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Star of Arctic Monkey's famous album cover now – and his secret TV star pal

Star of Arctic Monkey's famous album cover now – and his secret TV star pal

The Sun26-05-2025

FANS of the Arctic Monkey will well remember their debut album, that launched the band to fame in the mid-noughties.
The iconic album cover to Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not featured a young lad smoking - and we can reveal what he looks like now and who his VERY famous pal is.
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The man on the front of the Arctic Monkey's first ever record was Chris McClure, who was just 16-years-old at the time.
He landed the gig of posing as the poster boy for the album after he met Alex Turner, Matt Helders, Jamie Cook, Andy Nicholson, and Nick O'Malley in Sheffield before they were famous.
However, he has now revealed just how much he was paid to be on the album that has since gone down in history.
In an interview with Northern Chorus posted on Instagram, Chris said: "I was given about 700 quid."
Chris has previously recalled the story of how he ended up on the Arctic Monkeys most famous album.
Speaking to The Guardian in 2016, he recalled how he became friends with the band - who weren't famous at the time - when he was just a teenager.
Chris said: "I frst met the Arctic Monkeys on the last bus home. We were 16.
"We'd go to the same gigs in Sheffield, then see each other on the number 77 – so we became friends.
"When they went on their first tour, I was their guitar tech: I couldn't tune a guitar to save my life, but I think they wanted someone who was part of the gang."
Talking about being asked to be on the cover of their now very famous debut album, Chris recalled: "I was studying sociology at Manchester Metropolitan University when I got a call from Andy Nicholson, the bassist.
"They were working on their debut album, Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not, and wanted pictures of a guy on a night out for the artwork.
"There was no suggestion it was for the cover. Andy asked if I'd do it, and I said why not? I'm not sure why me. I never asked. I think they just wanted someone normal."
He then revealed he was given a "wad of cash" to get drunk and to come back at 2am to take the picture.
Talking about becoming famous overnight, after the album was released in 2006, Chris said: "That Monday, my phone never stopped. It was bonkers; like being dipped into fame. Everyone in the world wanted to know who I was."
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STAR PAL
Along with the Arctic Monkeys, Chris also has another very famous star pal.
He is also friends with Line of Duty star Vicky McClure - no relation.
The pair have struck up a close friendship over the years, and she often helps him plug his daytime disco, Day Fever.

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