David Litchfield

From Biography – David R. L. Litchfield Estate (davidrllitchfield.com):

David Robert (Lorne) Litchfield was born in the UK on 30 April 1943 and died there on 18 January 2023. […] Returning to Britain, he studied graphic design at St Martins School of Art in London.

He was then employed as a book designer by Aldus Books (a subsidiary of Doubleday). Worked with South African musician Gui Gui Mawebi and avant-garde composer, Cornelius Cardew, a disciple of Stockhausen. Freelanced as an illustrator and photographer.

Founded the Baroque Press, designed and published The Image (1972-1974), an award-winning graphic arts and photography magazine which featured the work of Andy Warhol, Elliott Erwitt, Don McCullin, Harry Holland, Horst, Richard Hamilton, Homer Sykes, Nick Roeg, Allen Jones, Peter Blake, John Schlesinger, David Bailey, William Burroughs, Jean Shrimpton and Linda McCartney, as well as many less well known artists.

Made a number of documentary films, with and concerning Harry Nilsson, Paul McCartney and Bob Marley (whose manager threatened to kill him); a theatrical production of ‘The Fall of The House of Usher’ by Stephen Berkoff, ‘The Point’ by Harry Nilsson, ‘One Hand Clapping’ and ‘Empty Hands’, a Japanese martial arts documentary film for theatrical release. The cameraman on ‘Empty Hands’ was Roger Deakins, who went on to become Hollywood’s most celebrated director of photography. Litchfield directed one commercial for Liberty of London starring the legendary Elaine Stritch.

Lectured in Advanced Communications at the London College of Media Studies.

Founded, edited and designed (1976-1989 and 1996-1997) – with his characteristic, Japanese writing brush-style logo and titles – the monthly Ritz Newspaper (published with David Bailey for seven of its fourteen year life). Ritz was the British equivalent of Andy Warhol’s Interview. A glamorously superficial magazine, Litchfield was responsible for introducing paparazzi photography to Britain; a move that he subsequently very much regretted. The paper covered fashion photography, interviews, gossip and culture columns. […]

In March 1973, David Litchfield, who was then the editor of The Image, a graphic arts magazine, met Paul and Linda McCartney at a fundraising party for the charity Release, which was organized by the artist, journalist, and political activist Caroline Coon at the Hard Rock Café in London. This initial meeting led Litchfield to publish Linda McCartney’s photographs in his magazine, and subsequently to more collaborations with Paul McCartney, including directing the 1974 “One Hand Clapping” documentary about Wings.

I first met Caroline Coon, Paul and Linda McCartney and Bailey at a fund raising party Caroline gave for Release at the Hard Rock Café, and it was there that [David] Bailey revealed his philosophical and political belief that it was easier to have rich friends than poor ones.

David Litchfield – From “Bailey and I: Volume 1 – Bailey and Litchfield’s Ritz Newspaper“, 2023

I had already designed, edited and published one magazine, called The Image. A ‘breathtakingly beautiful graphic arts magazine’, or that’s how the film producer Hercules Bellville described it.

It was through The Image, in 1972, that I first met Bailey, who introduced me to other creative ‘stars’, as a result of which I published both Jean Shrimpton’s and Linda McCartney’s photographs. Following the demise of The Image, Paul commissioned me to make a number of documentary films, during which time we spent a considerable amount of time at Abbey Road filming Wings, and at my studio in Kilburn, discussing the meaning of life.

Many years later, he apparently described me to his biographer as having been ‘a major influence on his life.’ Whether he really did or not remains to be seen, but my ego encouraged an unquestioning acceptance of these words.

David Litchfield – From “Bailey and I: Volume 1 – Bailey and Litchfield’s Ritz Newspaper“, 2023

The Image had only lasted for two years. When it crashed, Paul McCartney fulfilled me creatively and saved me financially by generously commissioning me to make three documentaries: One Hand Clapping, concerning McCartney and Wings; Empty Hands about a Japanese v British Karate contest, after which I went on to film a stage version of Steven Berkoff’s Fall of The House of Usher and Harry Nilsson’s The Point. I even got the funding to make a documentary about Bob Marley, before Jerry Weintraub, Bob’s tour manager, arrived in London and threatened to kill me if I continued with the project.

David Litchfield – From “Bailey and I: Volume 1 – Bailey and Litchfield’s Ritz Newspaper“, 2023

‘One Hand Clapping’. It’s nice to see that one re-surfacing. It was made by a friend of mine, David Litchfield; he produced a little magazine that was funky [Ritz, co-edited with David Bailey]. We decided that he would shoot a very simple piece, on video. We would just go into Abbey Road and play basically what we had rehearsed. So we went in there and it was very simply filmed, absolute basic stuff, and I think its charm now is that there’s no pretence. It is what it is. We just called it ‘One Hand Clapping’, for absolutely no reason.

Paul McCartney – From paulmccartney.com, November 4, 2014

I remember one afternoon after I had been to see Paul (McCartney), who was going through some crisis or other; in those days when, from time to time, he still chose to drown his sorrows in Scotch. We drunk most of a bottle and consumed a Thai Stick or two, the storage of which, one of his huge kitchen fridges was exclusively devoted to. The result was that it took me eight hours to drive from Saint John’s Wood to Streatham; in the alcohol and drug-induced belief that the car would turn over if I went any faster, though I don’t remember ever exceeding a speed of five miles an hour. I can only assume the police were convinced the car was parked.

David Litchfield – Circa 1977 – From “Bailey and I: Volume 1 – Bailey and Litchfield’s Ritz Newspaper“, 2023

[…] Which reminded me of Paul McCartney saying to me, in reaction to the death of John Lennon: ‘Now he’s died a legend and I’m just going to be left to become an old fart’.

David Litchfield – From “Bailey and I: Volume 1 – Bailey and Litchfield’s Ritz Newspaper“, 2023

Film directed by David Litchfield

Benzakin • 1 year ago

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