Where were you during the `60s? As one of the top photographers of rock stars, Ethan A. Russell was right in the thick of those years, traveling with the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and the Who. ”Dear Mr. Fantasy” (Houghton Mifflin) is his story in words and photos of where he went and what he saw.
Q–Why did you choose the title ”Dear Mr.
Fantasy”?
A–It`s from the song by Steve Winwood of ”Traffic.” It goes: ”Dear Mr. Fantasy/Play us a tune/Something to make us all happy. . . .” For me, it encapsulated what the decade was about: the fun and fantasy, leaving behind ”the gloom” of the `50s through the music, and yet, for a lot of people, paying a big price.
Q–You shot the music video for John Lennon`s ”Woman.” What was he like just before he was killed?
A–He was very glad to be recording again, very enthusiastic. He said to me, ”This is just like when I was doing `Rubber Soul,` only me face has dropped.” Yoko Ono said he didn`t have the energy he once had, but I didn`t see that. He was unfailingly polite to everyone he worked with. The first time I ever photographed him, the pictures didn`t come out, and I had to call him and tell him, and he just said, ”Come by and we`ll do it again.” People on the street responded to him with reverence, more so than anyone I`ve ever seen. Jagger turns heads, but it`s more curiosity than reverence.
Q–You tell a story about Mick Jagger sitting in a chartered airplane on his way to Miami . . . .
A–We were sitting there waiting to get clearance to leave, and when the pilot finally started up the motors, one of them backfired. Jagger jumped out of his seat and was halfway out the door. Something in that man is always very alert to personal danger. He learned that lesson after the violence at the Altamont rock concert.
Q–Why did so many of the great rock stars–Janis Joplin, Brian Jones, Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix–die so young?
A–I think there were a couple of reasons. First of all, we were lied to about marijuana, told how dangerous it was. We didn`t buy it and we wound up believing all drugs were harmless. Then, there were people like Janis Joplin who weren`t interested in just being a performer. She didn`t want to play a down and dirty blues singer; she wanted to be one. It was almost a matter of honor with her. And finally, drugs and alcohol have always been a part of show business.
