Me and Cherry, 1988
Originally uploaded by joellaflickr.
Basically, I'm not very photogenic. The camera does not love me. I have a wonky eye (occasionally pictured right) which looks fine, I like to think, in the flesh, but usually comes out squinty on film, and generally my face just doesn't work in repose. Some do, some don't. I've got used to it.
So going through 20 years of photos, as I did recently, resulted in a fair bit of wincing, especially during the 'microphone head' years when my hair was growing back after being shorn on a whim in the Imperial Hair Cutting Saloon in Bombay.
But I *love* this photo. It was taken when I was 18 and not long in possession of Cherry, my lovely 2cv. I was working on Dock Road in Lytham during the Christmas holidays, packing Sheila Maid components into boxes. Ex-housemate S was working with me for a few days, and I had the bright idea of doing a photo-story, called 'A Day In The Life Of Domestic Paraphernalia'. This was the first photo of the day. The photo story never happened, but I could perhaps redress that now.
What I love about it is that it has pretty much everything significant about my 18 year old self all in one photo. My 2cv, my Billy Bragg T-shirt, my dad's old suit jacket, my M&S grey cardigan, my CND badge, my spiral perm, my sign of Venus earring (just the one), my rather bleak part time job. The keyring is blank-side out, but on the other side it said 'The more I know about men, the more I like my dog'.
Capturing all of this was never the plan, and I like that even better. *And* it's slightly out of focus, as many of my favourite photos are.
joella
3 comments:
Totally unrelated to the post, but I wanted you to know that I've spent the entire DAY on Last FM - and it's all the fault of your quilt!!!!
Oh well, it was bound to happen sooner or later.
I never had the 2CV (back then my transport of choice was the 558 bus from Dudley to Wolverhampton via Upper Gornal) but in several other respects my 1988 look mirrors yours in ways which are almost scary. One earring (mine was a big silver hoop that my dad said made me look 'like a bleedin' sailorboy'- check. Dad's old suit jacket worn over prize indiepop T-shirt (mine would have featured the Wedding Present)- check. Slightly wonky eye- check. I could go on...
Beth -- hooray! I look forward to exploring your neighbourhood, so to speak. I see you've gone for the list rather than the quilt, I am still undecided really. I don't know how they decide which albums to show -- it looks like I listen to Cameo all the time and I really don't. Just Word Up! once three weeks ago.
Jonathan -- yeah, what was it with the odd earring look? But otherwise it's a look I haven't properly grown out of, which is a little embarrassing.
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