David Bailey: 'I only plant the willows; fuck the oaks'
David Bailey: interview
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Interview by Michael Hodges
Posted: Wed Sep 17 2008 -
East End boy made good, photographer David Bailey created many of the iconic images of swinging ’60s London, and is one of Time Out London’s 40th birthday heroes
See all Time Out's 40th birthday London heroes
What’s it like to be a Time Out hero?
‘I’m enchanted to be here. But you could do with some pictures in here, get rid of all the ’70s shit.' Feature continuesAdvertisement
The next 40 years for London?
‘Gloomy for me. I won’t be here. It’s awful, in 29 years I’ll be 100. It’s kind of scary and you’re talking about 40 years time. I only plant the willows, fuck the oaks. I think London’s great. We got all that freedom in the ’60s and now the trouble is we don’t have the responsibility to enjoy that freedom. You get more and more cameras and you are being watched more and more and all the cameras do is watch us; they don’t prevent crime. There’s just as much crime but now it's on film. The whole things on the edge of collapse isn’t it?’
Do you have heroes?
‘Picasso is my all-time hero and people like Cartier Bresson and Robert Frank. My two favourite politicians to photograph were always Margaret Thatcher and Tony Benn, because they were the only two that respected you.’
At your happiest?
'The East End is still my favourite part. I’m quite happy today but the East End’s gone. I always joke that I only know two other cockneys. One is Vidal Sassoon and the other is Graft the jeweller and the rest of the cockneys are Muslims. Some of them speak with a broad cockney accent, when I first heard it I thought: Why are you speaking mockney, you’re from Karachi? It’s good. It’s about change; London’s always been like that. '
Complete the sentence: London is…
‘…mad. I love the madness. I certainly think there are more individuals than there are in New York. You can clear a room in seconds in New York: just say “cunt”. Everyone flinches.’
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1 comment
how crass! ;-) ha ha ha Londoners are born to spout abusive language. Who gives a f*cK about NY anyhow