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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Lifestyle
Interview by Amy Fleming

‘I’ve met people with tattoos of it’: Andy Vella on shooting the Cure’s Boys Don’t Cry cover

‘That’s the picture!’ … the famous shot.
‘That’s the picture!’ … the famous shot. Photograph: Andy Vella

I think this is the Cure image that’s most reproduced. I’ve met people with tattoos of it. It’s been bootlegged, like, millions of times. The bootlegs are rubbish, though – half the time someone’s obviously cut the stencil out with a scalpel, and it’s so crude.

This image was used for the cover of Boys Don’t Cry when it was rereleased in 1986. It was taken during the video shoot, which featured three boys playing the band when young. I used to just go to those shoots as a fly on the wall, grabbing shots where I could – you try to not get in the way.

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