October 29

First day of winter - the clocks went back an hour last night. I hate winter, if I never saw rain or snow or winter damp again I'd be happy. Global warming is making England a better place to live. A beautiful day, admired my garden. The yogi is growing fungus on him (it) already. I'd covered it yoghurt the morning I went to Japan.

Drove to Sloane Square, then Heathrow, then home, then Chalk Farm to see The Who - I'm a bit driven out. I'd rather fly any day, beats the traffic, unless you're circling. I haven't been to the Roundhouse in years - since the 70's (I know I'm old). It's much smaller than I remembered. It was always a good place to see a show.

When the doors open at 7pm the audience run in, and I mean run like a herd of cows. Strange and odd to watch fifty year olds panting and sweating, pushing people out of the way like demented lunatics, turning purple as they fight their way up the stairs, running like teenagers. It was like a Boxing Day sale where everybody's been queuing overnight to get the bargains... I was surprised some of the fat bastards didn't have heart attacks. And all just so they can claim their territory at the front.

I go to see Roger and give him the new issue of Mojo. I ask him to sign something, he gives me (much to my surprise), two of his used stage mikes covered in white gaffa tape. I go to see Pete and get him to sign three of my prints, two from Shepperton and the one from Brighton throwing his # 1 guitar - I'm doing okay tonight. Take a few photos of Roger and Simon, I get a good laughing one. Shoot Roger and Pete waiting to go on, and some of Pete with the support band whose name rhymes with some sweets and I've forgotten. Jerry Hall is there as well.

Good to shoot, a low stage. I get good stuff. Pete looking manic during Sparks and and I get nice pics of the two of them during Tea and Theatre. I enjoyed it and it's still a great place to see a show. And The Who are still a GREAT band...

October 27

Get up at 5am, a grey dawn. In Japan I notice sometimes I quite enjoy the nothingness of being jet lagged. I don't like waking up at 2 or 4am but the dawn and dusk here are quite strange. As the buildings light up at dusk the sky is unusually electric - I'm not talking rubbish, I'm being serious...

Leave for the airport at 7am to fly home. Shoot the Rainbow bridge out of the window of my cab. Check in by 8.30. I like Narita Airport, it definitely has a vibe. The man next to me slurs hello - it's 10.50 in the morning and he stinks of booze. It's oozing out of his skin, like stale aftershave. He orders champagne. I call the purser and ask in an order type voice to be moved. I feel claustrophobic, something I suffer from when I'm tired. I get the feeling of wanting to get off an hour into the flight, only I've got twelve hours to go. Sleep for a couple of hours and start to feel better.

Funny how you change, I used to get to the airport and get as pissed as possible, beer chased by rum and whisky, at any time. I did this for at least twenty years - so did Pete Makowski and Mick Wall and anyone I travelled with I think. I used the excuse I was scared of flying, which if I'm honest I'm not, I've only ever had two worrying flights. One flying San Francisco to New York in 1980. I was with Geoff Barton. The plane was being thrown all over the place for hours. The other was going Los Angeles to Tokyo with Jimmy Page, as we were descending we were hit by lightning. There was a huge bang and a white flash shot along the plane, and I was sober at the time.

I like flying and I like airports - as long as I'm not in the back of the plane...

October 26

If you look the Pete Townshend website, Hamish has put up the new cover of Mojo with my photos. I have an alternative cover - I'll put them up together on the November 1st entry.

Slept at least three hours last night, the joys of jet lag. It's now hot and sunny. Off on the bullet train to try to take more photos, I wanted to go to Mount Fuji today and shoot some travel - c'est la vie...

Meet the band at the Bullet train station. Everybody is agreeable and quite happy to pose, I get quite a lot done, considering we're in a packed train carriage. I travel as far as Nagoya, then head back to Tokyo - I suppose
knowing them does have it's benefits...

 

Back in Tokyo I go out for dinner to a restaurant called Shunju. It's been set up by my friend Grant Macpherson. It's on the 27th floor, very high-tech and is a Japanese-style tapas bar. Super modern looking. I'm with my friends Toshi and Masaschi - Kazuyo decides she's ordering. Now, I can eat most things. I am of the ethic "When in Rome..." as far as food is concerned. Kazuyo orders a giant fish collar bone complete with a grilled head the size of a small human. She devoured it, picking apart the bones, offering me one of the large eyeballs as she sucked on the other. 'Try it, it's like candy!' I stuck to toro sashimi...

Chris Charlesworth has copied me on an email he sent me months ago - asking if the text was okay for the back of the book. I said 'Fine.' I did think it was only for a mocked-up book, for the Frankfurt book fair. Still, he's right - sorry Chris!

Oh, and before I forget, Steve Harris was telling me on the train today how much he likes The Who. Steve told me the scream on Number Of The Beast was pilfered from Roger's scream at the end of Won't Get Fooled Again. 'There's a bit of trivia no one knows' he smiled...

October 25

A beautiful day, hot, sunny, balmy - fantastic October weather. I am supposed to being doing a Iron Maiden session around Tokyo. William Luff, PR-type person from EMI records, who has told me it's definitely going to happen now tells me in a weary voice the photos are ALL being done indoors at the Budokan - 'don't worry, you'll get loads of time.' Great idea, really shows where we are - I wonder who thought of that.

I arrive at 4.30pm. Bruce and Steve, who are both here, are BUSY. Ummmm, I wonder what they are busy doing - sightseeing, destroying Tokyo - who knows?

I shoot Lauren Harris's band who open the show, she is enthusiastic - more so with photos than her fathers band.

As the intro tape is rolling I get Bruce (who looks tired and bored), then Steve. Bruce tells me I have ONE minute. Wow, how kind, I get at least twenty frames. Steve at least apologises - honestly, what a waste of time. I shoot the show but am so pissed off I really don't enjoy it. It's the best light show they've had in ages. Good to shoot live, but WHY have I come all the way here to do NOTHING? They really don't give a shit - and I've known them a long time. God help anyone new.

 

I'm now going on the bullet train half way to Hiroshima tomorrow, to try to resurrect this, but I'm not holding my breath...

End the evening, or the early hours sitting in the bar of the Grand Hyatt watching a jazz singer. I look around in the low lit room and feel something is strange. There are a lot of women everywhere smiling over at me (yes, I know that's strange). The odd bit is they are all blonde, good-looking western women, very dressed up. Not a Koyuki or Japanese girl in sight. Two come up to the bar smile and start talking in deep voices (no, they aren't men). I realise the bar is full of Russian whores. Time for me to leave - alone...

October 24

Get up at 5am and head off to Tsukiji fish market. See lots of interesting things, like whale meat and a strange long fish which is a type of eel from the bottom of the ocean. I take a photo looking right down it's throat. It's still raining - so hard it reminds me of Bladerunner. It becomes no fun so I head off to eat sushi at 7am - at least it's fresh. I buy a large professional sushi knife on the way out. It's so sharp the shop owner shows me by slicing through paper. I'll test it on Kazuyo...

See more Travel...

 

Go back to bed for a bit. Feel - tired...

Speak to Steve Harris, we meet up and go cd shopping buying bootlegs of hot new bands like Wishbone Ash, Rory Gallagher and Free. I shoot some photos of Steven around Shinjuku while the weather goes from overcast to foul. Do some portraits with Neon in the background. I'm shooting black and white. Steve is a camera enthusiast - 'Why aren't you shooting in colour?' he demands. Steven thinks he knows more than me about photography (he probably does - technical stuff doesn't interest me at all). He starts telling me which exposure to use, how to over expose etc, why digital black and white is better than film (which is bollocks). I can't think of anything more boring. I mean, I don't tell him how to play the bass.

We end up in Yodobashi Camera, a department store which just sells cameras. We arrange to meet later for dinner. I leave Steve ogling some Panasonic sureshots.

I did learn some useful Japanese today like "nice bottom" and "large bottom". I'll try them out tonight - 'Okii Oshiri'...

All of Iron Maiden convene on Roppongi Hills for a Korean BBQ - nearly all - some of them get lost. I shoot some photos at dinner. Steve even takes a portrait of me with Rod Smallwood. Have a nice talk with Paddy, Bruce's wife, haven't seen her in ages. I get Steven to do some photos under the huge white wall of light that surrounds the crossroads of Roppongi at midnight. He then gets me to do a photo session with his daughter Lauren's band, they're the support act on the Japanese tour.

October 23

 

At 6am took some photos of the aeroplane wing with the sun reflecting off it over Russia, just before the Sea of Japan. I'm pleased with them, considering they are snapshots. Didn't get upgraded so didn't really sleep. Geoff snored gracefully next to me...

Arrived to a miserable, wet Japan - rain pouring down. Kazuyo told me the weather was nice and hot! She will be beaten for this...

It was too shitty to do anything. William Luff, Maiden's PR, took us to dinner at The French Kitchen at the Grand Hyatt in the preposterously named Roppongi Hills. It was very nice and civilised with no riff-raff (members of Iron Maiden) and was an enjoyable evening. I'm getting used to fine dining.

Stayed up till midnight - knowing I'll be wide awake in a couple of hours...

October 22

Got up at 6am - still dark. Painted my statues in the garden with yoghurt...

Meeting Geoff Barton this morning - we're off to Japan together. I haven't been on a trip with Geoff in about twenty-five years. I was surprised to hear he's never been to Japan. I remember first meeting Geoff and being impressed because he'd been to America eight times. My only worry today is whether or not we get upgraded to the front of the plane - if not I may have a moment of IWF...

October 21

Spent last night in Copenhagen at Kong Hans having a wonderful dinner with my Danish treasure, Anja. The food was to die for. It was as good as my culinary experiences with Grant Macpherson in Las Vegas. It was also expensive - not something I'd do everyday. I might if I could afford it. I'm sounding like a food snob, I'm not - but I can be fussy...

Spent the flight home regretting I didn't bring a proper camera. Flying over London was God's light at it's best. Cloud, sunset and an amazing rainbow I saw at the end of the plane. Got some of it with my little Leica...

Read a piece in the paper about IWR, which celebrities suffer from - "Incandescent With Rage". It's so true - and such bollocks. Then again, I have my moments... The word comes from a white candle lighting a room in a pink red glow. Hence the look of rage on a bursting red face.

Staying in tonight to pack. It's 10pm and I haven't started...

October 20

Spent the early hours of this morning watching Election Two. Much better than the first one. Peter Makowski gets real (not pirate) films from Hong Kong. I'd also seen Children Of Men this week, which was very realistic with what's going on now and it made you think.

Looked at Classic Rock this morning. It has a feature called Before They Were Famous, which was very enlightening about when I met Def Leppard (June 5 '79) and Iron Maiden (October '79). I was convinced I'd known Maiden longer.
I was going to read the Slayer feature until I realised it'd been written by Steffan Chirazi. I have a wonderful memory of Geoff Barton dropping a fifteen page feature written by Steffan in the bin and announcing 'This is fifteen pages of unequivocable drivel.' I'm sure Steffan, or Cheesy as he's known, will be writing Lars Ulrich's biography - and it will be drivel of the highest order...

Looked at my Iron Maiden book, out now on Omlibus, and I like it (I don't like a lot of my own stuff, I always think I could have done better). The only thing I don't like about it is the copy on the back, added by Chris Charlesworth WITHOUT TELLING OR SHOWING ME - it is unnecessary and cringingly awful.

As usual I felt I should have written more copy. If it gets up-dated I will. Thinking about it I should do a proper Def Leppard book as well. Hysteria is out with an extended booklet of my photos (nicely designed by Tom Jerman).

My buddahs and various bits are arriving this morning and all of my so called friends have disappeared or are busy - I'll need some help moving them...

October 19

I spoke to John Bionelli yesterday, told him I'm off to Japan on Sunday. It'll be odd being there without him to go mad with. John told me he was off to see Chuck Berry with his boss Joe Perry. John was a bit baffled as to who Chuck is. I explained he started it all and is the Godfather of rock and roll. 'No way,' said John, 'that's Kiss, they're the Godfathers! Just look at the songs Love Gun, God Of Thunder, Fits Like A Glove, and don't forget All Hell's Breaking Loose - Gene and Paul started it all. Before Kiss there was nothing!'

Then again I probably think Pete and Roger started it all - or Jimmy Page. Well, without Jimmy there'd be no great riffs or rock bands. Let's face it, every American band copied him. Speaking of which Peter and I had a very civilised dinner last night with James at Bam-Bou in Charlotte Street. Great vibe around Charlotte Street, used to spend a lot of time there when I was getting divorced.

Looked at my bill this morning found out I'd been charged for a load of drinks I never had....

October 18

Got an email from Roman in Poland - it is one of the stupidist ideas I've ever heard...

As you know lots of the guys I wander if you could suggest a big artist or two for a special CD which is supposed to be based on the late Pope's poems. The idea is to ask the artists from different countries to record a number of songs which would include some of his poems not sermons! As you can imagine your favourite Bono would be asked to participate anyway. It is a serious project with Vatican's approval. Don't know the label it would be on yet. Meeting the current Pope is the extra incentive on top of the money/royalties standard things.

I hate all enforced religion, particularly the Catholic church. Say three hail marys or go to hell etc. I mean, do you really want to end up like Mel Gibson? I'll have his money... The Passion of Halfin - a good idea for a film. Well, Pete Makowski and Mick Wall both think it's a good idea! A Pole and a Paddy - I rest my case.

By strange coincidence Peter Makowski brought me a couple of books today, one of which was Commandant Of Auschwitz, The Autobiography of Rudolf Hoess, published in 1951. His friend had it in his second hand bookshop and thought it was so distasteful he didn't want it in the shop. 'I thought you might like it, you like history,' said Pete
(his uncle is a war criminal). I'll save them for Roman...

I watched The Madness Of Boy George last night. Great viewing, a real icon - his ranting on Madonna was spot on.

Just put up some vintage Thin Lizzy. See more...

 

 

 

October 17

It's still warm and sunny, which is strange for this time of year. The paper even said it was the hottest summer ever - hotter than LA.

I was in Bali when it was really hot in London. Speaking of which, I'm getting excited about the delivery of my buddhas and I'd forgotten I'd also got a custom painted Garouda and a hand made teak table (made from an old bridge). Spoke to Lady Emily Lucan who's shipped it for me - she's posher than me so I had to watch what I said. She also confided that her uncle, Lord Lucan, is hiding in the monkey forest in Ubud in a cave...

I was supposed to get an email about The Who from Eddie Vedder for Mojo last night. And guess what? I 've got nothing - I'm going to stick to my real friends like Jon Bon Jovi.

And I hear I'm not doing Aerosmith in LA next month, after it was agreed all round and etched in stone. They must be friends with Eddie.

Read Mick Wall's diary, worrying about reviewing the new Who cd. I would say LP but they hardly exist any more. Let's be honest, you can't compare Endless Wire to the earlier records. Well, perhaps you can - maybe I'm just biased (the problem with being a Who fan). The best songs are The Man In The Purple Dress and Tea And Theatre, so I hope that helps Mick. Then again, what do I know - I'm just a photographer...

Mick once said to me what he told a manager about him writing reviews (because they were good, all the time), 'Too many good reviews, too many bad albums.' This was a famous English metal band we both know. Mick should write what he really thinks - it's only an opinion...

I'm staying in tonight to watch In The Year Of The Pig by Emile de Antonio, made in 1968. I need something real and sobering after trying to deal with bands...

The new Classic Rock has my Alice Cooper cover. Nice to see a cover without copy all over it.

I've put up some old Pat Travers. Pat's playing the Sutton Boom Boom club soon, and he still plays Boom Boom Out Go The Lights. See Pat Travers...

My good friend Edward Vedder ...don't know if this is the Mexican or Spanish Rolling Stone.

 

 

 

October 16

Some more pictures from Seattle of The Who. See more of The Who...

October 13

Friday the 13th. Well, it's sunny and I got upgraded to First Class so I shot for five minutes flying over the ocean then slept all the way home. It was strange not staying in LA (where it was sunny and hot).

I'm sorting out Who photos, some should be up later. Kazuyo, my filthy, smelly assistant is off to Japan so I'm making her work HARD today. She's hoping I'll get her upgraded - I still think she deserves The Third World (the back of the plane).

Also found out my buddhas have arrived from Bali. Weighing several tons - I'm looking forward to arranging them next week...

October 12

I end up in the early hours telling Eddie Vedder what a bunch of cunts the people that work for him are, and it's true. It would be easier dealing with Madonna's management. He defends them by saying he'll always do stuff with me, but that's not the point. The whole entourage around them are wankers and heavy-handed.

I wake up hungover, feeling a bit guilty for having a go at him (he took it very nicely), but fuck it, everything I said was true.

The joys of travel. I was going to Los Angeles for Def Leppard but now that's not happening. So feeling rather fragile and being jet-lagged, I wake up after two hours sleep and go to the airport to fly to Chicago then on to London. It's snowing in Chicago so all the flights are delayed or cancelled. I am now going via LA with a four and a half hour stopover and all I want to do is throw up - maybe this is Eddie's punishment for me being horrible to Pearl Jam...

October 11

Woke up at 3am, wide awake. Did emails - felt like I had to do, well, something. Finally went back to sleep at 5am. Then got up at 6.30. Watched the dawn arrive. I suppose this is a good city to be jet-lagged in - it's open 24 hours.

Off to Seattle this morning...

It's been so long since I've been in Seattle I'd forgotten that you get a great view of the city flying in. Shot it on the sureshot, must do it properly next time.

Cold here - well, compared to Las Vegas. Wandered around downtown, a lot of homeless people begging on every street corner. I don't remember it being like this, they must all be Pearl Jam fans.

The show is at the old Seattle Coliseum. I first came here in 1980, to shoot Styx and The Babys for Sounds magazine. Roger Waters is at the show backstage, with bodyguards. I didn't even bother trying to get a photo. Shoot the band walking to the stage. Pete's guitar didn't work for nearly the whole of the first song. He then played with intent and looked like he was enjoying himself, even smiling at me - something must be wrong. Got a good jumping shot at the end of Who Are You - the set's the same as New York.

We all go for a drink at the W Hotel bar after the show, that is, everyone except Pete and Roger.

October 10

Off to America today, with a nice 8am take off to Chicago. Now, before I get "he's moaning again", I have to get up at 4.30am to get to Heathrow at 5.30 - and it's raining...

I have a meeting in Las Vegas, then it's Seattle for The Who. It'll be odd coming to America without going to Tower Records. I remember going to San Francisco for the first time and having my photo taken outside the huge sign - and I've been going to Tower dvd on every trip...

Quite a bumpy, cloudy flight from Chicago As the sky finally clears I get my favourite view of the Colorado River and the Hoover Dam. Shoot a bit with my Leica, not ideal light - but it still looked spectacular.

I am staying at the Wynn in Las Vegas. And have been upgraded to the Tower suites - my room is vast. The toilet has four wash basins. There's a walk-in wardrobe the size of a large bedroom. The living room is bigger than the one
in my home. It has everything you could need including a mirrored ceiling (if you have the need for one). I could get used to living here - no problem...

I had dinner with the executive chef, Grant MacPherson, who ordered the most amazing taster of salmon pancake with poached egg and beluga caviar (I'm getting hungry just thinking about it). Grant likes The Who - we're having dinner again after The Who play Vegas. This is a whole different experience from when I last stayed here...

October 9

Woke up in the early hours to a full moon. I realised this while having a shit at 3am and looking out of my toilet window - the whole garden was lit up in a strange ghoulish grey. I wish I'd photographed it.

Much later, at 8pm, I looked up to a bright moon. Not quite as good, but I tried anyway - I even got a plane flying below.

Ended the evening at the Boom Boom club watching Wild Turkey. My friend Wilf used to book them. They were surprised to see him - Glenn Cornick dedicated a song to him. Wilf took me to meet them after the show. Glenn was very funny and it was a nice change watching a drum solo from a real drummer, Clive Bunker. The local promoter told me that on Saturday night Joe Bonamassa ate two currys before going on - I knew I was right...

Here are some of the pictures I took...

 

October 6

A "might do" day. I might be going to shoot Def Leppard at the Hollywood Bowl, which I'd forgotten was next Friday, and then on Saturday at San Bernadino. I might be going to The Who in Seattle next Wednesday. Nothing is confirmed - of course. Soooooooo I might be doing nothing...

Watched Maggie Cheung in Clean last night. It wasn't very good - she won an Oscar...

Read the CAVEMAN'S diary. Got to give Kevin ten out of ten for crawling - the bit about Iron Maiden. Come on Kev, you're a grown man. Of course, he's not really biased is he? And Kevin's an expert at stage production. He's taking his mate Joe Porkamassa, sorry, Bonamassa to see Iron Maiden. From what I've seen Joe likes to eat, in-between playing Tea For One. Kev should tell Joe the song's not actually about having dinner.

Joe's playing my local, the Boom Boom club, The Fillmore South of Sutton. Joe'll love it, there's a chip shop and a Chinese takeaway just across the road. And a few curry houses - just in case...

Oh well, Friday night in rockin' Cheam, Surrey. I'm going to watch Samaritan Girl by Kim Ki Duk just to cheer up...

October 5

Phil Collen has told me a terrible story about Stoll Vaughan. After a show Stoll had won $10,000 at a casino. The same night the trailer he travels in got a flat. The tow truck caught fire and Stoll lost everything he owns - guitars, clothes, cash... Phil said Journey and Def Leppard had a whip round to help him out.

I've put up some Stoll Vaughan pictures.

October 4

Here's some of my Who sessions from New York. See more...

Sunny again today, beautiful day, but winter is coming. Might be going out to shoot Aerosmith next week on the West Coast which clashes with The Who. Ummmm... who will I pick? Whoever pays the most money? Well, probably The Who.

Saw Paul Rodgers last night. Went with Peter Makowski, Wilf Wright and a friend who plays the guitar. Peter was excited, 'I hope he plays Naked and Finally Free'. I point out that's Andy Fraser. 'No it's not, Paul was the gay one in Free and he was in Queen, so it's obvious - he's a homo.'

Pete should realise Paul's from the North of England and they don't have gay people there - unless you come from Sheffield.

The Answer opened (we were going to watch the Debbie Bonham band but we got there as she was walking off). The singer can't decide if he's Robert Plant circa 1971 or Chris Robinson 1997. But he could sing well. The guitar player should stop posing and start concentrating on getting a good guitar sound. Funniest part is the introductions between songs, it sounds like Rory Gallagher or a strangely sober Paul Brannigan (without the swearing or slurring). I was going to buy one of their t-shirts after the show, but Pete said that he could steal me one when he next sees them.

Paul Rodgers came on to Ozzy's intro - Carmina Burana - and instead of screaming 'Let's go crazy!' opened up with I'll Be Creepin', The Stealer, Ride A Pony and Be My Friend. He sounded fantastic and looked like he was really enjoying himself. The downside to the show was guitarist Howard Leese looking like an extra from a bad Las Vegas revue. Pete felt vindicated - 'Look at the guitarist, he's a homo too!' I must admit he has a very good point - Howard looks like Elton John (from a distance). Gary Moore came on and played two blues songs. Now I find Gary Moore the most boring, overrated guitarist I've ever seen, a 70's guitar player that spawned all that was bad in the 80's but he wiped the floor with Paul's guitar players. His sound, his style, everything apart from his clothes. A very cabaret Feel Like Making Love is saved by Wishing Well and Alright Now. Unlike say Robert Plant, Rodgers could still sing with no effort. He was truly amazing and he had a good time onstage.

Some photos from my Leica Sureshot. The head is from Easter Island (somewhere I MUST go), shot in the British Museum. I asked the man at the information booth as you go in ' When did we pilfer this?' ' Ummm, I think we may have bought it' he replied. That makes a change the rest of the stuff in here the Empire stole.

Now I never really like my pictures but I'm rather proud of one of my travel pictures - travel-colour925. You can see it on October 3...

The underpass and waiting room are Cheam station.

 

 

 

And a photo of me with Mick Wall's dream woman, Cookie.

 

 

October 3

Spoke to my Danish treasure, Anja, last night, who told me she been looking at the sky in Denmark. I looked out of my front door and sure enough it was beautiful. I rushed out and shot the sky. Unfortunately the view isn't that clear around London, but I tried.

See more Travel...

 

Beautiful morning here, sunny, getting cold though. Off to see Paul Rodgers tonight at the Albert Hall.

Some old and some very old Journey are now on the site. I've mixed in a bit of Hagar/Schon as well. It's interesting to follow Neal Schon's hair styles...

See more Vintage Journey...

 

Journey have announced UK dates for early next year. Go and see them - they're great...

October 2

Went for lunch with Paul Rees today (famous editor of Q Magazine). We discussed my website, "more poison" as the Warner Brothers press office once described it to Paul. He was disappointed I hadn't written about Paul Brannigan lately. My problem is I don't work for teen mags anymore and don't go drinking (and fighting after a few drinks), so I don't sway in those circles. Funnily enough The Independent had a thing about drunk people always staggering and leaning to the left when trying to walk straight. It did make me think of Paul, swaying and singing rebel anthems - "O Danny Boy etc..."

Paul told me who was coming to the Q Awards, but swore me to secrecy. He admitted he'd be bowing to someone I write about (not very nicely). He then told me I can't shoot the awards in case I upset them - but I can come if I behave...

Here's some photos of the Chilli Peppers from the LA Forum. I'd forgotten about them - found them today.

See more Red Hot Chilli Peppers...

October 1

Here are four covers I shot for Q's 20th Anniversary special. I did have five but Anthony Kiedis had a temper tantrum and after throwing all his toys out of the pram refused to do the interview.

Speaking of tantrums, Razorlight's management wanted the Johnny Borrell cover changed, then re-touched, as his skin wasn't perfect. He turned up four hours late for the shoot, on the hottest day of the year, and everyone was nice to him.  Fucking "Wannabe" primadonna (ooops, forgot, I've given up swearing) - as it says in Q magazine.

Anyway, the real superstars were easy - Jimmy Page, David Gilmour and Pete Townshend all turned up on time and were very straightforward. They were hugely in awe of me, of course...