When You’ve Gotta Go…

“We’re not there anymore, we’re in the pub” – that was the message I received from a flustered PR as I arrived to shoot a portrait of John Lydon, aka Johnny Rotten for The Independent.

John Lydon

 

Dragging my kit across two blocks to my second potential location in 5 minutes I thought my luck was in, the pub was covered in glazed tiles and bathed in glorious afternoon light.

At that moment the former Sex Pistol and his small entourage burst outside. Before I knew it I was whisked into a car and taken back to the publishers offices (potential location No.3) a sterile building with horrible fluorescent light. This was always going to be a challenge.

My natural reaction in these all too common environments is to get the subject straight outside. Not only does it look better it puts you back in charge of the shoot and I was prepared for this one to be a battle.

Mr Rotten, was in the midst of promoting a new autobiography and had a room full of books to sign that afternoon before he could go back to the pub but I remained his first chore.

ME: It’s a nice day let’s go outside.

JR: No.

ME: It’ll look better and less like you’ve taken and office job.

JR: No, I don’t care.

ME: Come on and bring your coat; I like the look of it.

JR: Why..? No.

At this point his adviser stepped in and encouraged him into a lift whilst ordering “a few Corona’s” for the book signing marathon that was about to ensue. We made our way down the the corridor and out the door. We had made it – we were outside, but there was a problem. Johnny needed a wee.

For obvious reasons we couldn’t go far, so I was faced with the outside of the same dull building that I had just escaped and the prospect of photographing a man known for his volatility and who was about to break the seal…. I got to work.

John Lydon

2 minutes later – after frantically assembling a soft box and maintaining control over a conversation discussing just how little Johnny cared about pretty much anything anymore we were done and I had some pictures.

In hindsight I think his call of nature did me a favour providing our sitter with some form of focus, I think you can almost see it in his face. I’ve photographed people in less time and I actually quite enjoyed the encounter, it’s certainly one that I won’t forget – I got the full Rotten experience. Thanks Johnny.