As explained by Ian Hunter himself on an interview some years ago. ""I'm always intrigued," I tell Hunter, "by the question of whether performers who permanently wear shades do so out of shyness, or a desire to be noticed. The two aren't mutually exclusive, are they? There's a fine line between timidity and egotism." "Well, there's a lot of delusional people around," he replies. "That's one thing I have learnt. I started wearing dark glasses because I have extremely weak eyes. I can remember the moment. I was on a tram in Blackpool, on the seafront, squinting away. I thought: I have got to get a pair of shades %u2013 so I did. That was it. Because my eyes are weak and, as you can see, I am almost albino." The singer removes his glasses: the skin around his eyes is unusually pale and, it has to be said, he looks much better with his shades back on." http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/ian-hunter-the-truth-about-mott-the-hoople-the-drugs-and-the-manager-with-a-death-wish-2291670.html
