The Bleech sisters : singer guitarist Jen and bassist Katherine lounging in the pub dressing room off the Pentonville Road during a Kangol shoot
Portraits
Bleech sisters
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August 26th, 2011
NWA
I shot this photo of NWA outside their recording studio Torrance, CA in 1990 for a book called ‘Rap Portraits & Lyrics of a Generation of Black Rockers’. The co author and writer was my friend Bill Adler.
The photo will be in a museum exhibit in New Hampshire opening in the fall. Asked to record an audio description for the exhibit – I described the shot as being of a ‘band called NWA aka Niggaz With Attitude who had released a song called ‘Fuck tha Police ..’ and tell the story of how I flagged down a. LAPD cop car to get the photo.
In these politically conscious times I have been asked to remove the ‘N’ and the ‘F’ word from my audio – ‘in an effort to avoid potentially making visitors feel uncomfortable’ , and re-record without identifying what NWA stands for, explaining the song rather than provide the title.
That seems to miss the point of NWA’s documentary realism of the song and the album ‘Straight Outta Compton’. I somehow don’t think Eazy E would have approved. The song is one of Rolling Stones’ 500 Best of all Times.
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August 25th, 2011
Benjamin Brafman
Attorney Benjamin Brafman came to my New York studio for a shoot for YRB Magazine six years ago. He was a small man, impeccably groomed, wearing the most beautiful suit and cuff links. Powerful and charming in person, his clientele includes Sean “P-Diddy” Combs, Jay Z, mafia hitman Antony Senter, nighclub impresario Peter Gatien, Michael Jackson, and Dominique Strauss- Kahn.
Strauss-Kahn hired Brafman three months ago after his arrest on sexual assault charges and today the Manhattan DA has decided to ask a judge to dismiss the case.
Brafman, a self described “White, Jewish lawyer’ was immortalized by Jay-Z in “Welcome To New York City” : ‘Got Brafman defendin’ me / ‘Cause NY will miss me / If I’m locked in a penitentiary.’
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August 22nd, 2011
Arkitip Newspaper
Arkitip produced a newspaper of my photography – black in white on 22 x 11″, broadsheet newsprint, a limited edition of 1000, packaged in re-sealable bag. It is available at Project Space in LA and also from me for $7.50. Arkitip made a lovely movie directed by Felipe Lima of the newspaper production http://vimeo.com/4393048arkitip makes a newspaper
Posted in Hip Hop, Mod, Portraits, Punk, Street Style, Youth Culture | 1 Comment » |
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August 19th, 2011
Johnny Cash
Sometime in the 1990’s I went to Nashville on assignment for a British magazine to shoot ‘Fan Fair’. The hot and dusty Nashville County fairground was filled with cowboys and cowgirls, rhinestone outfits, beer and BBQ ribs. Billed as the festival where fans get autograph sessions and pictures with the stars, Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, a young Clint Black and many more graciously signed autographs for lines of fans – and I met one of my idols Johnny Cash who sang ‘I walk the Line’ to me as I photographed him at the Johnny Cash Museum.
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August 19th, 2011
Dr Martens
Everyone from the Clash to the Sex Pistols bought their Dr Marten boots at Holts. Located around the corner from Camden tube station it was the place for London punks, mods and skinheads to buy footwear. Now called The British Boot Company it is still owned by the same family and looks just as it always did – piles of shoe boxes, boots signed by Madness and other local bands hanging over the counter, band flyers on the wall and great service.
Years later I shot the Brazilian Girls outside Nublu on Ave C for Dr Marten -Sabina Sciubba and the band had their own personal style which fit perfectly with the classic boots.
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August 11th, 2011
Welcome to the Archive of Attitude
Paul Weller (The Jam) met his hero Pete Townshend (The Who) for the first time on Wardour Street in London outside the famous Marquee Club in the summer of 1981. My friend, the writer Paolo Hewitt had organized the interview. He had grown up with Paul in Woking, ‘Smalltown Britain’ where they had seen, as Weller said “the top faces walking through Woking town center” Weller’s look was resolutely Mod, he later told Mojo magazine “You could say it’s a fashion statement, but I think it’s more than that: the working class love of clothes, looking good, rising above your station. I don’t think it will ever die … These clothes, my haircut, reflect my attitude and the music I listen to, and they say ‘I am an individual’.”
This is one of the first shots I took of them that afternoon – it is a moment in time – Weller looking so sharp in his pin stripe suit. Sir Paul Smith said this image “completely sums up my teenage years -self conscious and fanatical about detail”. Later I listened to them talking about music, mods and life – the interview and this image was a cover story for Melody Maker
Posted in Mod, Portraits, Punk, Street Style | 4 Comments » |
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July 31st, 2011
Bleech and Kangol
Matt, the drummer from Bleech. posed for me for Kangol catalog shoot in Camden Town – he had just the right attitude – could be the the 50’s or 60’s in London. I grew up not far from Camden Town, went to some of my first concerts at the Roundhouse – it is one of the last gritty areas of London, still has some real pubs and shops.
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July 29th, 2011
Smutty Smith
Smutty Smith playing stand-up bass with passion in London 1980. Smutty started the band Levi & the Rockats with Levi Dexter. Classic style white Levi’s and great tattoos.
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July 29th, 2011
Cyn & Luca
Cynthia of Cyn & Luca liked my portraits of punks et al enough to hire me to shoot her swimwear look book for 2012 – we had a great day at the beach.
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July 24th, 2011