Out this Thursday, writer Mark Ellen's autobiography details a life spent interviewing music industry A-listers - here, he talks about the two most memorable, both ELLE cover stars
"Ive spent too much of the last 30 years interviewing icons in fact, my memoirs called Rock Stars Stole My Life! but two of the books key moments came from my work for the mighty ELLE. And for good reason they were the most colourful, glamorous, over-the-top episodes of the lot.
The first was a cover shoot with Lady Gaga in a warehouse in Manhattans Upper West Side in October 2011. Acres of exotic dresses, wigs, hats, gloves, shoes and jewellery were laid out for her inspection. Juice-bar operatives hurled fruit into blenders. Steamed fish and tofu came at us from every angle. As we waited, tension was softly diffused by camp buffoonery from the fashion menfolk Oh. My. Actual. God! one declared theatrically. Were out of summer berries! Stay calm, people! Stay focused!
The Garg herself adorable and fabulously bright eventually sprang from a lift with her entourage, changed into a pair of wobbling stacks, a cropped platinum wig and transparent green veil and threw shapes in the teeth of a wind-machine while the Pet Shop Boys, Soft Cell and Blondie pumped from the speakers behind her. Pausing occasionally to pull on a Marlboro Light and check the shots in the monitor We look great! she trilled. We look like a *sexy watermelon*! - she then charged back to Wardrobe, pausing to hitch up her dress and flash the video cameras.
The second was a shoot in Paris in 2012 where the fascinating Rihanna tottered out on perilous heels which tore two gashes in the backdrop, sparking a fit of hand-on-mouth giggles. Incredibly, she let me watch from just a few feet away she was luminously pretty, a shower of blue stars tattooed down her neck and back, a thin gold chain across her navel, and she sang along softly to Miguel and the Pointer Sisters. Photographer Mariano Vivancos running commentary dissolved her into more fond laughter - One-two-three-hold-it *amazing*! Im yours, Rihanna! Look it this shot, baby, these pictures are FOREVER!
She pointed to one of his reference snaps of Twiggy sitting on a cushion and said, lets try that! Mariano cracked up: Not in *your* short skirt!
by Mark Ellen is in hardback, audio and eBook formats from May 8 (Hodder)
