Dennis Morris grew up in Hackney. John ‘Johnny Rotten’ Lydon grew up in Finsbury Park. Morris; a young photographer whose career was burgeoning with pictures of soon-to-be reggae icon, Bob Marley, would frequently cross the path of Lydon on their neighbouring streets. But it wasn’t until 1977, when Sex Pistols graced the cover of NME and signed to Virgin Records, that their professional relationship began. The anarchists were looking for someone to take their photo, and Morris was the not only the answer, but certainly an integral part in Lydon’s own endeavours when founding Public Image Ltd (stylised as PiL).

Lydon (vocals), Keith Levene (lead guitar), Jah Wobble (bass) and Jim Walker (drums), became models in a glossy spread when creating their debut album, 1978’s Public Image: First Issue, with Morris furthering the tabloid feel of their preceding single. It was tailored right down to the typeface used, mimicking Vogue, Time magazine, and the satirical MAD, to complement their alter egos. Moving onto PiL’s 1979 Metal Box, it was a 16mm celluloid film canister that stole Morris’ heart and made history.

The exhibition Dennis Morris: PiL – First Issue to Metal Box at The Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) details Morris’ acumen for art and design, and his ability to capture a “natural insight” away from the lights and action. Morris says that when he works with somebody, he tries to get the real, inner character of the person, because as artists, they wear masks. “John wanted to say ‘this is my public image, it’s not me’ and that’s why he was all dressed up,” says Morris. And that’s why the photographer was right for PiL.

Clementine Zawadzki: What was it like being an emerging artist at a time of such social and political change? And working with a group like the Sex Pistols, who didn’t shy away from this revolt?
Dennis Morris: I never really set out to be a rock photographer. I wanted to be a war photographer, but I was too young to do that sort of thing. My interest in photography was reportage, which is like a study of the human psyche. So, realistically, when I was working for bands, including Bob Marley, none of my shots were taken in a studio, they were taken on the road, backstage or in a hotel room. The Pistols, in that period, represented the youth of Britain, and England was going through a rough time. There was a lot of unemployment, the economic situation was really bad, and there was rubbish and strikes everywhere. It was pretty grim, so it was all about doing something that was quite beautiful.

CZ: And PiL was arguably the creation of post-punk, which is altogether different. How did this come about?
DM: John came back to the UK after he left Sex Pistols, and for quite a while he didn’t know what to do with himself. I got a call from Richard Branson and Simon Draper, and they told me they [Virgin] were going in another direction and they wanted to get involved very heavily in reggae music. They knew that I had a connection to Jamaica through my work with Bob Marley, and Richard was to go and sign the acts that he was interested in, and I would go with him to do the pictures for the album covers and press purposes. I said yes, but I also said: “Why don’t you take, John? He’s not quite sure which way to go and he loves reggae,” and they said it was a great idea. A few weeks later the three of us arrived in Kingston. It was really funny, as we came out of the airport, there was a bunch of Rastas and they said: “Johnny Rotten, God save the Queen, man,” and we knew everything was going to be cool. We had a great time. I introduced them to U-Roy and Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, and I think these sounds became a massive influence for John throughout that trip.

CZ: And what happened from there?
DM: John told me that he wanted to call the band Public Image Ltd, and I was really into abbreviations at the time, so I said: “Why don’t you just call it PiL?” and he said: “Oh yeah, okay,” and then the idea of the artwork came. I was making the transition from photography into design as well, so this was a chance to expand on that. We had open access, we were just left alone to do what we wanted, and you would never get that now. It was an opportunity to make something of ourselves. If you were willing, it was there for you to take. It was really unique.

CZ: What were those early conversations about PiL like?
DM: John was determined to bury the punk image that he had. At that time, the band Rose Royce, who wrote that hit Car Wash, were touring England and I was working with them. For me, that was a huge insight into the American music system. They had a wardrobe unit, they had a makeup unit – the whole shebang – and I was fascinated. I said to John: “What I want to do is get you all dressed up, in makeup, and basically make you look like a movie star.” So I told Rose Royce’s makeup artist I was going to do an album cover for Public Image Ltd, and she said: “I’ve never heard of them,” and I explained: “It’s the singer from Sex Pistols,” and she jumped at the chance. The date was set, we went into the studio, we got the clothes together, and John was almost unrecognisable. That image was the dawn of the New Romantic and New Wave movement. John was very, very open, so I knew as long as I delivered and he didn’t look like a fool, it would be okay. Sometimes you have an idea in a process and it just doesn’t work, but I knew he was capable of it.

CZ: The artwork for PiL’s second album was made in Hackney. What significance did this have?
DM: When John told me he wanted to call the second album Metal Box, I said: “It’s amazing, across the road from my secondary school is this factory called Metal Box Factory, and I would pass it every morning for years as a kid, so I must go check it out.” I went inside and found out that film canisters happened to be the exact size of a vinyl. I was amazed, so I asked how much it would cost to buy 2,000 of them, and then boxes of them, and they gave me a price. I went to see Virgin and I said the concept was going to be a metal box and they’re like: “Are you crazy? Do you understand how much that would cost?” and I came back with the figures and they said it was doable. So they would keep it as limited edition and then go to a conventional sleeve. We embossed the logo and the legend was born.

CZ: I think what’s lovely in this story is how certain moments have come full circle and found a place in your artistry.
DM: I base all my designs on the subconscious. The PiL logo was based on something people see and use everyday, being an Aspirin pill, so people love it because they’ve seen it, they’ve tasted it, and they’ve swallowed it. You know it. And people have a metal box too, in one shape or another.

CZ: So what you created for PiL in a physical sense – the album artwork – is just a further manifestation of your ethos as a photographer?
DM: I want the viewer – when they see my pictures in a magazine, in a book, or in an exhibition – to feel as if they were there in the room. It was just about me sitting and talking with him, and at some point I saw something. Sometimes it was just one shot, but I caught that moment, then put the camera down. It was the same with Sex Pistols. I was there with them 24/7 and nothing was ever set up. If I did a live shot of the band, I would read the situation and find that defining moment. It’s like a bird flying or a plane, there’s a moment where you reach a peak that you’re almost still.

CZ: What makes the PiL exhibition at ICA special for you?
DM: I’m excited about the exhibition because people really only know the album covers, so for the first time people will be able to see all the parts that went into creation of the Public Image Ltd concept. There was a lot of work I did around the band, for instance, the first show they did was on Christmas Day, and I did a lot of stuff on that, like the backstage art and posters. Then, when the album was released, I also did these ads for magazines and the music papers, and they were completely different from any other rock music ads, they were concepts. All of this in one room will give people the story and they will begin to understand the real idea behind the band and the journey as well.

Dennis Morris: PiL – First Issue to Metal Box runs at London ICA between 23 Mar 2016 – 15 May 2016

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