January 28
Got some DVDs yesterday - a Zeppelin one called Minnesota Blues Vol 2 which is a rip off as the dvd is just the footage on the official one, but it has a good cover, a parody of Zep II. A Grand Funk one, The Story of Grand Funk - Jimmy Page rang me in the middle of watching it and asked what the noise was. He has a good point, lots of rare footage but they are terrible. Mark Farner is the world's worst guitarist - he's so bad I'm surprised John Bionelli doesn't love him. Then Peter Makowski phoned and was wetting his pants at the thought of watching it. Found a good one for Mick Wall - Jive Talking Motherfucker featuring amateur film of Axl Rose arguing all over the world, in the street, in bars, hotels, clubs, you name it. Mick told me Marty Friedrickson is now writing a ballads album with Axl to help finish the cd. You wonder what ever happand to the phrase "Rock Album". And I got a Pink Floyd one for Mark Blake called Wish You Weren't Here. It has great stuff of Diamond Dave and someone called Sid. My big find was a Thin Lizzy live show from Dublin '76 on vinyl and a original white label promo of Aqualung. Watched a good film, Shanghai Dreams, just out on dvd. It was so good I'm going to watch it again. I think this comes from one of those woad-painted creatures from the other side of Hadrian's Wall. I'm not too sure though as I'm surprised it can write...
It's Sunday, my foot hurts and I'm bored - invited Mick Wall over to get in the ring. January 27Saturday morning and Peter Makowski has pointed out that the Olympia record fair is on. I'm off... Before I left Peter told me to read Michael Wall's latest entry. Gosh, it looks like Michael is on a covert mission care of Scott Rowley. What can it be, a GNR special (Axl 'N Merck, The Truth)? Uriah Heep are back? Iron Maiden have sold 170 million cds again, and still aren't number one in the charts? If it is the Heep or Maiden Michael better watch his back, Dave Ling will be after him with a machete. Michael also hates London! Hates London? Come on, what did Samuel Pepys say - "When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life", or something like that. Then again Michael is a Paddy. He pines for Kilburn (a Paddy encampment in the North). January 26Watched a good BBC2 program on Hadrian's Wall, built by the Romans to keep the animals from Scotland out of England (very sensible). It worked for five hundred years, and it's a shame we don't still have it. There'd be no more "Och aye, the nooooo"... I see that The Fountain is out at the cinema next week. I saw it last year - if anyone can tell me what it's really about I'd love to know. Lots of footage of Rachel Weitz looking gormless in what appears to be a giant extended advert by her boyfriend, Darren Aronofsky. It is a real load of old bollocks, filmed in soft light. It would be nice if the world really looked like this.
Just added some Black Sabbath from The Mob Rules Tour 1981. See more...
January 25
Still cold. I hear rumour Steven Tyler is invading the UK next week - I wonder if he'd like to go hunting... Watched The Beat That My Heart Skipped again. Linh-Dan Pham is excellent and the soundtrack is good. I'm going to try to find it if it's available. January 24Woke up to snow, lots of it and I had to go to the hospital for an x-ray. Spoke to Phil Lemon, an expert on broken legs and other broken bits of the body. Well, he thinks he is. 'Isn't the snow pretty,' he said. Pretty? It's fucking freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeezing and I hate the cold. I told him if he likes it so much to go camping - see how much he likes it then... John Bionelli has called from death's door to tell me it's Frehley.
I should hang my head in shame, but I won't 'cos let's face it, Ace ain't exactly Jimmy Page. We discused the Aerosmith set list for Europe (I know, we were both THAT bored), both agreeing that they need to play more '80s Aerosmith - no one knows Dream On over here... Notice The Caveman has got a dog - he is constantly trying to find fulfilment in his life. Yes, I looked at The Caveman's diary (things are that grim). And Joe Porkamassa is reinventing the blues and eating his way through Malibu, or the 'Bu, as The Caveman likes to say. Apparently the new cd is called Hungry For The Blues - honest, The Caveman texted me this! Saw a wild fox in my garden, it was digging up the lawn. After shouting at it a bit (it ignored me) I'd had enough. I grabbed my big machete (the one I bought in Laos) and cornered it. I chopped off it's head with one blow - it made a mess of the snow. I was impressed at how well the Lao craftsmanship worked. I'm putting it in my car, handy for road rage and settling problems. My friend Queer Dave had come to see me, he gutted it and took the head and body home. He wouldn't tell me why - he was in the army he's probably going to cook it for his strange friends.Told William Nash who was horrified at the fox's quick demise. 'Why didn't you tell me? I'd have brought the dogs and set them on it.' I'll have to take one of my machete's to LA to sort out The Caveman's dog.. January 23
Some pictures of Ace Freely's best friend Gene. Plus a cold view of Battersea Power Station from last Friday. See more...
January 21Tired today. I'd gone out last night to my friend Gordon Gheller's rock and roll party. I drove so I stayed straight - spent the night talking to Sayaka who works for Louis Vuitton. She had gone to a lot of shows I'd shot in Tokyo when I was younger. She even told me which of her friends had sex with various members of Ratt, Motley Crue, White Lion etc. One of them had a baby with a married band member (I won't say who). She is tattooed from head to foot, a walking illustrated woman. She was very funny. I told her I had photos of Zakk Wylde carrying Sharon Osbourne's Louis Vuitton luggage through Narita Airport - I promised to print her some. Got home late, read The Book Thief until the early hours.
Staying home to wait for my Polish invasion... January 19After doing not a great deal, I've had a long, busy day... Started off signing two giant Pete Townshend ink jet prints. I was happy with them - and I'm not a great fan of my own stuff. Then went to the Four Seasons in Park Lane to shoot Gene Simmons. I had a whopping five minutes. Now I didn't mind as I knew this up front. What was annoying was the PR telling me to 'Hurry up!' over and over. 'Sorry, what do you mean?' 'YOU"VE GOT TO HURRY UP!!!' I asked her if she was retarded or had tourettes syndrome as she kept repeating herself. Still, got a nice photo of Gene. I asked him how he was. 'Rich,' he smiled. As I left the hotel PR ran over wanting to have me sign a release form for the hotel. 'For what, I only did a portrait using the light from the window.' I got 'I'm only doing my job!' Fuck me, life can be hard in the London 'hood. Rushed up to Chalk Farm for a shoot with Russell Brand who was two hours late but charming and apologetic. He didn't mess around, was polite, took instructions, and got on with it. I wish all shoots were as easy as him. He was really professional. My friend Chris, also known as "Packerus", phoned to bore me with the world breaking news that Slash has been inducted in The Guitar Centre into LA's Rock Walk (yawn), and that Robert Knight had been the offical photographer I'm having a night in watching All About Lily Chou-Chou, a film I've had a couple of years and never watched.
January 18I watched a film called Burning Dreams - Taiwanese I think. It is about a jazz dance troupe in Shanghai, filmed in black and white. The story centres on Yaing Li, a 70 year old man who dreams of being Gene Kelly. The problem is he's not very good. The dance school is run by a woman, Yang Yang, whose dance and tap dancing on the opening sequence of the film is amazing - filmed on the edge of a tall building. If I ever took a picture as good as the film's beginning I'd be happy not to take another photo... My Polish friend Roman has asked to stay next week. At first it was one night, now he wants to stay a week. He's a film critic, interviewing Drew Barrymore and some other Hollywood bores. I wouldn't mind if he was seeing Gong Li or Maggie Cheung or Lucy Liu. He tells me he's bringing cream cakes, I mean the least he could do is bring some caviar, some Beluga - a large tin would be fine. I might even like him. And Peter Makowski is coming on Monday. A house full of Poles, my father never trusted them - they better bring gifts... If you want to read a good book get The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. I am about half way through it - it is both funny and profoundly sad. The CAVEMAN is back, larger than life.He can say all he wants about fitness, Joe Porkamassa can only expand. January 17I had a nice civilised (or uncivilised) meal with William Nash at a Battersea restaurant, The Butcher And Grill. You walk into a butchers with all types and cuts of meat and pies and lots of varieties of sausages. It looked very artistic, in a bloody kind of way. Reminded me of when I was a child, before Tescos, looking at all the cuts of meat in a butcher's shop. The restaurant is in the back. Enjoyed foie gras and rare liver - must go again. Danielle Friedman has told me off for even suggesting she might be ST's pa, she runs the office and doesn't order his sandwiches. Spoke to Mark Blake, who is considering writing a semi offical book on a band that every magazine always put on the cover, and are always doing special editions about. I won't say who, let's just say it's not the Beatles or Pink Floyd. Wonderful stuff. We discussed websites - he's told me to look at Dave Ling's. 'It's very committed, with lots of photos,' Mark says. 'Photos of what ?' 'Dave and Twisted Sister.' Mark then shouted 'You Can't Stop Rock And Roll!' I wonder It is raining, a vile day. Looked in my garden and noticed my Yogi statue has gone wonderfully mossy, a beautiful green, I'll photograph him again when the weather improves. This weather's depressing. I need to get away I was supposed to go to Australia next Monday. This has now been cancelled... The sun finally came out - which turns England into a different place. My mate Queer Dave was over and I was playing Steve Perry's For The Love Of Strange Medicine. 'What's this - Wet Wet Wet?' He has a point. Queer Dave knows his '80s. Also played Stain Of Mind by Slayer and finished with Trouble by Ray Lamontagne Have spent the late afternoon rather enjoying Dave Ling's website. The bit about hating Kurt Cobain is funny - and he means it. I never liked Nirvana. Well, three songs, the rest of it was highly overrated to say the least. Dave is willing to admit it. Funny how Dave won't print his age though. He's 56, if anybody's interested... January 16Watched Severance, a charming film, makes you want to visit Hungary. In the same way Hostel invited you to Slovakia. Go and see it, it'll make you want to travel. Phil Lemon has been printing for me - a bit of Kiss, a bit of Who, a bit of Talking Heads and even Johnny Thunders. Plus a lot of travel from South Africa - should be up soon. January 15Spoke to Steven Tyler's PA, Danielle Friedman. Truthfully I'm not sure if she is a PA but she runs the office. Danielle had been to her doctor, who is Japanese. His name is Kazuyo, which made her suspicious, as I'm convinced Kazuyo, my assistant, is a man. Danielle asked her doctor what the name means? 'Peaceful Man,' he said. Brad Tolinski sent me to pass on to Jimmy Page two copies of a book called Jimmy Page, Magus, Musician, Devil, Collector, Author And Irishman... And Sometimes Guitarist, an unauthorized biography by George Case. In the words Can't wait to read it - gripping stuff... Watched a strange film Peter Makowski had given me about two Japanese serial killers. It had subtitles though not on the main titles. It was good - if you like seeing women chopped up. I'll have to ask "Peaceful Man" the title... January 13Here's yet another fascinating email.
What a good idea. Why don't I drive all over England, then fly eighteen hours to Hawaii to Dave's house, then a quick ten hour flight to Florida to Nicko's house, then it's only another ten hours home. I can then fly three hours to Italy to bring you the book. Don't be stupid... If there aren't any diary entries for a few days it's because I'm doing this... January 12I was shooting Russell Brand today, but he cancelled with no explanation, as is the way with celebrities. I'd left my cell phone on last night and it kept bleeping with messages from Danielstein in India. He was sending me photos. Danielstein, one thing I hate more than anything is camera phones. Dan should be making love to his wife, to make his mummy happy so she can have another barmitzvah, not sending boring photos I don't even care about. I remember Scarlet Page being excited with her new phone because it takes photos - and she's a photographer. Some photos from Brighton taken with a real camera... 
 Here are some excerpts from an interesting email.
"Gave up". Yes, that's a good way of putting it. "Def Leppard... Narcissistic assholes". Maybe, who knows...? The point I am trying to make is that in the end Steve only cared about Steve. The last time I saw him just before Christmas he was in a pathetic state of his own doing. And nobody could have helped him except himself. And yes, he had given up. People lionise him and look back with rose-tinted vision. I don't begrudge him that, I'm just sick of hearing "Poor Steve". And yes, you are right, I do miss him. Positive energy? Never heard of it... Got this rather droll email as well...
January 11Here's an email for those amongst you who have had an education...
January 10A review of my Metallica book from Sweden, translated by Micke J - " Intoxicated Swedish photographer"
I liked the bit about the posh accent... The reason I didn't write much is because there is too much bad feeling between us during the later photos and do fans need to read it? I may revisit it at a later date with love. Having said that Lars and I get on ok now. I wouldn't say we're good friends but we're civil to each other. January 9
Had an email thanking me for my Steve Clark story - and my "controversial" views on him. Let me help you put it in perspective. Steve was a drunk and a drug addict. What about the band he let down? Never mind all this "Poor Steve" bullshit, he had everyone trying to help him and he didn't give a fuck. That's a fact. Peter Makowski mused 'I wonder if Mick Wall's shedding a tear over a glass of Waitrose red wine.' I spoke to Mick Wall, who'd finished his bottle of Waitrose plonk in honour of SC last night. When he was drunk he'd started pining for "Poor Steve" and playing Hello America over and over (it's Mick's favourite Leppard single). In the end his wife got so fed up she got out of bed and smashed it. Mick's got a hangover and a wife not talking to him - you see what your past does to you. Talking of all our yesterdays, Gary Hurley emailed to point out that Hemel Hempstead is indeed up North (north of London). And he sent me to look at a Yes website called Forgotten Yesterdays. It has every tour and even tells you the Sounding Out show was 35 years, 3 months and 8 days ago. Why can't a Zeppelin or Who website be like this...? Well, I think I know. Yes fans did their homework and went to University, Zeppelin fans left school early and went to work, Who fans didn't have an education, they just liked to fight and support teams like Millwall, or when they had taste, Charlton.
Robert Plant on Classic Rock
Here's an alternate Van Halen/Guitar World cover sent by a fan
And here's another email
You like Maiden and shoot for the NME - hang your head in shame. Yet more pictures from Africa 
 January 8Some more pictures from Africa. See more... 
 Watched Yes last night on a dvd I got in Japan called Sounding Out, a tv show from 1971, live at Hemel Hempstead Pavilion. I was trying to think where that is, I have no idea - somewhere up North I think. To be honest I haven't got a clue. They play most of Fragile, interesting footage, great band at the time. The interview segments are pretentious but then what do you expect, it's Yes. Must watch it again to get "The Feel" of what they're talking about.
A new story, hmmm... On the Hysteria tour we were flying after the show (in a private jet, like you do) back from Champagne Illinois. The weather was bad and we were being thrown all over the sky. On the airplane stereo was Led Zeppelin's In My Time Of Dying - this is not a good omen I thought, as I sat in my seat praying and dropping hundreds of feet. The only person unconcerned was Steve, who was sitting on his own drinking pints of water. As we finally landed back in Chicago (our base), another jet taxied and stopped next to Def Leppard's. When we all finally got off, feeling sick, at the bottom of the steps there was a figure in the dark. 'Fuck me,' said Joe Elliott 'it's Jimmy Page!' He'd staggered over from his jet to say hello. Steve stepped forward (he'd never met his hero), 'Hello Jim, fancy a drink?' handing him his newly full pint of water. Jimmy drank it in one then invited us to his show the following night. 'That was impressive,' smiled Steve, 'He knocked that pint of vodka back in one.' We did go to the show, but never got backstage to see Jimmy. Steve was so nervous of meeting him sober, he drank two bottles of vodka at the show and we had to carry him out of the venue back to the hotel before the end, and then put him to bed. Later in the same tour Leppard played Chicago. Robert Plant came (which I thought was strange - come on RP liking Def Leppard?) after the show. Steve looked embarrassed. Plant had told him he had found the new Jimmy and did he One other thing, you could throw any Jimmy Page or Zeppelin song at Steve, he could play it note for note instantly without thinking. Before I forget Peter Makowski got me the first Ray Lamontagne cd, Trouble. Thank you Peter, I love you - a bit... Here's a nice email from a Leppard fan called Yaz who has bought the Steve Clark t-shirt
Apparently I was on a TV show on Channel 4 on Saturday night called Ultimate Hellraisers. I honestly only vaguely remember doing this. I think it was done about a year ago - if anybody has a copy I'd like to see it.. January 7I went for a run last night and saw the moon was low and yellow in the sky. Tried to photograph it. I didn't really have the right lens and I think I was a bit too late. It looked beautiful... Found some negs of James Brown. I didn't remember I'd shot a quick session at the Mojo awards a couple of years ago. They look rather good, I'll print them and put them up this soon. My friend Richard Heyburgh is driving up from the west country and we're going to the Brighton Record fair this morning (I'm writing this at 7am). Look, it's better than playing football on a Sunday morning and trying to pretend you're still fifteen. Peter Makowski is going looking for records of his rubbish ex-junkie friends The Only Ones. Peter often wonders why they never happened e.g. played Wembley Arena. I'll help him - they were crap. Brighton was miserable, the weather was fouler than in London. Took a quick picture of the derelict Brighton pier. Last time I was here was for The Who. Had a good day. Got Led Zeppelin's Sobre Las Colinas Y Muy Lejos (white label promo), a mint Sparks Kimono My House (with two Japanese prostitutes on the cover ), and Led Zeppelin III (Japanese 1st pressing with Obi plus insert on the blue and green Atlantic label) - this cost more than all my Asian artifacts, and Hells Angels '69 Original Soundtrack which has good colour photos of the likes of Sonny Barger, Terry The Tramp, Animal, Preacher etc. Come to think of it I'd love to shoot them - not sure how many are still alive. That's all my trainspotting for today... Got this email from Josh about Cooper Brown - very interesting...
January 6Awful weather, rain pouring down. Went to London and saw my mate Gordon. Even went to Liberty's and bought some Calmia "Enlightenment", "Karma" candles. I am either bored or turning into a sad old hippy. Also got Ray Lamontagne's Till The Sun Turns Black. It's had good reviews in all the magazines. Just playing it now - it helps calm me while reading my hate mail. The new issue of Classic Rock came this morning. It has a picture I took, and even like, of Robert Plant (I shot it in the nineties on the roof of the Brixton Academy) on the cover. Looking at the issue I now know why Mick Wall's Axl book is so late. He's nearly written a book filling the whole issue called Life After Led Zeppelin. Yes folks, Mick's piece is nearly as long as War And Peace. Do we really need to know what Robert Plant did after Led Zeppelin? Noooooooooooo... And what John Paul Jones does? Noooooooooooo... And Jimmy Page? Well Yeeeeees... The same issue has a feature on UFO written by Gary Bushell. It is unequivocal drivel. Honestly, it isn't even journalism. The rest of the magazine reads like Proust compared to this, even with the same old out of date jokes and Essex boy double entendres. No wonder they can't get past Michael Schenker. Dave Ling's done a good Q and A with Angry Anderson. All that said, it's a great looking issue... Oh and the Ray Lamontagne cd is good, even if he looks like he needs a good bath. I'm bored, and don't know what to do tonight. Could ring and harass Mick Wall - see if he's still in the "Jungle". My new Van Halen pictures have disappeared off the page. Don't send me emails telling me about it, I know. They'll be back up sometime on Monday. January 5
I always buy the Guardian and Independent newspaper and in yesterday's Guardian there was a good piece on Tower Records by Martin Kettle. The Independent has an American writer called Cooper Brown with the byline He's Out There. I don't know who or what he is, but he's a total knob. In fact, I ran out of toilet paper today and took pleasure in using his page to wipe my arse - just thought I'd share this little titbit. Peter Makowski called to tell me Cooper Brown can't write and is amazed The Independent sells a t-shirt of the bald American wanker. Pete told me to read John Patterson in The Guardian - acerbic and scathing. Some pictures of South Africa (more next week). The photo on the far right is Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for twenty seven years. The others are the sky around Cape Town. The black birds are things called penguins. Kazuyo tells me in Happy Feet (a film for adults with learning difficulties) they can even lay eggs... 
 I stayed in to watch The Banquet, but switched halfway to watch The Whistle Test Years, a rock programme I used to love as a teenager in the '70s. It covered 1974-75 and honestly was truly awful. Splinter, Supertramp, Chick Corea, Captain Beefheart (particularly dreadful), Johnny Winter murdering Jumping Jack Flash, even John Lennon. It was dire. Jimmy Page rang me halfway through laughing at it. Bob Harris should have been hung for crimes against humanity, not Saddam.
I spoke to Steven in Boston a couple of times yesterday. He asked me about a Who song that I didn't know. He'd heard it on the radio, although he may have got the title wrong. He was very enthusiastic about coming to Europe. I told him Pete Townshend had written about him on his website. It was nice talking to him - he is the perpetual rock star and I mean that in a nice way. Kazuyo has returned - she told me that the Chinese are 'Filth, lower than dogs, how can you like them?' She's full of New Years joy... January 4Here's a good example of someone from the "North" who hasn't got a clue.
1. "A privelage" to shoot musicans? I thought it was just a job. Sorry, I forgot they are all better than you and I, must fawn a bit more. Now I know this is cruel - but I couldn't resist sharing it...
January 3I've had quite a bit of mail saying that I go on and on and my diary (or blog - a word I hate) is miserable and whiney and boring. Well I could write what a wonderful world we all live in, how all your "Heroes" are wonderful human beings. How travelling the world is wonderful, how PRs are kind truthful beings (they are not - I dated an American one for a year). Well, the "Wonderful" choice you have for 2007 is, if you don't like my diary don't read it... Here's a charming sample...
Jealous? - I promise to get you a date with Pete Makowski. I ended up watching an Edward Norton film called Down In The Valley. Rather good. January 2Home and it's sunny and cold - cold compared to where I've been. Capetown was mobbed, it was like Oxford Street except it was as if Finchley and Danielstein's whole family had moved there for Christmas. Lots of "I've got money and I expect to be served FIRST." Everywhere you went people were pushy and rude and the tourists were vile. Stayed at the Cape Grace which won best hotel of 2005 in Conde Nast Traveller. How I have no fucking idea. If people voted for this, they are stupid. It was elitist, snobby and the rooms were tiny. It was a Laura Ashley-style quaint hotel, very old England, which = very overpriced and if you don't like it tough and we don't care 'cos we've charged your credit card anyway. I went to Table Mountain and Camps Bay. Shot them at sunset. Went back to Table Mountain the next day at dawn (it was packed) then on to the Penguin Colony (boring - full of tourists and penguins). I was asked if I was Ross Halfin by a Scottish Tourist. 'Occasionally.' I replied. He then went on to bore me with how he just been to see Iron Maiden, as if I even fucking care or I might be remotely interested. To be honest, I feigned interest, and told him Cape Town was like Scotland with sun. 'Och aye.' He beamed. The best part of Cape Town was the Cape Of Good Hope and Cape Point with the wreck of the Lusitania. It's about an hour and a half along the coast. You come to what looks like the Scottish highlands. After walking up a steep hill (I took the cable railway - first class of course), you look down on this rough, violent sea. Literally the end of Southern Africa, next stop the South Pole. It was spectacular. You can still see the reef which the Lusitania sank on in 1904 and the ship's still there. It made my trip... Decided to go back to Johannesburg to the Saxon and the Cohens for New Year. Trust me, it is far better than the Cape Grace. My Danish treasure (her words), Anja, had flown in to spread joy and goodwill as she doesn't think I have any... I had to check out again the next day as it was sold out. Oprah Winfrey had taken over the hotel with every rich African American you could imagine, Quincey Jones, Tina Turner, Chris Rock, Sidney Poitier, Mariah Carey and a load more. I'd have thought they'd want to stay in Soweto with THE PEOPLE in the real 'hood. You know "Gettin' down". Flew back to Cape Town on New Years Day, shoot the Mountains early evening. Cape Town was nice, it just was full of the worst kind of English - class-conscious, monied snobs. Reminded me of Barbados. At least with Americans you can't tell the difference... I was in the front of the plane on the way home, with a dreadful English family acting like they were royalty. 'This seat is unacceptable,' (the seat turned into a bed). 'I nearly didn't get on the plane.' If I was the cabin crew I'd have told them to fuck off. Stuck up snobs, looking down there noses at everyone. I stared (and I'm good at staring) at the father with real malice, I was hoping he'd say something so I could be rude. Headed off to London to see Dave Brolan and Danielstein who had sold some Guns N' Roses photos of mine, for a vast sum of money. Danielstein was planning to run off on honeymoon until February, so I wanted to get paid. London was quite empty compared to Cape Town. We went for lunch with Dan moaning about my website - 'What if my mum sees it?' The new Mojo has a good feature by Paul Elliott on NWOBHM with photos by yours truly. It is well done apart from the bit saying Iron Maiden have sold 70 million albums. I mean, where? Unless Kevin Shirley's buying them... Def Leppard might have sold that many. Come home to a dvd present from Peter Makowski, The Banquet starring Zhang Ziyi. That takes care of what I'm doing tonight. January 1
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
| 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
