February 27Did the five minute interview for the Independent newspaper today - out next week. It's to tie in with The Gibson Guitars exhibition at the Blink Gallery. Little Danielstein is already counting the ££££s and rubbing his hands together. There are some nice photos, apart from the ones of Madonna and Sheryl Crowe. Not my idea. I mean, they're not really the first names that spring to mind about playing the guitar. Just put up more Aerosmith. See more... 
February 26Had an email from Paul Santos, John Bionelli groupie and Russ Irwin lookalike. He tells me the Fab Four are better than Kiss. Paul, they are not. I told John this who says Paul's a dead man the next time he sees him. 'How dare he say the Beatles are better than Gene, Paul, Ace and Peter'. Paul even asked if he could buy a print of John. There is good news folks. From next month you can BUY a Rock'N Roll John Bionelli t-Shirt with my photo on www.aeroforceone.com. At least be grateful that you can't buy a Russ Irwin t-shirt. If you could it'd be handy for cleaning the car or better still, the toilet... February 25
As it's a Sunday here are some pictures of Sabbath. I've always liked these three pictures, they work well as a triptych.
Been reading a Sunday book, Necropolis, London And It's Dead by Catherine Arnold. Apparently the word cemetery is from the Greek Koimeterion meaning dormitory -a great garden of sleep. Further on in the book there are appalling descriptions of the unspeakable things done with the dead during the 19th century - fascinating... February 24
After all those photos of Aerosmith here's a picture of John Bionelli and the man of his dreams - without makeup...
Read the Telegraph today. I normally get The Independant or The Guardian. The Telegraph Magazine had a feature on two photographers. Simon Roberts, a rising star in the photography world (so they say) though I can't see why, his photos of Russia are so dull and lifeless it would put you off going there for life. It is real minimalist art school bollocks. The other is Ari Ashley, married to Laura Ashley's son - need I say more. Toffee-nosed amateur bollocks. Her work was curated by Julian Broad. I run into Julian every couple of years and rather like him. Anyway, the point I'm trying to make is that the Saturday Magazine's are so up their own artistic arse they'll print any old shit and call it art. Julian is a celebrity photographer - maybe he likes this 80's crap because it's 80's posh celebrity. Looking at this load of crap it made me have some faith in myself.. February 23Mick read me the track listing this morning. There's Paranoid by Black Sabbath (wow, never heard that before), Motorhead's Ace Of Spades (another rare gem) and The Metal Church (a great band). Do we get Beyond The Black or The Metal Church - nope, it's Let The Children Play. On that I'll rest my case. Remember, don't laugh because Rhino have gone from Talking Heads and Crosby Stills And Nash to The HISTORY OF HEAVY METAL, and that's important. Isn't it...? Here are some Aerosmith pictures from earlier this week. See more... 
 
 
February 22In photo hell, sorting out Aerosmith. Have to send photos all over the place. Got some good live ones which I hope will be up tomorrow. I took GREAT pleasure in erasing all of my photos of $50 Don with Steven Tyler. It felt quite liberating... Looked at Mick Wall's blog just as I was going to bed.Yep, it's been that much fun tonight. Mick's writing notes for Rhino's The History Of Heavy Metal. Fuck, Michael, I do feel sorry for you because you can't be funny or write something funny. Heavy Metal Is Serious, that's why you have Metallica or Man Of War (much better than Metallica). You know this cd is going to be SHIT and I mean it in capitals. It's the sort of thing people like Malcolm Dome would knock out in an hour in between writing for the Jewish Chronicle. If I win the lottery I'm saving Mick from this. Dave Ling could write it in five minutes while holding a pint in a metal salute as he tapes the show. Rhino: The History Of Heavy Metal - how fucking sad is that? It's fucking sad that someone who works there thought of it. And thinks it's a good fucking idea. Must stop swearing, but rubbish like this makes you want to. I wonder if they're using any of my photos. God, please make me a successful travel photographer so I can be saved from this... February 21I'm gonna kill Joe Perry - Peter finished at 2am, we finally got home at 3am! Then had to get up at 6am to go the airport to fly to Manchester, where it was raining and cold. Not really a surprise, it being in the North of England. Then shot a session for Q magazine which I can't tell you about as it's a surprise. My subject matter was from my era and we'd never met before. He was easy, on time and actually enjoyable to deal with. Back to the airport, home by 5pm - and I'm tireeeeeed... Went to have a nap. In the good old days I'd have taken something to wake up. Then again, thinking about it, they're not the "Good Old Days" , far from it. Although you can laugh or cringe at it now... Peter woke me. 'You need to get up and cook dinner.' It would be nicer if Gong Li had woken me instead of a hungry Pole. Looking at what I've written in the last week I'm starting to sound like Kevin "The Caveman" Shirley, or worse, Danny Clifford. I've been too nice lately...
Here are a couple of old Motorhead pictures I've found. See more... February 20Woke up this morning trying to work out if I enjoyed last night. John Bionelli agreed with my sentiments on the way the event was run. It was productive for work, but enjoyable - no. Shooting Joe Perry today, which will be enjoyable... I was quite looking forward to shooting Joe until 4:00pm became 5:00pm, which became 6:00pm, which became 7:00pm. We started at 7:30pm. Joe looked bored - well, tired. He had just spent the whole day doing press for the upcoming European and World tour (life's hard being in a band). His interest level was nil. He perked up for a bit - a little bit. Peter went mad, 'This is well out of order. Does he know who I am?' Rock'N Roll John B had to calm Peter down... We decided to retire to Nobu, going via chateau Jimmy Page to collect Jimmy. I was driving. Rock'N Roll looked worried, 'How long have you been driving? What if we all die?' 'What does it matter if you're dead?' 'I can't die yet, I haven't seen the Paul Stanley solo tour!' My car was now crammed with Rock'N Roll J B and his bionic leg, Peter Makowski and his large nose, Joe Perry falling asleep, Jimmy Page wondering what's going on and me without a care in the world. John said to me. 'Ross, you have nearly everyone you write about on your website here tonight.' It was like a website dinner. An expensive website dinner. Jimmy and Joe spent most of the dinner being boring, talking about guitars, while Peter and John talked about Ace Frehley and Paul Stanley - John wanted to know who Peter thought was better looking, 'Pete, if you were a girl who would you do?' I spent the evening ogling the women in the restaurant. Boring Brian Adams came over and introduced himself. Joe and Jimmy were, let's just say polite. I had a good time really - I'm a bit OD'd on Nobu at the moment. Rock'N Roll even paid the bill (with the Aerosmith company card)... I think Joe felt bad for Peter and his 15 minutes with Steven - he invited Pete up to his suite to do a proper interview. Here are some pictures from the recent Pete Townshend and Rachel Fuller launch at the Attic.
And here's a vintage Randy Rhoads shot. See more... February 19A day in hell - well, it felt like hell, stuck in the Hard Rock Cafe all day was like being in rock prison. Aerosmith were doing press with three different PR companies, all pretending to like each other and to like me, and let's face it, I'd like to think they like me - but I KNOW they don't... Bernard Docherty, Rolling Stones PR, tried to give me a tune up over Steven and Joe looking at the stage. He told me off in a theatrical manner, blaming me for delaying the press conference. Told him to go and practise his thespian art on the very lovely Trudy Green (the band's manager). In fact the whole day was like a mini coup in an African country with everyone vying for power. The passes for the show changed four times in the day after they'd already been given out to people, it was pathetic watching it. It started at 11.30am. The ORDEAL began with the band doing press in the Hard Rock Vault. $50 Don Bernsteine was all dressed up showing off his $2,000 H.Lorenzo jacket. I was surprised he didn't have medals pinned on it, he reminded me of Idi Amin. Charming one minute then acting like a psychotic tinpot dictator the next. I shot the band in front of the Hard Rock logo next to Jimi Hendrix's Flying V - $50 Don had a huge tantrum, he wanted them next to his favourite Bon Jovi guitar. The rest of the day the band were doing press in the basement with Estonia, Dubai, Latvia and Kazakhstan. Even doing the cover of a drum magazine turned into an EVENT. They had a break for a couple of hours while I had a fight with $50 Don over what tickets work and who I could bring in. Steven had given me my invites. I'd given them out and they now didn't work. Charming $50 Don's words were 'I don't give a fuck.' This is over six tickets. Callum, also with the Hard Rock, sorted it out. $50 Don's been around a long time - so have I. And I won't forget it. The band went on at 9.15 played until 10.30. They did Walking The Dog, Sweet Emotion, Crying, Walk This way, Train Kept A Rollin', Rattle Snake Shake, What It Takes. During I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing Danielstein Hay (who'd got a ticket from his mother) started crying, tears rolling down his cheeks. 'This was the first song at my wedding,' he sobbed. He told me he loved Aerosmith but only seemed to know the MTV songs. Danielstein admitted later I blackmailed Danielstein into going to Nobu with Peter Makowski, Dave Brolan and Kazuyo. Peter spent the evening ogling the manager, Meeock. In fact he ogled all the girls in there. Danielstein moaned 'Why couldn't we have a burger at the Hard Rock' as he was handed the bill for £500. Dan's a kind man... February 18A lazy Sunday until late afternoon then in Aerosmith Land. All the band are here, so meet up and off to soundcheck at the Hard Rock where the Aerosmiths are sound checking for a show tomorrow to launch the European tour. They play Walking The Dog, Mother Popcorn, Baby Please Don't Go, Remember Walking In The Sand and all the ballads I hate and you love - I Don't Wanna Miss A thing etc... They are good and you know Steven can sing - really sing. I end up in Nobu with Rock'N Roll John Bionelli and his bionic leg. We end the night in his room with Firehouse blasting out of his ipod. 'What's this shit ?' asks my filthy smelly assistant Kazuyo. John looks hurt - the filthy old thing doesn't appreciate good music. As I drive home late Sunday night she is baffled. 'Why does Rock'N Roll love Kiss so much?' I think it's the make up - it sets his soul on fire ! February 17
I was going to go through photos with Steven, except Steven wanted to get out. I thought he meant shopping, he actually meant out of London - he wanted to see the South. So we drove to Barnes so he could see Olympic Studios, then on to the tree where Marc Bolan died - now a shrine.
We then headed to my homeland of Cheam. Stopped at the Red Lion Pub in Cheam village, where a girl screamed when she saw him. In all the time I've known him (since 1977) he's never been to my home. Steven wanted to hang out and
Took some photos of ST spinning my Roger Daltrey mike and juggling my yin and yang balls. Finished off the evening having dinner at the San Lorenzo in Wimbledon. Drove him back throughBattersea and Chelsea. A relaxing day. February 16Spent today in the studio doing a two hour shoot with Steven Tyler. He turned up at 11.30am and started to enjoy himself so we kept going until 5pm, which gave Barbara Charone (Steven and Madonna's PR) palpitations... She was n ST was playing Nerd and The Red Hot Chilli Peppers on cd. I turned it off and stuck my ipod on random. The first song was Combination (from Rocks) which he sang along to, then Discount Dogs, the Joe Perry Peter Makowski came to spend Friday evening after picking up my film from the lab. He'd interviewed Steven and got a whole fifteen minutes. 'It's your fault I got no time,' grumbled Peter. Life is full of disappointments. I held Peter's hand (for a short time as possible). 'Don't do anything rash,' I advised him. 'I got more out of him when he was on heroin.' Pity Peter wasn't in any state to write a feature in 1980. Then again Steven wasn't in any state to do a interview. Peter is looking forward to five minutes with Joe Perry on Tuesday... Steven called in the early hours of this morning. I'm picking him up to go wandering at lunchtime. Peter and I watched a German film called Antibodies - Evil Is A Virus. Quite a heavy duty film (in the words of The Mighty Judas Priest). I fact Peter was so scared he asked if he could sleep in my room again with the light on. I think I need a girlfriend... I have a lot of new photos to go up on the site, they'll be put up next week. February 14I tell Jimmy Page about $50 Don and his little joke. I even told him about the vault and Jeff Beck's Yardbirds Telecaster. 'It can't be real, Jeff gave his Yardbirds guitar to me.' Must tell $50 Don - I wonder how much he paid for it... I'm off to the Brits with Steven, who's presenting an award. It's in Earls Court. Get there around 4pm. The artist backstage area is nice, all in red like a brothel. The food is fantastic, fresh cod, fresh Chilian seabass - fresh anything cooked to order. Being English I have a steak sandwich with onions... Everybody seems to gravite towards "Herr Tyler". I shoot him with Corinne Bailey Rae, Joss Stone, Sophie Ellis Baxter (who is thinnnnnn - yet striking in a porcelain English way). Amy Winehouse is a lot smaller than I expected. Russell Brand says hello, I get good stuff of the two of them as well. Chad Smith comes to Steven's room to hang out. I have quite a good time and I don't generally like working at these events. Talk to Kelly Osbourne for a bit, tell her I liked the photos of her as a geisha in The Guardian last week. There are several parties going on - Oasis's seems to be the one to go to. I go home... February 13Lisa Agase, a PR I've known since the dawn of man, called to check how it all went last night (she was the event's PR). She told me Danny Clifford told her what a joy it was to see me and how he felt tearful when I left. I must have been feeling ill to have been so nice to Danny - I even called him a photographer. Then again he was much better company than Steve Gillett who reminded me of a garden gnome. I'd told Steve Pete didn't want anyone shooting with flash. He looked as if his pet hamster had just died. Spent late afternoon yesterday shopping with Steven Tyler. I love shopping, if I was Elton John I'd have a great time - Steven gives Elton a run for his money. After emptying Yves Saint Laurent we head off to Selfridges. Everybody recognizes him, cab drivers, shop assistants, even a group of girls from Uzbekistan want a photo with him, and he obliges them all. We end up in Nobu, which is sold out and packed. Steven walks in, 'Hello, I'm Steven, could we get a table?' We do, straight away. Steven is getting asked for autographs, hugs, as if he is a holy figure, one thing I've never seen there. Nobu is always full of A-list celebs and usually no one bothers you. One thing I have seen in Nobu before is $50 Don Burnsteine, who is at the next table entertaining Deep Purple. 'Hey Steven, I called you,' he shouts. 'Thanks for calling me!' I say. 'I would if you were bringing Jimmy Page. Hey Steven, is Ross putting his hand in his pocket?' Now one thing that will piss me off is being called cheap. I am not, and coming from $50 Don, who walks around using his company $10,000,000,000 corporate credit card to look good to rock stars, is a bit rich. Don joins us at the end of the night and directs the bill to me with 'Is this on you?' For the record Steven paid. Oh yes, $50 Don's very funny. Let's see him spend his own money...
We walk around the corner to the Hard Rock Vault, which $50 wants to show Steven. It has some nicestuff. Jimi Hendrix's Flying V, Jeff Beck's Telecaster, Bob Dylan's hat and John Lennon's shirt from hisshowat Madison Square Garden. I get a shot of Steven wearing it. He gets very emotional (John Lennon is ST's hero). I take a few snaps with my Leica.
$50 Don then shows us his two favourite items of all the Hard Rock memorabilia, a guitar signed by Jon Don tells me, slurring his words, that when he gets home he's getting a Superman tattoo on his arm, just like his hero Jon Bon Jovi. Don picks up his hero's guitar and starts singing "Shot down in a blaze of glory..." - then he forgets the rest of the words...
Got this email about copyright on pictures
No it doesn't. For example if you used anything of mine I would happily sue you... February 12Headed to Piccadilly today for an In The Attic launch party, hosted by Rachel Fuller and Pete Townshend, her other half. It was at the Pigalle Club. I originally thought it was a trip to Paris - oh well...
Rose Hill Drive next (opened for The Who in America) were dull, really dull and boring. Gary
The Magic Numbers came on, everybody seemed to love them. I thought it was okay, bit like a pub Did some photos after with Pete, Rachel, The Magic Numbers and The Kooks. The one who looked about five proclaimed Danny Clifford made a point to me - 'I've known you a long time, yet I don't know you.' I like that, and it's true. Left Piccadilly and went over to meet Steven Tyler and his girlfriend Erin at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Knightsbridge, which The Kooks would have felt very at home in. I haven't seen Steven in about a year. He is thin in a healthy way. No fat on him at all and he had a running machine in his room. I told him even though he might find it a strange concept he's here to work, as in do a big photo session with me. He grinned, 'I know, we're going to!' We agree on Friday. It was a pleasure to see him... February 11Spoke to Rock'N Roll John Bionelli who's having a bionic leg fitted next week and might be coming to London with his Lord and Master.He sounded quite bored. We chatted about Steven - 'Look, I'm reading the Boston Globe and having coffee!' I asked about Paul Stanley - two hours later I'm still trying to get off the phone. 'He's in Australia next month, he'll sell out everywhere. You never know, he might jam with Ace.' Read Mick Wall's Blog. Michael's life is sounding like a country and western song, or an Axl Rose ballad. Here's Jay, a yoghurt believer - a bit of Sunday gardening advice.
Of course it works Lady Emily Lucan told me. A Sunday greeting I woke up to from Arkansas...
Hallelujah Chuck, praise the Lord on this Sunday. I can't tell you stories of the DEVIL'S MUSIC - you'll be sent to HELL... God Bless - don't forget SATAN IS REAL, "Do what thou will,shall be the whole of the law". Love Ross February 10Spent the evening reading. I lost the urge a while ago, tended to skim through things. Now I'm enjoying reading again. I think you get out of the habit by looking at the internet. I did stop to watch Steven Segal on a TV show. He was quite funny, and the late night movie was Under Siege - or was it On Deadly ground? Talking of Steven I spoke to Steven Tyler a few times who I'm spending next week with in London in Aerosmithland. Been playing a good cd - Ted Cummins recomended Scott Matthews' Passing Stranger. Ted's his PR and even though you can't trust a PR (all pathological liars) this is great. Mick Wall didn't know Anna Nicole Smith was dead, 'Who cares? Fat cow!' Which I thought was a bit true but I quite liked her, in a voyeuristic kind of way. Not keen on western women at all (they're all evil ), but I'd have given Anna Nicole a go... Off to play the Scott Matthews cd. February 8Woke up to a land of ice and snow. My garden looked like something out of a Christmas card. Snow, snow and snow. I had to be in London for 12 midday as The Who were playing and announcing their European tour. AMAZINGLY the trains to London from my southern part ofthe world were on time - I thought I'd be hours late. The venue was The Hospital, a trendy new venue owned by Dave Stewart. Pete and Roger came on and played four songs - Won't Get Fooled Again, Behind Blue Eyes, Mike Post, and Tea and Theatre. They then did a Q and A 
 
 Took my smelly assisant Kazuyo to Nobu for a late lunch. We were very well looked after by the manager, Dragan. I wanted to stay for dessert but had to get home to sort out the photos. Here are some pre-snow pictures of my garden shot on cross-processed colour film. 
 
 February 7
It's freeeeeeeeeeeezing - supposed to snow, but at the moment it's sunny. Spent the afternoon at home with Jimmy Page going through more photos and negs for stuff he's working on. I found more Randy Rhoads negs - NYC '81 and at the Hammersmith Odeon. I'll get a few of them printed and up soon. I actually feel mentally drained from going through all those photos...
February 5Ended last night watching A History Of Violence. Which reminds me "Everyone uses Violence". Also read this thought for the day, "He who establishes his argument by noise and command shows that his reason is weak" which is what I go through dealing with managers. Or when dealing with them remember, "The stupid neither forgive nor forget; the naive forgive and forget; the wise forgive but do not forget." Or something like that.
Just put up some old Talking Heads pictures. See more...
I've been filing negs all day, a pet hate of mine. Yet you do find things you've forgotten about, like Robert Plant - his first solo cover of Sounds at Blakes Hotel, London, which Geoff Barton informs me was September '82. The other half of the roll of film is The Blood, one of Gary Bushell's wonderful finds. Been playing the first three ELP LPs. Tarkus is okay. The rest, well, let's say with all the albums put together they would have made one good record. They have so much padding they make Yes look like a punk band. Here's a mail from Joe from America, sitting next to The Caveman's best friend, Joe Porkamassa, on a flight. Looks like Joe's diet is out the window...
Mark Blake sent me an email about Black Widow - he mistakenly thought with great joy that they were reforming.
Perhaps Showaddywaddy made a pact with Satan to have hit singles... February 4John Paul Jones has apparently announced on a Toronto radio station that Led Zeppelin will tour next summer. This of course meant I woke up to a load of mail asking if it's true. Look, I'm not a Led Zeppelin website or news board, I'm sure the official announcement will be out soon with all the details on Jimmy Page's website. The tickets are bound to be cheap - you can re-mortgage your house to see your heroes. Peter Makowski called me to inform me my website is unfunny, and I should do a real website like Dave Ling (Peter always liked Uriah Heep). He told me he's going to do his own one, in the style of his new hero. Can't wait to I watched a Tartan Grindstone dvd called Black Sun. A gratuitously violent film about the Rape of Nanking, featuring various members of Kazuyo's family raping children, bayonetting old people and cooking babies etc. I know it's all true, but this was scraping the bottom of the barrel. It really was shit. I'm off to Chinatown tonight - better watch out in case I'm served grilled baby in barbecue sauce. Met up with Mick Wall who was in London to do a radio show. We had dinner in Gerrard Street in Chinatown. I haven't walked through here in years. I didn't really like it, all the doormen hustling you to come in. Did see Lee Ho Fook's, the inspiration for Warren Zevon's Werewolves Of London - it even made me hum the song. Mick was selling me the idea for a joint book which we will probably do one day. I want to call it Krelled Unavoidable, a message Mick once left me in LA. I still have the message on Sunset Marquis notepaper. Someone who was "krelled" was full of cocaine so work that one out for yourselves. I walked to my car through Soho through Berwick Street, Brewer Street and all the sex shops - it reminded me of my youth. The clubs and pubs that is... Called Peter on the way home told him about the book. 'You don't need to do that, you do it everyday on your diary.' Ho ho, Peter can be quite droll. I even told him about loving Dave Ling and Uriah Heep. 'I fucking hate Uriah Heep, Dave Byron was awful!' Looks like trouble in paradise for Peter and Dave. Back home Phil Collen called. Talked to Phil for an hour. He's in London but back off to Dublin tomorrow in the studio with Def Leppard. We are arranging a Man Raze's shoot in the near future as the album is done. Def Leppard will be out again by the end of the summer. I recommended he read The Book Thief and A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary For Lovers, which is set in the East End of London, Phil's old stomping ground. Finishing Sunday night reading the papers.. February 3Here's a quote I like from The Evening Standard. "God invented war to teach Americans geography". Duff sent me a text pointing out that Perry Farrell-Bernstein is a "Visionary". Really? I better start worshipping him now. What did the bible say about worshipping false idols...? Am having a literary weekend reading Grotesque by Natsuo Kirino, The Solitude Of Thomas Cave by Georgina Harding, and A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary For Lovers by Xiaolu Guo which has the funniest description of a full English breakfast. In my post I got the Ace/Thin Lizzy issue of Classic Rock. It has a feature (and I really don't know why) on that rubbish band The Only Ones by their only fan, Peter. A nice photo spread of Ace Frehley plus a good picture of mine of Johnny Winter completely out of it - uncredited, which always pisses me off. I normally throw away the free cd you get with magazines as they are always crap. But this has one fantastically awful song, Come To the Sabbat by Black Widow. I remember this from a compilation LP when I was about twelve (and Peter Makowski was in his twenties) called Fill Your Head With Rock. It is unmitigated rubbish, but worth hearing. Peter told me he used to dance naked with his sister, chanting "Come, come, come to the Sabbat, come to the Sabbat Satan's there". I've always wanted to meet Peter's sister... A message from the USA re The Mighty Judas Priest
No idea. You could buy it and if you don't like it use it for toilet paper or just drool over the photos. Does that help? You could always make love over the photos, dreaming of Glenn, Rob and KK... February 2
Peter Makowski had interviewed Perry Bernstein and had bonded as only former junkies truly can. 'Don't knock him, he's one of your tribe!' begged Peter. I am now supposed to shoot him in LA in full make up with his real clothes. Fuck me, where's Fee Waybill when you need him. White Dopes On Punk - you got it...
Here's some porn for John Bionelli to ogle in his sickbed. See more...
Had an evening out with Peter Makowski. We went to meet Dave Brolan at Harrods for the Born To Rock Legendary Guitar exhibition. It was a bit strange, you walk through bathrooms and towels and end up in front of Ronnie Wood selling his vastly overpriced school level art class drawings. There was one of Ozzy copied off one of my photos - it looked like a ten year old had drawn it. The guitar bit is good. Lots of vintage models that seem to come from the editor of the Irish magazine Hot Press. It is spoiled by guitars designed by Peter Blake and Bono (Paul Rees, Q-Magazine editor, had been there all afternoon worshipping it, he seemed to think it was a holy object). The next cover of Q is a feature on the guitars of Bono - wow, it's twenty pages long... There was a flashy Fender Union Jack Strat covered in crystals with a redwood neck I liked until I read it had been designed to celebrate two years it the life of Peter Docherty. Two years of what - being a trendy junkie? It should be two years of being a professional wanker. Saw Paul Davies from The Sunday Times. He asked rather patronisingly if I shoot digital. 'No, what's that?' He's asked if I'd like to shoot some features . 'Yes please.' I even offered to shoot Gong Li for free... Chatted to Kevin Cummins, famous Mancunian photographer, who's loaning me his Who negs from the '75 tour to make some prints (Kevin is a fine man, for a Northener). I met Donal Gallagher (Rory's brother) who I haven't seen in years. All Rory's guitars were there including a Moserite twin neck I'd sold him in 1976. Donal told Peter and I Rory did his first audition for Polydor with Taste at Harrods at The Way In. It was also a compilation LP - which I'd love to get. I left as everybody was getting shit-faced and slurring (the only drink seemed to be champagne). I had a good time talking to Donal. Walking out I had a huge desire to go shopping... Here's another email. I give up - at times people really test you...
Ummmmmm, er - a little ... Look on Gallery and click on Motley Crue. Then go to Sales. Easy... February 1
I asked Rock'n Roll John Bionelli what was his favourite Ace song and this is what he sent from his death bed...
Last night I put my ipod on random play. The first two songs were by The Tubes - Mondo Bondage and Boy Crazy. I came home to an email from Michael Cotton, one of The Tubes keyboard players, a strange coincidence. I always liked the Tubes. When I started one of the first bands I shot was The Tubes at the Hammersmith Odeon, they played for a week - sold out. I also shot Knebworth when they headlined with Frank Zappa and Peter Gabriel supporting. They were ahead of their time, they always had a great light show and White Punks On Dope is a '70s anthem. I remember Sounds running a very funny feature on the LA punk scene called White Dopes On Punk. Here's a link to a movie on The Tubes that Michael Cotton is working on. They still sound good - go and discover them. http://www.thetubesproject.com Some sad CUNT keeps making up posts from me on a Van Halen website - the Roth Army Forum. If anyone really wants to know what I have to say, the only real postings are on my site. Just shows that a there's a bunch of retard fans that have nothing better to do.
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