There is a current photography exhibit called Who Shot Rock And Roll and includes the photography of famous rock photographer Annie Leibovitz. I once had my photo taken by Annie Leibovitz. Don’t believe me? I don’t blame you and I can’t prove it either.
My late brother Dwayne was the bodyguard for the Sex Pistols on their 1978 American tour and at the last show of the tour in San Francisco I flew up to catch the show. I stayed in Dwayne’s hotel room and traveled with Dwayne, road manager Noel Monk, Sid Vicious and Johnny Rotten to and from the hall. The other half of the band, Stu Cook and Steve Jones were on their own. Sid ran off after the show and Dwayne never saw him again but didn’t care as his job was done.
At the show Noel Monk asked me to work the stage with him and Dwayne so some of the photos taken at that show show me in my bearded glory squatting on the side of the stage. I was pretty useless and Bill Graham kept telling me about rowdy punks in the audience who looked about to cause some trouble. Luckily for me Dwayne and Noel were on top of things so I didn’t have to pull anybody up out of the crowd to kick out of the show or pick up smoke bombs and burn the crap out of my hand like Dwayne did.
Before the show Annie Leibovitz was walking around taking photos of everybody and when she saw me and Dwayne standing in a smokey, dark hallway she said, “You guys look so cool. Let me take your picture,” and started snapping away the way photographers do. I already knew who she was and got excited that there may be a chance a photo of me and my brother might actually end up in the pages of Rolling Stone. Alas, it was not to be for when I was backstage again after the show I saw her frantically looking around and asked her what was wrong. She told me, in a panic, that she had lost her camera equipment, all of it including her entire evening’s shoot. Hearing that she lost MY pictures I also started to panic and tear apart the backstage area looking for her camera bag.
“Where did you have it last,” I asked her.
“It was on my seat,” she said.
“What seat?”
“Out in the audience,” she replied.
“Who was sitting with you?” I asked.
“No one. It was just sitting on the seat,” she said.
“ARE YOU F#$% KIDDING ME?! YOU LEFT ALL YOUR CAMERA GEAR ON A SEAT IN A ROOM OF 5000 PUNK ROCKERS... BY ITSELF?!!!!!” I politely asked. Then I just walked walked away, disgusted.
Although, as far as I know, those photos have never surfaced but I have found others taken by other photographers that night including another famous rock photographer, Bob Gruen so I can’t prove the Annie Leibovitz story but I can prove the Sex Pistols story.
My late brother Dwayne was the bodyguard for the Sex Pistols on their 1978 American tour and at the last show of the tour in San Francisco I flew up to catch the show. I stayed in Dwayne’s hotel room and traveled with Dwayne, road manager Noel Monk, Sid Vicious and Johnny Rotten to and from the hall. The other half of the band, Stu Cook and Steve Jones were on their own. Sid ran off after the show and Dwayne never saw him again but didn’t care as his job was done.
At the show Noel Monk asked me to work the stage with him and Dwayne so some of the photos taken at that show show me in my bearded glory squatting on the side of the stage. I was pretty useless and Bill Graham kept telling me about rowdy punks in the audience who looked about to cause some trouble. Luckily for me Dwayne and Noel were on top of things so I didn’t have to pull anybody up out of the crowd to kick out of the show or pick up smoke bombs and burn the crap out of my hand like Dwayne did.
Before the show Annie Leibovitz was walking around taking photos of everybody and when she saw me and Dwayne standing in a smokey, dark hallway she said, “You guys look so cool. Let me take your picture,” and started snapping away the way photographers do. I already knew who she was and got excited that there may be a chance a photo of me and my brother might actually end up in the pages of Rolling Stone. Alas, it was not to be for when I was backstage again after the show I saw her frantically looking around and asked her what was wrong. She told me, in a panic, that she had lost her camera equipment, all of it including her entire evening’s shoot. Hearing that she lost MY pictures I also started to panic and tear apart the backstage area looking for her camera bag.
“Where did you have it last,” I asked her.
“It was on my seat,” she said.
“What seat?”
“Out in the audience,” she replied.
“Who was sitting with you?” I asked.
“No one. It was just sitting on the seat,” she said.
“ARE YOU F#$% KIDDING ME?! YOU LEFT ALL YOUR CAMERA GEAR ON A SEAT IN A ROOM OF 5000 PUNK ROCKERS... BY ITSELF?!!!!!” I politely asked. Then I just walked walked away, disgusted.
Although, as far as I know, those photos have never surfaced but I have found others taken by other photographers that night including another famous rock photographer, Bob Gruen so I can’t prove the Annie Leibovitz story but I can prove the Sex Pistols story.
A hippie at a punk concert.
No comments:
Post a Comment