‘I put a raging dent in Neil Young’s forehead!’ Tim Pope on his riotous videos for the Cure, Bowie, Queen, Soft Cell and more

He dressed Freddie Mercury as a prawn, got Paul Weller to wear lipstick, put a camera in Robert Smith’s mouth and created a 75ft penis for Hall & Oates. Pope looks back on is wild adventures with titans of musicAs video director to the stars in the golden age of MTV, Tim Pope’s trademark was putting his very famous clients in uncomfortable or dangerous situations. He dressed Freddie Mercury as a “giant Mediterranean prawn”, locked the Cure in a flooded wardrobe then chucked it off a cliff, and almost electrocuted two Psychedelic Furs.“The core of my work seems to be sadism,” he chuckles. “I have wondered if it was all some sort of revenge for the brutality I suffered away at primary school, but maybe I’m just cruel.” Continue reading...