircraft maintenance company that also trains pilots and contracts out flights for different assignments or to other airlines. He has flown the band on tour, one tour which was filmed where he flew the band between continents on flight 666 (the name of the tour and documentary film was “Iron Maiden: Flight 666”). Yes - it sure does seem like Bruce Dickinson has lived the dream of most boys.

The band have just released a new album which was delayed due to Bruce having been diagnosed with mouth cancer, at the back of his tongue. He underwent seven weeks of chemotherapy and radiation therapy and was given the all clear in May 2015.

I met an upbeat, lively and fun Bruce at Cardiff airport. (We were supposed to fly out to Cardiff in a small plane, and Bruce was going to be the pilot, but due to weather I had a 4 hour drive each way instead.) He showed us around his hanger and three flight simulators, spread between Cardiff airport and the military airport next door. An impressive setup and Bruce was full of enthusiasm. I am not sure if this is the enthusiasm that comes with fame, success and the ability to follow your dream, or if it is the enthusiasm of a man who has recovered from one of the most scary diagnosis you can have and is now breathing fresh air with new optimism again. I suspect it’s a little of both.

So when the day was over, after having hung around in big hangars, sat in jet engines and made paper airplanes we found our way to the pub, for a 30 min chill and a pint before all going our own ways. Which brings me to an other significant creation of Bruce - his collaboration with Robinsons to make their fastest and best selling beer ‘Trooper’. Not one they had on tap where we were but still an other arrow to the ‘Man’s man’ bow.

Thea Gilmore

There is no one nicer in the music industry than Thea. She is loved by many artists, a prolific song writer (with 15 albums in 17 years) and she’s only 35 years old. Her music is about creating quality and finds itself reflecting a lot of traditional roots. Her most recent album is a collaborative album where she has brought in talents such as Joan Baez, Billy Bragg, The Waterboys, Joan As Policewoman, John Cooper Clarke, King Creosote and I Am Kloot. This girl is like the musician’s musician, even Bruce Springsteen is supposedly a fan!

We found ourself in a location house in North London, tucked in the back of some small industrial estate. I have admittedly photographed Thea before but that was just a 30 minute shoot in the centre of town. This time we had the luxury of time and a location with plenty of options. We were able to achieve lots of different results that are to be used on her album’s art work, Thea’s website and press for the up and coming tour. It is easy to see how Thea can produce so much music and not be on the top of the charts all the time. It’s reflected in her personality. She is not into music for its fame, she doesn’t create albums to sell millions of them, she doesn’t stand on stage or have a photo shoot done in order to have her ego boost. Thea is into music because she loves it, she creates albums because she loves it and she’s on stage to share what she has created with likeminded people. Surely this is what music is about, the tradition of music is to share and to involve, and as far as I can tell that is what Thea is all about too.

Marianne Faithful

It was a little sad to see Marianne at first when I arrived at her Paris flat.  When I met her 2 years ago she was up and about, whilst this time she was slightly less able after having broken her hip a while back.  However, my sadness was short lived as we were met with a sharp mind and quick witted woman with no punches pulled. The flat was new for Marianne and she hadn’t fully moved in yet. She’s been horizontal for several of months which she claims is the reason for her best album in a long time.  (It gave her time to think without interruption.) Francois, Marianne's manager who was also there at the time of the shoot, put the album on, volume up and Marianne’s coarse voice and protesting lyrics did give me a feeling of listening to an album from the 70’s that will last the test of time.  The blues was present both in her voice, lyrics and rhythm.  

When it was time to start the shoot Marianne asked, no - told me!: ‘Be fast and not to faff around’.  Her cane was present and although for many this would be a sign of a disability it worked the opposite way for Marianne.  The cane gave Marianne a stronger presence, a feeling of dominance - the exact feeling you get as soon as Marianne opens her mouth to talk to you.  When Marianne talks - you listen.  Not in a bad way but in an inquisitive, intrigued and fascinated way - for Marianne has many stories and a way of telling them that keeps you listening. The same goes for her last album, the lyrics are essential.  

Her most known album “Broken English” has her smoking a cigarette on the album cover.  Now she’s taken that image into the 21st century and replaced the cigarette with a vaporiser and the “Broken English” with a “Broken Hip”.  A wonderfully interesting woman.

Sinead O'Connor

Sinead just gets better and better each time I work with her. It’s a case of her building up trust as well as me understanding more of what Sinead likes and dislikes in a shoot. Working with Sinead this time again meant that we had more time for laughs and messing about which again is reflected in the images. It was also nice to see Sinead in a dress. Yes, this shoot gave me the chance to see a playful woman dressed to impress. This could be the real Sinead, the one she really is behind closed doors when nobody is expecting great statements and she does not feel she has to carry the cross for every suffering soul out there.

Courtney Love

Lesson 1: If you shoot someone who is a musician then check your playlist before you play it on a shoot!

Just as we were getting ready to shoot Courtney, setups were ready and Courtney was just about to walk into the set, Little Roy’s cover version of ‘Come as you are’ blasted out over the speakers. My play list mix of reggae, soul, rock had come to an unexpected end tune that I had not planned. My assistant gave me a look of slight worry - a little whisper and a nod later, he ran over to the stereo and changed tune…. Courtney walks in and I ask: “Any music preference?” Courtney replies: “Not Reggae!!!”

So the first setup with Courtney was a matter of getting used to each other. I tried the general chit chat and minor directions, but I didn’t feel it was getting me anywhere. A change of outfit and a slightly different technique meant a completely different story. I kept quiet, let David Bowie do the talking over the stereo. Courtney became herself, a moving target filled with strange and wonderful poses. It was more like a dance with Courtney than a shoot. No slow dance to end the shoot, but that’s maybe something that was best left in the 80’s.

Lorde

Lorde is truly the Pop sensation of 2014. She’s 17 and has taken the world by storm. She doesn’t seem to be the predictable product created by a producer to appeal to the main stream like so many young successful ‘musicians’ are. Lorde seemed to be a woman with strong opinions and self assured. Lorde is a ‘woman’ at 17, able to put images of herself online that contradict the photoshopped images published by certain magazines. She’s a teen with ‘warts’n all’ as they say. It was refreshing seeing that someone at that age could be so self assured, that someone of that age has become a celebrity for her mind and music instead of looks.

Having said that I was met by her body guard 30 minutes before the shoot. He had come to see the location, if there was a crowd he had to fight his way through and to find any emergency exits in case the Taliban or a couple of hundred 14 year old girls should hit the venue to capture a little of this teen sensation. I don’t think I have ever experienced security like that, but then again I have never photographed Michael Jackson or Obama. (Obama - if you’re reading this, give me a call).

Boy George

Boy George and his music takes me back to the 80’s and my teenage years. Since then George has made many more headlines, but unfortunately not always for the right reasons. The 30 years proceeding his success with the songs ‘Karma Chameleon’ and ‘Do you really want to hurt me’, George has experienced some real low points and it’s all been documented. But now he is back; looking good and sounding like his old self. His new album is getting air play and feels a lot like George and his photography, (because he is now also a photographer) is looking pretty good too.

I suppose I was expecting a man that was a little cagey and protective when I turned up at the studio that winter’s morning, but instead I met a cheerful, nice and fun Boy George. He seemed like a new man who’s back to follow on his success from the 80’s, skip everything between, and is most probably going to manage to do so in style. A very nice man indeed and fun to shoot. He turned up readily made up and – as he said himself when I tried to get some natural reactions from him during the shoot: “I don’t dress up like this to look natural”.

Sinead O'Connor

Sinead O’Connor rose to fame with her version of Prince’s song ‘Nothing Compares to You’ in 1990.  A song that still sounds as powerful as it did back then and with a video to accompany it that carries as much of a punch as it did in the 1990s.
For those of you who are not familiar with Sinead’s video of “Nothing Compares to You” – it is a video close-up of Sinead’s face singing the song.  Her piercing eyes turn to a teary sadness as the song moves to its final cords.  Sinead’s shaved head and beautiful eyes presented us with a non-traditional beauty that has later become fashionable.
Sinead still has the same beautiful eyes but somewhere deep down there are now traces of life experience and passed troubles.  She has carried the banner against women’s suppression in religion, opposed other religious opinions, fought against war and child abuse and fought for her right to become a Rastafarian amongst many things.
Sinead created controversy when she in 1990 was ordinated as a priest despite being a woman with a Roman Catholic background.  Her traumatic upbringing in the Catholic religion has been evident in her actions, describing the Vatican as “a nest of devils”.  She is also known for having sung a version of Bob Marley’s song “War” where she altered the lyrics to protest against sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Church.  She tore up a picture of the then Pope, Pope John Paul II while singing the word ‘EVIL’.
Sinead’s life has been a life of uphill struggles.  From having been at the notorious Magdalene Laundry as a teenager to having raised a flag against the sexual crimes that have taken place behind the Roman Catholic’s closed doors, to fighting for female’s rights, lesbian rights, against war and child abuse – all before it became a media trend to do so, she’s now come out from a dark place and is trying to re-establish herself as a much loved artist in music.
I can’t help to think that her movement to Rastafari is an escape from the institution of the Roman Catholic Church into something which is considerably less institutionalised and more about individualism and the higher self. 
It is impossible to describe what it meant for me to work with Sinead O’Connor.  My feelings were a mixture of an element of fear as I know she is opinionated and the axe could possibly turn in my direction but mostly a feeling of respect for someone who has dedicated her life to fight for what is right although it means you face a life of opposition.  But we also have to remember that Sinead is a musician, and a damn good one too.  The song “Nothing Compares to You” has of course gone down in the history books, but she has been recognised for many other songs and musical collaborations and at the moment she is performing for smaller audiences at churches around the country and abroad.  The concerts are small and intimate and are supposed to contain all the emotions and power that you can possibly imagine.  To not shed a tear is not an option… 

Harry Belafonte

I had the true pleasure of meeting the legend that is Harry Belafonte a little while back.  Everybody has heard of him and I am also very familiar with a lot of his work – but it was only when I did the research before the short that I realised what a legend he actually is.  Let's just say that if he was British he would surely be Sir Harry Belafonte by now.
The soft silky voice that introduced Calypso to the world.  “The Banana Boat Song” is a song that only needs to be mentioned in order for it to be stuck in the mind for the rest of the day.  “Come Mr Tally Man, tally me banana…..”  Everybody sing:  “Dayyyy-oooo!!!!!!!!”  However, not only has Harry Belafonte shown his talents through music but he served in the US Navy during the WW-II, he acted in his early days with Sidney Poitier, Marlon Brando, Tony Curtis…. Belafonte was one of the most prominent campaigners for civil rights in the American South and has also been politically involved ever since.  all his accomplishments are too many to mention in a picture lead blog but the fact is that he is IMPRESSIVE!!!!
I jumped at the chance to meet and photograph the man, even if it was limited to a very small hotel room with no character and 5 minutes.  At the age of 85 he still smiles and is as charming as they come. Respect in every aspect!!!!