“Who wants to photograph Cindi Lauper next weekend? It’s all day Friday, Saturday morning and evening and finishes Sunday lunchtime.” My hand shot up. Cindi Lauper! A weekend hanging out with Cindi Lauper! Cool. Like proper New York Queens cool.
I had of course misheard the Booking Manager at the photography Agency I worked at. It was a weekend shoot with Cindy Crawford. Cindy with a “Y”. Not Cindi with an “I”. Supermodel Cindy. Not Rock Chick Cindi. Not such a cool weekend.
It was 1992 and Cindy Crawford was in London to promote her new Fitness Video “Shape Your Body”
And so my reluctant weekend with LA Cindy started with coffee at The Dorchester on the Friday morning. Me, my PR client, and Cindy. Introductions. Mwah Mwah. Make a plan. There then followed a day of press shoots and interviews. A day of handshakes and glad-shakes. Video Retailers. Video Distribution Execs. Photos of Video Industry VIPs. Photos of people who thought they were Video Industry VIPs.
Streaming was a whole CD and DVD away. This was the UK Video Retail industry’s finest hour. Hollywood had come to Edmonton High Street (Top Video Retailer the Year). VHS Boom time.
Cindy didn’t need me until late afternoon on the Saturday so I was able to make my usual appearance for Southgate Hockey Club. Changing into black tie after the game, my team mates shared concern and advice in equal measures on how to handle mega stars.
A) Did this mean that I wouldn’t be in the clubhouse bar as per usual (Concern)
B) Whatever you say DO NOT tell her you play for the 5th XI. Tell her you’re a 1st XI regular. Pretend you’re a regular in the GB Squad (Advice)
Fashion for Beginners
I’d forgotten to pack my cufflinks so stapled my cuffs together. Cindy noticed them at the start of the evening, smiled at me and nodded towards them. “ It’s all the rage in London” I explained “ …very much the in-thing”. Yep. No way had I carried that off.
She asked if my team had won our hockey game. I thought momentarily of describing a glorious victory with me scoring the winner in the very last minute. Thinking back on my cufflink gaffe I decided on humility and truth. “We lost. 0-4. At home”. She smiled sympathetically. Goodness me, she felt for my team’s loss. Wow.
To this day I swear she thought I played ice hockey.
And so a glitzy Video Awards Night. Cindy presenting Awards. Cindy speaking. Cindy Glad-handing. Cindy smiling. Cindy with VHS Tape in hands. Cindy with everyone. Everyone with Cindy. A gloriously fab evening. People were asking me if they could be photographed with Cindy. I was Cindy Crawford’s personal photographer. I loved it.
Cindy’s Mascot Years
Cindy signed a copy of her award winning video for me. “To Southgate 5th XI. Love Cindy”. We would hang that video cover in our goal as a lucky mascot for the next 3 seasons. It never worked. We continued to lose 4-0… 5-0… 6-0. It didn’t matter. We had Cindy with us. The opposition were always in awe of our mascot each time they retrieved the ball from the back of our net.
Sunday morning meant one last round of press interviews. An hour later the last picture was taken and my assignment was over. I packed my camera away.
Cindy had other plans though. She smiled once more and asked if I wanted to be photographed with her. I declined but she insisted. I declined again and she insisted again. And we rallied back and forth like that for a good 5 minutes…at least that’s what I like to think. The truth probably lies closer to me exclaiming YES PLEASE too enthusiastically at the first ask.
And so I have the photograph.
I’d forgotten about this photograph. I never had a copy. When my darling mum passed away my sister found it in one of those biscuit tins that parents keep without us knowing. A tin full of memories and parental pride. The first hand print smudged at nursery school. That painting of the family house with blue sky scribbled at the top of the page a cat bottom right. A photograph of their second son with Cindy Crawford.
I never did tell Cindy that I had hoped to be with the other Cindi that weekend. The Cindi with an “I”. I should have told her that I’d pretty much nearly double dated. She’d have laughed.
I mean, look at that photo. We look great together.
If only I hadn’t lied about my cufflinks.
Steve Dunlop Photographer 