I am often asked where both myself and the band got our names from. Well, in regards to the former I was (and still am) a huge fan of The Heartbreakers, New York Dolls and Johnny Thunders. So it was a natural leap to choose both Johnny Heartbreaker and The Love Pirates (the latter being of course an inversion of the New York Dolls song 'Pirate Love').

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(The tag line I came up with for the band i.e. Sun, Sea and Piracy  was of course inspired by one of Bow Wow Wow's songs).

 

Contrary to what a few might think (and have written elsewhere) The Love Pirates was never Selina's 'new' band. Yes, I played guitar for her in her previous band Joker in the Pack and drums for her first band Fast Bus Through Aston Clinton, and we were married, but The Love Pirates was all my own creation of original thought: and originally I had conceived the band to be along the lines of a The Dollyrots type one, rather than the semi electric-punk-folk duo it was. 

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These photographs then comprise the very first official Love Pirates photo session, and were taken at Queens Park Arts Centre, Aylesbury, in April 1989 by my father Michael Allan Norris. Featured are myself, my then wife Selina Di Girolamo and our son Johnny Di Girolamo.  The solo shoot photographs of Selina were taken later in the day in Wendover Woods, Buckinghamshire, as she wanted a selection of photographs with a more mysterious, folky, gypsy look to reflect her Italian-Indian ethnic heritage and hippy roots. 

 

Sadly, Selina passed away on 18 March 2011, aged just 41 years. 

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Just as sadly for me the bright, beautiful, bubbly, wild, rebellious, gypsy princess that I was blessed to share both life and a child with for a short while, disappeared not long after we went our seperate ways. Though Selina went on to achieve much social and academic success, that incredible light, passion and fire within her were never quite as alive and immediate again, as they had once been during her Love Pirate years.

 

I hope this page then allows you just a small glimpse into the wonderful magical child like world, eyes, heart, soul and spirit that was Selina Maria Jemima Di Girolamo.

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And as Selina used to say, I equally hope that life has much "Love, Gold and Adventure" in store for you all too.