Juergen Teller's got a show, as if you didn't know, it's at the ICA in London entitled 'Woo!' until the 17th March. When I got to interview him for GQ Style he revealed a spontaneity that really is a key element in his artistic work and something he carries into his everyday life...
'I thought I should be a photographic assistant, I came in '86 my english was so poor, the only people who would actually see me were Mark Lebon and Nick Knight, everyone else said fuck off, they were both so sweet and then there was Ray Petri, I did my first Arena shoot '87- '88. I had this really weird hair, bits in a knot and a bit longer and Ray said 'Cut it off'. I was really impressed with these people... with Ray and Mark.
Smoking Cat (Woo! at ICA)
The pyjama phase... they were from my grandfather, soft comfy. The cap, yes, I went to Romania, I always had it on and then I shaved my head. It was a very exciting time, it was all west London, the east didn't exist, it was super exciting... then I met Judy Blame and then Zoe Bedeaux. My style's all about comfort, it's always about comfort.
Artist Cerith Wyn Evans (Woo! at ICA)
The shorts came when I did an advertising job with Marc Jacobs and Marc said to me 'Wouldn't it be great to use Charlotte Rampling for Marc Jacobs women's wear?', and I said, 'She's not going to do it.' To swing it I thought maybe if I'm going to be the male she would find it more interesting. When got there I didn't think about the clothes and I'm far too fat, I'm not going to fit anything. There were a pair of silver shorts, so the next day I came getting nervous... 'You look ridiculous what the fuck is this...' she said, 'How do you see this?' I just wanted to kiss her fondle her breasts... She got a cigarillo out and said 'Ok lets start, I'll tell you when to stop', and that's when the shorts started and the book started. I did this book after the ads came out and thought, 'What the fuck do I do with these shorts (shots)?' So for half a year I went to Paris and did half naked shots. That's I made this book and Sadie [Coles] helped me, directors pose...
![]()
I thought it would be a really nice thing to get married at my mums place in Germany, Sadie's sister was a witness, and Lola said 'Sadie, what are you going to wear?', because she always wears trousers, and she said, 'Good you pointing it out, well, I'm not going to wear a dress', and Lola said 'I'd like you to wear the Arsenal outfit', so I wore the away kit and she [Sadie] wore the home kit, the Arsenal strip... We went to the register office did a polaroid, had a Japanese meal, and went to play football, that was it.'
Juergen with his and Sadies son Ed