Exhibition 1972

Johnny's first envelope

Johnny's last public exhibition was held at the West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds in December 1972.
The theatre manager of the time was less than enthusiastic, 'My five year old could do better than that,' was his opinion  of Johnny's envelopes, which hung up one side of the staircase to the Circle.

'They were somewhere else - scrawly,' recalls Johnny, 'but on the other side of the staircase were drawings of what America was up to in Vietnam - Napalm bombs.  I mean, to drop it on a village with women and children - for the Americans - of all people - to do that!

'With my Vietnam drawings, I was trying to sort out the depth of the envelope. So I cut the drawings in half - I likened it to the rape of a country.  America was represented as an owl - attacking in the night - silently.  Vietnam was a woman.

'The theatre manager deemed these drawings pornographic.  "I've got a lot of women and children coming here!" he said.   Anyway, the exhibition stayed.

I went to look at the exhibition and to find out - nobody knew me - the kids quite liked the drawings - they like cartoony things.

'I was a serious person.  There were protests around the world and it was the kids that did it!  In America,  people would not do the draft - Mohammed Ali said no - in his position! It stopped him from boxing.  He was condemned on all fronts, but he avoided prison because of all the support from young people.

'To die - for what?

'It was the envelopes, combined with circumstance that  turned me into a proper artist.  If I'm going to be an artist, I thought, I'm going to do it for all the right reasons.  For my sort of an artist, earning a living is secondary to the statement.  And don't forget,I was reassured and encouraged by people like Mohammed Ali, Kurt Vonnegut, Frank Zappa.  I wanted to be part of that - not the establishment - it was the protest.

'And it was the time when I understood that if you're going to follow your dream, you have to be 100% honest.  If what you are doing feels right, then it will be right, because you have told the truth.

Portrait 2

'Protest did not continue - I'm not a Protester - live and let live.  I let my subconscious speak.'

Valentine ham n Brahms

Thanks to Stan's ham, I had a Valentine's night soiree at mine last week.  I composed an ode ...

Left to right: Mary Johnny Me Alex Paul Marta Coral Stan

It is a little know fact
That ham is an aphrodisiac
And when cooked in tender, loving fashion
Will fire the smouldering flames of passion ....

Well, if you believe that .... but we had a good time.

 'Next time I come round,' said Johnny, 'you must play the piano.'  It is a little known fact that Johnny has encouraged me to pursue the piano with an energy that has turned into a passion.  In a conversation about developing the skill and craft of an artist, Johnny said, 'You have to do it, do it, do it - it's only by doing it that you develop depth.' Those words hit home I took them on and have done it, done it, done it!  Hours and hours of practice and I'm about to sit my Grade VIII.  I can hardly believe that I've reached this level - I'm so thrilled!  But I battle with nerves and playing in front of people is difficult, however, I'm making myself do it, so tonight's the night to play Brahms, I thought.





It's always been a bit of a puzzle to me, why Johnny, with such an open-minded view on the world can be so narrow minded about classical music.  So before I played it, I told him the story.
'It's about about an abandoned mother and child,' I said, ' - in Scotland ... she's bereft, distraught ....  and can you imagine an old German man writing this - from a poem - and he'd never been to Scotland, yet you can  hear the bagpipes ...'

I knew before I started that I had had one wine too many ... so, Liszting somewhat, the performance had to be abandoned - I should have known better.









It's just as well I didn't see the look on Johnny's face ....

Romas, photographer extraordinaire

Dates for your diary

John Middleton
London Exhibition

Monday 9th June - Friday 13th June 2014

THE CONINGSBY GALLERY
30 Tottenham Street
London
W1T 4RJ
Tel 020 7637 7478
www.coningsbygallery.com

End of exhibition party night
PAUL MIDDLETONS ANGST BAND
Friday 13th June
At:
BREWDOG Shoreditch
51-55 Bethnal Green Road
London E1 6LA
www.brewdog.com/bars/shoreditch

See you there!