WHO SHOT ROCK & ROLL Exhibition

It remaining too hot to work, play or even think today, fellow photographer plus filmmaker Amy D'Allessandro and rock couturier Evita Corby and I all trundled to the Who Shot Rock & Roll Exhibition at the Annenberg Space for Photography, Century City. The exhibition began in Brooklyn NY in 2009, features a terrific book of its curated selections, and runs in L.A. until Oct. 7th.

Above, exhibition commemorative book cover with Henry Diltz' amazing closeup of Tina Turner live, the picture itself so graphically perfect in person that it resembles some hitherto unknown masterpiece of photorealist painting.

The exhibit is well named: the verb is in the past tense, as the sort of access to the musical performances and artists that produced these masterful shots is gone with the wind. This being the modern world, no photography was allowed inside, so enjoy our outside antics.

Above, camera-shy photographer yours truly and Amy are snapped by Evita, seen in the reflection.

Afterwards, Amy takes flight down the escalator...

...and alights upon the rail.

The exhibit showcased 166 iconic prints from photographers such as Diane Arbus, Roberta Bayley, Ed Caraeff, Ed Colver, Anton Corbijn, Henry Diltz, Jill Furmanovsky, David Gahr, Godlis, Bob Gruen, Ross Halfin, David LaChapelle, Annie Leibovitz, Gered Mankowitz, Linda McCartney, Jim Marshall, Shawn Mortensen, Marcia Resnick, Norman Seeff, Pennie Smith, Storm Thorgerson, Albert Watson, Guy Webster and rather a few others, replete with half hour documentary film highlighting same.

For more exhibition info, go to LINK

MOON LOSS

Rest in peace Neil Armstrong. Attaining 82 years was pretty good for a major risk taker. Highly trained, brave, but a major risk taker nonetheless...

Think of the 1,000,000,000,000 things that could have gone wrong. Armstrong actually quantified the risks himself as a far lesser number in a failures versus actions performed ratio within one of his authorized biographies, but perhaps that was just his personal way to appear less emotional about his historic feat, as he was wont to modesty as well as privacy. Another quantification: 600 million people, or 1/5th of the world's then population, watched Armstrong's 1969 moon landing and subsequent stroll thereupon in real time on television.

Despite my once knowing a famous director's daughter whose older sister married one of the original "Right Stuff" American astronauts, NASA doesn't exactly feature in my portfolio. Depicted then is Chrissie Shrimpton, younger sister of 60s' supermodel Jean, onetime fiancee of Mick Jagger and subject of Retrokimmer's search LINK, as seen in her cameo appearance in
"Moon Zero Two."

This 1969 space oddity released by horrormeisters Hammer Films starred James Olson, who later pulled off stunning character growth in "Ragtime" as the father who grew a moral conscience, and Catherine Schell, later typecast in orbit via "Space 1999." Personal fave Julie Driscoll sang the theme song over the animated opening credits.

MARIJKE KOGER-DUNHAM INTERVIEW in PARAPHILIA

Here 'tis, the newest Paraphilia Magazine online issue featuring my brand new, extensive interview with ridiculously talented and influential fine artist Marijke Koger-Dunham to be found

on pp. 21- 48.

Click LINK HERE!*
Marijke graciously contributed over two dozen of her artworks representative of her five decade career to the article, and many of these will be a revelation to readers heretofore only familiar with her iconic psychedelic works as commissioned by The Beatles in the mid-1960s.The tough gal at the very top here is representative of her works that initially appear quite different from her better known polychrome, paradisiacal metier yet philosophically remain on point. The strong gal immediately above who still makes her living with her fine art despite her initial fame and acclaim having been in the 1960s (which she helped shape) remains extraordinary. Read all about her!

*http://fastfilm1.blogspot.com/2016/02/interview-with-marijke-koger-dunham.html

THE KILLS DREAM & DRIVE & SIGN THEIR BOOK

Above, left to right: Allison Mosshart and Jamie Hince of
The Kills and photographer Kenneth Cappello, all promoting their collaborative book Dream & Drive, featuring ten years' documentation of the popular band, at BookMarc, West Hollywood 8.10.12. They happily posed with and signed books for lucky attendees.Dream & Drive proved a bigtime media event at Marc Jacobs' BookMarc: note giant photomural of a Capello portrait from the book on the left wall.

The Kills

Tableaux above and below of the Dream & Drive book.

Guess who?

It's everyone's favorite celebrity photographer Brad Elterman,
he of numerous fun gallery showings of his insider pix from 1970s-2000s Hollywood music and film scene, and photo book of same "Like It Was Yesterday," his Ricoh GR camera playfully aimed at my D3s, and Evita Corby, couturier, stylist, longtime rock and roll insider. I loved his spontaneous response when I introduced him to her, "You're THE Evita?!?"

Brad has remained everyone's fave celebrity photog due to both his innate geniality and his personal emphasis on quality shooting for a genre frequently entirely bereft of same. He was the co-founder of Buzz Foto Agency that dealt in iconic paparazzo photographs with their emphasis of "paparazzi as an art form."

Below, THE Evita and Leanna Asheton daughter of Stooges' Scott Asheton and marketer of his Rock Action merchandise, the latter on her way to see a Jack White show and the one who alerted me to this photo op, for which I thank her.
Here's a link to Brad's work LINK and one for Dream & Drive LINK

MISCHIEVOUS BEAUTY

Mischievous beauty Francoise Dorleac (late sister of Catherine Deneuve) enacting my favorite scene in the 1966 Roman Polanski film Cul de Sac. And her character is a hostage!

NOTE: link directly back to http://fastfilm1.blogspot.com if all elements such as photo layouts or videos aren't here.

RUBY FRIEDMAN ORCHESTRA live 7.31.12

Amidst Maxfield Parrish colors of The Federal Bar stage, the always magnificent Ruby Friedman Orchestra performed 7.31.12 at the North Hollywood club, taking a break from recording their newest release.

If ever a band delivered live, it's this one: amusingly visual, excitingly musical, powerfully emotional, enduringly splendid. Guest singer pictured above is Maiya Sykes from The Endangered.

Next live show is Sept. 22, Pershing Square, downtown L.A.
Catch 'em before you can't...

PHOTO OPS:
Left to right, Rovena Cardiel, Evita Corby, Kizzy Kirk and Johnny Lim, the latter two of Feral Kizzy, a high energy rock band much touted by Ruby herself.

Rovena Cardiel and Evita Corby
backstage

Left, a nice grab shot of Rovena Cardiel

DAPPER GENT COMES A-CALLIN'

This dapper little gent came to visit yesterday morning. He's some sort of fancy pigeon, possibly a high-flying tumbler. Someone around here keeps them and lets them fly loose every oft, maybe not as benevolent an idea as that sounds: there are hawks galore here, even in the city.