Gary James' Interview With Photographer
Ian Dickson





Who was around in the 1970s to capture the biggest Rock stars of the day? Ian Dickson, that's who. And he really did photograph them all!

Q - Ian, you were more or less, and probably a little bit more, in the center of the universe, England, when Beatlemania exploded. What do you remember about that time? Did people talk about The Beatles? I believe they did perform in Newcastle. Did you see them in concert?

A - I was living in Glasgow when The Beatles appeared on the scene in early 1963 and the first song I ever heard was "Twist And Shout", Lennon's primeval scream making the hairs on my neck stand up. It was just the same when I heard my first Rock 'n' Roll record, a 78 rpm of "All Shook Up" on a wind-up gramophone in one of my friend's back garden. That must have been in 1956. Yeah, those were the days. Never did get to see The Beatles, but I did eventually meet McCartney much later on.

Q - What was that like? When did you meet him? Under what circumstances?

A - July 10^th, 1973 in Newcastle. I was living in London by this time and found myself regularly making the trip back up north to the old hunting ground and this time I was on a dual assignment. I was commissioned by United Artists to photograph Brinsley Schwarz, the support act, for a 'live' album cover and by Record Mirror to cover the opening of Wings' first UK tour. Talk about a double whammy! I got my shots of Brinsley Schwarz and then went backstage for the interview with Paul and his wife Linda, the first of a few occasions where I met them. They were completely natural and down to earth and put the interviewer and myself totally at ease. They were living in Scotland at the time on the Mull Of Kintyre and during the chat, McCartney mentioned possible future film projects. When I jokingly suggested Scottish westerns, he said he'd employ me as a dialect coach. He also talked about the fall out with Lennon and the other Beatles and about possible reunions in the future, a prospect cruelly ended in New York just a few years later.

Q - Did The Beatles influence your decision in any way to pick up a camera?

A - No, not really. I didn't discover the 35mm camera 'til around 1968 or so. My dad got a job in Newcastle upon Tyne, so we were uprooted from my life and friends to Glasgow to the north-east of London in 1963. I had very little in the way of academic qualifications, and at 18 years of age I tried to get into journalism without any luck. So, I went to art college to study graphic design and typography which I was quite good at. This led to a job back in Glasgow and then another back in Newcastle. I call these my yo-yo years. It was one Friday lunchtime and I was wandering along Sunderland town center when I stopped outside a camera shop, window shopping. A Russian Zenith B camera caught my eye, particularly the price tag, which just so happened to be the amount of cash I was carrying that day. When the shop owner threw in a few rolls of film, I handed over the money and that was it. I can still recall the aroma of leather and machine oil to this day and I became hooked on photography, buying every lens and useless gizmos I could get my hands on. I even went to see Blow Up three times in one week, imagining myself as David Hemming's character. At work I spent most of my time daydreaming about how to become the next David Bailey, so much so that my bosses, seeing that my mind was elsewhere, decided that my body should be with it and sacked me. They were quite nice about it through. They gave me a month's severance pay instead of a week's and I went out and bought an old Nikon and decided to become a professional photographer the very next day. Honestly. So, I'm completely self taught and I spent the next few months exploring every avenue and meeting people connected to the profession. One such was Chris Steele-Perkins, who happened to be the in-house photographer at the University Theatre in Newcastle and when he left to join Magnum he put me forward as his replacement. In amazement, four months after an impulsive purchase of a camera, I found myself working for a professional rep company, producing front of house photo displays, actor's portfolios and press material.

Q - How did you know you'd be good at photography?

A - Working in theatre I quickly discovered I had the happy knack of classic framing, composing the shot in the viewfinder, which stood me in good stead later on. I never knew I'd be a good photographer. If I am, I started to become one through the work I did at the theatre.

Q - You didn't photograph groups at the Tyneside Theatre Company at the University Theatre in Newcastle?

A - No, not groups but stage productions from William Shakespeare to John Osborne. The University Theatre was home to the Tyneside Theatre Company and it was at a first night that I met probably the most important person in my life, a man I regard as my guardian angel.

Q - Did Bob Brown of the City Hall see your photos before asking you to photograph the acts that appeared at the Hall?

A - Upon being introduced and chatting to him for a brief moment, Bob Brown casually offered me access to the City Hall where I could come along and photograph the many Pop and Rock acts that appeared there. Equally casually, I politely replied that I might do so one day. Oh yes, I was now a theatrical luvvie and considered Pop music out of the question. I bumped into Bob a few times and each time he repeated the offer until one day he collared me in town and took my back to his office in City Hall where we indulged in a few glasses of Johnny Walker. I'm not making this up. He got me to the point where I agreed to come along that same night to photograph my first Rock act. So, I dutifully turned up that evening, nursing a mild hangover and took some rather useless shots of Rod Stewart And The Faces. Start at the top, as they say!

Q - Who else did you photograph there?

A - Around that time in the early '70s the City Hall was the major Rock venue in the north-east of England and many acts started their tours there. It was Status Quo's Francis Rossi who told me it was because of the fans at the City Hall and Bob Brown, who Rossi called "The Gov'nor" that made the north-east the start point for many tours. If a band went down well there, they would do well anywhere else. Over the next few months in 1972, I took photographs of David Bowie, Quo, Mott The Hoople, Genesis, Lindisfarne, Free, Alex Harvey, Black Sabbath, Slade, Suzi Quatro and many, many others. In a short space of time I built up an impressive portfolio and when one of the company actors invited me down to London for a visit during the summer off-season, I peddled my work around the music press. It was Gavin Petrie, the editor of Disc, who encouraged me to send down pictures from the Hall on a regular basis, which I did and soon saw my work being reproduced in music papers for the first time. In January, 1973, he phoned to ask if I could get any shots of David Bowie, who was to appear at the Hall in a few days. He told me the problem was that Bowie's manager, Tony De Fries had put a block on any unofficial photography and could I get some maybe? I went to see Bob Brown and over another few glasses of the usual he told me to come along on the night when he would give me a torch and steward arm band as a disguise. "Just be discreet," he advised and so I turned up and became a steward for the night with my Nikon tucked under my coat, out of sight. In those days there were not armies of professional security at gigs. The concerts at the Hall were marshaled by a regular group of young music fans who had come to know me well during my many visits. So, there were no problems in me getting shots, which Disc plastered all over the next issue, giving me my first scoop! See what I meant about Bob Brown being my guardian angel? I managed to discover the 35mm camera by myself, but it was Bob who showed me where to point it.

Q - What was it like to be on tour with Roxy Music in 1973? Are we talking a UK tour or a European tour?

A - Touring with Roxy was first class fun all the way. I only did the UK tours as I had commitments that meant I couldn't be away at any time, mainly because I was working with Andrew Tyler at NME (New Musical Express). Oh yes, I was aiming high.

Q - So, how much fun and money was there in Rock 'n' Roll when you started?

A - It was later that year (1973) when I took some photos of Roxy Music. Their tour manager told me they needed some badly and advised me to send what I had down to the band's management in Chelsea. This I did and a few days later their press agent, Dr. Simon Puxley phoned me and made me an offer I couldn't possibly refuse and one that enabled me to buy a second Nikon body. When he offered me the same amount to photograph the band when they finished the tour back at the Hall, I just knew I had to move to London to really progress in the music business. So, I started making preparations by finding a successor for the theatre, finding a place to stay in London, courting one of the actors and holding a giant farewell party. On the night when Roxy came back to the City Hall, I approached Hunter McDonald, the tour manager, and cheekily asked if I could hitch a ride south on the tour bus. "No problem," he said. "We leave at 9 A.M. from Gosforth Park Hotel, so be there or you'll miss us."

Q - Did you always like the people you photographed?

A - In the main, I generally liked the people I photographed, probably because quite a few were heroes of mine. There were the one or two moments where I probably rubbed someone up the wrong way or didn't click with them, pardon the pun. There was also a couple of Rock names who were distantly odd and off-putting, but I'm not naming names.

Q - These days you sell your prints in galleries and online. Where is the biggest demand coming from for your prints?

A - My Rock music photography career is most definitely in Phase Two. I photographed my last band, Budgie! back in 2006 at Concorde 2 down here in Brighton where I live, and have since concentrated on marketing my archive through agencies and art gallery outlets around the world. This has all been made possible with the advent of the world wide web, which I regard as important an invention as the wheel, and I mainly sell in the United States where they still hold on to the great Rock 'n' Roll ethos I'm happy to say. I probably make more money now than when I actually took the images in the first place, thanks to digitally scanning my archive and the internet, which makes sending images anywhere as easy as clicking a mouse. Changed days!

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