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August 29Went to see Prince at the O2 Arena. The sound, lights and stage were phenomenal. I see shows all the time (sometimes it's my my job), and this was amazing. He came across as extremely personable, you felt you could walk up to him and he'd be your best friend. I may even go again - it was that good... Lord Nelson, shot out of my car window while stopped at a red light. Not quite the right time of day - still, I like the sky. 
 August 28This is the third email I've had about this. Yes, I know they are mixed up and if you think I'm going to spend all day re-arranging the website to make you happy so you can masturbate over Lars you are so wrong...
Here's a picture of Dave Byron and Gene October from a neg I found in a box - I'd forgotten I'd taken it... August 27
Peter Makowski sent me this. I don't normally like this kind of thing but when you look at how evil and controlling women are - and I know, I've been married. And I've had a girlfriend - once...
Went to the Reading Festival over the weekend. Watched the Chilli Peppers - I thought they were boring. But the crowd liked them so what do I know? The odd thing was that the festival security were all "Jockanese", or Scottish. I couldn't understand a word they were saying and I grew up in a family who spoke it. They were all burnt bright pink from being in the sun. Anyway, nice here so off to do nothing... August 25It's a sunny, hot and beautiful day - a bit like LA. Okay I'm exaggerating a little. Still, I'm going to enjoy it... August 24I had a call and a very warm email from Dan Reed. I haven't heard from him for about fifteen years. Christ, time flies, he's been in Israel and India. We are hoping to met up when he's back in October. The strange part was I listened to him on my ipod a couple of days ago... Classic Rock has a rave review by Hugh Fielder of Joe Bonamassa's new cd. Except Hugh should check what he writes a bit more - he says it's produced by Jerry Shirley. Now if I was THE CAVEMAN I'd have cursed him and sent him to hell. Kevin will, I hope, forgive him in his new role of love all, save all. PS Hugh - Jerry Shirley was the drummer in Humble Pie. Overcast day - still, it's supposed to be a beautiful weekend. August 21Dreadful depressing day - rain, rain and more rain. Got some news in an email from a friend which ruined the day even more... Later I had to go off for the afternoon to the Brixton Academy to shoot Maynard from Tool for his side project band. I couldn't really get focussed at what I was doing, but he was pleasant and co-operative, even standing out in the drizzling rain for an hour. Well, have to see how the photos looked... Went to see The Rolling Stones with my mates Wilf Wright and Barry Drinkwater at the O2 Arena. I wasn't really in the mood for rock and roll, which was a good thing as they were as far removed from rock and roll as possible. They were dire - words fail me... Mick Jagger tried hard and worked the stage but the sound was terrible, the lights production were a cross between an MTV video and a Las Vegas revue. There was no camaraderie on stage, it was lifeless. A bit like an old folks fashion show - there seemed to be more costume changes than in a Madonna concert... The best song was James Brown's I'll Go Crazy, they butchered their own songs. It reminded me of a pub singalong on New Years Eve, dreadful. And the crowd was like being stuck with 22,000 bank managers on a night out. It was fucking awful. Barry and I looked at the t-shirts - even they were dull with no imagination, mostly of the tongue logo with some poor canvas prints of the albums covers for extortionate prices. The Stones like to fleece you - "I Know It's Only Rock'n'roll but We'll Fleece You..." Saw Luke "Lucifer" Morley with his harem of women, he thought the sound was crap as well. My friend Gordon was there. All he said was 'Rock is dead, oh my god', and he loves the Stones. I liked the venue - very easy to find everything and the staff were nice and helpful. The best part of the evening was driving across London through the city and along the Thames. I love that view of London. For all my travelling I am still a Londoner... August 20
Easy girls - THE CAVEMAN is here... See more... August 14Frankfurt is warm. Connect to London which is raining and humid. In a way I don't mind at all. Oddly Los Angeles seems to be weeks ago. Off to do some laundry... The rest of the USA shots are up now. Go there... August 13
Flew home tonight via Frankfurt, a much later flight than usual so shot a bit of the sky at the end of the day. I cannot explain why I like the sky. I just do - it makes me think pleasant thoughts and nothing is more beautiful. 
 More of these going up tomorrow. More Metallica, this time from their Spanish show. See more... 
 August 11
Anyway LA is nice and sunny and hot. Got a surprise today when the staff at the Sunset Marquis Hotel gave me a huge cake, and champagne, plus rather a lot of balloons. I felt like I was five not fifty. They made sure to do this in front of all the hotel guests lying by the pool. Yuk - it was embarrassing but nice... Various friends rang and offered condolences - Phil Collen and Joe Elliott (just before going on stage in Boston), Jimmy Page from London, Steven Tyler at the pool, John Bionelli from his health club and Peter Makowski from room 115. The Mars Volta sent me a vintage bottle of red wine. Had dinner at Ago and thank god no one got me a cake - I hate it when people sing happy birthday in a restaurant. Okay, I did get a little cake. Randle Feagin flew in his private jet from Jackson Hole. I enjoyed it and had the good sense to leave before midnight. Got two guitars sent to me. Ted Kornblum gave me a Dan Armstrong plexiglass and Pat Foley a Gibson Melody Maker. Now I just have to get them home... August 10Got my photos back from customs which, to be honest, was suprising. They even delivered them for $30 - I was amazed. Met up with Tom Jerman, a designer, who I've given some ideas for a couple of projects. Went shopping but my heart wasn't in it. I went to Ameoba and bought nothing... Steven Tyler rang and wished me a happy birthday. Well, it's tomorrow but it's the thought that counts. Met up with him in the hotel bar. Had a nice time. Peter and Steven even discussed the bad old days - or the good old days, depending how you look at it. Al Jourgenson was in the bar looking like the Orson Welles of industrial goth. He'd been drinking red wine since 10 am - he was drinking it for breakfast on the hotel patio. Deep Purple arrived today. Ian Gillan looked very healthy. Peter thinks he hates him. He thinks all the members and ex-members of Deep Purple hate him. In fact, I know all the members of Deep Purple hate him... Kevin Shirley sent me a text telling me that Steve Harris loves me - at my great age it's nice to know someone does.. August 9Woke up at 3am and to my horror realised I'd left a tube full of photos I needed at customs when I landed, and I remembered I'd thrown away my baggage tags. Lay awake pondering this dealing with US customs. Also thought about a feature in The Guardian on religion - the Neturei Karta Orthodox sect which believes that homosexuals can be cured by medication. No wonder there are wars... Peter Makowski tells me we were both scared of flying - drunks always have excuses. We both wanted to get wasted that's all - unfortunately it went on for twenty years. Look, I'm no prude, there is a time and a place for it - Lars and I destroying Lisbon or Kevin THE CAVEMAN Shirley destroying everyday to hide from Jesus and his new wife's christian fundamentalist church - hallelujah. Oh well, it's 7am and the sun is still shining... Just added some Metallica from the show in Brussels. See more... 
 August 8Got up at 4am - off to Heathrow with my "LOVING" son who has had about two hours sleep, with an attitude 'You can't tell me what to do...' Took a 6.25am flight to Frankfurt to fly on Lufthansa to Los Angeles. I'd figured out the first flight to LA is via Frankfurt. Took off to stunning morning light. I was too lazy to shoot it which I regretted later. My loving child wanted to drink, whisky and coke and later cognac. I looked at him and thought in the old days I was way worse. I used to justify drinking by convincing myself I was scared of flying - I'm not. Flying and drinking (which I did in my twenties and is not anything to be proud of) obliterated my thought process, as in real thinking. There is nothing worse than watching and listening to a drunk... In Uncut is a boring feature on Steve Albini (producer and failed guitar player) who says Jimmy Page and Robert Plant live like pre-revolutionary French royalty. Ummmm... I can attest to the fact Jimmy doesn't, although Albini's right that not many people say "NO" to them. Peter Makowski, sitting next to my alcoholically-influenced son, tells me Steve Albini is an arrogant wanker. Peter then tells me he'd had a fight with him - beware the Polish mafia. Get in to Los Angeles right behind an Air China flight, full of non-English speaking Chinese who have to clear customs in front of us. Two and a half hours later we get through - one of the great joys of travel. Still the sun is shining - mustn't complain... Here are some pictures from a recent session with Jimmy Page. See more... 
And some new Mars Volta. See more... 
August 7
Speaking of lying by the pool, I'm off to Los Angeles to do just that tomorrow.
Here are some pictures from Hong Kong and Macau. See more... 
 August 6Looked at the new Mojo and saw this in the intro which I hadn't noticed. I have no idea where the photo comes from - and Sav looks gay. Come to think of it, he is gay. He spends all day ogling footballers... And here is Johny Marr's HMV ad and feature. 
Some travel photos from last week. See more... 
Girl on the ferry in Hong Kong 
 August 3Got home this morning. I was on my own and it was too much hard work in 48c heat. I just was melting all over my cameras. My idea of travel is it's fun without the pressure of the usual stuff I do. Next time I'll get a car and a driver... So, after cooking for a couple of days came home. Picked up some magazines. The new cover of Q done by me with some of my "BEST FRIENDS" all shot together... Okay I did shoot all of it, but it was done over a couple of months.
Thought I'd write something on the Q cover Guitar Heroes issue and how it was done. Edge was shot in Dublin. He was very professional, turned up a half hour late, apologised and stayed on to make up the time. He asked if I'd ever shot them early on. I told him I'd discovered America and toured with Rush, ACDC, UFO, Ozzy, Aerosmith and that ilk. I liked Edge a lot. The U2 camp is like being in the army, it's run with military precision. Jack White was in Nashville and we shot at 9am - he's got a daughter so he's up early. Jimmy Page was in Fulham on the hottest day of the year. I shot quite a lot that wasn't used. Johnny Marr was in sunny Manchester (look at the sky on the inside spread). I'd never met him, he was a good bloke - as they say in ancient Rome. We talked about Rory Gallagher and how he acted towards people, always gracious. Slash was in LA, at the bar of the Sunset Marquis Hotel. He did the interview sitting under giant prints of himself. Matt Bellamy was at the Soho Hotel in London. Terry Hall (Matt's sexy PR) told me I had 15 minutes in a tiny bedroom, with the backdrop taking up the whole room. Steve Peck from Q stepped in and stretched it to 45 minutes while Terry chain-smoked and wouldn't stop talking inbetween blowing smoke all over the room. Dave Grohl was in Los Angeles. Diamond Dave was so hyper. I was useless, not focused, shot in the evening while I was so jetlagged - I just wanted to go to bed.. At the end of the day I think it worked out well. The Master can still work well, even when half asleep. Joe Perry was in London inbetween taking a nap and eating at Nobu with Jimmy Page. I like it - I think it works very well...
Keith from the new issue of Mojo, and Metallica from This Is Rock in Spain... August 2Went out for a bit to shoot. The problem here is that the city has built up so fast that the roads can't deal with the traffic. It's like London or LA on a Friday rush hour all the time. It takes forever to go a mile. I intend to just go walking and shooting later today. The other thing is it's a bit hot - 48c, whatever that is. I won't go on, better warm than raining and damp, or snowing. I can't imagine what it must have been like years ago before AC was invented - or being a knight in full armour on the crusades... August 1Spent yesterday travelling. Macau ferry terminal is fun, no fucker spoke English, they just wave you away. I started to miss the Japanese - at least they're polite and try to be helpful. The Chinese don't give a shit, it's a bit like being in England. Took the dawn ferry to Hong Kong. Met my friend Richard who got me to the airport. He suggested I check my bags in at Hong Kong station. I was dubious but have to say it was easy. Every airline is there and it's quicker than the airport and less stressful, you walk off the train and are there. Beats Heathrow, no lifts or stairs, plenty of trollies that work smoothly - you grab your trolley and glide up an ascending ramp to departures. Why is it that at Heathrow and Gatwick the trollies are broken or one of the wheels always sticks? Nothing in England is smooth... It's relaxed going through security without the terrorist threat. Flew south to Singapore, shot the huge white clouds in the vibrant blue sky. I love going through Singapore seeing the giant oil tankers in the sea, looking like an armada. Strange how I've never been in Singapore only connected through it, many times. As I flew over Thailand the sky became grey with thick black cloud, it looked as if black mountains were sticking through the clouds. Clouds make me dream and think, hard to explain it - I love looking at the sky and I enjoy flying across Asia. Flew on across India which had a typhoon in the eastern part, bumpy ride and nothing but slate grey sky. I'm in Dubai for a couple of days to break up the journey. It is hot with that warm smell you only get in the middle east. Will try to take some photos. I've decided to publish some limited edition books of travel photos which will be signed and numbered. I'll put up more details soon... Saw a sad and poignant program on The Discovery Channel, The Girl Who Lived In The Dark (I think that's what it's called). The story of a young Chinese girl living in a small village in the mountains of China who had cancer of the face. She died a few months after the programme was made. The one thing which stood out was no matter how ill or deformed she was, she always looked smart in a bright red coat with a white leopard collar - made me think how trival the things we moan about are... Here are some more of my recent Metallica pictures. See more... 
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