Today. Alex interviews allegedly photographer heidi babies, and the man who is portrayed, studied every sitting american president since dwight eisenhower. Today. We look at president ial politics, but with a difference through the lens of how debates but 1st, your tweets mess, just emails. Now alex started last picture with a very personal tribute to a special friend of his. And im just says a very moving powerful and personal tribute to so sean connery by alec sam. And i like to stand in our universe, but it will shine or not memories and hopes for the future. Magnificent portie. Thank you, alex says, and you can mindset and listen to the rest of the show which covered coverage. I really fascinating discussion. Lets talk Decision Makers are taking note of the learning. I look forward to hearing about the different approaches adopted in ireland and northern ireland. Early evidence suggests the islands 5 levels are making a positive impact, lesley says alex, thank you for your program. So informative policy regarding Public Health should never have been difficult. It should have been pursued the way dr. Bought it, and professor burns are discussing. Martin says, believed to this is the way it should have been done from the start of the pandemic. Many lives could have been seed, dece is being negative, isolating symptom free is a waste of time if you can still catch or be carrying it. And finally, john, it says the mixed messages and lack of sensible destructions have been terrible. The simple solution is copy the new zealand approach as a short and sharp look down, but not everything is nearly back to normal. Of course, this week has brought news of exciting progress towards vaccination. However, in the months before, it can be generally deployed Public Health measures will store to meet our only view protection i get this fight is. So stacey and i to todays interview, how did benson c. P. E. Is glasgows most famous photographer and his long illustrious career . His lens has captured everyone from her majesty the queen to Jackie Kennedy, to listen to taylor. However, one of his most notable achievements has been to forge a graph. The last 12 american president s in office until that is donald trump group, the run. Alex takes up the story with heidi benson. And i dont like to be joined from florida by legendary photographer Harvey Benson holly. Welcome to the alex salmond, show. A pleasure waiting it all, all my life to be on its just the 12 american president s photographed by you, but the outgoing plays the new donald trump, who didnt have a an all together. Even relationship. Are you hoping to go on much better with and coming joe biden . Thats why im not mad joe biden is a nice guy. You know, hes not even a raving agreeable. But donald trump brought the romney. It wouldnt let you into the white house or you taken his photograph before that . Oh, im for the graft. Maybe for to you and me. So i said this to him when i ran into him some reception. I said to him, donna, id like to come on one photograph you in the white house needs to know. I said, well, you know, dont load up, no need for fun. He use. And you have saying no president like that, the picture you were from of all the money on the stand. He was a bit too happy with that picture. Only did shawn greed and he often did it. I said, because i need taken on, i cant see nights and its wonderful doll know all that money. He said i can go in there and i can get a 1000000. 00 right now. And that by and then told us, and ive never photographed that 1000000. 00 and dont think ive never seen it. Michelle, and you have got it. Well, we spend about half an hour piling a 1000000. 00. And he wanted it to be actually a 1000000 dollar dollar. And it was so i didnt want any faith preacher at the gym homage to slip any of the bundles away hardy of the day, cut them all back into the safe. I got my man and got them straight on the train. This fellow, i know in glasgow he is it going to look just on the boat . I dont, i dont think the donald inherited much of his mother said safire of a hobby. I think, i think i have is a stranger to dawdle club and also is sent north, sent him so that its good to make fun of them because he doesnt. It doesnt understand how they are going to take you right back to the picture of a fison home, which was your 1st president. Yeah, yeah. Dont ye start me. Were just thinking about, id been i had photographed him for some all in london. It was small own mouth, and i thought it was and a memory i ride and clara engine is in need a limousine. Really didnt want to be seen in a limousine showing, get out and basically walk towards the photographer. And to show that you with faith and, and thats what i think, and its true tall and he was a gentleman and id forward to grap them afterwards as well. I also photographed him playing a round of golf in unbury and strange that off, of course, somebody is no in the hands of donald trump. President eisenhower would feel about that, but you also photographed john f. Kennedy in london, testified about the kennedy visit to london. It wasnt just john f. Kennedy and we can jackie. And these wives 2 can buy ice on because she was great looking to this guillaume. And then after they have finished weights, london, the now go to paris and the french, a lot of their loved clones. And that was a big deal of that. How would the french think hoshi dress because they thought every american dressed all so you were the photographer, who accompanied john f. Kennedy to london and potus. Is that correct . X. , and i mean, there were me in a few of them, you know, and all of them were, you took a photograph of Jackie Kennedy in london and a car which is almost a luminosity about of you. Took a photograph of Princess Diana with a code which showed the some of the empathy which she had these people the how to have the ability to communicate visually. And there must be a photographers dream yakked on jackie wall. And jackie, once she had taken london by storm, really imbrie moment in the day she was enjoying it. But she to paris my whole paris to who and rule of law over there they loved. And the french were, you know, so critical, especially on women of the druggist, but not reject can work that she wipes the floor with them. I want to ask you about your portrait of Richard Nixon because you for to go after him in the final days of his presidency. Yes, i did them when bill last me who is my favorite president and i was sitting next to. Because one thing about nixon was there was no small talk. He ash and he would ask you for a dinner break 1st. And if youre on the plane in the press plane, or you yeah, are your own. You are near him. He was chained to a drink find out where mr. Benson wants to drink. Ive found that a pleasant being with. But nixon and his family, you probably have joined a glaswegian holiday where they sent you a drink. I think it will live made of what the opposite from me. I have found them can be very easy to want. And that must mean a very dramatic moments. You know, in these last hours as president , when you photographed him as he was a boat to the demento office under the, under the threat of impeachment, that must have been extraordinary time for a photographic study of someone. It was very sad. It was terribly sad because there was also his family. When with them, he went into, you know, they were just devastated by it and, and it absolutely was all over the nation go, its is elevator to go back to the room. I need just such a tone to is wife shown down, you know, it would be a day, sad moment. A photograph doesnt lie. And nixon felt safe with this. Im sure. And with her history, you know, you want to recall and meet him. Howd he was that day . If i could tell you to happier moments that our president ial town the famous picture you took with the reagans. Astonishing picture of, of them dancing on a picture, i understand which i used to say of the, a very famous magazine. You know far, vanity fair and new. Im going to close the magazine for im about to say to you, is it complete so big . Because that picture saved vanity fair. I mean, this is documented, shai knew her own, was going to close a magazine and she number on me as a child, went to him and same woman got this thing coming out of the reagans, and im sure its going to sell a lot of copies and it did, and i got the reagan to dance, and the magazine was sold out. That was a picture of a president ial couple very much in love, of course. Yet another famous picture of a president ial couple. The picture of the clintons kiss though i have to ask you, was that you put on for the camera or was that how you felt the, at the picture of the relationship thing they were in love . He was relaxing on the hammock. And hillary would be a bit some way stretched out, and she said, im not, im going to let him go where perth this goes. She runs over basically gadson top in this case. And then the, this, then it was over never happened again. Its a moment you really being a photographer or a spontaneous moment that cant be repeated and will not be repeated in case because of spontaneous, you know, so high up, were all looking forward to getting the call from the incoming press that by and to to take his picture of the white house that ive been doing. So if you have a few, any thoughts of how you might pick them up . Is that something that could only happen when you see the sucking stances of the day . Circumstantially dull the day. But what i hear is a good guy. I hear that a photograph from before that in a different setting. And it all depends who you are. Youre representing our family, the band, e. Q. Fair. And im westlife. Im going to get much better attention than if i was with the hamilton advertiser. Stay with us for more from howdy benson. Im here for 2 graphic exclusives with e after the break it was all soup wolf was sleep. But wu, clubbable was sure i can order cook doesnt actually matter. Vegetable would have been murdered by you got to go with us because all of those who knew those stories could be game we will see in the movie, confused with the it seems more serious, but its the most severe. Some of what is in your speech comes off the news. The of the 20th century was thinking or of revolution, the Great Depression and world wars, the 21st century of mental illness. Those arent my words. Thats what surfaced some psychiatry to tell us. The only question is, should we accept it as a fact . Welcome back. Alex is in conversation with heidi benson about the icon fears known. His work has taken him to the scene of many historic moment of both tribes. Im tragedy since the 1960. So how the band saw in that 19 sixtys your career took a different time because you traveled to america, but your traveled with a very famous group of people. What happened there . I stayed in america basically because id tell you why american with very interesting then and then with the civil rights there would just to lot happening in america. Your travel there with the beatles and your extraordinary pictures of the ford in a pillow fight back yet. You were having a drink and nice should jazz stage. Ive held a fight. Now ive had them mention that the day before home or all just messing about in the room that like joy on my im saying that was a terrible pillow fight. We had nothing on made me think about this and the way our men in the room with the beatles of the following night. And i said how about a pillow fight . And the rest kind of nodded and, and john lennon and sad each had no middle childhood. Should you know that when it was him because when were breaking records in all of sales and we were becoming very rich in the few days and in way they have agreed not to do it. Then jon disappears in the room for a 2nd, and paul is sitting, sitting, having a drink, and the couch. And john comes up behind him without a pillow, and hes a whole course. It splatters all over the place. And then the out of the whole of fart. I just cant shooting the and it kept going. Great. You have to be sure of not telling them what to do. And then youre here for to go off the beatles with muhammad ali, though you must add that the 5 most famous people in the world in that photograph of that. You know what someone said that to me the other day, theyre the most photographed people in the world, muhammad ali and one title, and the beatles didnt want to meet them because you know, in the end, thats not all martin writing to me when the boxer and when i get in with alley, we go to if training place and the beatles are such small at the rate, taught me when glen suggests, im not shift with people, they would put them on the place. Not always, she ready, father of me. Know things like you all think youre beautiful, but youre not more beautiful. Goes love me better then theyll love you. You know, youre just a little punks on the heap in their play. Its nice now lie down and never had them line on the ground. Now tom, no, but hes treating them like children. And after it was all gone, john lennon, who i was seeing was the leader of the beatles. He said, you know, that didnt go well. He made to look like monkeys, and its all your fall. Harry reids right mohammed was went away ahead of them more and but then again, how do you got the photograph of these, these were basically happy, happy moments of the beatles a leave. Of course. You also photographed some of the, the great tragedies that were happening in america at that time and particular, you were present and photographing, assassination of Robert Kennedy to tell us what happened mccain he was, i knew bobby, i light bombay. I knew it and im still friendly with its family. Its awful to move from a happy situation. Like in one california and balmy says something and on to chicago and in, in never get in the ball room. Hes walking, i would be about 5 yards behind him, and then the screaming and i never saw the guy with the gun because of the crud. But then once there was screaming and the next thing you see is, bobby is down. But ill never forget, thats the screaming it was like the show can now been dallas because it was so close to dallas and people were just crying and bang and the hand off. And i said to my machine, the midsouth, let me mess up tomorrow. But this is too important, i got to take 14 graphs. I got to do it. You know, there isnt 3 cheers for the photographer in places like that. They see us and you know as an intruder, as you are. And i kept taking it and shane to myself. This is for history, it isnt. And nothings always photographing everything and around me. Then balmy, when i knew it would go on and there was, im removed, losing a lot of blood from the back of it. And but the, i dont want and no one time im with someone in a crisis in the crowd. I was only about maybe a foot away from them and you knew looking up and in ethel with screaming, asking for aaron and sheen forever before that ambulance people who got to know him a little i hear it was only about 6 minutes. Extraordinary moment, and of course, other assassinations of america at the time you took a picture of Martin Luther king on their Civil Rights Campaign trail which reflected some of the, the novice and of g. O. Of the, of the monday of any reflections on the, on Martin Luther king and the Civil Rights Movement. Very quiet. The mood is no chatting with some that was he allowed you to do your job, but he wasnt. You wasnt talkin about hate the yankees. You were going to beat the yankees. You know, none of that small talk. There how they are going to take you right back to your origins as a photographer and 2 things. The peter manual story thinks flamed out of the national viewers. He was a serial killer, was the 2nd last person to be behind Capital Punishment in scotland. This is a late 1950 s. At the, amazingly, as a very young photographer managed to get 10 to barlinnie person. And you were the only journalist who was able to photograph and speak to the mass murderer before his execution. That was a, was an extraordinary struck a lot where youre just in the right place at the right time. But this amazing story. I knew the right people at the right, the right man, the rate man would be boxing promoter calls me daugherty. He knew individuals who knew manual and it was for what Sammy Daugherty said. When he said to these guy, im one you can get big hairy into me man young because another criminal should get a chance of knowing another one. I went down to pictures a picture of a very famous picture. You could children in the gorbals and the early sixtys i think. And also a picture you took of the black communities in america in june, in the Civil Rights Movement of give us a force wanted to ask, did you see any similarities between the conditions in your, your homeland and the deprived areas of glasgow . And this situation you found in the, in the put of communities in america during the Civil Rights Movement. Listen, if some of the people from glasgow were living in what in california they would be of rioting, really would be the region may have been umbrello skins, shelter them from the sun and ing really your condition. I mean, id seen much, much wants condition doing glasgow. I mean and, and didnt story. A member, there were 14 living in one room. Your career holly benson took you from photographing the slums of the law school to the photographing president in the white house and the start of a writ of, of photographs out good as the most difficult question of all, do you have of all that a ray of photographs, do you have an absolute favor . The one you look at occasionally say, im glad that holly benson took that picture. Ive always seen the beatles. I dont think its one patron, but its lucky that i was to me, it was i lucky i got close with the reagans. Weve been doing them a favor to that. We keep them are a major life. I keep waiting to take my best picture. I dont think ive taken it along when they can in the assassination. I couldnt. Im not on any fall because there were other people shot iran, maybe very close to me. And im thinking, im wondering where i could. Im done, done better, you know, owners of pew. Im looking to the future holiday. Whats the picture of you still want to take as that are at every instant still light to capture for history . I would like to see more on the royal family. Im like to see them, how mean and break them breakfast as i could see them having dinner because a lot of information there of how the but the table manners to like move out of the, of the actually in your eye dog in a coup. Sion beside them, you know, you wont stick a picture of the jug of ed, but of a for a toilet roll coming down and, and everybody, you know, vastly veneer. Thats right side. And what about when that was a major for digraphs in my life . Because of the thaw in india, leask h. And we brought me to london because i was doing well up to scotland. And one things harder. Youve never lost a hearty benson or allegedly a photographer. Thank you so much for joining me on the alex ivan. Chill. No, thank you very much and thank you very much. They say the camera never lies and discuss too. Then it follows the taliban since president ial stories from behind the lens have a unique ring of authenticity. His portrait certainly have captured some essential white house truths from the grace of the reagans to the crassness of trump. From the clintons and love to nixon in despair in his final hours as president. How did ben since work has taken him to some of the great moments which history of both triumph . Im trying to see how many of us would have wanted to be there when the beatles that mohammad ali or dreaded being present when Bobby Kennedy was assassinated. How do bensons work is a story of our times, and among the many changes expected a President Biden is sort of store there both to access by quickly commissioning the benson portrayed and did. I think it may even be mentioned somewhere in the constitution. But for now, for myself, alex and all that issue is good bye stacey. I mean hope to see all the good next to me there or tactics that can be used to get innocent people to confess, to crimes. They didnt commit. I dont even think people in the us really get that the police are allowed to lie to you. The person who falsely fast actually came to believe the lie that they were told about their own behavior. Once a false confession, a stake in the case is closed and nobody really can tell the difference between a good confession and one that isnt believe that what happened to him in terms of Chemical Warfare agents getting into his body could have happened in germany on the plane in which she was flown to a charity hospital. Diplomat suggests that opposition figure head who was allegedly this summer in jest talks. And while russia reported to us, protestors is potentially offensive. Weve spoken to the films creator to find out why his work has been we have to fold notification system into place