Merry Christmas.

I haven't been on the internet in a WEEK! Can you believe it? No facebook, no email, no blogger -- Nothing! Its both unnerving and rewarding.

For some reason, I don't feel Christmas-y at all! I nearly wept watching It's a Wonderful Life the other night, but that isn't unusual for me. Winter, summer, whenever! I get my Jimmy Stewart kicks as often as possible. The Philadelphia Story... So charming. His days as a silver fox in Hitchcock thrillers. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Westerns! And my favorite as a child, though I didn't know he was included... An American Tail: Fievel Goes West! I'm a buff. So adorable in his day. I read once that he knocked up Marlene Dietrich, but she obviously aborted it or lost it. What a damn attractive child that would have been!

The past week has crammed in quite a lot. A few rotten moments, an experience or two that left me rather grateful. And its only been a week! But I'm a happy lady, and I value my ability to bounce back. (Fuck, have I squeezed enough into the past few months?!) Anyway, I've been a bit distracted from the holiday spirit. I was last year too! As I had just returned from a whirlwind Argentinian summer. I really hope this isn't an everlasting lack of emotion -- I love Christmas!

I overall enjoy the happenings of winter. Christmas, my birthday (January eleventh!), snow, serenity, a bit of isolation. Hot beverages, layering of clothing, claymation films, twinkling lights, boots and fuzzy hats, gloves! My cousin sent me two pairs of gloves from Tokyo -- red and tan, and magnificently fuzzy. Having everyone together, Christmas tunes (Actually, I'm lying... Seasonal to me is like Miles Davis?), but mostly, the excitement. Anticipation and cookies!

I'm away from home for Christmas, so any photos and written bits are at home on my laptop. (Edit: I posted it without any photos, and it bored me even! So you get a view that I hastily collected. I totally googled 'Beatles Christmas' just thinking they would be the only band to have Christmas photos. And they did!) But I just wanted to say, I have not forgotten you all! Happy holidays! I love you!

Post script; Mr. Page is re-emerging? I say: YES. But please... No collaborations with bitches who I don't care about, and no relying on the super group tag. Otherwise, I'm happppppy as can be.

I too will re-emerge eventually , on the blog front, that is. It'll be terribly exciting, I assure you. But for now, its winter break! I'm lapping it up! Until then, here's Syd Barrett looking like an utter dweeb to hold you over. Do people say 'dweeb'? xo.

The Clash: Evaluating Their Place in Rock and Roll History (And Deciding to Say "Fuck Everybody Else" and Open My Mind)

Anything you read about the Clash either proclaims them as utter heroes -- exciting, explosive, daring, and revolutionary. Or, men who have been over-excitedly labeled, and usually the question is asked, "How can anyone live up to that?"

Still, the thought of the Clash being so highly lauded leaves me a little dizzy. When I began my savage musical obsession with "The Only Band That Matters", I was surprised to read that they were thought of as so important. Yeah, I knew the Clash were regarded a pioneer punk band. But even my damn know-it-all self didn't know that London Calling was such a 'classic'. I thought they were remembered as just being another group from a exciting time musically, maybe a little above average. I had never even entertained the idea that they were regarded as one of rock and roll's most celebrated acts. Am I living in a bubble? Is that what their reputation is?

Maybe this idea never reached me because I've been spinning in my own world. A world where I am surrounded by people who are anxiously awaiting this Clash phase to be over. A world in which they are a 'footnote'. But as I sit here with "Charlie Don't Surf" on repeat (and I NEVER put singular tracks on repeat, it tends to be a bore), I've come to the conclusion, "Fuck everybody else, I love the Clash!"

Its a weird admission, because simply, I don't do punk. But they aren't just punk. Before I actually listened to the Clash, I closemindedly thought of them as a PUNK band, with little brains and faces of pubescents, lacking credibility. Well, maybe not. I don't think I ever thought about it so much, actually. What the words 'the Clash' bring to people's minds, and what it all actually is are two different things. You have to give it a chance to be able to figure it out, but if you're already convinced that they're an overrated punk band, well duh, you won't figure it out!

The Clash are one of the first bands that I've really been into that are SUCH a take it or leave it group. You either loathe them, adore them, or don't know enough to care. As such, saying you like the Clash can either provoke intense respect or strange stares.

Discovering the Clash has taught me that if you don't want to like something, you won't. If you have an open mind, you might dig what you find. So sometimes I feel a little foolish when somebody says (or thinks), "Why... are you listening to the Clash so much?" (The play counts on London Calling are exceeding one hundred, and I'm only slowly removing them from my playlist because I'd hate to overdo it and spoil the splendor!) But foolishness, schmoolishness. I've got an open mind, bitches!

Its also taught me that you can't judge ANYTHING until you try it. I'm officially done given poorly thought out judgments of bands (and everything, generally) that I think I don't like. So do it, ask me about Bruce Springsteen or U2. I'll say, "I don't know enough about them." I think Bono looks silly with his ever-present glasses (FUCKING TAKE THEM OFF!), but musically, I can only critique so much.

Even though this entire Clash phase has been a constant, everyday pleasure, it also brings forth the message: Who gives a shit about what people like? Or what people think about what you like? Not because of any philosophies Joe Strummer is humming in my ear, but because, that's just the plain truth. It isn't really anything the Clash are preaching in particular, I've just happen to come to this conclusion during this phase. Despite what I may have previously believed, musical tastes reflects nothing but... musical taste. ASTONISHING! Somebody's collection of music is not their entire character mapped out. Its just the albums they prefer.

I go through musical phases in two ways, usually: One being utter, encompassing obsession. This includes devouring as many books, films, albums, photos, Google searches, and Wikipedia entries as humanly possible. I'm gonna know when each damn album was released, what they went through to make it (i.e. foregoing royalties on Sandinista! to sell the triple-LP for a little above the price of one), and whatever other personal hoopla surrounded the little slab of plastic. Its either that, or a constant mash-up of wildly assorted artists. But within that pile, I'm just searching for the next artist to temporarily warp my world and allow me to entertain the idea of promoting them to 'all time favorites'.

As I bummed over the fact that everyone in the Clash is old/ugly/boring/doing coke with Kate Moss (or dead), I wondered, "Why is this provoking more bummage than the fact that say, half the Beatles are long gone?" BECAUSE, quite a bit of the Clash's allure is just that -- allure. They were young, and their whole get-up was, "We're just normal dudes!" They were the best damn dressed rock and roll band since the Stones, and they had that unwavering optimism. So yeah, the Clash didn't just rely on musical brilliance to cause a stir. I mean, I basically gave the Clash a try because Paul Simonon proved himself to be such a damn late Seventies babe, that I thought, "I can't JUST dig his style, that's too lame of me, I have to make something of the music!" The thought of being intrigued by his unabashed attractiveness, but knowing nothing about the Clash left me cold. It was either, remove that damn good photo from your desktop background or appreciate what it stands for. And victoriously, the background still stands! Had the Clash not tickled my fancy, then sayonara Paul Simonon looking so very striking alongside an immensely beaten up Pete Townshend. What I was initially getting at with this bit is that, whoaaaa, you don't always need crazy amazing musical talent exploding at every minute to have a decent band! There are lots of bands that people like that aren't, ahem, Jimmy Page. The New York Dolls are the first that pop into my head, but as I know next to nothing about them, this thought ends here!

The fateful photo that adorns my desktop.

Here's what I do know: Even though I really revel in the fact that I could win endless battles of musical trivia... I mean, FUCK, I know random facts about every little thing. The other day I impressed somebody by knowing what YEAR Let It Be was released, and I just wanted to say, "Really? Would you like me to awe you with the fact that I could go on for HOURS giving you a detailed history of the Beatles and each of their respective lives, dating from boyish days in Liverpool, to at the very least the highlights of their individual solo careers?" (Ringo's history would stop in 1970, haaaaa.) I've read SO MUCH about rock and roll music that it definitely crosses over to ridiculousness. (Ridiculousness/awesomeness, that is.) But yeah, even though I find that all really amusing, I don't think any of it matters. Just because I know it, doesn't mean it matters. Its like in school when you think, "When am I EVER going to use this in life?!??!" Its just interesting tidbits of information. That's what rock and roll history is to me. The history only has so much to do with the music. I don't care what you fucking do with your personal life. Rock and roll stars aren't required to be geniuses. They aren't my heroes, or my idols. That would require them to be heroic, and for me to idolize them. Nay. That's probably a surprising thing to hear me say, because I'm the one who is constantly gushing about the musical brilliance of these people, and the transcendent feelings they provoke in me. But that IS what matters: the music! It doesn't matter what drugs you take, who you fuck, how you look, or where you come from... If you can play, and make me feel all sorts of foreign emotions, then that's what I'm after. I'm obsessed with music, not musicians.

As I listened to "Charlie Don't Surf", I thought, "I'll have this forever." You're capable of finding those gems in so many random places! If I hadn't insanely decided to listen to Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, then I would have never listened to London Calling. But it wasn't until I wanted to give London Calling a chance that I actually began to like it. The first time I listened to it, I dully sat, awaiting its end, focusing on anything but the music. Well obviously it didn't fucking register. Pay attention, be in tune! Those lucky numbers which make you effortlessly happy and instantly together, they're floating in mysterious locations!

It makes me want to listen to vastly different genres of music. Mystical and elusive artists that I know nothing about, but am taking a wild chance on because maybe they'll be my new obsession. I've been playing it safe. Until now! I've only been digging those widely-excepted acts. Those ones like Led Zeppelin and the Beatles... The ones that even if someone DARED to question their brilliance, you couldn't certainly find a few kindred spirits within a couple skips, who would gladly assist you in cutting that person down to size. But now...! I'm after those weird, not always obscure acts whom maybe you do hear about, but you don't know about.

So where do the Clash sit historically? Are they important? Revolutionary? Influential?* The Only Band That Matters? Answer: It doesn't really matter. Those big titles don't mean anything to ANYBODY, really. The only thing that actually means anything is whether or not YOU dig it. As for me, I say, "Fuck everybody else, I love the Clash!"

* 'Influential' is a naughty word. It usually implies that they ejected a million little brats off their couches and provoked them to pick up guitars. NOW, what is rarely EVER taken into consideration is if those little brats aspired to anything decent. Sure, you've heard of them, but are they actually good? Influential could be a bad title, if they inspired a bunch of talentless fucks to clog up the stations. And thinking about it, nothing too mind-boggling followed in the vein of the Clash, so perhaps we'll eliminate the world 'influential' from my musical vocabulary. I never focus on who bands influence anyway, because it has little to do with the music.


Post script; Its strange that music journalism is mostly about trying to convince people that what you like (or dislike) is relevant. The job basically implies that people should give a damn about what you have to say about a specific album. I'm not trying to convince anyone, and frankly, the relevance of my opinion on a given piece of music ends with me. That's rather perplexing. I just want to write about it the best that I can, purely because I love it. Frankly, I always went after what other people liked, and now I realize, its bullshit. Go after what you like, and if you don't quite know what it is, wander aimlessly until you find it. You will.

You are the sunlight in my growing, so little warmth I've felt before. It isn't hard to feel me glowing, I watched the fire that grew.

It feels like its been eons since I've written about Led Zeppelin. Not that I haven't enough, but as I'm sure you can guess, they never tire me. Its so strange that since the last time I really wrote about Led Zeppelin, I've been to London, where I was charmed by Jimmy Page. I'm glad that when he was standing on front of me, shaking my hand, talking to me, that I didn't remind myself how musically infatuated I am with him. I probably would have collapsed onto him and he would have promptly made sure my jittery mess of a person was never seen again. Alas, the exact opposite happened! I was entirely nonchalant, if only by accident. (I think it can be classified as 'being in awe'.) I even managed to look 'REALLY bored' occasionally! Really bored in the company of legends? Impressive.

But yes yes yes. I found it very amusing that as soon as Ross linked to our interview, not only did the interview get tons of views, but many people flocked to any post labeled 'Jimmy Page' or 'Aerosmith'. As I said previously, I've occasionally tossed around the argument of, "What are my favorite Led Zeppelin songs?" Its tough making any kind of list like that. You have to juggle your actual favorites, the songs you have fond memories to, and the always-lauded tunes that feel like a necessity on that type of list. With that said, I've tried to keep it as true to my taste as possible. With THAT said, with it all written out, I'm a total sap and I love wistful and melancholy ballads. I guess its easier to appreciate its beauty? Ironically they all start with I or T, and they're in alphabetical order. I couldn't cut it down to five, so you get six. Enjoy, xo.

"In My Time of Dying", Physical Graffiti.
So I'm really fond of what I said about it before, but with a song this fucking titillating, exciting, and magnificently raunchy, I will GLADLY do it again. Led Zeppelin took a traditional song, covered by everyone from Bob Dylan to John Sebastien, and made it their very own. Simply jamming, its the perfect portrait of each musician's respective flair. Commencing with the slow drawl of Jimmy's bottleneck guitar and climaxing with thunderous pounding from John Bonham, matched with animalistic Robert Plant wails, and momentous JPJ backing -- its no secret that the most ravishing element of this song are the multiple solos that Jimmy takes, and it is damn near the most intoxicating thing anyone has ever put to record. Its delightfully warm, or more so, on fire. Its wondrously seductive and wildly rambunctious. Clocking in at eleven minutes, I wish I went on LONGER. Its complete force and sensuous nature make for an utterly enticing experience, and who wants that to end? Led Zeppelin were a fucking BAND, and a damn good one at that. The entire track is laced with spontaneity, and they know just what to do.

In case you aren't convinced... (YouTube cuts the track in half, here is the half that will leave you salivating.)

"In the Light", Physical Graffiti.
But oh, I've talked about this before too. Who cares! Continuing on... Opening my all time favorite slab of vinyl is the possessive sounds of Jimmy bowing his guitar and JPJ mystically working his synthesizers in exquisite ways. I love that Led Zeppelin never settled for basic. Basic is a word not even in their vocabulary. Everything they ever did is perfectly elaborate, and yet, never suffers a loss of ruggedness. Each song is an epic tale, combining various elements to create nothing less than a masterpiece. "In the Light" combines ethereal mysticism with unwavering optimism -- at least that's what I perceive it to be. Because the remarkably grandiose apex of "In the Light", with Jimmy's numerous guitars exploding all around you, is complete and utter happiness. Unwavering perfection, just as music is supposed to be.

"Tangerine", Led Zeppelin III.
With so many bands, they either have to be 'heavy' all the time, protecting their masculinity and thrusting it in your face -- or you get bands who never leave their acoustic realm. I like bands who can be revved up and filthy, but also dreamy and luscious. Led Zeppelin were arguably one of the first bands who delicately shoved an acoustic set between their bombastic anthems. Led Zeppelin's catalog provides a sanctuary for people like me, who can get lost in an introspective singer-songwriter album, but also would like to occasionally get down with something, as I said, filthy. So while you've got your "In My Time of Dying", you've also got remarkably beautiful and lilting numbers like "Tangerine". Jimmy's false start and faint whispers are especially intimate, and he received sole writing credit for this one, the only Zeppelin tune with lyrics by Jimmy alone. But what the fuck is his deal? He should have written more! The most wonderful parts come from his delicious country-flavored pedal steel. With a subtly yet absolutely affective twang on the chorus, the alluring solo is perhaps what makes the track. There you have it: dreamy, luscious. Yes yes yes yes yes.

"Ten Years Gone", Physical Graffiti.
Oh man, oh man, oh man. How does one explain? How does one COMPREHEND? At the end of the day, my favorite Led Zeppelin song, and perhaps my favorite song ever. "Ten Years Gone" was the beginning of my Led Zeppelin obsession. "Ten Years Gone" is everything. "Ten Years Gone" is why I love this band, "Ten Years Gone" is why I admire Jimmy Page so greatly, and I may even place everything that has happened to me on "Ten Years Gone". This song is what took my pubescent mind and sent it down a foreign track. "Ten Years Gone" has followed me from that moment, until this one, and it will be with me forever. That's the gift of music. The musicians may be old and gray, and some have died, but the music is still sparkling as it did the day they composed it. Jimmy's guitar overdubs never, ever fail to leave me breathless. When I am disorientated, I put "Ten Years Gone", and everything makes sense. I've listened to "Ten Years Gone" literally countless times, and I don't even know what it is that Robert Plant is moaning about. (A failed relationship or something, right?) But I do know that the very, very end -- that climatic, near-shrieking guitar harmony from Jimmy, that has never failed to have an effect on me. Put it on, be awed, be inspired. Because this is the piece of music that makes me go, "Oh right. This is what you want. Go get it!" I hope everyone has that invaluable little piece of music that means everything to them.

"The Ocean", Houses of the Holy.
"The Ocean" kind of feels like the beginning of Led Zeppelin for me also, but really it was Step 2. Physical Graffiti warped my baby heart and changed everything, and Houses of the Holy made sure I knew this was no fluke. What had me convinced was that fucking riff. Nothing short of brilliance. Its far less raunchy than "In My Time of Dying", but "The Ocean" still boasts those damn riffs that sound like the cracking of a whip. This song is just so funky, and just transcendent. Once, in the midst of my conversion to nothing short of a Led Zeppelin fanatic, I played "The Ocean" really loud of the car stereo, as we danced outside of a super market. That's all I wanted to do! I wanted to play "The Ocean" ridiculously loud, so everyone could hear, and just dance. That's the simplest way I describe Led Zeppelin's versatility: Shadow and light, yes. But more so, making everything make sense and urging me to dance. I couldn't ask for anything more.

"The Rain Song", Houses of the Holy.
And finally. Its another one of those songs that instantly make me happy. Not simply because of the serene musicianship, but because, I've attached so much to it. Even if I don't remember the memories that I've made to these songs, I subconsciously remember just how the memories made me feel. Its so perfect, and its beautiful. Perfect and beautiful are words that have been misused, but they were intended for things like "The Rain Song". Its Jimmy's Danelectro, its that everlasting note that you first hear at :29. Its JPJ's lush work on the mellotron. Its the fact that its 'wistful' epitomized, and at its very, very best.

And all that is what makes Led Zeppelin's catalog so precious. Don't touch it, don't tamper with it. Just leave it. Its a holy entity in its own, and its perfect. And its beautiful. That's all. Maybe I won't write about Led Zeppelin for a while more. I can't spoil it, you know?

Electric Eye: A Chat with Ross Halfin

To make a splendid photographer, there has to be an element of trust between the subject and the photographer. Ross Halfin has it in ten-folds. Beginning with landmark British publications like Sounds, Melody Maker, and NME in the Seventies, Ross has since grown into a giant of his field. His list of photographic conquests is extensive, but it includes regular sessions with Jimmy Page, Aerosmith, Jeff Beck, and the Who. Ross has also gained a bit of notoriety for penning a titillatingly frank diary, documenting his everyday life and work. As such, he has obtained a reputation as a brutally honest, no-nonsense kind of guy. Getting to know him, he is also revealed to be an incredibly kind, generous, and intelligent man. After all, taking a chance on an inexperienced journalist and treating her to a dazzling evening is generous, is it not? (He introduced me to Jimmy Page, for fuck's sake.) After sitting in on a photoshoot that he did with Chris Cornell of Soundgarden/Audioslave fame with a cameo by Slash, we commenced our conversation on the patio at the Sunset Marquis. He was gracious, interesting, and of course, honest.

To begin with, what impresses you, in general?

Nothing musically. Well I enjoy shooting someone like Chris Cornell who pays attention to what you ask him, and Slash. They know and they appreciate what I do for them, and I like them as people. I've known them a long time. And I see people like Chris Cornell, who has been through a lot, and he still has a very good sense of humor about it. I find that impressive. A lot of musicians don't have a sense of humor about themselves. Since the business has got more corporate, everyone takes it far too seriously. You know, at the end of the day, it's only about someone playing a piece of wood with strings attached. When you look at what goes on in the world, and really, its bullshit. So generally, I like dealing with people who respect what you do. Like Jeff Beck does, and Jimmy Page moans about it all the time, but I think he does in the long run. People like Chris Cornell do.

Who doesn't?

Um, a lot of American acts. Mostly American acts take themselves far too seriously. Since the age of the internet, particularly my website seems to upset a lot of people. Half the things I'm saying are tongue-in-cheek, and half are serious. A lot of people don't work with me purely over my website, but it shows you how shallow and pathetic they really are. If you read my website and you take it literally, you know, it shows you have no education, I think.

Would you say it's an accurate depiction of whom you are writing about though?

Yeah! I think my website is toned down! If actually wrote the truth, I wouldn't be able to work at all. Now everyone says to me, "Why don't you do a book?" People only want to read extreme fawning, or they want to read dirt in a book. If I wrote the truth, people wouldn't believe it -- because fans don't want to believe it. They have this kind of fake idea of who people are. Also, I would just be cut off completely. I have a hard enough time as it is! You know, I quite enjoyed Ginger Baker's book [Hellraiser, John Blake Publishing], but it was like memoirs of a grumpy old man. That's why I wanted to have it signed because I thought he'd die soon, and it'd be nice to have a signed book. The beginning of the book is really good, but then the later part -- all he's interested in is which cars he had and who he slept with.

You were talking about how your website gets you in trouble...

You make a joke, and the problem is, people cut and paste it and take it as literal fact. It goes everywhere, that's the problem with the internet.

Your website, specifically your diary, has helped make your name a bit well-known. Was the point of your website to amp your profile? If not, what is your motive behind the diary -- if any?

In this day and age, to sell photos.

So did you get into photography because you loved music?

Yes. I was an art college student, getting a Bachelor's art degree and I hated it, because it was full of Americans. I have a particular hatred for modern art, like Jackson Pollock. I went to art college and I thought it was rubbish! I became a photographer because I was a big Who fan. I'd see pictures of the Who and I'd think, "I can take a better picture than that." And that was what I did. I basically dropped out of art college, worked in a guitar store selling guitars, and I used to go to concerts and just take cameras in. Basically, I became a photographer like that. In a nutshell.

What is it that you loved about music that drew you into photography?

Just when you're young, when you're teenager, you think that's all that matters. I'd go and see the Who and think that was really what counted in the world -- which isn't, of course, true. But at the time, you really believe that, and you think that's of world importance. There was this thing that was "Name your top ten albums" and Pete Makowski over there said to me, "You should think about what you liked when you were sixteen, because when you were sixteen, you really thought that was important. You believed it was as important as life." At the time, I really loved the Who, I loved Led Zeppelin, the Faces -- they were like the Oasis of their day. I loved Mott the Hoople, Deep Purple, Nazareth, all those sorts of bands. I shot the punk scene, which was hugely overrated. Basically, a lot of it was rubbish. There were only two great bands and that was probably the Pistols and the Clash. It was just average. I listen to a far wider range of music now than I did when I was young. I like listening to soundtracks, which I would never listen to when I was young. My favorite soundtrack is The Thin Red Line or The Man Who Wasn't There. Both of them are very dark.

Who scored them?

I can't remember who did The Man Who Wasn't There, it was a friend of Billy Bob Thorton. [Carter Burwell.] Hans Zimmer was nominated for an Oscar for The Thin Red Line.

You helped start up Kerrang!, which remains a massive publication. Was that sort of thing ever an aspiration for you, and does it have any high regard to you now?

Its rubbish. It has no regard to me now. I think its embarrassing now, it's a child's magazine. I don't care about it, and at the time, really... They would pay me twice as much for a color picture as a black and white. But you know, I used to enjoy the bands at the time like UFO, Aerosmith, and Rush, all those sort of bands. But what it morphed into, when you start adding later bands like Gallows... No.

Right. I'm not into remotely new music at all, which is probably why I haven't gotten into Soundgarden.

Well you should go and play Soundgarden, Badmotorfinger. And even those last three Soundgarden albums are great. My favorite song is on The Basketball Diaries album, which is called "Blind Dogs."

So would you say you actively pursue rock photography or did you just kind of fall into it?

Fell into it, that's what I ended up doing when I left college. I was actually a painter originally.

How old were you when all of that started happening?

When I became eighteen and nineteen, not when I was fourteen. Like, Neil Zlozower -- he's a photographer, he was like fourteen. But he's slightly older than me.

When you see a band now -- whether it be an act you've seen plenty of times, or someone new -- do you find yourself floored by a live performance?

Yeah, but its been a long time since I saw a new band that I think are great. I think the Kings of Leon are great, I like them a lot. But actual brand new bands? I don't really see many. I don't really go to clubs. Why do I want to go to a club full of sixteen year olds? So I haven't seen a brand new band that I thought were amazing for years.

Then what bands that aren't brand new are still prominent live?

I like the Mars Volta a lot, I think they're very interesting as a band. I think they take it elsewhere, and they're really good, and I like working with them.

But I'm saying... Old people, come on!

Jeff Beck, Chris Cornell if you classify him as an old person, Mott the Hoople I think were amazing recently, Kings of Leon, Aerosmith are good when they're together -- without saying too much [laughs]. I saw Depeche Mode a few years ago, I'd never seen them, and I was surprised by how good they were. Rammstein, I really like live, just as a visual thing for entertainment. KISS, I enjoy as long as you aren't expecting too much and don't take it seriously, it's actually very enjoyable. I'll tell you who are great, Prodigy. They're amazing live.

What was the last album you listened to in its entirety?

Steve Miller, I bought an album called Rock Love, I can't work out whether it's a bootleg or not. One side is live and one side is studio, it's from '70, I think. [1971.] I thought that was really good for the time, I played it the other night all the way through -- twice!

What are your top five favorite albums of all time?

The Who, Live at Leeds; Led Zeppelin II; Badmotorfinger, Soundgarden; The Thin Red Line soundtrack... Its hard because the albums you really like you don't play all the time, because you're sick of them, you've heard them too much. But when you hear them, you really like them.

Right. Its like your favorite song, you can only listen to it so often, or it would lose that splendor.

Splendor, right. That's the word. Who's Next, I'd have to include in that. Loudon Wainwright III, Album II; The Who, Live at Leeds; Who's Next; Led Zeppelin II; The Thin Red Line. That's five. [Earlier I had asked Ross what one deceased person he would like to meet, but he couldn't conjure up an answer.] But if I could, not meet, but photograph someone is who is dead... I'd either like to do Jimi Hendrix, which is a bit obvious, or Jeff Buckley.

Where is your favorite place in the world?

I like Asia a lot, like Cambodia, Laos, Bali -- I like those places, I like the atmosphere and the light, and its very exotic. Strangely, I was talking to an Australian, and they don't find Asia exotic at all! They all want to come to Europe, and they find Europe exotic. The only thing wrong with America, I used to find it exciting, but the thing that is truly wrong with it is that you can go from Hawaii to Puerto Rico to Miami, and it all looks the same. Its the same shops, the same coffee shops, the same restaurants, the same stores. When you went to Hawaii in the early Eighties, when I went, it was really exotic. And now, it could be anywhere. Whereas you go to Asia, and they're all completely different cultures. I find that nice, and I like it because its warm, and I grew up in the damp climate.

What are you listening to currently?

Steve Miller CD. "Megalomania", Black Sabbath, which I think is an underrated track.

What is your favorite book?

The Book Thief, Markus Zusak; Diary of a Rock and Roll Star, Ian Hunter -- one of the best rock books written; The Dark Stuff, Nick Kent -- for his chapter on the Rolling Stones; Shipwrecks, Akira Yoshimura; An Iliad: A Story Of War and Silk although the film version is awful [both by Alessandro Baricco]; Chroma, Derek Jarman.

What were your aspirations as a young man?

To travel, which I've done. I think, you know, when you look at whether what I do is good or bad, at least I've traveled. And I think travel is a great thing. Its like when you travel on a plane, and people want to close the windows. I like the windows open, because you're seeing the world as you would never see it. That's why I really like Asia, because it's really hot, you've got these wonderful thunder clouds. You've got this really powerful light coming through. The sky is quite electric looking, which I rather like.

What goals do you have for yourself now?

I would actually love to retire from music photography and just shoot travel.

You can't do that?

Not to make a living, I still have to make a living. If I was wealthy enough, I wouldn't care if I never shot another band again.

But when you were talking earlier about getting into it because you love music...

Well, you know, when I haven't done it for a while, I enjoy it. Kings of Leon, I enjoy. The Mars Volta, I enjoy. I enjoyed doing Chris Cornell.

Did you not enjoy Aerosmith? [Ross recently shot Aerosmith in Abu Dhabi.]

I do enjoy Aerosmith, I don't enjoy the politics of Aerosmith. Let's put it that way. And there's a lot of politics in Aerosmith. The politics of Aerosmith are annoying.

You seem adamant that in the general scheme of things music isn't important. What is important to you?

When I was younger I was told by a teacher that you get BORED of music. I didn't think it could be true. It is... Maybe it's my job. Important, the last light of the day. Daylight is important.

Is there anyone you wish you would've known, or known better?

That's a good question. Uh...

You said earlier that you would shoot Jimi Hendrix.

Nah, only because I didn't. Nah, I don't care whether I shot Jimi Hendrix. I was wrong saying that.

[In an email, Ross' final answer was "Elvis in the 50's or Gong Li now."]

You've said The Who Christmas Show was the best show you've ever seen. So what's the worst show you've ever seen?

I once saw Genesis with Peter Gabriel, in the day. I thought, "This will never happen." That was probably one of the worst, I just didn't get it.

Yeah, that's when they were wearing masks and stuff? I was asked the other day if I've ever gotten into that, and no, that has never intrigued me at all.

Yeah, never intrigued me in the slightest.

Is there any band whom you feel you can always get good shots of?

Chris Cornell, he always looks good. The Mars Volta always look good to me. Joe Perry looks good, when he looks great, he looks really great.

Really? He is one of the people who I saw and thought, "You don't look as good in person."

Oh no, okay. That was probably wrong then. I think someone like Rod Stewart always looks like a rock star. The problem with a lot of bands now is that they don't have it. They could be anyone.

So you don't have a favorite, most pleasant, always photogenic subject?

Well, I like bands for different reasons. Like the Black Crowes, a lot of people don't like them. I get on with them because I like them as people.

Then is this easier? Who has been the absolute worst, biggest mess of a subject?

Well, a lot of bands when they get older, it's never their fault they look old. It's yours. They blame you for the picture. Particularly women, because once they go past a certain point, they become... You know, one thing I don't like in American magazines, I have nothing against retouching, but it's so airbrushed. Look at Fleetwood Mac, it looks ridiculous. Looking at them, they just look stupid. You know, terrible.

Okay, have fun with this... If you could banish one artist from the music industry, never to be heard from again, who would it be?

Anything on The X- Factor.

That's like the British American Idol, right?

Both, yeah. Exactly. Anything on that.

But that girl, who did...

Leona Lewis. Nothing.

You must have met her.

Yeah, so? I don't like her. She was nice enough, but its product more than music. Like, I was watching Beyonce. She is trying to perform to teenagers, and all she is doing is thrusting her hips. Like Britney Spears, its all about selling a bit of sex.

How often do you shoot bands that you don't enjoy musically?

90 percent of the time.

Who DO you enjoy?

No, I'm joking. I shoot 50/50. But if you only shot people you thought were culturally cool, you wouldn't work! I tend to shoot people I like.

I saw you shot 50 Cent, I'm doubting that's your thing.

Yeah, well he was nice enough. But I couldn't listen to it. You know, Eminem, D12. Its just not my thing.

Your website boasts that you were a tour photographer for both Paul McCartney and George Harrison...

I was, but I was never a Beatles fan. So I wasn't intimidated by them, and I wasn't in awe of them.

What was your impression of each?

McCartney was very friendly and very professional, and George Harrison was very... They're very much in a bubble, in a world of their own. Linda McCartney was alive at the time, and I expected her to be a nightmare, but she was super, super nice and super helpful. Because she was a photographer, she could see what I actually had to get. She had a way to help you, rather than be obstructive.

When was this, that you were shooting them?

McCartney is the Flowers in the Dirt tour, you'll have to look that up. [1989-1990.] George Harrison was when he toured Japan with Eric Clapton. [1991.] It was okay, but I never particularly liked the Beatles.

At the end of the day, who is your favorite band ever?

The Who!

Why?

Because you have to look at what counted when you were sixteen, and what you liked when you were sixteen, and they counted for me.

Do they still count?

I think the thing is, as band gets older... If you liked them originally, you convince yourself they're still good, even though they're not good. But the Who on a good day, can still be exciting. Even for a bunch of oldies.

Yeah, for me, sometimes I think, "Hmm.. In Through the Out Door wasn't so hot."

Yeah, well he [Jimmy Page] had nothing to do with that. He doesn't even like that record.

Because he was a junkie?

Yeah.

But didn't they have plans....

Yeah, to make a rock and roll record. But they couldn't do that, because Bonham died.

How would you sum the Who up for someone who had never heard of them?

Go listen to Live at Leeds, and realize its four guys playing. Or Who's Next, that's a great songwriting album. With their later albums, Quadrophenia is okay.

When do you feel they took the dive?

Probably with It's Hard and Face Dances. The spark had gone out of them. That's a better word, isn't it? Spark.

That's when they began to 'farewell'.

Right. Too many farewells. Too many farewell tours. Or like, I listen to Page & Plant, and I don't like it at all.

I don't even listen to that. I haven't even listened to Outrider.

That's not a bad record, for an Eighties record.

Or the Firm...

The first album is okay, the second one is horrible.

My dad saw the Firm, and he saw the ARMS show.

But he was out of his mind.

I know, there's videos of him drooling!

He was fucking junkied out.

Who would make up your dream band?

I think its rubbish, I hate dream bands. Its like, whenever you see people jam, it's always horrible. Its unrehearsed and everyone is trying to show off and play better than the other person. That's why I always think jamming is terrible.

Okay then, they're not a band. Who is your favorite with each respective instrument?

John Bonham or Keith Moon on drums. Jimmy Page or Pete Townshend on guitar. Robert Plant, in his day, or Paul Rodgers, or Rod Stewart. John Entwistle on bass. And Loudon Wainwright III acoustically, I like.

So basically, you like Led Zeppelin and the Who!

Exactly!

What is your greatest fear?

You should fear nothing.

(All photos by Ross Halfin.)

Little drops of rain whisper of the pain, tears of love lost in the days gone by. But my love is strong, with you there is no wrong.

If you are reading this blog, you're probably one of the 60% whom grapple with none of the above, and live with what we don't consider luxuries, but accept as normalcy. Its nearly Thanksgiving here in America, but hey, here's a novelty: be thankful everyday. I have SO much to be thankful for. This past year (and just this past month!) has been a crazy whirlwind -- good and bad, but I feel so alive! And the year isn't even over yet! In a world this exciting, we should be thankful every moment! So whether you're in America or elsewhere, let tomorrow simply be a reminder to do the following every single day: Chase life! Make it exciting! Live your dream life -- its not impossible. Hello, you fucking DREAMED it! Say please and thank you. Simply be a nice person! Make sure everyone you love has zero doubt that you truly do. Make it evident, make it beyond evident. Pick your battles, yes, but also pick your tantrums. Assess what is worth the stress! Guess what? Not much usually is. But most of all, do things that you love. This is your life, and you have no time for bullshit! So do yourself, and everyone else, a favor and surround yourself with nothing but good. See life how you WANT to see it. Its all in your hands!

xo.