December 29Had a couple of days doing nothing - really relaxing. Have to say the hotel is great, it was so relaxing I only took a few photos. A big thank you to George Cohen and staff for a fantastic time. I am actually sad to go. Off to Cape Town tonight where I shall try to do some form of photography... December 27Woke up today still thinking yesterday was strange. But I'm glad I went and saw the real world. Off to the pool... December 26It's Boxing day here, same as in England. Went to Nelson Mandela square to hang out and meet a few of the ethnic locals. The square was a huge shopping mall (with a massive statue of Nelson), full of white people. Shaka Zulu was not to be found. I ended up in a cd shop (of course) which was blasting Journey at full volume. The guy working in the shop told me that Jouney are huge down here and have never been on tour. He said they'd sell out if they toured. Must tell Neal Schon. Spent the day relaxing, then late afternoon decided to visit reality, and to photograph Soweto. On the way photographed some beautifully manicured trees. I mean they were perfect. They were so nice they looked unreal. Started off on the outskirts. This consisted of flat houses interspersed with shipping containers, which are the local shops. My guide, Ompah, wanted us to see a Shebeen (which is a Zulu pub), so off Will and I went to his uncle's, which was in the back of a house. Everyone in it was drunk, I mean very drunk. 'Don't worry, ' said Ompah, 'it's Boxing Day, they're relaxing.' At this point a big black woman with no bra on decided to rub against me, hugging me and sticking her tongue in my ear, wispering 'You buy me beer, I will be good to you.' Ompah literally pulls her off me. Meanwhile Will is having a civilised conversation with the uncle. We leave (thank God - it is funny how you find God when panicked) to go into a market near a bus station. Where we were was bad, but it looked like Knightsbridge compared to where we ended up.It was teeming with people and apart from the children everyone was in a even worse condition, drinking and falling down. We both had someone We end up on a road at sunset overlooking at a shanty town. The roofs of the houses are held on with huge rocks and tires. I found it less intimidating than where we were and this was clearly extreme poverty. A little girl came up to me doing a dance, laughing. Ompah explained this was a traditional Zulu dance. I shoot a boy sitting at dusk on a guard rail, looking tranquil. I give Ompah my Randy Rhodes t-shirt and try to explain who he is. He's glad to have it and puts it on. Noticed in all of this poverty everywhere were Churches of all faiths, apart from the chosen race. To be honest we were both glad to be out of there. In three hours we didn't see another white or sober person. I am not being racist, this is true. Then to the ridiculous. The hotel have sent us to the Montecasino for dinner, "because we looked bored". It looked like Las Vegas except as you go in you are searched and have to hand in any guns for safe keeping. I mean it's not illegal to have them, just don't use them in the casino. It was like Disneyland for white people. It was ludricous compared to where we'd been today. Ended the evening back in The Saxon sipping cocktails with the Cohens in South Africa's finest hotel. William Nash entertained us with misty-eyed tales of Boxing Day fox hunting, and how his naked bottom appared in a Rupert Everett film. And I entertained them with tales of why all bands are self-obsessed and are not your friends. A Boxing Day of many contrasts... December 25
Greetings from somewhere warm - in the southern hemisphere.
I spoke to Peter, he'd seen his card. 'Do we look gay?' I asked. 'No, we look like two sex tourists.' I spent Christmas afternoon shooting a huge cloud with thunder coming through it. James Brown has died. I think he thought he was the black Jesus. He liked to be called Mr Brown - when I photographed him, I had to call him Mr.Brown. I'm glad I shot him. I remember going into his dressing room at the House Of Blues in LA with Slash, Joe Perry and Jimmy Page. Mr. Brown was "entertaining a lady". He ignored us, until his manager insisted on introducing us. I got one snapshot, then Mr Brown turned his back on us and carried on entertaining - praise the lord! Here's a Christmas message from my old friend Chris in the deep south (Richmond, Virginia) - at least he's worried about me in the South African 'hood.
Spent Christmas night having an extremely civilised meal of wild game with my good friend Will I Am Nash. I am toying with the idea of going to Rorkes Drift, to see the battlefield where we defeated the Zulus. It's a four and a half hour drive away - I'll probably go shopping. December 24I am in South Africa at an amazing hotel called The Saxon (if you're really interested www.thesaxon.com). It was someone's house and has been converted into a hotel full of tasteful African art. I spent this afternoon trying to photograph Koi fish - some were huge. They reminded me of a genectic experiment gone wrong in a science fiction film. I found them fascinating - spent hours watching them. Perhaps I was over-tired, or it was jetlag... Spent Christmas Eve eating a huge meal with the hotel manager George Cohen and his family. Finished off watching and listening to a huge thunder storm. Funny, last year I was in Cambodia - this is a vast difference. Here's another letter with my reply. What am I supposed to do? People baffle me.
Holy cow... Nice and cheap - I thought you'd pay at least $1,000 Merry Christmas (and you know I mean that) Ross December 23It is freezing in England, in a kind of nice way. Sunny and crisp - reminds me of Japan. I had a quick lunch yesterday with Kevin Westerberg. It's funny hearing another photographer with the same problems I have. Everybody likes you and can we have your photos for free. I should change that a bit - everybody likes him, me hmmmmm... I'm sure there'd be some people happy if I got hit by a bus. Nice to see him. Went out last night with Gordon Gheller, it was like Siberia - biting cold. Gordon had a PR with him (Martin Klipp) who asked if I knew three people he worked with on events. Two were photographers (who I wouldn't call photographers - one who I won't name has a website and tries to write a diary, I mean, I could name him but l wouldn't call what he does photography) and a PR I try to avoid. I started to tell him what I thought, then thought fuck it - he lives in this world of parties and 'let's get a snap with so and so' and if he believes this is photography, who am I to correct him? He even asked If I was in the music business and did I know these great photographers. 'Unfortunately,' I replied. 'Oh, what do you do?' 'Try and get paid by people...' Drove home, lots of police, and drunk people staggering and crawling around the streets. I mean, why would you want to do this? I must ask Paul Brannigan (when he sobers up in the New Year), he does this everyday. I'm reading a book I recommend called The Wild Girl by Jim Fergus. It's fiction about the Southwest, and I don't mean Wimbledon. I'm going to try Everything Is Illuminated next. Got a couple of presents from my Japanese Santa. A 7-inch single, white label promo for the Heavy Metal Kids - She's No Angel. And a box of cds called The Who Box, again a promo copy. It has every Who cd in the original artwork, including the Tommy and Quadrophenia soundtracks, plus Exciting and I'm A Boy Japanese LP's - very nice. Off to South Africa tonight. I'm going hunting - hunting humans... The cab driver taking me to the airport asks if I'm spending Christmas with the family (he boringly tells me all about what he's doing). 'No, I'm lucky, apart from my son mine are all dead.' I'm flying South African Airways from Terminal 1 - it is chaos because of the last few days of fog. I queue up in the line for security. 'You can't take your paper unless it fits in your bag.' How stupid, I mean, 'Fuck you too, and Merry Christmas...' Jolly old England. Airport security are so mindless... December 22Billy Bob Thornton called me this morning. I was thrown by the time difference. Billy was in Los Angeles in the studio working - he told me he's in a weird time zone, working all night, sleeping all day. He called to say how much he liked the photos I'd done in LA, which, let me tell you is unusual and nice - no band member ever calls and thanks you. They get the management to call and moan or knock you down, or they want something fornothing. Trust me, I've been getting 'We love your work but have no budget,' or 'They're going through a divorce and are budget conscious', while they fly around in a private jet. I've been dealing with a big American band whose manager pleads poverty, while trying to get me to shoot the European tour next year for nothing. It's galling listening to this crap. Billy has asked if I'd like to shoot some photos on his new movie set in Miami next March and April - yes I'd love to... Peter Makowski is still here, treating my home like a five year old would (bear in mind he's well over fifty). He put a oily chutney sauce with his takeaway curry on my Balinese antique table leaving a huge stain I can't remove, saying 'Stop being so anal.' He has no interest in these things, doesn't appreciate them. I'm writing this staring at it now - I'm not happy... And here's an email from Joe Elliott
December 21I have been getting mail from this Roth Army Forums Mailer. For the record I didn't write any of the below. Whatever MORON is doing this must be retarded plus they can't speak for themselves...
Some pictures of Metallica I like. I get asked which I like all the time - and there was a period where I enjoyed shooting them.
I refer back to my diary, December 17 paragraph 3...
Well MJ, if you used your brain - I presume you have one? Go to Sales, it will give you print prices and you can request the print you would like - see, it's not that hard to make a living... December 20Peter Makowski has materialised on my door step like something from the poorhouse in a Dickens novel. He's looking like Bill Sykes, minus Bullseye. He wanted to watch Kissology then told me how they never sounded as good as they looked, while Alice Cooper always sounded as good as he looked. He murdered the first album in Sounds magazine and felt guilty for years after and claims he feels truly vindicated after watching this. Strange then, how he was singing along to most of the songs and wanted to watch all of it... He christened it Shitology. We followed it with a disturbing film called Rampo Noir, a Japanese art film which was more pornographic than art - it helped Peter recover from Kiss. We both woke up having nightmares - but I'd be happy to have Koyuki tie me up and torture me, cutting bits of me and licking it off... December 19Went into London and visited Danielstein (with hatred in my heart). Dan looked flushed and nervous. 'Ummmm, are you staying long?' he blurted out. 'Why Danielstein, is your mummy coming to take you shopping?' 'Er no, the paranoid print dealer Raj Prem is coming for lunch with Terry O'Neil'. 'Great, I like Terry, I'll stop and say hello'. 'Look, I'm buying lunch, well Raj might (if it's cheap and a curry), and we didn't budget for you'. I borrow £10 off him for a cab - he looks red-faced but happy as I leave. He didn't even wish me a happy Hanukkah. I still can't work out if Danielstein and I are friends - in Danielstein's mind I'm not even a REAL photographer.
December 18Here is a bit more mail I've had re Van Halen. I'm also getting stuff from the Roth Army Forum. I hope they don't reform - just to teach all of you sad people a lesson. Who do you think I am, Santa Claus, with glad tidings for the New Year? I did hear John Rutsey is rejoining Rush for their next summer tour... Here's some bits from another example.
I am not even laughing. How old are you - fifteen?
I suggest you see a therapist...
I can't imagine why... December 17Peter Makowski phoned me, telling me I should be more positive and full of joy as it's Christmas (I thought he'd stopped doing drugs years ago). He even called me Steve Gett, a writer (and I'm being kind here) who would go on Funnily enough I got a mail from Steve Gett last week. He's now a successful wine merchant in New York - toasting us from his Long Island chateau... Had a lot of mail asking which prints you can buy. I sell prints of most of the pictures you see on the site. Email me and I'll see if I have it. I'm staying in with my bad karma to watch Jason Statham in Wank or Crank - dvd gift from Peter. He'd also sent me a Takashi Mike film about a Japanese prostitute with a baby growing out of the side of her head - and he thinks I should be worried about karma? Oh yes, before I forget - fuck Christmas. I hate it... December 15I spent the evening watching six hours of vintage Kiss on the Kissology dvd Vol 1. The best bit is the English So It Goes TV show presented by Tony Wilson who went straight from Gene and Paul to New Order. It wasn't up to the standard of the Led Zeppelin dvd (the footage could have been cleaned up), but I'm sure Gene thinks it's as good as the Beatles and better than Led Zeppelin... But I know for a fact John Bionelli has a leather codpiece which he claims is bigger than Gene's. John told me he wears it on days off and sometimes puts it on at Aerosmith shows as a lucky talisman. Peter Makowski has called me, telling me my Van Halen comments are grovelling and drivel. Peter, you were not there and the cradle will rock. Much more than rubbish like The Only Ones - another of Peter's champion bands who never went anywhere past Kings Cross toilets. Here are a couple of emails I've received (with my replies), typical of the hundreds I get every day. And you wonder why I get angry...
Thanks Jane, that's a really big clue. I'll look through my 500,000 slides of them and see if anything rings a bell - and I'll start on the 250,000 bw negs straight after. And hopefully you'll buy a print
If you send me $1,000,000, in used bills I'll tell you... This retard isn't even worth replying to...
December 14Had a disconcerting flight, loads of turbulence. People screaming at one point - what good's that going to do? Is God going to go 'Oh, I'll level off the plane.' To top it off we circled at Heathrow for an hour, which made me travel sick. Get home to find my son (who'd been looking after my house) has used every dish, knife, fork, spoon and cup and left them unwashed in the sink. It reminded me of when Matt Kent used to stay - why wash a cup when you can use every one? Yuk, nice to be home... Strange how people are. Danielstein Hay emailed me begging me too sell a couple of RHCPs photos cheap to one of his special clients for Christmas. He even agreed a price with them (without asking me). When I said NO Danielstein started throwing all his toys out of his Solid Gold Jewel Encrusted Pram. Well, he raised his voice, thinking I would capitulate - he even said 'Don't you need money?'. I'm not one of Dan's servants like his other clients, and I did hear Raj Prem, his best mate and curry partner, gave Dan a tune up about his miserly ways. I wonder if Dan's still taking Raj on his Indian honeymoon. The point being, I can't stand people pleading poverty, especially rich people... Heres an email from Chris Charlesworth. re: The only bands who were big (in Japan) were Deep Purple and Aerosmith (diary December 9)
December 13Had a good time, I think - I don't remember leaving last night. I think The CAVEMAN ended up in the sea being baptised by Martine. I have a horrible feeling I may have praised the Lord and converted to Jesus as well... Anyway, my head hurts this morning and I have to work - and then fly home. Shoot Mario Balti, famous chef at the Sunset Marquis Hotel, in the construction area of the hotel's new restaurant. Mario has a custom $6,000 watch designed just for him. I try to talk him into giving me one. Head off to meet up with Edward Van Halen. It is hot today and I'm in black which doesn't help my thumping head. I feel like I'm being cooked in the sun - tortured... Edward is in a great mood, he's easy to work with. And I'm not saying who or what I shot, but I will tell you Edward played a couple of cds which I thought were from 1978 (it was from two days ago) of Van Halen rehearsing with Wolfgang Van Halen on bass. It was jaw-droppingly amazing. They played On Fire, I'm The One, Atomic Punk. I'm not listing the rest, but I will tell you the band sounded untouchable. On Jamie's Crying they did a long bass-lead jam on the intro - the band rocked. I don't like that word (too American) but the band rock - really rock. It was as exciting as the first time I saw them. They will come back and destroy the world. One of the tightest, freshest sounding groups ever. I want to go and play the first album as soon as I get home. Had a blast listening to them, it made me remember why I liked music in the first place. Having Edward's son on bass has rejuvenated them. They were rehearsing later that afternoon. I was invited - I wish I was staying... Got to LAX and got moved to the front of the plane. I was going to shoot the night sky, but couldn't get motivated. I'm still feeling ill - I should have stayed and watched Van Halen. Bumpy flight, I write this over the Green Mountain Reservoir above the Denver Rocky Mountains. We start to be thrown all over the place... 
 Some new pictures of Van Halen - Vintage Van Halen... See more Van Halen...
 Some Travel pictures. See more Travel... December 12Wow! I wake up at 2am then 6am - must be getting over jetlag... Baron Wolman, godfather of music photography, is having a gallery opening in Santa Fe. He tempts me to come to it by promising me a date with Ali McGraw, who was one of my fantasies when I was fourteen. Baron tells me Dave Brolan is giving a reading of Irish Poetry and singing some Pogues songs. I'm shooting Van Halen again tomorrow so I'd better start thinking about doing some work - what backdrops, lighting etc? Got this email about yesterday's entry
Well, looks like I'm wrong. It was far-fetched enough to be by Ayn Rand. When am I going to post Van Halen? When I feel like it... Went out to see Kevin Shirley's new $12.5 million beach front cottage in Malibu. I thought it'd be at the end of Sunset, where Malibu begins. The CAVEMAN didn't tell me it's nearly in San Francisco. Okay, that might be a slight exaggeration, but it was miles away. It was very peaceful with the sea at the door, and I'd forgotten just how nice the sea can smell. It had a nice vibe - if you like the feeling of being stranded on a desert island. There were two places to eat in seventy miles. I'll take West Hollywood any day... I met Kevin's new bride, Devon, who was very sweet. The CAVEMAN also had Martine, a Dutch missonary, staying with him. Martine asked if I still loved Jesus. I said I love everybody, particularly Gong Li and Maggie Chung. 'Do they follow the Lord?' he asked as he opened several bottles of red wine explaining 'It's the Lord's grape'. I took some photos of the happy couple as Martine blessed them and quaffed copious amounts of the grape. 'Hallelujah' he shouted in between glasses. The CAVEMAN joined in, not shouting but guzzling the Lord's grape. As Martine chanted more of the good book I headed back to the evil that is Hollywood... Mr and Mrs Caveman were having a reception at Moonshadows, Mel Gibson's restaurant where he blamed everything on my dad's race. It was a charming affair with wonderful food and the sea in the background. Martine got to his now unsteady feet and insisted on blessing the restaurant. I can't listen to more of this - I need a drink... December 11A nice day, warm. It's nice here in the sun. Still got cold in the evening. Went to see Mel Gibson's new holocaust movie, Apocalypto. I don't know if that's even a real word. All spoken in Mayen with subtitles and that dreadful pipe music you see Peruvians playing in high streets all over Europe. You could tell the bad guys because had more tattoos and more piercings. In fact they looked like the ancestors of the bad guys from the second Mad Max film. It looked good, everyone with rotting teeth except the hero and his wife. Lots of beheading and hearts being ripped out. Maybe the dvd will have some extra beheading although it might be hard to surpass the killing in the film. It was a gorefest dressed up as history. The ending had a Hollywood feel good factor, of course. I still prefer 2046... Ran into Billy Gibbons in the hotel lobby, we sat in the bar discussing Africa of all things... Had some server problems over the last few days which meant some of the diary went missing. If you're interested there have been some additions back to December 9. December 10As usual I'm awake at 3am, 4am, and give up and get up at 5am. Shoot the moon with the dawn light. Rock and Roll John Bionelli has been writing all about his and Joe's adventures with the greatest rock and roll band in the world. Hint - it's not Aerosmith. He's been having a rock and roll party with The Who. You can read all about on the Aeroforceone website. John manages to spell his old mates Roger and Pete's names wrongly. He wouldn't do it if it was Gene and Paul. John should hang his head in shame or at least be stoned to death... Went to Amoeba Records, found a nice copy of Who/Hendrix Backtrack 3 on Track Records - I was very happy. Took my camera to Runyon Canyon,. Strange light - I think I got a good shot of the Hollywood sign. Shot trees etc. Not what I wanted but productive anyway... Went to see The Fountain. It has Rachel Weisz and Hugh Jackman with designer stubble. The early part where he's a conquistador fighting the Mayans is well done, but then it gets too nice - as in all the people are too likeable. I think this was a book by Ayn Rand. Then again I could be wrong. Ended up chatting to Jack White in the hotel bar. He asked me if I live in the hotel.. I had an email about the Thin Lizzy page not working properly. Well that's now been fixed. December 9
Looking forward to the weather - it's cold in England. Here are a couple of Japanese covers - RHCP and Green Day.
Here's an email from Joel. He has a point, but he's wrong - enjoy your three songs Joel...
I thought I'd get up early today, leave home by 8am. I couldn't sleep, looked at my alarm at 4am then woke up 7.50. So much for having a wander around Heathrow's shops. Don't even have time for grabbing my book on clouds. I end up with the new Classic Rock and The Word - I did have Uncut but my son stole it. The security is stupid - no common sense. One bag etc. So I have a camera bag packed with stuff which means you can't find anything and it's all got to come out at the gate. The stupid thing is that anywhere else you can have two bags - travel used to be fun... My flight is full, I'm in the middle and it's packed. The pilot informs us that with cargo we are laden to maximum limit, which means because of head winds we are going to take thirteen hours instead of ten. I consider getting off at the point before the door closes, saying I'm unwell... Fly off from a sunny crisp English day - over Iceland dense clouds. A blanket of grey. The plane feels like a big hand or foot is on top of it pushing it back - remember we are flying at five hundred miles an hour on a 777 aircraft. I watch the engine bounce up and down and wonder if anyone will miss me if it falls apart My mind's working overtime... Read the papers. In the Guardian is a feature on Greg Dulli and Mark Lanegan, headlined "Can they be any more rock and roll?" It's all the reformed junkie glory with an air of menace. Mark Lanegan is not menacing or tough. I shot him once in Seattle while he was in the Screaming Trees. The band turned up, we couldn't find him - he turned up two hours later looking smacked out, dull, lifeless. Chain-smoking while his band looked embarrassed. I must have exchanged two words with him - 'Hello' and 'Goodbye.' I was meant to shoot The Screaming Trees again in London, off Regent street. The band arrived with no Mark. 'Ohhhh he'll be here soon,' said his PR, 'he's just seeing friends in Kings Cross.' He never turned up. Kings Cross is the main area in London to score heroin. Wow, he's tough, really rock and roll. Funny, all the bands from Seattle we're like this. Soundgarden used to turn nasty when they drank and smash up hotel rooms. I was with Chris Cornell once in Paris having a good time, when for no reason he picked up a lamp and threw it through the hotel window. I watched them disintegrate in Australia, everything is good but they wallowed in misery. Just like Pearl Jam. No funnnnnn, with more rules than the army. Dave Grohl asked why I never shot Nirvana - why bother, they were already big and I knew it would be grief? He said I was right. Also in the paper is a Q and A with Pete Doherty deploring narcolepsy, after a career promoting it. I wish he'd do us all a favour and die. I spent most of the 80's taking drugs - lots. I remember having a good time. Everyone I knew indulged. You grow out of it or die or become a victim pining for the good old days. Well the good old days were good because the're gone. I think this was in a Loudon Wainwright song. And it's true, for all my moaning Lars Ulrich and I had a good time back then. But you have to know when the day is gone long gone... Read the new Classic Rock. Geoff Barton's feature on Iron Maiden reads like a fanzine written by a gushing fan - he's turning into Gary Bushell. The trip was awful, with a bullying Rod Smallwood sulking like a child when he couldn't get his own way. Geoff said at the time 'Do the fans really care?' Well Geoff, yes, you're not writing for teenagers. The people who buy the magazine are twenty to fifty five if you look at the letters page. When I started on Sounds it was good because all the writers wrote about what went on. No one cared what the band or the management thought. Pete Makowski's review of SAHB is equal rubbish. No wonder Mojo is viewed as the magazine bands want to be in. Oh and Bruce Dickinson tells Geoff grunge was big in Japan. No it wasn't, Pearl Jam went once at the time and played a small hall, and Soundgardan did the same. In Japan Seattle never happened. The only bands who were ever big were Deep Purple and Aerosmith. Well Bon Jovi, but you can't class them as a band... Tried to read the Word. It's bollocks, full of bands whose PRs are friendly with Mark Ellen (elitist editor, who started Q). Written for people who've never been to a show - bank managers and Tony Blair (Mark's best mate). I finish writing this moan and groan (look, I can moan and groan, it's my website!) over Reno. Home to real rock royalty Sir David Coverdale who's been voted best dvd in the Classic Rock poll. Whitesnake's is good but Free should have won it - that's my vote. The Iron Maiden cd is best album of the year - what a surprise, they've got a new cd single out in two hundred formats and are playing Earl's Court. I'll take The Who and The Mars Volta albums. I wonder who voted - the staff? Looking forward to flying into LA, one of my favourite views in the late afternoon... Finally landed at 4pm - two hours late. Travel in with Diamond Dave, who is a tourist, even taking pictures of Larry Flynt's office. The hotel is full. The Foo Fighters and Raconteurs are there and even Lars Ulrich, who is hidden away in a villa with his bodyguard. I don't even see my old mate - I was looking forward to a rock and roll party... December 8
Got sent this from South America - looks like Aerosmith might be charged with murder...
$50 Don Burnsteine called, relaxing by the pool in his spiritual homeland. 'Are you in Israel?' 'No, I'm in Miami.' Donald is not very happy with me. 'Honestly, I told the paper you gave me the nickname,' he said. I think he is secretly quite proud of his name. We agreed to make up over toro at Nobu. December 7I had a mail from Lyle in Chicago who asks about shooting live. He points out Bob Seger will only let you shoot one and a half songs from several miles away. Well what can I offer - condolences? All bands now want control, and with digital any moron can shoot live. The Spin editor is wrong, any fool can take a live photo with a flash just aim and press the button. The trick is to take GOOD live photos, which is nigh on impossible with just three songs. You get security like a herd of cattle in your way scowling - it has become a fucking joke.
I can only think of a few good live photographers Neil Zlozower (who is a GREAT concert photographer), Tony Wollonscroft, Mick Hutson, Michael Johannson and Kevin Mazur (who gets good access because he owns the paparazzi agency, but is still a good live photographer). The rest of the people I see shooting are amateurs. They haven't got a fucking clue how to capture the atmosphere of a show. Then again, Bob Seger, how old is he - a hundred and two? Plus he's fat and looks like the audience he plays to. I get told I'm a okay live photographer, I'd rather be a good travel photographer. The art of shooting live is dead, it has become a disposable image to illustrate what? Magazines don't give a shit as long as it's sharp, not exactly hard now as everyone uses autofocus cameras. Here are a few things which stick in my memory... Bob Dylan at Wembley Stadium in the late 70's - you were allowed to shoot one frame. Each photographer had security checking this. Look, it's all bollocks really, what happens when you get no access and a song and the photo is shit. Whose fault is it? The artist, the manager, the PRs? Noooooooooooooo - it's yours...! Brian Wheat called me last night from El Paso Texas, to see if I still like him and to tell me Tesla are making a covers record. God, just what the world needs. They are doing Rock Bottom (a boorish UFO song), Thank You by Led Someone, Stealin' by Uriah Heep and a Beatles song amongst others - can't wait. 'You'll love it.' Brian exclaims. 'It's the 70's.' It is - ruined... Saw the Las Vegas paper with a feature all about the biggest miser in the music industry, $50 Don Burnsteine. He relates wonderful stories of lunch with Jimmy Page, and how his nom de plume came about (it was by me, he fails to relate this bit) due to the fact he told his bosses they pay too much for photos and how he was going to put a stop to it. Donald claims he sent out an email as a joke to photographers like me. That's strange Donald because I remember a conversation where you and I had "WORDS" as they say over this - and I told Donald where to go - and I made up the $50 nickname. It must be said we have made up over several dinners at Nobu with of course $50s "BEST" friend, Jimmy Page... A friend sent me Phil Mogg drunk on You Tube - must watch it... December 6I watched a film I've had for ages, Takashi Miike's Full Metal Yakuza. It is so ludicrous it should win an award. The story is the Yakuza version of Frankenstein, with a giant chinpoko. Lucifer Morley, a kind man, has sent me the new Thunder cd. I keep meaning to get the Thunder dvd from Japan. A nice day sunny, a bit like LA. Well, not really, it's freezing... December 5Had quite a few emails from America asking when my Iron Maiden book's coming out and where can you get it? It's out, I don't sell it, try Amazon...
Been listening to Cat Steven's (or Yusuf), An Other Cup. I like it although it's a bit twee. Phil Alexander was more forthright. I can't remember if he said it was crap or shit but he wasn't very keen on it. And Phil loves a bit of Cat in between listening to the whole NWOBHM catalogue and December 3Watched a Chinese film about three women, called 20-30-40, which was okay. Bought it at the Piccadilly Virgin Megastore. Which is kind of sad as it was Tower Records. I made the mistake of going up on Saturday with a million people shopping on Oxford and Regent Streets. People were spending, going mental, and the joke is that in three weeks everything will be half price. A friend emailed me, he tried to talk to Phil Mogg in the Astoria Theatre bar, before he'd gone on stage. His words were "Phil had left planet earth." Also spent Sunday evening watching Stamping Ground, a dvd of the 1970 Dutch pop festival. Pink Floyd are good, so are Santana and a stoned Canned Heat. The rest - Flock, It's A Beautiful Day, Al Stewart, The Byrds - are hippy bollocks. I heard the tour around Europe next summer is Aerosmith, Van Halen and Guns N' Roses - still promoting Chinese Takeaway. I hear you get free chow mein with every ticket and if you buy two tickets you get the special for three or four persons - really, this is true and it's honoured at every Chinese in every city they play... As it was Sunday I read Kevin "The Caveman" Shirley's diary. He was spot on about Silverchair. I was removed doing my job by their obstreperous manager John Watson. Still, I like John - haven't seen him since. John would send emails with hugely long words you had to look up. I think he was trying to get over being Australian. John, if you read this, get in touch! Kevin is off to Indiana next weekend to walk the gang plank and convert to being a born again christian - hallelujah. Kevin promises to be a sinner. As he said 'I can always repent, hallelujah.' I think the CAVEMAN needs his head examined. Photographed the full moon at twilight and my Tibetan war chest in the late afternoon sun. 
Some pictures from my shoot with Billy Bob Thornton. See more... 
 December 1Here's my new look website, it may change again and some things may not open, but it should all be together in a few days. Have a look at the Sales page, I've added a couple of new shirts - Steve Clark and Randy Rhoads... I went to a good fish restaurant/fish and chip shop in Clapham last night. Taken by William Nash who said it was the best place to get fresh fish in London, and he was right. It's called the Fishclub. Spoke to three people who went to see UFO, all fans from the '70's. Mark Blake told me Phil Mogg was so drunk on stage he was on the edge of falling, but not snotty and nasty like in the '80's. Mark thought he was very funny but not for the right reasons. Phil kept drinking during the show, ordering Red Stripe from the crowd. He said Pete Way was fat and not playing live - apparently playing along to a tape. Mark said it was so much better with Jason Bonham. Two other people said the same... My friend Nori in Japan told me Michael Schenker was playing Japan at the same time and after three songs smashed his guitar and told the crowd 'I can't play!' Stupid, all of them. The worse part is they Spent this morning re-doing the Who tour programme, adding photos for the next leg in the new year. A friend of mine, Michael, who I went to school with, ran into another boy from our school. He mentioned my name, "Oh he's a junkie and barely alive". Nice to know what I am from someone I haven't seen
I've also been out shooting London, tried to shoot going into Victoria Station.I'll put it up soon.
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Here's Joe Perry's hot sauce, using my photo
A picture of my loyal and dedicated chain-smoking assistant Kazuyo Horie. Steven Tyler is always going on about what a beautiful person she is etc - and why don't I marry her? He should wear his glasses more often. Come to think of it, Steven's single, he could marry her...
