Newton's Laws

Are you a moralist as well as a hedonist?

I show certain things. Every picture I take that I arrange has a basis of reality. I show how women of the upper classes live. I put them in situations — I think I’m good at that. I think I’m good at depicting the world of that kind of woman, which I refer to as a tribe. You know, war paint; the tribe has the same war paint whether the tribe lives in L.A. or in Paris.

You’re talking about the upper classes?

The bourgeoisie. You’ve seen Buñuel’s Belle de Jour? It depicts a certain class of Paris woman. It’s highly erotic. It shows a certain class, and it is correct. I could tell you stories that would make your hair stand on end.

I would guess that voyeurism is a concept you’re not unfamiliar with?

You guess right, I live with binoculars. And I don’t think you have to be very kinky to do that. I think we all like watching, unless you’re very dumb and have no imagination. Only an idiot or boor wouldn’t be fascinated by what goes on around him.

Of course there are many people who aren’t curious.

Yah, well, I’m not interested in them. Most people have no imagination. That’s why most people work in a bloody bank or insurance company or sell shoes. I would never have worked in a bank — I would have died. I’ve been a truck driver, a fruit picker, and I worked on the railroads, loading and unloading. That’s OK. It wasn’t all that amusing, but it didn’t worry me; that’s not slavery. Slavery for me would be to work for a boss, to rely on the idea that I will please this boss by what I do or say or else get thrown out and have no work. That is truly terrible. Many times when I truly didn’t have any resources, I burned my bridges because they were going to conform me. They wanted to and I said, “Fuck you.” I’d prefer to have no money and do what I want. I don’t mean I want to be without money, but freedom and independence are for me the most important things. See my box of cameras — that’s all I need.