V and I just got back from Lynette and Glen’s cool wedding at Morrells … a quick sneak peek before we head to bed and Lynette and Glen (who are probably still at Morrells) head out to their honeymoon.

Miriam Makeba died this weekend after a performance in Italy. I remember the last time I saw her was at the original Klein Karoo Kunstefees, I was working for the Mail & Guardian, and she was being pelted with beer cans. I got into a spot of trouble after writing a scathing article about the festival – craftily titled “Beer Cans and Boer Wars” by my editor – repeatedly shortening the name of the festival to KKK and accusing them of racism. They later renamed it to the Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees.

V calls it my Angry Young Man period, I wasn’t welcomed back the following year. I remember Ms. Makeba being pretty amazing and calm on the stage, and very gracious in accepting the festival organizers’ apologies in a press conference the next day. This is the last photo I took of her that evening at the festival.

See the entry about the Smythe family lifestyle shoot for more on this story. I was having an Anton Corbijn moment and they just looked like a rock band.

I love this photo of Theo Crous, the man is a monster of rock. He should have been playing to stadiums of adoring fans.

I was happy to see DORP on the bill at Ampli5. I remembered them as being energetic, off the wall and just slightly loopy to watch live.

I often wonder what Paul Riekert must have been thinking when I dragged him to the National Art Gallery to photograph him inside a sculpture/art piece. I think it was called Meine Huis or Meine Tuis.

I still waste a lot of film with my Holga. I was obsessed with it for a while in the 90’s, before I discovered antique cameras.

I was at a wedding recently and the MC asked me if I was the guy that shot that U2 cover. Just in case you were wondering the answer is no, I am not Anton Corbijn, although I have always been a big fan.

I did however shoot a couple of covers for some South African bands and compilations and I did shoot some photos of U2.

Chris has been doing really well for himself lately, as a musician as well as an actor, but well before Boo! and well before his solo career he was in a band called Blue Chameleon. Do you remember them?

Koos Kombuis used to come to Grahamstown and play down at the Cathguard Arms, I remember taking my psychology textbook along to one of his gigs because I had an exam the next day. Half listening to him play, half reading about Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.

This is one of my favorite images of the Nude Girls, before Theo cut off his hair, when they were young and pissed off and made punk metal anthems.

Chronic diabetics Sugardrive went from stadium rockers to introspective triphop visionaries in a blink of an eye – or so it seemed to those of us on the sidelines astounded by Sand Man Sky. I saw them the other day watching a live gig at the Dome. Their hair was shorter, but the gave off the same quiet energy.

Valiant Swart once told me that rock ‘n roll was the only thing that mattered, of course he had a young Arno Carstens saddled and was riding him around the yard at the time. I chose to believe him anyway.

Squeal were my favorite Durban band that happened to live in Melville.

Some pics of SA’s favorite Nude Girl – in fairness he was quite young in these pics. I think these were taken circa 1996 (if you think you were at one of these gigs and you know the exact year, drop me a line in the comments)