Michael Hutchence (1960-1997) was the charismatic frontman of Australian band INXS, who took all before them on the world stage during the 1980s and early 1990s. In the late 1980s, Hutchence befriended a young fan named Richard Simpkin who later became a close friend, a confidant, and unofficial photographer and archivist. This book showcases Simpkin's collection.
This is a celebration of the extraordinary life and journey of Michael Hutchence (1960-1997). Embodied in this illustrious presentation are many never-before-seen photographs featuring Michael throughout his early life, his rise to fame as lead singer of the internationally acclaimed band INXS, and hundreds of private and candid behind-the-scene memories snapped by author and photographer, Richard Simpkin. Richard developed a close bond and friendship with Michael and his family. As a budding photographer, he captured 100s of images of Michael over many years and was encouraged by Michael to turn this hobby into a full-time profession. Interestingly, the final photograph capturing Michael was taken with Richard - snapped by Michael's father, Kell Hutchence, just two days prior to his untimely death. Richard's collection of memorabilia featuring Michael and INXS, is considered second to none - derived from his years spent at recording studios, rehearsals, concerts, backstage and private band parties with Michael and the band. Enthusiasts will admire this most powerful and personal presentation of Michael, a superstar who made it to the top in the music world.
During her lifetime , the Belgian - born British actress Audrey Hepburn (1929 - 93), star of such films as Roman Holiday , Sabrina , Funny Face , Breakfast at Tiffany's, My Fair Lady , Charade and Two for the Road , was recognised around the world. Posthumously, her popula rity has endured and her image continues to be reproduced in a variety of international cultural contexts. Unlike other collections, in this new book the authors call attention to the circumstances in which pictures of Hepburn were published and consumed, thereby illuminating more generally our changing relationship with such images over the course of the twentieth century. Hepburn's career is charted through over 145 portraits and supporting images - from her early years in London as a student of ballet an d a performer on the West End stage, to her Hollywood heyday and her final years as a special ambassador for the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). Alongside work by the photographers whose portraits defined Hepburn's image and shaped her career are publicity photographs and images made on - and off - set during the production of her films, as well as family photographs and informal archive news pictures. Possessing the features, height and poise of a model, Hepburn collaborated with a number of couturie rs, notably Hubert de Givenchy. Her image often graced the pages and covers of fashion magazines such as Harper's Bazaar , for which she was photographed by Richard Avedon, whose work is represented here together with portraits by Cecil Beaton, Antony Beauchamp, Philippe Halsman, Angus McBean, Norman Parkinson and Irving Penn.
ELIZABETH II: A QUEEN FOR OUR TIME is a lively and affectionate celebration of the beloved monarch and a beautiful visual record of her extraordinary reign over the past twenty years leading up to her platinum jubilee. For as long as many of us can remember, Queen Elizabeth II has been an omnipresent figurehead—an icon. As Head of the Commonwealth, she is respected and admired around the world in equal measure. Her stalwart presence has signaled stability, neutrality, and responsibility. Uniting all that is British as an ambassador and statesperson, Queen Elizabeth II has seen more of the planet and its people than any other head of state and has engaged with them like no other monarch in British history; she is unquestionably a global voice for our time. As a Getty Images royal photographer, Chris Jackson has been granted privileged access to the monarch and the British royal family. He has documented the Queen’s official engagements over the past two decades, during a period of seismic changes in the British monarchy. "Photographing Her Majesty the Queen has, and is, one of the biggest privileges of my career as Getty Images Royal Photographer. As we head towards the celebration of her Platinum Jubilee, she remains at the heart of a nation and Commonwealth's affections, and is hugely admired and respected around the world,” says Jackson.. “This book is my personal perspective across the last, almost two decades, documenting many different facets of the Monarch's life, from the formal ceremony to family life and those unexpected and heartwarming moments that left me smiling behind the camera". In Jackson’s photographs, documenting public and private moments and accompanied by warm and engaging text offering a personal perspective and behind-the-shot anecdotes, ELIZABETH II: A QUEEN FOR OUR TIME captures her majesty’s great elegance and charm. From royal tours and state dinners to family time and equestrian triumphs, this book takes us to the heart of what it means to be the head of the British royal family. Much has also been made of the Queen’s enduring style, and Jackson shines a spotlight on the coats, dresses, evening gowns, jewels, bags, and accessories that make up her coordinated wardrobe.
Steve Strange was head boy of the New Romantic movement. He ran the best clubs in London: Billy's, Blitz and Camden Palace, which defined the glitzy banality of the era; places where Spandau Ballet and Boy George came to life. He was the glamourpuss of glamourpusses, the campest boy in town. He formed, with Midge Ure, Visage, which became one of the biggest bands of the time, selling millions of records and gaining tabloid notoriety. This work recounts the rise and fall of the Blitz Kid himself and recounts from the epicentre the excess of the early eighties: the clubs, the people, the music, the money, his time spent recovering in Ibiza and India, the subsequent steady decline into cocaine and heroin abuse and his rise back to sanity. Steve recounts how he lost all his possessions in a house fire and days later learned of the death of his close friend Michael Hutchence. Within a couple of years Paula Yates had also committed suicide and Strange had ended up back in South Wales, homeless, mentally unstable and facing a court order for shoplifting. Somehow he managed to pull himself back from the brink.
"Richard Simpkin started photographing celebrities in his teen years and has built up a collection which now features in this book, with details of how he met them and what they were like."
Two iconic bands. An unforgettable life. One of the most dynamic groups of the ‘70s and ‘80s, Talking Heads, founded by drummer Chris Frantz, his girlfriend Tina Weymouth, and lead singer David Byrne, burst onto the music scene, playing at CBGBs, touring Europe with the Ramones, and creating hits like “Psycho Killer” and “Burning Down the House” that captured the post-baby boom generation’s intense, affectless style. In Remain in Love, Frantz writes about the beginnings of Talking Heads—their days as art students in Providence, moving to the sparse Chrystie Street loft Frantz, Weymouth, and Byrne shared where the music that defined an era was written. With never-before-seen photos and immersive vivid detail, Frantz describes life on tour, down to the meals eaten and the clothes worn—and reveals the mechanics of a long and complicated working relationship with a mercurial frontman. At the heart of Remain in Love is Frantz’s love for Weymouth: their once-in-a-lifetime connection as lovers, musicians, and bandmates, and how their creativity surged with the creation of their own band Tom Tom Club, bringing a fresh Afro-Caribbean beat to hits like “Genius of Love.” Studded with memorable places and names from the era—Grace Jones, Andy Warhol, Stephen Sprouse, Lou Reed, Brian Eno, and Debbie Harry among them—Remain in Love is a frank and open memoir of an emblematic life in music and in love.
Musician Duff McKagan shares details about his life and career, discussing the creation and rise of Guns n' Roses, his struggle with alcoholism and drug addiction, his path to sobriety, and more.
