Johnny Rotten, Sex Pistols, London 1980

Johnny Rotten, Sex Pistols, Portobello Road, London 1980

This NFT will also include a physical Limited Edition 20*16-inch signed exhibition/ archival quality photographic print.

I started as a music photographer working as a staff photographer on Record Mirror and Sounds and freelancing to NME, Melody Maker, The Face Magazine and most record companies during the burgeoning punk scene in the mid-1970s. As a friend and cohort of many who went on to become the biggest names in Punk, I had unprecedented behind-the-scenes access to the musicians and artists of London's early punk scene.

This image of Johnny Rotten marks my first NFT release. Over time I will be releasing 52 images from my last exhibition, "The End of Generation X", at the Proud Gallery, Camden Town, London, in 2015.

See the opening night https://vimeo.com/140112174

My work has been published, exhibited and collected by collectors worldwide. The collection, in particular, was purchased by the famous "Hard Rock Cafe" rock memorabilia collection. This image is displayed in their cafes and hotels around the world.

This image of Johnny Rotten captures the most iconic Punk of all time, first rejected in disgust by British society and then loved and cherished as one of Britain's national treasures. Quite a feat! Punk music was the last throes of generation X and the last breaths of an analogue world. Everything from that moment onwards would be touched and disrupted by digital. Punk was a brief frenetic moment, but the Punk aesthetic, attitude, design, music, and fashion dramatically affected everything that followed.

This image was taken outside the old Virgin Record company office in Portobello Rd, London. The image of him projected by the media was a far cry from reality. I have to say Johnny was a true professional and gentleman. When Record Mirror rang me with the assignment, I knew that it was a special shoot, and I had to nail it. I came prepared with all four Nikon cameras loaded up with colour and black and white film. He told me I had an hour to do whatever I liked. We took a stroll around the area, just him and me with no assistants or pesky record company reps. I managed to bang off three different setups. We chatted about other bands. He was interested in any new bands I had seen.

On the way back, he was thirsty. I offered to buy him a pint at the local pub, but he politely asked for just a pint of milk, which I thought was funny. This was the man that put the fear of god in the British establishment, passing up beer for milk! I even took some pics of him chugging down the milk in a school playground which turned out great.

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