He was a co-founder and then, for thirty years until 1992, the bass guitarist for The Rolling Stones. Bill Wyman has been a photographer for even longer. Under the title Wyman Shoots, Amsterdam’s Yoshiko Matsumoto Gallery presents a varied selection of nearly forty photographs, mainly from his earlier work.
"Is it planned?" Bill Wyman’s first words sound gruff and do not bode well as he ignores the outstretched hand—and, worse still, our presence. His manager nods. It is late on a Tuesday afternoon, and after performing with his Rhythm Kings at a sold-out Heineken Music Hall last night, followed by a long day of interviews, ‘the silent Stone’ has clearly had enough.
Further questions reveal that Wyman is ‘a little bit tired,’ but he is more worked up about the laziness Chuck Berry displayed the night before.
Sitting among the exhibited photographs, most of them of his old bandmates, Wyman (1936) must be said to look good despite the events of the past 24 hours: hardly any gray hair, at most a little thin—and when asked about specific photographic details, he displays an excellent memory. "What do you think? I don’t take drugs." Wyman lights a cigarette.
You have said that Amsterdam is a city that does justice to your photographs. Could you explain?
"I lóve Amsterdam! Along with Rome and Copenhagen, it is one of my favorite cities. I love the people here, the buildings, the canals, the culture, the great audiences. But above all, it is the relaxed atmosphere I feel here. I have been coming here since the sixties, have played dozens of shows here—including at Paradiso, just down the road—and I always enjoy returning. That is why I consider it an honor to have my work displayed here. Besides, I have two shows in the Netherlands with my band The Rhythm Kings, so the timing worked out well."
I always carried a camera to take photographs during free moments
Which came first: The Stones or your photographs?
"I took my first photographs when I was 9 years old. I used a Kodak Brownie camera given to me by my uncle, who had traded for it with a soldier during the Second World War—he fought against Rommel in the British 8th Army. What did I photograph in those days? Buildings, statues, parks, gates… no people. I don’t know why; perhaps I found things more interesting than people. No, you will never get to see those photographs, because I—regrettably, I have to say—threw them away."
"When things started going fairly well for The Stones and we began to earn a little money, I bought my first proper camera in Paris in 1965. It was a Nikkormat, a fantastic camera that I still own. In fact, I still have all my cameras—including a Hasselblad and a Leica; there must be dozens of them."
Most of the photographs in Wyman Shoots date from your time with the Stones. What did your bandmates think of you always pointing a camera at them?
"I always carried a camera to take photographs during free moments: from the hotel window, from the taxi, while waiting for the plane, on the plane. The only time I did not really take photographs was during performances, because I had a bass guitar in my hands. But no, they did not have a problem with it.
At one point we all had a camera, but the others gave up after a few months. Although… Mick sometimes did object to my always taking photographs: ‘C’mon Bill, put the camera away.’
Charlie, on the other hand, was fine with it; he was also the most photogenic of the group and always looked natural, which I love. That is why you see him most often in the photographs here.
Rock ’n’ roll is sleeping!
Ron could never act normally; he always had to pull funny faces. And Keith always looked terrible: half asleep, a broken tooth… You could only get a good photograph of him if you had plenty of patience."
Are there photographs we are not seeing for, shall we say, intimate reasons?
"Plenty. I do not show them because I do not want to embarrass anyone. I could make an entire book just of sleeping rock ’n’ roll stars: Rock ’n’ roll is sleeping! I remember a photograph of Jimmy Page asleep and slumped down, with a lit cigarette hanging from his mouth… dreadful. No, Jimmy has never seen that photograph, because he was asleep…"
Which photograph here is special to you?
"John Lee Hooker during a performance, because the photograph turned out well despite the poor conditions. To take it, I could not stand among the audience, so I was at the side of the stage, slightly behind the curtains. The difficulty was the poor light… I stood there for quite a while, waiting for the right moment… and suddenly, click.
It is also an example of the kind of photographs I love: natural, not posed. Of course, John Lee did not know I was taking that photograph. A photograph should capture what is happening; it should not be staged or forced."
At the time of this interview, you had published several books, but a true photography book was still missing.
"It will come within a year," Wyman said at the time. "I am discussing it with a publisher. No particular theme, just a varied collection. Call it photographs that reveal more about me and my style of photography—a lot of improvisation. Incidentally, most of the photographs I take these days are landscapes.
I recently shot a beautiful series in Norway. The fjords and mountains there are fantastic. Even photographs I took through the window of a moving car turned out wonderfully. But whether they will ever become a book, I do not know. Publishers and galleries do not like landscapes; they do not sell, and they prefer images of celebrities. Just look around you."
