After the disaster of our Italian Comic collaboration with Bruno Alfieri, the famed director of Metro and Pagina Magazines, Our second daughter Frances had been born and we were penniless.
The short story is that Alfieri had a great idea of creating a comic with drawings the size of the Times newspaper. He found a writer to create the texts with a story based on a James Bond character in competition with a character inspired by Monica Vitti in L'Eclisse. Molly and I produced over 200 drawings for the comic. Alfieri had amazing Lichtenstines on his walls that were so inspiring. All seemed to be progressing until we visited the printer in Venice. They had been approached by an underground organisation who had complete control of the print and distribution of comics. There was no question of being able to produce "Mustang Contro Honda" as a Lichtenstein tribute - it had to be a pocket paperback - or else! Alfieri still went ahead with the printing but when he realised that all those large drawings would become small silhouettes of black ink, he cancelled everything - including us.
I returned to London to pick up my £3000.00 fee at Taranti Publishers in Warren Street, I had a letter of authority but it didn't wash, they had stopped dealing Alfeiri. I was broke - had to get some temporary work - retired to the Prince of Wales pub where I met 3 Belfast University students - told them my tale of woe - they offered to include me in their interview for a part-time job at The Passport Office in Petty France. We started the following week. I soon graduated from the archive section to The Urgent Applications Office where you had to check out an application and process the passport in 3 hours. After a few days I was rushing around the building completing one urgent passport after another and I recognised the distinctive striking face of Jimi Hendrix climbing the stairs. "Hi Jimi - how's it going"."Yeah - cool". There was competition to handle Jimi's urgent passport but I got it. Jimis agent was at the counter to receive it so I felt I'd lost a rare opportunity to talk with this Rock'n'Roll hero.
The next day I spent the Lunch-hour sketching the stair-case and made the Hendrix drawing at home. I was taking my folder of work to various magazines most days including the Hendrix drawing. It made an impression at the NOVA studio and I was given some wonderful illustration assignments. I Left the Passport Office.
The End.