Lemn Sissay
In 1984, 18-year-old Lemn Sissay left the care system. In the ten years that followed, he published his first book of poems, performed at the Hacienda and tracked down his birth mother in Gambia. He looks back at the decade when, he says, he entered the world as an artist.
Decades: EPISODE 09
More episodes in Decades
Jez Nelson (Decades: Episode 03)
Jez Nelson has been a key figure for jazz in the UK, having spent years transmitting it through pirate radio stations before joining the newly licensed Jazz FM in 1989. Along the way he’s spoken to some of the greatest and most eccentric characters in jazz and performance, including Herbie Hancock, Nina Simone and Sun Ra. For 'Decades' he talks us through the years 1982-1992.
Sam McKnight (Decades: Episode 07)
Celebrated hair stylist Sam McKnight takes us on a fashionable retrospect of the coiffures and culture of the 90s. The ‘hairdresser of all hairdressers’ has styled the likes of Kate Moss, Lady Gaga and notably clipped an iconic look upon the locks of Princess Diana. Here he looks back for whynow’s ‘Decades’ series.
Zandra Rhodes (Decades: Episode 10)
Dame Zandra Rhodes burst onto the scene in the late 60s with her eye-catching textiles and flair for fashion. From pleated frocks for rock stars, to royal engagement gowns, the Princess of Punk looks back at the years 1967 - 1977.
Marc Quinn (Decades: Episode 04)
Contemporary artist and visionary Marc Quinn has, quite literally, shed blood for his art. Perhaps his most well-known work, Self, creates a cast of his head with ten pints of his own blood, and is remade every five years. Discussing his entrance into the world of art, permanence and impermanence in his work, and his interest in how ‘art makes itself’, Quinn looks over the years 1981-91 for our ‘Decades’ series.Â
