Phil Everly

It was Easter, and I got a call from Pye Records that Phil Everly was in town for a few days and they needed a photo of him for a sleeve. Easter in the 70's was singularly Holy time. Nothing stirred but church services. The next day, being Good Friday was treated like a Sunday, and it made London like a ghost town. However being the true pro that I was, I used this to my advantage. I picked Phil up in my yellow mini traveller from his hotel. The car was as far from a Boss Mustang as it could be. It had a mini front end and a van like back end with wooden surrounds. (See picture), but it flew like shit of a shovel. I drove down to Shepherds Bush market, Marble Arch to the Bush in 5 mins flat. All the lights were green and not a soul about. I stopped in front of a shuttered shop front. It was painted red and hadn't seen a paint brush in years. Just the arty farty background I needed for the shot.

I wanted to use him as a small figure with this shutter behind him, but alas the marketing men got at it and and it ended up cropped to head and shoulders. It may as well have been a passport photo, it had as much charisma. Phil asked me what was there to do in this one horse town.
'Not much at Easter but pray. But he could come to my flat on Sunday for a traditional Sunday roast dinner.' And I could show him the delights of the Kings Road on Saturday, just a spit from my place on the Fulham Road.
All through this time he kept saying that we have met before in L.A. and that he knew my face. As at that time I had a bright red moustache that covered most of the bottom half of my face, and hair down to my shoulders, I probably resembled half the hippies in California. We finished the shoot in about an hour and I dropped him off at the hotel soon after as he had to be in the studio that afternoon. I gave him my contact details, and he promised to turn up at the flat when he was done.
Sandy, my wife, was quite a fan of the Everly Bothers and started planning the meal, who would come, who would sit where.
We always had quite a few to lunch on a Sunday. I told her not to go to much trouble as he would probably not turn up. Of course I was right, but he did call and ask me to visit him in L.A.
I never did make that trip.

Sharon Osborne

In the 1970's Sharon was running the fan club for  WIZARD the Roy Wood extravaganza. One of my drinking friends in the Fox and Pheasant in Billing Street. was Tommy the chip. His wife was a pretty girl with masses of black curls, and an almost completely round figure. Sharon looked exactly the same. Together they resembled two bookends fashioned as female Humpty Dumptys. She worked for Sharon's father,  Don Arden (another story). and it was through her that Sharon asked me to design stuff for Wizard.
All went well until it was time to pay for the work. Don Arden had a reputation for not paying his bills and my partner at Design Machine, Nick Nicol, warned me not to do the work as the cheque would not be forthcoming. He reckoned , with out Sharon in the mix. Although I had to wait until Arden was in the buiding, Sharon would bowl into his office and demand the money calling him a tight c***. Occasionally the cheque would not be honoured, so she would raid his safe for the cash, which was stuffed with notes. The lads from the Fox & Pheasant all tradesmen, did work for Don Arden on his house on Wimbledon Common. They had the same experience. His reputation of carrying a gun and being prepared to use it held no truck with them. Come Friday the cash was paid or else. Sharon the go between made sure no violence took place.
Rumour had it that when she finally fell out with her father, she flew to California and sold his house there and kept the money. He may have owed her the cash for all I know, and he may have asked her to sell it for him, but I never saw her again after that, except on the television, a shadow of her former self, but still showing that nothing fazed her.