Already a Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter, children’s author, documentary film-maker and philanthropist, he’s now moved into fine art photography with a glossy new book, Life’s Fragile Moments.
I visited him on the odd occasion but we were very much on the outside. I’m thankful that Sean and I get on like a house on fire – we’re best buddies and he tells me what he can, but things are pretty secret on the Beatles front. Excerpt from The Guardian Interview Hephzibah Anderson
It is extraordinarily strange but I’m not upset about it. I’d rather be excited and impressed by what they did and continue to do. As a fan, I’m just as curious as anybody else, although I do find myself going, how is it possible that there’s another Beatles film?
Spanning more than 20 years of work, the new book includes reportage taken while travelling the world for his charity, the White Feather Foundation; a closeup of his half-brother, Sean Lennon, taken on tour; and candid glimpses of a royal wedding. He lives in Monaco.
How did you get interested in photography?
I think I was about 11 years old when I first went out to the US to see Dad, and he had a very simple brown leather Polaroid camera that he used a fair amount – I have it here. I was really fascinated. That immediacy was exciting. I tried becoming a photographer with film, but always had problems – although I have great patience on some levels I have little in other circumstances. Then digital came along.
The book’s cover image is of Charlene Wittstock, getting ready to marry Prince Albert II of Monaco.
That was truly bizarre. Charlene was in this very small room with the hairdresser, the hairdresser’s assistant, the makeup artist, the makeup artist’s assistant – it was like a beehive. She was looking thoroughly stunned and said to me: “I’m not sure I can do this.” And I was going: “Wait, what do you mean? The photos, the wedding?” I said: “Listen, I don’t know what I’m doing either really, but this is historic, you’re going to become a princess.”
It had always been, “John Lennon’s son, John Lennon’s son”, and I’m going, for f’s sake. I said, what I need to do for me, first and foremost, is to build up a body of work, a foundation that I can stand on, that nobody can take away from me. And I continue to do so. It’s not to show off, it’s just to prove to myself that I can actually do this stuff. I’m not interested in fighting other people’s opinions.
