Liza Minelli

Liza Minelli, Manhattan NY. Every time I worked with Liza, there was always something a little offbeat about her. She was always animated, a little wacky…and fun. I mean, think about her legacy—her mother—what a shadow to stand in. But Liza managed to create her own self, her own career, one that was revered by a whole new generation. Her father was such a famous director, too, but she found her own way.

And she certainly had her quirks. There was this one shoot, and before we began, she was smoking a cigarette and drinking a can of coke. Every time I got ready to shoot she would call her assistant’s name, “Mel...Mel!” And Mel would come in, and Liza would hand her the cigarette and the coke, and then Mel would back off, she’d pose for pictures, and as soon as I was done with that set up, she’d go, “Mel!” And Mel would come in and hand her the cigarette and the coke. It was hysterical.

On another shoot, I had this idea to do some nude shots with Liza, with these heavily tattooed arms covering her. Not surprisingly she loved the idea, so my two biker friends, Indian Larry and English Don, waited outside until we called them in. They walked in, took their shirts off, and they’re standing there on the set waiting for my direction. Liza walks out of the dressing room in this big pearl necklace with a Maltese cross on it. She walks up, and notices Larry’s neck tattoo—a necklace with a Maltese cross on it. It was really very strange.

They get into position to start taking pictures standing next to her, and all of a sudden she goes, “Are you ready?” When I said yes, she goes whoop! And lifts up her dress, revealing a little heart tattoo underneath her breast. You could tell, to her, that was really cool. Like, “I got a tattoo, too.” And I clicked the shutter at that right moment.

And that was the shot. I did the other pictures later, her naked amongst all the tattoos, but there was something about this one that was just such an irrepeatable moment. That was the one that stuck.