Saturday, March 08, 2008



The September 1980 Vancouver Magazine was unique in many ways. Art director Rick Staehling gave my cover photograph a treatment that is rare. He ran the picture with the first paragraph of the copy of the article by Judi Lees. It was a story about a woman who had been raped during a jogging run in Stanley Park.

Staehling had told me, "Go to Stanley Park with a model and photographer her running. Use a long lens to give the idea of someone staking her out and about to pounce." The cover was special for me because I did the opposite. I used an extreme wide angle lens, a 20 mm rectilinear lens and stood a mere four or five feet from my model as she jogged back and forth. I was very pleased with the results as was Staehling who I think would consider this cover one of his most memorable designs.



But there is another story behind this cover that is also interesting and I will not be able to provide all the fine details as reputations and feelings have to be respected.

For many years one of my favourite Vancouver musicians has been Stephen Drake. His brother Adam Drake is one of the strongest drummers the city has ever had particularly when he played with Art Bergmann. Brother Stephen was a master of the guitar and is currently a well respected music producer and technician.

The Drake's parents, Sally and Tom were early pioneers in the Vancouver film industry. They both wrote and write screenplays. One day I was having a chat with Tom who told me a strange story.

It seems that they were somehow friends of jazz pianist who was having a need for a fix. It was somewhere in California near Los Angeles and the Drakes had to deliver him to a jazz festival. The pianist was adamant that he was not going anywhere until he got his methodone fix. But his papers were all screwed up so the Drakes drove from one methodone clinic to another tring to convince addicts to volunteer their methodone to help a pianist and they even offered money. But none of the drug addicts knew who Bill Evans was so it took a while before they scored a fix for Evans. By then the concert was about to begin and the highway was jammed with motorists going to it. Finally in desperation Drake stopped his car to plead with a policeman and explained the problem. The cop understood and inidicated to Drake that they should follow him. With sirens blaring Evans made his concert.

The curious fact is that the young woman in my picture was girlfriend to both Stephen Drake and Bill Evans.