David Corio recalls: “Julian Cope has had an unconventional career. He first achieved fame and success when his band Teardrop Explodes’ single ‘Reward’ reached the top ten in 1981 but after three years and three albums they were to split up with Cope starting off on a solo career. His strong political and religious views along with hallucinogenic experimentations have caused friction with various labels over the years and he now mainly records and promotes his own releases independently.
He has become a successful author writing books on the history of German and Japanese rock music (‘Krautrocksampler’ & ‘Japrocksampler’) but has probably become best known as an acclaimed archeologist with his two books ‘The Modern Antiquarian’ and
‘The Megalithic European’ – a subject close to my heart.
The photo session was done in conjunction with his ‘St Julian’ release in a bland executive boardroom. The only light was a single strip light and to get more atmospheric lighting we both stood on the table for a better vantage point. He was very easy to photograph as every time I took a shot he automatically moved into a different pose – mugging for the camera one minute or looking vulnerable the next.”
