Photography
I had my first camera, a Brownie Box Camera, at the age of 5. I recall using it in Penang, Malaya, when I was on holiday with my parents. I used until about the age of 10 when I dropped it and cracked the plastic case. At Art School I used my grant to buy an East German Practica which served me well until I was rich enough to afford a Pentax, and subsequently a series of Nikon F2’s. I use a Panasonic camera these days which is jolly good and was used for my ‘Usher’ movie- that said the convenience of an iPhone makes me lazy- knowing I can always improve the image using Photoshop.
AMERICAN FASCISM I was a student at Hornsey College of Art when I took this snap of a Black Panther demonstration in Grosvenor Square.
THE TROUBLES William Street, Londonderry. I was arrested for inciting a riot shortly after I took this picture, and bundled into the armoured personnel carrier you see in the background. I was banged-up and interrogated for several hours.
AINA AND GUNDA Two Latvian friends from the days of Sex and Drugs and Rock ‘n’ Roll. Both have sadly passed-on. We shared a flat in London’s Earl’s Court. What insane days they were. This is one of my ventures into colour photography inspired by my teacher Enzo Ragazzini. In the collection of Felix Dennis.
PALESTINE I saw this pair next to the popular knafer store in Nablus several years ago while I was filming ‘Fall of the House of Usher’. They were looking at me in a curious manner. I had to take the shot. Knafer, by the way, is a delicious sweet snack and the man in Nablus who makes it is the King of Knafer. You will see him in the movie.
THE MOON I was quite impressed by the landing on the Moon. I had hoped to be among the first chaps up there, with my own design studio and a plentiful supply of amphetamine. Sadly, it was not to be.
COAL TRUCKS IN NEWCASTLE My father was down the pits at the age of 14, joining his brothers there. As I student I was keen to find out more about his early life so, armed with a Super-8 camera and a Praktika camera I sought, in vain, the remains of the Coronation Pit where they all laboured.
THE TROUBLES As soon as Internment Without Trial was declared I was off to Northern Ireland. These kids are in Leeson Street in the Lower Falls area of Belfast.
THE TROUBLES My first riot. This is William Street in Londonderry scene of the Bloody Sunday shootings. I recall being very scared at the time, but soon recognised the value of lampposts as protection against rubber-bullets and stones.
THE TROUBLES You have to take risks sometimes. Standing behind the rioters is a somewhat exposed position, but then I was young and fearless!
STREET THE BEAT I saw the band play in the cellar of Pizza A-Go-Go in New York some time in the 90’s. They played Beatles numbers on acoustic guitar and and a cardboard box for drums. They were excellent. They were managed by Brant Newborn of Rolling Stone magazine. This was printed on Kodalith paper which gives it the brownish colour.
PALESTINE This Riham Isaac who plays the part of Madeline in ‘Fall of the House of Usher’. It is a still from the movie. I saw a soft light in a shop doorway. It was delightful, so I placed the actress there without having any idea of where I would use it in the edit.
SLOANE SQUARE I did a lot of work for the Royal Court Theatre in my early twenties. I met a lot of the greats. Lindsey Anderson and Albert Finney to name a couple. Albert and I traveled South by train to the undertaker who was willing to allow us the use of his hearse. Albert took a snap of me asleep on the train home. A Polaroid. I have it somewhere.
RABBI IN NEW YORK This was taken on my first visit to NYC. At the time McGovern and Shrieber were up against Richard Nixon in the 1972 election. I hung out at the Democratic Party’s offices. A lot of long faces on the morning of Nixon’s triumph.
THE TROUBLES When I first saw the Bogside in Londonderry it was a mess. The smell of CS gas, the destruction, the shabby hovels in which the Catholics lived. Returning two years later the houses were replaced and prosperity, although not peace, was in store.
THE TROUBLES I’ll never forget this moment. A soldier clubs a prone protestor. I was hit by a rubber bullet which I still keep as a souvenir of this adventure.
NIXON He and |Kissinger changed the World. His contribution is much underrated. I crumpled up a photograph of the man, re-shot it, separated out the tones on Kodalith film and printed it in colour.
PALESTINE Easter parade in Ramallah, the buzzing heart of Palestine. In the background is a pipe and drum band. No doubt a colonial legacy passed on by the Scottish musicians who performed here prior to the catastrophe of 1948.
NEW YORK Sometimes you have to shoot the appalling because it’s there; right in front of you. This poor fellow, strung out on drugs, was probably in the middle of the dying process. I hope he survived. I did nothing to help him.