“The idea was to copy the Manet painting ‘Dejuner Sur L’Herbe. So I went off to find a bit of river in Surrey which didn’t have a council estate in the background and I eventually found this lake, with a tiny island, in a park in Reigate. I was amazed because it was almost identical to the Manet. So we set up the shoot., the band all turned up dressed in Vivienne Westwood’s pirate gear. And it was only then that I discovered that no-one had told Annabella, the singer, what the concept was: that she had to take her clothed off. She was only 14 and there she was, sitting very coyly, starkers, and at this point the entire local primary school processed past on a nature walk! Everybody loved the shots, apart from Annabella’s mother who contacted the police and I had to hand over the negatives. Well, most of them.”
– Andy Earl
Prince – Monte Carlo Sessions
Andy Earl has fond memories of this session, that happened on the rooftop of the Hotel de Paris in Monte Carlo, in 1994, which he shares with us here.
“Q magazine had been trying for 10 years to get an interview with Prince, and in May 1994 a fax arrived on headed notepaper from Paisley Park saying “Monte Carlo this week. Journalist Adrian Devoy and I arrived on Sunday, expecting to shoot Monday, but that didn’t happen. Prince was starring at the World Music Awards. We were told to be ready at any time. Constant calls came from his people saying “Maybe tomorrow.”On Wednesday we were asked to a secret Prince gig above a bar at 2am, and I was told strictly no cameras. The gig was in a tiny room, and was attended by Prince Albert and the Monaco jet set. I remember it lasted until about 4am. I managed to sneak a compact camera in my sock, so got a quick couple of ‘from the hip’ shots. The bouncers descended, and grabbed me. I pointed at the journalist said it was him and he was whisked out.
Prince’s people then suggested we do our cover shoot there and then, at 4am. This was not going to be practical, so we arranged a Friday night shoot on roof top of the Hotel de Paris in Monte Carlo. Prince arrived with enormous bouncers and his band. They were an hour late so I remember much nervous pacing around on my part. So much so that when Prince arrived, I went over to greet him, and tripped over a cable, smashing some of my lighting set up. Not a great start. There was no time to reset the lights so I decided to ‘wing it’. Just then the sun comes out. Prince saw me react excitedly and said ‘ you just got your shot’.
I smiled, he shook my hand and left. Five days and nights on standby…and a three minute photo-session!
“I’ve grown up, everyone’s got to grow up. But there’s something inside me, I’m always going to have that little sort of – how do you say? – child streak.”
– Prince
Mick Jagger
Madonna
“A play on James Dean’s Rebel Without A Cause. And in answer to the question – yes, she is really nice.”
– Andy Earl
Paul Weller
Courtney Love
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Natalie Imbruglia
“Natalie saw the Johnny Cash pictures in my portfolio and asked ‘Can I look like that?’ ‘Not a chance,’ I said – but I think she liked the with print.”
– Andy Earl
Michael Stipe
“As he jumped out of of his car at the hotel, I asked him to look straight at the setting sun.”
– Andy Earl
Paul McCartney
Annie Lennox
“Annie was lost in her own thoughts, I caught her attention and she looked up – one of my favourites.”
– Andy Earl
