Kevin Cummins
As Kevin Cummins – photography icon – arrives to meet me at The Regent pub in Balham, it suddenly strikes me how much he looks like one of his own shots: a disheveled grey mane, a cool grey/black jacket and arty t-shirt, a square, silver ring with ‘love’ and ‘hate’ on both sides, and a chunky bike chain bracelet hanging heavy on his wrist. It would be easy to mistake him for a rock star, or indeed a 19th Century poet, as he personifies black and white, both in appearance and in his plain speaking, factual and fascinating delivery.
His work is instantly recognisable because it has that distinctive ‘brand of Cummins’ – black/white/grey, urban, with a nod to the rain clouds of Manchester. Sunny LA was too bright: ‘I had to wait til about seven in the evening before the light was manageable for me. I was only used to working in dusk and greys’.
On taking pictures of ‘Mr Morrissey’ (as he calls him), he reveals that Morrissey is creative:he has lots of ideas, that’s why he’s good to work with’; loves being photographed: ‘he’s happy to have his picture taken from dawn til dusk’ and has an ‘element of tease’ to his character.
He showed me a preview of his collection for ‘Manchester: So Much to Answer For’ (On at Proud Camden 1 June – 15 July) and I felt like Edmund with the Turkish Delight, greedily marveling over these beautiful pictures of The Smiths and Morrissey, each one with its own story that often captures a crucial/poignant or humorous moment in time. There’s a fantastic one of Andy Rourke with his head in his hands on hearing of a possible band split, another one of Johnny Marr and an old man passing by – which captures Johnny’s face as he wills the the old man to ‘hurry up’. There are several beauties of Morrissey – one that I loved with him leaning out of a bus, smiling, which Kevin calls his ‘Charles Hawtrey moment’.
He is patient [on Courtney Love]: ‘I arranged to meet her at 4pm and it was 2am when she eventually turned up’, he speaks plainly: ‘I hate Norris’ and every now and then shows me a glimpse of his school boy humour: ‘I can’t be in the same room as a runny egg’.
He has the initial air of someone who might be antisocial, a bit gruff and miserable; but in fact he is loveable, funny and strangely calming. I could have listened to his best-seller fireside celebrity storytelling all day… but his car was on a meter (and he didn’t like the way I was holding onto his trouser leg).
He loves The Smiths, Corrie and Deirdrie Barlow’s chain belts and his brother cheats at Cluedo. He drank Guinness when we met. Well it’s black and white, isn’t it?
Details of the exhibition ‘Manchester: So Much to Answer for’ can be found on Kevin’s website www.kevincummins.co.uk Tickets can also be purchased for the launch night party with a DJ set from Mike Joyce.
www.proudonline.co.uk/Manchester-So-Much-To-Answer
Kevin’s limited edition book on the Manic Street Preachers is out in November and his book, ‘Manchester In the Pouring Rain’ is available on Amazon. You can follow him on twitter at @KCManc. Scroll to the end of this interview to see his favourite shots of Morrissey.
Read the full interview here
Manchester: So Much To Answer For – Kevin Cummins
The City That Shaped The Smiths
1st June – 15th July 2012
At
Proud Gallery
The Stables Market, London, Greater London NW1 8AH
