Huck 50 — Huck's Fiftieth Special collects lessons learned and creative advice from fifty of the most inspiring people we know. Each day we'll be sharing a new excerpt from the magazine. Today, Gang of Four’s Andy Gill and music photographer Anton Corbijn explain how growing up on the outskirts of a scene spurred both of them to cement themselves at the centre of their own creative worlds.

#5 – Andy Gill + Anton Corbijn

Andy Gill of iconic post-punk band Gang of Four and Dutch photographer and film director Anton Corbijn – whose music photography, videos and films have helped shape popular culture since the ’70s – have been good friends since meeting in the underground New York scene in 1979. Corbijn’s latest film, Life, is about a pre-fame James Dean and his friendship with photographer Dennis Stock. Gill has recently put out a new album, What Happens Next. One cold February day, we joined them as they chatted over the kitchen table at Andy’s house and found out that longing for something you don’t have can be as influential as being in the thick of it.

Anton: With all the things that I didn’t like in my youth, I’m very happy of what came out of it. Because if I was very happy as a kid and wanted to study – it’s kind of a desperation that drives you. When you’re happy it’s an exaggerated state of mind I think, and I’m always partly unhappy and happy. I’m very grateful for everything I’ve been given and moments I’ve shared. If you know more, then you do things differently, but the beauty is that you don’t know and you find it out.

Andy: And that’s life isn’t it? Obviously I’d say probably piss around less, work harder, be more focused and then you can achieve more. But that takes time to learn.

This is just a short excerpt from Huck’s Fiftieth Special, a collection of fifty personal stories from fifty inspiring lives.

Grab a copy now to read all fifty stories in full. Subscribe to make sure you don’t miss another issue.