more DENIZ TEK

R.e. the previous post, my 2010 photo of legendary Radio Birdman guitarist Deniz Tek, another rock and roll over-achiever, as he's a former Navy "Top Gun" pilot, an E.R. surgeon and fine artist in painting. Currently seen gigging with The Soul Movers and the Godoy Twins. He's full of stories recounting his adventures playing with his fellow Midwest legends in the MC5, Stooges and others. For details on the original session with the Godoy Twins and Jimmy Recca, click this LINK.

VIDEO STORY on JAMES WILLIAMSON

Click HERE for a short CNN/Fortune video piece on Stooges' guitarist James Williamson, who talks about his journey from punk rock pioneer to Silicon Valley executive and back. I was wondering when the light bulb would go off in the media that this highest level of achievement in two such different fields is unique, his going so far up two such different ladders, as if Steve Jobs were also Jeff Beck. Some nice black and white photos therein too.

JELLYFISH, live

Now that Iggy and the Stooges have reunited with original members, here's another band I'd like to witness in a comeback. They had it all, terrific songwriting, a BIG sound, wondrous vocals plus harmonies, expert playing to match their sophisticated releases, bite, a singing drummer who stood over his kit, danger, smooth deception, cute guys in oddball attire, varieties of styles, and borrowings from the best before them (partial list: The Move, Harry Nilsson, The Beach Boys a la Pet Sounds, Steely Dan, 10CC, Emitt Rhodes, the Roy Wood ELO, McCartney, etc. etc.) They had it all... except timing. Jellyfish, a hard pop band extraordinaire, recorded and performed during the cusp of Hair Metal into Grunge. Witness their lack thereof here in these two videos:

Useless trivia: In John Mendel(s)sohn's last spate of reviews for Rolling Stone, he listed his Top Ten selections for 1990 as 1. Jellyfish-Bellybutton 2. Jellyfish-Bellybutton 3.Jellyfish-Bellybutton et cetera on through #10.

TEX & THE HORSEHEADS, live

Amidst the schmutz of evil juju and hair-raising cacophony, Ms. Texecala Jones led her fellow, unbottled reprobates in Tex & The Horseheads down a blues-stained trail in the 1980s. These two shots was taken as they opened Club Lingerie, Hollywood for Gun Club (see LINK and stray pic below.)

LONDON, 1978

A lovely boat ride on the Thames circa October, 1978. Spot the soulmate, seagulls and pouting schoolboys.

1978 COMPUTERS + DISCOMANIA!

Dig those krazy reel-to-reel mainframes, kats and kittens! Yes, office computer systems in 1978 seem just as retro-antiquated as 1950s hipster slang does at present. But there's a method to the madness of these highly uncharacteristic shots of mine.

Why did I, assistant Art Director and rabidly ardent on the subject authoress of "Punk Rock 'n' Roll" at Almo, the publications arm of A&M Records, request the assignment for the cover of their book of Disco favorites?

Because I've never let subjectivity get in the way of commercial collaboration or a good idea, and I'd envisioned a great one for this cover. I wanted to photograph disco dancers in what I speculated to be the disco of the future, a computer repository (and I was right.) My pic above displays the original Polaroid photos (hence the completely accurate color balance 32 years later, a Polaroid trait) and the original registration marks for the masking overlays to concoct the pre-digital era layout for the 4-C printers of the cover. Very different graphic art world then, kiddies.

The locale was the then spankin' new computer room of A&M, and I had the perfect model in mind, the drop dead gorgeous receptionist of our own art department. She was so model-perfect (unusually pretty face, wide-shoulders, 5'8" Size 6 [which was the standard then, not like the impossible in real life 5'11" Size 2 today]) and wore clothes so beautifully that I couldn't understand why she had eschewed becoming a star in the better paying haute couture world in the first place, but she was sufficiently gracious to pose for the shoot with her husband. Together they made an outstandingly pulchritudinous couple dancing in their sophisticated style.

I've always tried for a universality as well as project-specific timeliness in my work, and this cute couple appears just as genuinely glamorous to today's eyes as they would have then. It's the reel-to-reel mainframes of this computer room that jar with time warp oddness, plus our hindsight knowledge of what computers became. A&M only had just made its switch to computers for all its departments the year I left it and my last ever office job, 1978 for the uncharted waters of freelance-dom...

RON ASHETON

I photographed Ron Asheton thrice, once at the Coconut Teazser club in L.A. sitting in with The Empty Set (you actually can order a legit cd of that gig here http://birdcagerecords.com/?page_id=3460 ;) once with Dark Carnival at another venue (middle photo with the inimitable Niagara;) and once at a recording session with Scott Richardson (SRC,) and Ray Manzarek (The Doors) (third pic above with yours truly by their producer, Harvey Kubernik. It was eighteen years ago, and I hardly resemble that now, although I still wear the same Death Cult t-shirt with Mickey's skull.)

The aforementioned SRC/Stooges/Doors confab alligned for Richardson's 1992 spoken word release "Tornado Souvenirs" on New Alliance Records, a SoCal punk label. Scott also corralled his former father-in-law Robert Mitchum to contribute dialogue. Ron and Ray noodled interesting musics behind Scott's prose-poems.

There were a few very late night phone calls to me as well that annoyed my better half, who had to arise at 5 a.m. for work. I regret that I never was able to get the two of them together to talk guns and military history from similar well-informed, warped/witty, rock and rollers' P.O.V.s. Ron was always photogenic slamming into his guitar. July 17 is the anniversary of Ron's birthday. R.I.P.

RADIO FREE HOLLYWOOD! THE POP, THE DOGS and THE MOTELS

(above photo only, photographer unknown)

Martha Davis in The Motels











The Dogs (in later incarnation Attack which morphed back into The Dogs)




David Swanson after The Pop but pre-fine art revival

Incubated in the early 1970s when various band members met at a concert in Griffith Park, Los Angeles, a major metropolitan center that offered no clubs which booked unsigned bands, Radio Free Hollywood vowed to change that. The first DIY-ers in the proto-punk scene to four-wall (self-rent) entire clubs just to play for their many fans, Radio Free Hollywood is often overlooked in the history of alternative music collectives. Vintage 1976 flyer below:

Comprised of The Motels, The Dogs and The Pop, they swapped rehearsal spaces and occasionally musicians while presaging the orthodox punk scene in L.A. normally associated with the Germs, The Screamers etc. The Motels proffered Martha Davis' emotive charisma and sultry vocals, The Dogs blasted their power-trio, Detroit-born hardest rock testimonials while The Pop grafted a catchy commercial sound with new wave and rock grit. My photos of these artists post-date their respective punk heydays as I was busy at the time not only with full-time Asst. Art Director, Publications employ at A&M Records but also writing the first book published on the subject of Punk in the U.S. (which went to press the week the Sex Pistols broke up,) not photographing it as much.

The Motels garnered actual chart hits, many of its members still play, and Martha herself should have become the Gold Standard for Adult Contemporary with her emotional balladry and inimitable voice, but sadly didn't. The Dogs continue their remarkable history (see LINK,) still rocking with occasional releases and many reunions including a 2007 tour of Japan. The only member of The Pop that I knew and kept up with, David Swanson, lead voice and lead looks therein, cashed out of the pre-recession Hollywood real estate scene in time to bankroll buying a ranch in Montana, where he found ample subject matter painting fine art Western realism, prints and information available here LINK. He's still an amazing talent in this newer field.

Video examples from various eras:

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

JOHNNY RIVERS, CHRIS HILLMAN, STEPHEN STILLS, JOHN MAYALL, HUGH MASEKELA, 1.29.09 Whisky A Go Go Tribute to Elmer Valentine

From 2009-- Personifying Los Angeles' 1960's Sunset Strip legacy incarnate, Stephen Stills, John Mayall and Chris Hillman joined Johnny Rivers onstage January 26, 2009 at the Whisky A Gogo for a tribute concert to the legendary nightclub's owner and promoter Elmer Valentine, who died Dec.3, 2008. South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela also added grace notes forty years after first accompanying Hillman's Byrds and Stills' Buffalo Springfield both in sessions and live venues. (I had indeed also photographed or witnessed all but Mayall live 43 years ago, gasp.)

LESLIE KNAUER-- 38th BEST ROCK SINGER EVER!

Top photo, Leslie fronting power trio Kanary, late 1990s-2000s, next photo 5.20.11 with The LovrBombz. An assortment of Kanary and Precious Metal photographs below.

Some British magazine in the '90s whose name escapes the leaking brain cell sieve listed Leslie Knauer as the thirty-eighth best rock singer ever, male or female, of all time, out of one hundred choices. Ever! I first photographed her in the '80s band Precious Metal, formidable players who warranted three major label releases. (see Glam pic below) Oozing idiosyncratic style Leslie's vocals evinced comparisons to Terry Reid or Noddy Holder, were they of the XY chromosome persuasion and sang about two octaves higher. She's sufficiently world class in powerhouse vocal talent to sing anything she sets her mind to, so the challenge is to send that voice hither and yon, full throttle or wistful, operatic warble or quasi-rap, contemplative personal/confessional or all out bliss incarnate.
Once my friends Mary and Tony of the Dogs joined up for double duty in Kanary (a pun on the Germanic pronunciation of her last name,) Leslie's band of the 21st century, there were few gigs I looked forward to photographing more than theirs. Their left field kooks' power trio truly rocked, hard, fast, and always joyously. I'd be lying if I didn't admit to missing Kanary. Once fuschia/red/pink/black/eggplant/polychrome-haired, Leslie's blonde now, and at least you still can catch her singing her amazing compositions (like the poignant "Two Steps" about her daughter, Hollywood's own BoyCrazy Alexi Wasser) acoustic or electric with boyfriend Al and The LovrBombz currently.(Ed.- now called Naked Hand Dance as of 2014.)

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