Maiden Christmas Presents

I collected it all here:
Speak to Steve Harris, we meet up and go cd shopping buying bootlegs of hot new bands like Wishbone Ash, Rory Gallagher and Free. I shoot some photos of Steven around Shinjuku while the weather goes from overcast to foul. Do some portraits with Neon in the background. I'm shooting black and white. Steve is a camera enthusiast - 'Why aren't you shooting in colour?' he demands. Steven thinks he knows more than me about photography (he probably does - technical stuff doesn't interest me at all). He starts telling me which exposure to use, how to over expose etc, why digital black and white is better than film (which is bollocks). I can't think of anything more boring. I mean, I don't tell him how to play the bass.
We end up in Yodobashi Camera, a department store which just sells cameras. We arrange to meet later for dinner. I leave Steve ogling some Panasonic sureshots.

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It was too shitty to do anything. William Luff, Maiden's PR, took us to dinner at The French Kitchen at the Grand Hyatt in the preposterously named Roppongi Hills. It was very nice and civilised with no riff-raff (members of Iron Maiden) and was an enjoyable evening. I'm getting used to fine dining.

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Less nasty (just honest):

A beautiful day, hot, sunny, balmy - fantastic October weather. I am supposed to being doing a Iron Maiden session around Tokyo. William Luff, PR-type person from EMI records, who has told me it's definitely going to happen now tells me in a weary voice the photos are ALL being done indoors at the Budokan - 'don't worry, you'll get loads of time.' Great idea, really shows where we are - I wonder who thought of that.
I arrive at 4.30pm. Bruce and Steve, who are both here, are BUSY. Ummmm, I wonder what they are busy doing - sightseeing, destroying Tokyo - who knows?
I shoot Lauren Harris's band who open the show, she is enthusiastic - more so with photos than her fathers band.

As the intro tape is rolling I get Bruce (who looks tired and bored), then Steve. Bruce tells me I have ONE minute. Wow, how kind, I get at least twenty frames. Steve at least apologises - honestly, what a waste of time. I shoot the show but am so pissed off I really don't enjoy it. It's the best light show they've had in ages. Good to shoot live, but WHY have I come all the way here to do NOTHING? They really don't give a shit - and I've known them a long time. God help anyone new.

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Looked at my Iron Maiden book, out now on Omlibus, and I like it (I don't like a lot of my own stuff, I always think I could have done better). The only thing I don't like about it is the copy on the back, added by Chris Charlesworth WITHOUT TELLING OR SHOWING ME - it is unnecessary and cringingly awful.

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Alright. Let me guess. They ended their relation with Halfin after someone told them/Rod about this diary. :)
 
Interesting read, but I don't think it sounds very much like a fallout between them. As always, I think we need to give these people more credit as adults. So Halfin wasn't particularly happy with the conditions, but he doesn't say anywhere that he's not going to work with them again. And if you read through those diaries, he is pretty much pissy about anything and everything. Besides, this is from late 2006, which pretty much disproves everything said here.

Incidentally, you don't get very many pictures like this:

iron-maiden-lith03.jpg
 
I think you are right Foro, Hehe. But I think they have worked together since then though, at least on a few occasions..

Both Smallwood and Harris writes introductory words in the Ross Halfin Iron Maiden book, here is what Steve wrote:

"I don't know why but when I first met Ross Halfin on one of our first ever photo shoots we really hit it off. I liked him, liked his abrasive sense of humor and his almost obnoxious demeanor. I didn't know at the time that Ross was and would become a top rock photographer. With his dark humor, wind ups and often offensive manner, I wasn't sure how he would fare working so closely with people but he always seems to get the best out of people which I suppose is half the battle. He developed his own inimitable styler and today is one of the most well renowned rock photographers. And yes, he's still obnoxious. I love it"

This is printed in the Halfin Maiden book ;) So I think they have a more or less love/hate relationship. They are both pretty straight forward and want things done their way.
 
That book came out before or around the same time as when (some of) these diaries were done. Unless that writing was especially done for a reprint, in a later year.

Good to see how he thinks of his nature though. :)
 
"I don't know why but when I first met Ross Halfin on one of our first ever photo shoots we really hit it off. I liked him, liked his abrasive sense of humor and his almost obnoxious demeanor. I didn't know at the time that Ross was and would become a top rock photographer. With his dark humor, wind ups and often offensive manner, I wasn't sure how he would fare working so closely with people but he always seems to get the best out of people which I suppose is half the battle. He developed his own inimitable styler and today is one of the most well renowned rock photographers. And yes, he's still obnoxious. I love it"

I have to admit, I've never really trusted overly-enthusiastic blurbs like that.
 
Because of various factors (traveling to see family, divorced parents, etc.) I am actually going to wind up having four Christmases this year, three of which have already occurred, the last of which is tomorrow. In terms of Maiden things, I got an Iron Maiden guitar strap and Hal Loenard's Iron Maiden Anthology (sheet music and guitar tabs for 17 Maiden songs, I'm just starting guitar recently). I'm hoping for a couple of shirts tomorrow, we'll see how that goes.
 
The Maiden Anthology is one of the first guitar books I've ever owned. It's one of the greatest things ever. :shred:
 
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