»When I think about it now, with hindsight, those feelings I had with Stuart - of love - were the strongest I have ever had in my life. I don’t know how to explain it … It was so intense that sometimes it frightened me.«
— Astrid Kirchherr
I’m back in Hamburg, now all alone in our flat while everyone’s on vacation. I was hoping to be done by now with the drawings, but there are still a few pages waiting to be filled with ink and crayon. I just have to get by without sleep for the next two weeks.
© Astrid Kirchherr (1960) / K&K www.center-of-beat.com
Stuart Sutcliffe was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, on June 23, 1940. He would have turned 70 today.
The fiftieth anniversary of the formation of the Beatles (and the beginning of their career in Hamburg) gets more and more media coverage in Germany. Most recent example: Klaus Voormann did the cover artwork for the latest issue of high-circulation German magazine Der Spiegel (issue 21/2010). While visiting the wonderful komiks.dk festival in Copenhagen, I missed his visit at Hamburg’s Beatlemania last weekend for the launch of a limited artprint edition of his cover illustration (which seems to be sold out already). Anyway, Copenhagen was great. I’m going to stay at my parents’ house for the following two weeks. I have to catch up on work …
I apologize for the absence and neglecting this blog … I’ve been drawing whenever I could, did a few other jobs and wondered if I would be able to finish the book within the given deadline. It’s always the same old story, but it’s the truth. At least I think I’m getting faster towards the end. I almost finished about five pages this week …
My book findings gathered at flea markets, second hand bookshops and … ordinary online marketplaces.
I spent a few hours revising the fourth chapter. Eventually I deleted five pages and added two at the beginning, but I’m still not sure about the changes…
Perfectionism is the enemy of completion.
The New Year has arrived. 2010 marks the 50th anniversary of the Beatles and their first appearance in Hamburg and thus the beginning of the story being told in »Baby’s in black«. In October 1960 Astrid met Stuart, took the photographs that would affect her life and career forever - and fell in love like never before.
Currently I’m working on Chapter 4. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean I’m done with all previous chapters. Basically, I draw all pages and scenes chronologically, but then again, there’s always a reason to skip a scene. Considering the skipped pages and the two following chapters, I’m still on a tight schedule for the release in October this year …
»The time I spent with Stuart was so short. People imagine it was a long period, but it wasn’t even two years. … I didn’t notice anything, I was just in love. The thought of losing Stuart didn’t even cross my mind. … Afterwards I kept thinking ‘Why didn’t I see it? Why didn’t I notice the change in Stuart?’« — Astrid Kirchherr
© Astrid Kirchherr (1960) / K&K www.center-of-beat.com
»The actual tragedies of life bear no relation to one’s preconceived ideas. In the event, one is always bewildered by their simplicity, their grandeur of design, and by that element of the bizarre which seems inherent in them.«
— Jean Cocteau
It’s been two years now since I first came up with the idea to do this book. Back then I was expecting to see the book being published in autumn 2009. However, I had no idea how different my life would be only a few months later. Everything changed when this little person moved into our apartment, and drawing suddenly was the last thing on my mind.
Well, now that I have finally started drawing in my new studio and have almost finished the first three chapters, I’m quite confident that the approximately 200 pages will be done by the middle of next year … and published no later than October 2010. Until then there will be this blog to accompany the troublesome making of the book and remind me of the things I once promised.
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