“One of the most memorable days of my life was 20 years ago in 1995 when I spent a day with the Rolling Stones.
They have been photographed hundreds of times, and I had an idea to try and photograph them in a more candid style and capture their 35 years of friendship. However, this is not an easy task unless you know the person you are photographing, and in the world of superstars and rock and roll, you rarely get the chance to get to know the people you are going to photograph.
Whenever you have an opportunity to photograph major artists, especially a band, they always have their entourage around them: their publicists, stylists, makeup artists, and often their personal assistants and management. Ideally, I would like to be like a fly on their shoulder with a tiny camera, almost as if they could not see me so I could observe them behaving normally - like friends together.
I asked if I could be on my own with them, and he looked at me as if I were absolutely mad! However, he finally agreed, and the next day I arrived at the most beautiful manor house hidden deep in the Irish countryside. The house sat beside an idyllic river, and as I walked towards the house, I have to admit I was really nervous. Here I was about to meet four superstars - what on earth would I talk about!
As soon as I opened the gate and walked into the courtyard, all I could see was a giant white dog hurtling towards me, and within seconds it jumped on me, and I fell with my cameras to the ground. As this dog licked me all over, I heard, "Hey Chanel, leave him alone!" and there was Ronnie and Keith. ‘Sorry about this,’ said Ronnie, and he helped me back on my feet. 'Fancy a pint of Guinness?' Within minutes I was sitting in their antique-laden bar surrounded by suits of armor and a 1950s jukebox, drinking a pint with Ronnie and Keith. We were chatting away as everyone does down at their local pub, and I remember saying to Ronnie, ‘I like those black jeans, where are they from?' ‘Oh, Gap,' he said, 'They're such good value!'
I just could not believe how friendly they were. Later, Mick and Charlie arrived, and it was then I really did see the depth of their friendship as they laughed, joked, and even asked about my life and my family. Then Keith said, ‘You’re a bit crazy. How on earth does your wife put up with you?’ I, too, asked about their childhoods, parents, and what they were most grateful for in life.
At around 5 PM we were sitting in the kitchen having a cup of tea as Keith's wife was cooking a spaghetti bolognese, and Keith asked me to join them for dinner and stay the night! I could hardly believe what I was hearing - what a magical day this had become. I think the secret is to be as normal as possible, make people relax and laugh; I could never have taken the pictures I did if other people were there.
So this was a day in the life of the Rolling Stones.”
-Duncan Raban