This is the first of a series where we get to know the people behind the portraits by Govanhill street photographer, Simon Murphy. First up is psychedelic artist, Alan Tanner who spoke about Dali, dragonflies and drawing.

Alan Tanner | Photo by Simon Murphy. All Rights Reserved.

Interview by Rhiannon J Davies

Alan Tanner is a familiar face in Govanhill’s café scene. You may have spotted him at a table outside Milk Café or Some Great Reward wearing his trademark fisherman’s hat, having a smoke and sipping a latte.

Alan was a prominent artist in the 1960s and 70s psychedelia scene in London. His trippy works found an audience on album covers for notable bands including Procol Harum and Hawkwind. He also created illustrations for counter-culture magazines Oz and Time Out. He left London to live in a cottage in the Highlands before settling in Govanhill.

Dali was mad as a hatter, he really was. I went to see him at his house in Spain, and we had a long conversation in Spanish and English. Dali only talked about himself. That’s all he did. He just spoke about Dali. I don’t think he knew anybody else.

I was just a little man in the second world war. But being a child in Kent I can remember it right from the start. It’s always going to be there. It’ll never go. I suppose it influences my art, in a way.

The psychedelia scene in London was good for a short period of time. But it gets too much. I used to party a lot. I lived in Notting Hill Gate around the corner from Jimi Hendrix. All those people in London; they’re great, but they all fade away.

Going up north was the best thing that I ever did, I think. After I left London, I lived in Auchindoun, a village just outside Aviemore, miles from anywhere. I wanted fresh air. I got stuck and loved it.

Dragonflies eat everything around them. They’re amazing creatures, but they’re buggers though, they really are. They’re born killers. They kill everything. I used to try and catch them.

The Scots are friendly. They always have been that way. And they’re adventurous people too. They like talking to you about things — talking, talking, talking. You sit and listen. I listen very hard. I love it.

Strokes flatten you. I had a big one a few years ago. I was in hospital trying to remember who I was. I really don’t like strokes.

I’m still drawing. I draw quite well. Most of my ideas come from my head. They have to, because you’re thinking all the time. I’m painting a large piece at the moment. I use acrylics. They’re fun to paint with, but I get cramp in my hands now.

I don’t really like to be known. You talk to Dali and he’d tell you all about him. I’m not like him. I like the freedom of anonymity. You can say what you like and no-one minds. I’ve never been interested in fame and fortune. That’s the last thing I want.

For the portrait, Simon covered my hands with paint. We wanted to see what would happen. And I like using my fingers. I had paint all over my face. I don’t mind being the subject, it’s just another face.

If I could do my life over again, I’d spend more time in New Zealand. I was there for a year, wandering and painting. It’s a stunning country. The Maori people really understand life and this world we live in. And they can talk.

I spend my days talking to friends. They’re all in Govanhill. I like Milk Café. It’s two lassies that look after it. They talk to you and I like to listen and keep my mouth shut.

Life is getting quicker, much faster than I like anyway. I’m now 83, so I’m catching up with it. I feel much younger. I think because I’ve been around a long time. All those years you can’t remember. Half of it is gone. I’m still getting over my stroke.

I just wander off somewhere sometimes. The mind takes you and you have to go. I love the journey. Here I’ve got the park, and all these places I can go to. It’s more like the country than anywhere else.

We’re all in a bubble. It’s breaking out of it that counts.

This portrait of Alan by photographer Simon Murphy forms part of his Govanhill project. It won the Richard Coward Scottish Portrait Award in Photography at the Scottish Portrait Awards in 2019.

This article was first published in the print edition of Greater Govanhill. If you want to see Greater Govanhill thrive and grow, sign up to become a member for as little as £3 per month.