Wish I Was There

one of the greatest album covers of balls thyme is Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here

wish you were2

wish you were

there were TWO versions of the Storm Thorgerson designed album cover.  the one above, with the man on fire leaning forward (which is the current one in use since the 2011 reissue), and the one below, where the man on fire is leaning back (used for releases from 1975 to 2011)

alt wish lp

wish you were onfire

two stuntmen were used for the shoot – Ronnie Rondell and Danny Rogers.  Rondell is the one on fire.  He was dressed in a fire-retardant suit covered by a business suit. His head was protected by a hood, underneath a wig.  Rondell’s suit was painted with rubber cement and ignited three times before it ripped and his flame-retardant long-Johns peeked through the holes  

Initially the wind was blowing in the wrong direction, and the flames were forced into Rondell’s face, burning his moustache, eyebrows and eyelashes.  ‘It’ll happen in a heartbeat‘, says Rondell.  ‘The fire wraps around your face real quick, like a barbecue thing. The wig was fried, it melted up into a ball.‘  The two stuntmen changed positions, and the image was later reversed  

Rondell got $500 and only worked an hour.  Rogers was paid $250 for the easier job

the photograph was taken at the Warner Bros Studios in Los Angeles, between stages 16 and 21

wish you were guys

warner bros lot

and here’s some photos that didn’t make the cut

wish you were here contact sheet

wish you were here outtake

on fire

wish poof2

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