Thursday 27 June 2013

Paparazzo?




I've just come across this quite old, and very fuzzy, photo, tucked into my AA 'Guide to Morocco'.

I'd checked into a large reasonably priced hotel in the Guéliz area of Marrakech. My hair was cut short (back in the 70's, in Tangier, I'd been forced to cut off my shoulder length locks, so was taking no chances), my shades 'almost' hid my identity, and I wore black.

So as to blend in with the locals, Lady Magnon wore a headscarf, tied in that simple un-flattering Muslim fashion.

We dined in small back-street restaurants (the best), and spent the days either sightseeing, shopping, or drinking mint tea at relaxed pavement cafés.

When 8 days later I returned home to France, I opened an unexpected Moroccan stamped envelope to find the above photo, which had obviously been taken from some distance. The one line message on the reverse side reads 'You didn't see me; but I saw you'.

So who was this all-seeing Paparazzo with the telephoto lens?... It turned out to be none other than my agent, Charles Fenton-Savage, who spends almost as much time in Maroc as I do in France.

The cheeky bastard. He could, at least, have said 'Hi'. I might even have bought him a boiled sheep's eye.

(I think I must have been sitting outside the large Café on the west side of the Place Jeema el Fna; he never did say!)


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8 comments:

  1. I wouldn't have known you - mind you it must be about 55 years since I saw you with such short hair. I thought you had more of it though.

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    Replies
    1. I gave myself a '00' cut, specially for the trip. I seem to remember that there was certain 'ill feeling' at the time.

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  2. Wow, i've never had to travel in cognito. Although a few times when i lived in France and anti-US sentiment ran high, i did all i could to blend in.

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  3. OOh I like it! you have a rather "hit man" look about you, I'm thinking Leon...

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  4. how chilling to receive that in the mail...cheeky bastard, indeed. you are looking good here, i'm a fan of the short hair.

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  5. You look dead scary on that photo. I like the one of you now a lot better

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    Replies
    1. I was completely unaware about what was going on; probably just sitting quietly and enjoying the scene. Otherwise I might 'almost' have smiled.

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  6. If I had gotten something like that in the mail, it would freak me out!! Very stalker-like, but harmless and amusing in the end.
    You look kind of 007-ish in that photo.

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