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No flash in the pan >> The enduring style and bile of photo legend David Bailey by ALEXANDRA SPUNT
However, it was precisely in that heady era that Bailey fell into the world of fashion photography, which at the time was a field known to be filled only with those campy types (you know, homosexuals). Which this Brit was not. As Bailey once said of his work: "It did allow me to pursue my three main interests: photography, women and money." It was during those years that Bailey started working for Vogue, where his partnership with the young model Jean Shrimpton launched the magazine's "Young Idea" theme, and pretty much changed the face of fashion. At the time, Britain wasn't paying much attention to any sort of photography. But Bailey was an attention-grabber; he met with fame and apparently relished it. He was quite the scenester, too--already sporting the combed-forward hair, the leather jacket, the Cuban-heeled boots. He was at the forefront of what Warhol referred to as "the British invasion" (of '64) and was later associated with the Swinging London scene (though Bailey always felt that was more of a Time magazine creation). Along with his hip status, his many liaisons with beautiful women often served as media fodder. One of these was a much-publicized marriage to Catherine Deneuve in 1965, two months after photographing her naked for Playboy--a suggestion made by none other than Roman Polanski. And with Mick Jagger standing as best man, who wasn't going to talk? In fact, Bailey could probably spend the rest of his days name-dropping those he's worked with, been friends with, done portraits of, pissed off... but it appears that there's still a feast on his plate. Behind the Blowup myth
Apparently, after its release in '67, every little snot-nosed poser bought himself a camera in the hopes of emulating the aloof and arrogant character portrayed in the film. Needless to say, I had my qualms about meeting this guy and prepped myself to be treated like the shit on his shoe. Instead, the man I met was shiny-eyed and warm, even a little timid. "I didn't really like Blowup," he says, "and it didn't do me any good, because people thought I was like that." Originally, before Antonioni got involved, producer Carlo Ponti had come to Bailey, wanting him to play the part. "I said, listen, I can't remember a phone number, let alone a line in a movie. You guys must out of your minds." And that was the extent of Bailey's involvement. There were, though, some accurate details in the film that surprised Bailey: "I wondered how they knew I paid eight pounds for that propeller." Ten years later, he found out that a friend had written a 200-page synopsis about him for the director. Story of innocent women
Bailey has wanted to direct features before (including Clockwork Orange, which he wanted to make with Andy Warhol). But, for one reason or another, the projects fell through. "I'm not a passionate movie-maker, though," he says. "I just like getting up everyday and having something to do. I don't mind if it's painting or photography--though I prefer things that I have control over." But despite a background in visual arts, Bailey doesn't underestimate the importance of a good script and a strong cast: "If you shoot shit, beautifully lit, it's shit. If you shoot gold and light it badly, it's still gold." Commercial success However, he's hardly an amateur behind a movie camera. Bailey's done about 500 commercials and 20 documentaries, and has received more awards for commercials than for photography (which he jokes is a "bit worrying"). Among his most famous was an ad for Green Peace where models were seen strutting the runways in furs, followed by a trail of blood. "I've worked on commercials which have cost more than this movie," he informs me of The Intruders. Which isn't that surprising when you consider that they often feature companies like IBM or models like Elle Macpherson and Naomi Campbell (who can get over a million for such things). "I like them getting paid a lot. It makes my own salary look cheap," he adds. Montreal, the funny Bailey says he was pleasantly surprised by Montrealers: "I mean, I was a bit worried coming here, because I'm not a big fan of the French. But French Canadians are different. It's turned out great for me--and I'm not just saying that. I'm pretty honest." Apparently, we also laugh much more than our neighbours to the south. "In the U.S. everything seems more desperate," he said, explaining that despite the fact that he had a 12-year contract with American Vogue he avoided moving there. London is still his home base, where he resides with his young wife ("she keeps me on my toes") and their three children. "London is New York without the desperation. And what I like about the British is that they're politically incorrect. But I'm even politically incorrect in England." Beyond the bottle Years after miniskirts and mod suits swept London, Bailey still keeps a foot in the fashion world. He recently finished a three-hour documentary on models ("Everyone's in it," he says) which has been sold all over the world except North America. "The Americans want to cut it down to an hour," he sighs. Future plans include a retrospective exhibit of his work as well as a series of books on his photography. He also continues to shoot fashion for Vogue and Harper's Bazaar. "I like women--more than I like men," he says, at the same time insisting that he's left his days as a playboy behind. "I stopped drinking 20 years ago--I couldn't do it anymore. Besides, the great pleasure in my life, apart from my family, is my work."
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David Bailey doesn't want to talk about the '60s. "I hate looking back," he says. "I hate nostalgia."
Bailey is presently on location in Montreal directing his first feature film, Intruders, starring Nastassja Kinski and Charlotte Gainsbourg (daughter of Serge). In preparation for our meeting, I watched the '60s cult movie Blowup (okay, only half), directed by Antonioni, about a young photographer based on Bailey.
"The Intruders is sort of like a crossover in time," says Bailey of his Montreal project. "These two innocent women accidentally find themselves married to the same man. It's like a time warp--50 years ago it would have been a ghost."