Life? Amazing, gorgeous, insane. Money? Glamour. Originality? My forté. Favourite game? The Gods left out the competitive gene. I find games incomprehensible. I hope I always do. Are you an English eccentric? I don't even consider myself English, never mind eccentric. When I look at my art, that is the only time I really see myself. I am my art. My art isn't especially English. Although it certainly has a European elegance. But you are English? By birth, yes. But forget the lingo, the jingo and the bingo. There are things I like about England and things I like about France, Spain, Italy, Germany, America and so on. We're all cosmopolitan, these days. My art certainly is. How do you create? Like a sleepwalker in a casino who keeps hitting the jackpot. Passions? Anything which can give me excitement or ecstasy. Love? Love girls, glamour and art, Not always in that order. Age? I feel the same as before. But more evolved. How would you describe your accent? I wouldn't. The description might be contradicted by the actuality, in the process of describing it. Words most commonly used to describe you? James and Elliott. Mostly the latter. Where have you spent the most time abroad? Mainland Europe, if that is abroad. Sex? Glamour plus. Any recent changes to your art? Always. Such as? It is becoming more original, more gorgeous and even deeper. If that's possible to imagine. Any other changes? That's quite enough. Artistic ambitions? I have exponentially exceeded them. Although no doubt I shall continue to surprise myself. Will you stop? No, but I will just create fewer, more amazing things. I hate quantity. Much is always sacrificed in doing too much. Being prolific is not a sign of genius, it's a form of cretinism. A man with no powers of discernment or discrimination. Synapses firing off uncontrollably all over the place. Unable to stop. Like an uncontrollable shagger. The converse of a perfectionist. Look at Picasso. So much crap, so few masterpieces. Inspiration? Oh fuck I can't switch it off. Every time I want to stop, it takes me six months to 'put out the fire' and even then it's not complete. I just mitigate the creativity. I can't actually switch it off. That's why you have to control being prolific. I can literally pull original, brilliant ideas out of the ether. So in a sense it would be a crime to stop, completely. The Gods might take my talent. Seen much good art recently? No. Mediocrity rules. Always has, always will. Do the math. I hate the way it's all dumbed down. It's often not just thick, but crass as well. It mostly runs the demi gamut from banality to ugliness. Still, you find the odd cultural jewel, here and there, but it's like searching for a diamond on the beach. Do you love Art? No, don't be vulgar. I love masterpieces and icons. I love brilliance and originality. Best erotic images you have done? My glamour icons are the best. Nobody does glamour like El. 'In the Shape Of A Heart', that's stellar, fabulously balancing the beautiful and the erotic with class and the way the fur stole forms the heart shape is utterly fantastic! 'Lipstick & Latex', 'Scarlet Beauty', 'Silver Siren'. 'Streetwalker Blues..... they are all icons... The oeuvre is 0% fat. There's also some unfinished work I am working on, which is brilliant. Who were the models? My girls are the best on the planet. Famous or not, that's what they are. Where did you get your hat? For 20 years I made them. Nowadays they are made in Seville, Spain and flown to England. By a flock of pink flamingos. What else? And the knee-length boots? My black diamond boots are hand made for me in London, to my own design. All the boots available for men, suck. Like the hats. Lucky number? Superstition is a waste of energy. What's your star sign? Astrology is a form of superstition. What? Why? Favourite music? I still love Symphonic Metal. Nightwish until they split with Tarja Turunen. Listening to now? Symphonic Metal, Electropop, Power Ballads. Emo. Tarja Turunen's 'Our Great Divide', the Within Temptation stuff I mentioned and from way back, Springwater's instrumental, 'I Will Return'. Anything amazing, really. Favourite birds? Don't care. TV News? It's about all these people I don't know and therefore find difficult to care about. Health? I'm physically as fit as fuck. Favourite animal? A female, seductive, curvy magenta chrome Robot with a pink fur stole, huge tits, high heels and scarlet metallic lipstick. What else? Favourite colour? Pink and purple. Computers? Essential, but I spend less and less time on them. Favourite female singer? Tarja Turunen. Your greatest gift? Originality. I can create art without influences. Rare gift. Mobile phones? How come they can design great mobile phones, but no-one can design a decent car? Car design is at an all time low. Undesirable ghastliness. Time? The 'Now Continuum'. There's never enough. Fave Photographer? Nicephore Niepce. Nice. Fave Celebrity? Celebrity has become like art. It's full of rubbish. The jewels are still there, but you just have to search harder. What do you think you are? Mastermind of the Modern Media. Who do you think you are? El. Are you self possessed? I keep trying to be but it doesn't work. I have no interest in me. Only my capabilities. Egotistical? Never. Confident, always Do you throw tantrums? No, not for years. I took the helm years ago. Fave Artists? I love James Modesty Elliott and still like Salvador Genius Dali and Pierre Auguste Bit-Of-A-Genius Renoir. The two latter epithets were both their own descriptions, by the way. Elliott is at least as good as either and I say it to you with all due modesty. That is, none. Hahahahaha....... Your greatest masterpieces? 'Ultrametamorphica Supercybersynthesis', Gravity Of Destiny', 'Predator', 'Superchromatic Spectrosynthesis', 'Metasphere', 'Dying Spiritual Embers Of An Aftermath', the list goes on and on. Your biggest fault? I think too much. And I am an analyticomaniac. I just invented that word as there wasn't one to describe me. I need another one for my art. Maybe ten. Now I'll spend an hour thinking about etymology, mouths moving air to create sound, tongues shaping it..... What was the first word ever spoken? Would things have the same meaning if we hadn't invented words? Do they even mean the same thing in different languages? Do words mask true understanding? Prevent proper perception? Create suspended disbelief? Is it raining? Why is that girl following me? What does it all mean?! Evolution or Creation? Both, but it is irrelevant. Big Bang? Doubtless this will one day be viewed as hilariously primitive. Rather like all the clap-trap one sees in contemporary art. Death? As incomprehensible as Life. What's inspiring? Pleasure. I'm a hedonist first. Best way to die? A surfeit of ecstasy. An overdose of pleasure. Supersatiation. Fave food? English. It's absolutely fantastic. Love it. Meaning of Life? Understanding that we created the ability to ask that question. Life has only the meaning you create for it. Relativity? The importance of relativity is relative. I wouldn't waste your time on it. Fave drink? Light Ribena, chilled in boxes, straight from the fridge. Fave alcohol? Champagne. I am the Champagne of Art. Fave Drugs? Elliott is free of artificial chemicals. Drugs kill creativity. I value mine. Fave Nightclub? It used to be Stringfellows before the switch over to pole dancers around the millennium. And Tramp, of course. I've recently being going to all the top Casinos, too. Fifty St James, Les Ambassadeurs, Aspinals, etc. I don't gamble but I love the glamour. Some are more glamorous than Bond movies. I also go a lot to nice restaurants and hotel bars, which I prefer to clubs as I love conversation. Do you always wear black? Yes. For 35 years. It was original back then, but I'm not changing as it looks great on me. Fave Car? The Giugiaro Lotus Turbo Esprit HC. In red. Fave Time Of Year? Anytime I'm having a blast. Which words inspired you most? Anything of significance I discover floating in my mind. It's fun finding them. Favourite weather? Summer rain, winter sun. Anything but monotony. Fave city? Paris. Hobbies? I can't be an amateur, I take everything to the nth degree, so I avoid hobbies. Gambler? No. I'm aware the hat makes me look like one. Married? No desire to be. Which pictures took the longest? They all take ages. Masterpieces are not created in a day. Not to my standards, anyway. Send me your Picassos, I'll correct them. Fave Classical Music? I find the occasional jewel that I like. I guess the bulk of any genre is so-so. I love the power of big orchestras and there is something rather beautiful about all those people synching together. Always provided it is the right music, of course. I don't want acres of improvisation. My art is cutting-edge, but it is built on classical foundations. I think you need a balance of classical and contemporary. Most Important Thing In Life? Well if you took a vox pop it would probably be sex. Art would be up there somewhere. Why you and your innuendo.... you'll be the death of me! Fave Word In The English Language? Glamour. Fave Writers? I like anything eloquent and laconic. Could be a quote, a review, an essay, rock lyrics, anything. Fave Celebrity? I'm not a celeb groupie. I prefer excellence to fame. The two go together less often than might be desired. Most adequate performers are hyped to Celebrated Nonentity status these days. Therefore celebrity can neither be coveted nor admired. Only excellence can. Fave TV Program? None. Your most important new millennium work? Depends who you ask. In your lifetime, what has changed the most? Me. Either that or everyone else. Is my train moving or is yours? What will your next subject be? Something amazing. Has to be. I've done so much already. Girls sexiest outfit? Anything figure hugging. Do you enjoy being in the Art world? No-one who creates great art is in the art world. They are out of this world. Highest price for one of your images in your lifetime? Oh I imagine millions. Not because I'm so amazing, but just because there is just so much bad art. If you'll forgive the oxymoron. Bad art isn't art, I know. Best Photos you have ever made? Photography is a small part of it. Best thing about living now? Everything just has endless possibilities. Best thing about being your age? There are good and bad things about being any age. Which picture will become most valuable? Given the standards you see in the art world, probably the worst thing I have ever created. Seriously though, I don't know. You cannot anticipate what will capture the average imagination. I can't anyway, I don't have an average imagination. Is Art still censored? Yeah. The spectrum runs between banality and ugliness. Do you smoke? No. How would you like to be remembered? As a man who loved girls and drank Champagne. How tall are you? Depends on my mood. Worst Thing In The World? War and most contemporary art, which looks like a battlefield, anyway. Where creativity was murdered and we stand in the aftermath. Politics? As long as spirits are free, I don't care. Religion? I have inexplicable beliefs. Don't we all? Reincarnation? No. It's just coincidence I look like James The First. And Shakespeare. And the Spanish Inquisition. What distinguishes your Art the most? Originality and Passion. Immodesty? Yes, feels good. Why is that? Ultimate fantasy? Not having one. Blondes or Brunettes?. I like dark hair on girls, at the moment. Subject to change without notice. Red, green or blue? Purple and pink. Married? No, we covered that. Societal templates don't work for everyone. What influences you most? Life. Who influences you most? I do. No-one influences me now. Any children? No. Never had the desire. What motivates you? The desire to be everything I can. Innovation? Yes, always. Best thing about Art? It's ability to inspire. Are all paintings Art? No. Is your erotica Art? Yes. Classical painting? Dali was the greatest, as he had the creativity all the old masters lacked. Girls eyes - your favourite colour? That is trivial insignifica. Best thing about living in London? Having everything immediately available. Worst thing about living in London? The surveillance is a joke. Orwell was an optimist. What's the most important thing in Art? That it has the power, passion, emotion and depth to move you. Or at the very least, the intelligence, imagination and gorgeousness to inspire you. Describe your art in one word? Gorgeous. And your Life in three words? Glamorous, indulgent, creative. Interview 22nd Sept 2008, Abbey Road, London, England. © JAMES ELLIOTT 2008