(MADNESS+GENIUS=GENIUS)

A couple of weeks ago for the second time I had the pleasure of meeting one of the greatest minds of our generation. Professor Stephen Hawking has during his career turned his mind to black holes, the universe and the whole of time; I have turned my mind to pretty pictures so fair to say he is a daunting prospect as a subject. I try to find things I have in common with the people I photograph, a connection to use in bringing out their character but in this particular case a shared interest in light and time don’t really cut it. When you add to this the fact communication is a difficult task for the Professor and he is helped to move to by his carers you would expect an odd atmosphere but what came across most when photographing Stephen Hawking is his sense of humour. It is trait we don’t really associate with scientists but it is one he has in spades from appearing in The Simpsons to applying himself to his latest project, tongue firmly in cheek.

The reason I was there was because the Professor had been challenged to stretch his mind to the limit and solve a problem that has troubled this country for near half a decade. Come up with a formula to turn 11 hapless idiots in white shirts in to world cup.winners (ok ok football fans calm down, Joking, I am sure they are the best men for the job and they will do very well once again covering the home of the beautiful game in all the glory it deserves.) The answer it seems is to play in red, kick off at 3 and have a European referee, a bit late for this year granted but perhaps a blueprint for the future.

Aristotle once said “there is no great genius without a mixture of madness” no truer words were spoken in this case as the people setting this task were the bookmaker Paddy Power and their PR team Taylor Herring who are certainly no stranger to creating mad stunts. So it seems for at least the football going population of England Stephen Hawking has finally solved the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe and everything and I would bet against him being right.