February 28
It was raining until I woke up this morning. Now the
sun's out and I'm in the studio all day shooting John
Frusciante... It should be interesting - I'll put up
what happens tomorrow.
February 27
It's raining - monsoon raining. The kind of rain which
hurts to walk in... I'm shooting Lemmy today - outdoors!
We decide to put the shoot back until 4pm, thinking
it will ease off. It gets worse. I shoot in a villa
at my hotel, and on a balcony. It's strange shooting
outdoors in LA in the rain - no vibe (can't think of
a better word). It goes ok, we spend most of it discussing
British comedy. "Monty Python still good, The Young
Ones awful," says Lemmy. I ask Lemmy where he's
from - North Wales. He's been in LA for sixteen years.
Can't decide what to do tonight. The weather is still
to awful to contemplate anything.
February 26
I'm in LA, but off to Las Vegas for the day. It is
strange weather, hot, then cloudy and cold. I spend
the day off the Strip in a huge junkyard shooting a
group that I can't name - has to be a secret. I fly
in early - supposed to start at 11am. My subject matter
arrives at 3pm with a huge entourage... There are about
fifty people around me, filming and following what I
do - even for me it is disconcerting... At the airport
try gambling and lose.
Get back to LA , worn out - I need a real job...
February 25
Saturday morning and it's cold - in London. Off to
Los Angeles today and Las Vegas for the day on Sunday.
Had a day yesterday where I could get nothing done.
I was useless all day, no focus... I packed, which wasn't
hard as I'd never unpacked. I did see a weirdly compelling
film, A State Of Mind, about two girls in North Korea.
It was a documentary done by the BBC.
February 23
Snowing - ugh! I need sun...
Saw the people at Q magazine yesterday. They'd asked
a while back if I was up for shooting John Bon Jovi.
Me and JBJ, we go back in time. I could dig out my Superman
pendant with the diamonds (given by Jon only to his
trusted men, in the brotherhood). John has sooooo much
money he bought a football team - strange coming from
someone who wouldn't buy you a cup of tea. Then the
news had come back - I'm banned. BANNED!!!! Last time
I was told JBJ loved me. This was when they were looking
for photos for his box set, 50,0000 Bon Jovi Fans Can
Be Wrong. Simon Kenton, my agent, even told me Jon loved
me - he heard it from the great man's mouth a couple
of months ago. I'm crushed. It's a fickle world being
a photographer.
Here are some Aerosmith photos from the last couple
of weeks. Joe and Steven with Nile Rodgers and Sly
Stone, Buddy Guy and Steven with Joe Esposito.
February 22
 Here's
an ad of mine from LA Weekly for today's Aerosmith show
in LA.
Mark Blake told me that all Ritchie Blackmore fans should
be tagged by the police and not allowed out of their
homes - they probably still all live with their mums.
How true... Mark also showed me a cruel but fair review
by Geoff Barton of Dave Lewis' The Concert File. Geoff
says the book "reduces Led Zeppelin's career to
the level of the Argos catalogue" - oh dear...
I met one of my photographer heroes today, Baron Wolman,
who's over from Albuquerque, New Mexico. I'm meeting
him for lunch tomorrow...
Kevin Shirley is in London ready to start working on
the new Iron Maiden record. He's told me all the songs
will be at least forty-five minutes long. Or did he
mean forty-five seconds... Strangely enough I went for
a run and had the ipod on random play and the first
song was The Half Life by the Healing Sixes, my fave
song on their album. Kevin's everywhere...
Watched Sympathy For Lady Vengeance last night - good
film but I thought the ending dragged on a bit...
February 21
Home and it's COLD. Got an email from a female fellow
photographer who tells me she likes my website but I
have a big ego. I don't have a big ego - I get the job
DONE.
  While I remember, last week I was on Santa Monica beach
and saw a tribute to the American troops from war veterans
against the Iraqi war. They had planted a cross in the
sand for every American killed. It looked surreal among
the people sunbathing - I'll put some photos up.
February 20
Nice and sunny in LA, it beats Las Vegas. I hung out
with Billy Gibbons last night who gave me Fandango and
Tres Hombres remastered with extra tracks - can't wait
to play them...
  Did a photo shoot with Roger Daltrey in the grounds
of the Sunset Marquis. Packed up half of my stuff -
off home today but coming back to LA next weekend.
Flew on a full flight to London. Great sunset - looked
for my cameras and realised they're in LA.
February 19
Escape after the show with John B and Joe Perry, leaving
Steven still wet and in his stage clothes surrounded
by people at 1am...
Get up early to shoot the blue sky - it is overcast
and raining. I still try but give up - it's freezing...
End up lost in Excalibur, the Knights of the Round Table
Hotel. It is beyond description. I get back to the sanity
of the Four Seasons. Back to Los Angeles later today.
Back in LA. Mitch Schneider, powerful and megalomaniac
PR-type person, has sent me an email telling me he liked
something on my website! I must be doing something WRONG
if a PR likes my website... Well, Mitch is ok and he
does like Mott the Hoople.
Pete Makowski has forwarded some mail from irate Ritchie
Blackmore fans. Sad how people try to hold on to their
youth. Never meet your heroes, they will always let
you down - especially Ritchie... Pete tells me Ritchie's
dating Joe Lynn Turner. I always knew Joelyn was a woman...
February 18
  Walk around the strip. It is a BEAUTIFUL day, the clouds
look like paintings in the blue sky. See The Statue
Of Liberty outside New York New York. I don't have a
camera - must shoot this monstrosity tomorrow morning...
Last night, while John Bionelli and I were in the House
Of Blues, an Aerosmith fan cornered us and was nearly
in tears. He asked to take a photo with us - then asked
if he could kiss me! This morning I was recognised by
a female fan of my website in the very awful (but sooooo
awful you have to go there) Venetian Hotel. She asked
to take a photo. I said ok, she then jumped in the air
crushing my little toe - I'm very fragile.
Aerosmith backstage at the MGM Grand is chaos, well,
controlled chaos. Entertainment Tonight is filming.
The band soundcheck with Lenny on Come Together. Shoot
Joe and Steven with Joe Esposito, Elvis' tour manager,
Joe and Slash. Slash and Steven. Joe walks Steven and
Joe to the stage just like Elvis. The venue is packed,
you can't move. At least the audience is polite, not
so drunk or redneck - all friendly. The band and Len
do a very rocking version of the Beatles...
 The local Las Vegas paper has used a large Aerosmith
photo of mine on it's front page - and I got a credit.
I'll put it up...
February 17
Bump into Roger Daltrey. We discuss The Who (can't
help being a grovelling fan). I'm going to do a quick
photoshoot with him on Monday, back here in LA.
Here's the cover of the new Guitar World with Diamond
David Gilmour.
Off to Las Vegas later today with Aerosmith.
February 16
Have spent all of last week shooting the Red Hot Chilli
Peppers in LA. On the first day Phoebe, their charming
UK PR (from South London), had asked that I write nothing
about my shoots with them - the band have a problem
with my website... Now I would be very flattered to
think Flea, Anthony, Chad and John spend their spare
time reading my diary, but I have a suspicion this is
not coming from them, it seems to come from their over-protective
management. However, with all the troubles in the world
today, the last thing I need is to be pursued and persecuted
by fanatical PRs so I'm going to write nothing...
Spend the evening having dinner with Slash. It was
a very mellow evening for both of us. We arrange to
meet up again on Saturday.
February 11
Don't get out of the venue until 1.30. Drive south
to the border, then fly back to LA - it takes twenty
minutes. Spend the flight chatting with Steven, about
the only time I can get him on my own. Back in bed at
4.am. I used to enjoy this - well, I still do, I'm just
tired...
February 10
Trained last night, felt much better for it. Walked
up to Tower Video and got the Dick Cavett show with
Sly Stone from 1970. See Billy Gibbons again in the
bar. We are both trying to think of who sang Stormy
Monday. Billy can't remember, 'It's driving me CRAZY!'
Off to bed. An hour later my phone rings - it's Billy.
'Chris Farlowe, it was driving me mad!'
Before I forget, saw Jim Marshall the other night in
Oakland, it's his seventieth birthday. He'd come down
the show to shoot Lenny and have a birthday bucket of
chicken.
Happy Birthday Jim...
Drive down to San Diego with Krippa Jones and his posse.
Krippa insists on stopping for some KFC - he's been
hanging around with Lenny. The drive takes four hours
- ugh...
San Diego Sports Arena is another place I haven't been
to in years. Last time was with Motley Crue on Doctor
Feelgood around '88. See Rick Gould, a fellow photographer
and a fine human being.
The place is packed. Aerosmith play Big Ten Inch -
I'd rather a bit of Kings And Queens. Still hard to
shoot due to the audience thinking they are all photographers
with their mobile phones, sticking their arms up and
drunkingly taking snapshots - what the fuck are they
going to do with them?
During Draw The Line Joe had a tug of war with the
stupid crowd who were trying to get his guitar. He looked
so pissed off I thought he was going to smash it. Jim
Servis (Joe's guitar tech) shouted out 'DON'T!' as Joe
swung his Dan Armstrong above his head - he threw it
into the backline.
Donny Shiteman has returned to show his expertise
in doing nothing.
February 9
We fly back at 1.30am. Steven is still going strong...
Back to LA at 3.30am. Outside my room at the pool is
an intoxicated Joss Stone having a fight with her boyfriend.
She's going to feel good in the morning...
I still wake up at 7am. It's 88 degrees - time for
a nap by the pool.
Peter Makowski calls, he is telling me all about his
new friend Carole Stevens who has contacted him and
is back pedalling furiously over his no access to Ritchie
Blackmore. She asks who the evil Russ Halfin is - Peter
corrected her. Then told her he loved me and would fight
to the death to defend my honour. He then told her how
to put on a school play properly. She wanted to know
why Peter hated Blackmore's Night - he pointed out it
was not very good... Carole lets out the scoop, (he's
the first to know ) that Ritchie and Candice will be
starring in Jack And The Beanstalk at the Sutton Granada.
Can't wait, rock and roll - sort of...
February 8
Arrive back to the hotel at 12.30am and run straight
into Billy Gibbons with his chum JP. Billy introduced
me to his lady friend, Amanda Mills, a Robert Crumb
type model from Texas. She was interesting looking to
say the least. Billy and I arrange to get together later
this week.
Grammy's - off to the Staple Center at 10am with Steven
and Joe. They are rehearsing at midday with Sly Stone.
We arrive - it would be easier getting in the White
House, security is so tight.
We all watch Paul McCartney run through Helter Skelter.
Sly doesn't turn up to rehearse so everyone does it
without him. As we walk back to the dressing room, we
run into Paul McCartney who chats for half an hour.
I don't have a camera - Steven is not very pleased.
By the dressing rooms a strange figure walks towards
us wearing platform boots and a polo helmet, he's bent
over like the Hunchback of Notre Dame. It's Sly - we
ask him to do a photo, he nods. I get three frames when
the manager informs me that these are not to go anywhere...
It is a long day doing not a great deal. At 7pm Sly
appears again with giant platform boots and a silver
mohawk. He looks, er, impressive... I grab Steven to
try and get another photo, the manager says 'No way'.
Steven and Joe join an all star medley to perform the
best of Sly Stone, Sly comes on stage, grins, and does
nothing. Straight off stage we have a police escort
through the traffic to Burbank Airport. Off to Oakland
for an Aerosmith show. I am knackered, worn out, so
Steven and Joe must be half dead...
Arrive at 9.30, straight on stage. Steven seems to
be having a great time. I just want to go to bed. The
last time I was here with Aerosmith was Rock in a Hard
Place, 1982 (according to John Bionelli). Steven tells
me afterwards he thought it was the best show of the
tour, he is in a great mood. He is also surprised when
I tell him when I was last here... 'REALLY - when did
you start shooting us?' "Reading '77.' 'Ah, the
mudbath,' he grins - and it was...
February 7
We get back at midnight, go to the bar. A happy and
rather the worse for wear Billy Gibbons is holding court.
I show Billy some photos which he autographs - in future
I'll get him to do it during the day. He's with his
friend, JP from Houston, who reminds me of one of the
bears in the Grizzly movie - he towers over you, swaying,
you feel trapped. But he is a nice guy.
Off to the Clive Davis party this evening at the Beverly
Hills Hotel. Rock 'n Roll John and I are going, as a
couple, with Billy and Joe Perry. John's very excited
because I told him Paul Stanley may be there. 'If Paul's
there, you're on your own - do you think he'll jam?
He'd steal the show!'
 Ended up late last night at the Gibson Amphitheatre
for a Les Paul tribute show - it was the most disorganised
thing I'd been to in years. Everyone working was a pain
with a camera. I spent most of it hanging out with Slash
in his dressing room having a good time. Took some photos
of Slash and Edgar Winter, which made a good picture
- one black and one white...
Steven and Joe arrived, did a picture of them with
Buddy Guy. Joe jammed on Going Down with Buddy. Then
we escaped...
February 6
   Off to LA today to shoot Aerosmith. Here are some
Joe Perry pictures from Dallas.
   And here are some more pictures of Diamond Dave.
Los Angeles is warm - eighty degrees. Very nice.
The Sunset Marquis is packed. It's Grammy week. Go
through photos with the hotel for the new bar. They
should be up next month...
See Rock 'n Roll John Bionelli, we arrange to go for
dinner. He's off to a Grammy rehearsal with Joe Perry.
Rock 'n Roll returns at 10.30. We head off to Blowfish,
a rather upscale sushi bar in Beverly Hills. John asks
if I've seen Brokeback Mountain - er, no. He then gleefully
tells me to look on www.aeroforceone.com. Hmmm...
February 3
Had a nice Saturday doing nothing although I did panic
when I thought I'd lost my glasses. Saw The New World
last night, a beautiful film, shot in the same way as
The Thin Red Line. Even Colin Farrell was ok and the
girl playing Pocahontas is striking.
I have to write some copy this weekend on Guns 'N Roses
for a feature to go with my photos. My mind is blank
at the moment. The thing is if you tell the truth it
sets off too many wars, or egos way out of control.
Got an email telling me what an honour it must be to
shoot "Diamond" David Gilmour. Let me help
you all, it is not an HONOUR to shoot musicans. It is
an HONOUR to be able to go to Cambodia and shoot Angkor
Wat or something of that ilk...
February 2
  Today
I am shooting outdoors. It is of course FREEZING...
My subject is David Gilmour of Pink Floyd, or Diamond
Dave to his friends. I'm not expecting this to go well.
His PR had expressed (in a Felicity Kendall voice) no
interest whatsoever in what I was trying to do. When
I voiced concern about the time limit set by them, all
I got was 'HAVEN'T YOU HEARD OF RE-TOUCHING?' So I was
not looking forward to this. Well, Diamond Dave turned
up on time. He was the politest and nicest musician
I've dealt with since Rory Gallagher, I was shocked.
I was shooting on his boathouse which is his studio
floating on the Thames. It was a pleasure to work with
him.
 Here's the new cover of Classic Rock with a great
(I know I use this word a lot) feature on Ritchie Blackmore
by Peter Makowski. The cover is mine. It would be nice
if they hadn't covered it in copy. The pictures inside
by me are credited to two different American photographers
- perhaps they should get someone to design the magazine
who's actually interested...
February 1
Spoke to Scarlet Page. In her diary (www.scarletpage.com)
she relates her meeting Mick Rock recently. Scarlet
is one of the nicest people you can meet (even though
she does have a bit of an evil streak - runs in the
family). How Mick can be such a pompous old man to her
shows how insecure he is. Let's face it, anyone who
wears sunglasses indoors is a knob... Scarlet said in
her diary she hopes she doesn't get like him when she
gets older - I hope I don't either! Someone please tell
me if I ever get that arrogant.
Also had lunch with David Brolan and Danielstein Hay.
Dan was moaning that my diary is boring, he only reads
it 'cos it's free. Dan asked if I'd curate a Led Zeppelin
exhibition at the Blink Gallery - I was less than enthusiastic.
Danny boy became quite petulant, ' Why not? You know
everyone. I can pay for my wedding reception out of
the profits... We could call it Do What Thou Wilt -
you could get the band to attend.' I told him to get
Dave Lewis to do it, he thinks he's best friends with
the band and it would be an opportunity to re-address
the balance... Dan suggested painting half the gallery
in black to show the dark side. 'Get Richard Drew, he's
good with a paint brush.' Plus he's one of Dan's best
mates.
Kevin Shirley phoned to tell me he'd seen the film The
Matador with his son, Josh. Josh is convinced Pierce
Brosnan is basing his character on me...
Atsuko, a Jimmy Page fan from Japan, sent me this photo
- even though it's late I thought it was a nice photo
to put up...
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