Haircut & Attitude- The Artist's Image
The artist's image matters. Whether on stage, in photo shoots, videos, status updates and tweets, people are interested in the look of a musician, and form their opinion of the music in conjunction with the visual cues presented. How are distinctive styles developed, and how do they enhance the overall story of the artist?
Presenters
Bob Gruen is one of the most well-known and respected photographers in rock and roll. From John Lennon to Johnny Rotten; Muddy Waters to the Rolling Stones; Elvis to Madonna; Bob Dylan to Bob Marley; Tina Turner to Debbie Harry, he has captured the music scene for over forty years in photographs that have gained worldwide recognition.
Shortly after John Lennon moved to New York in 1971, Bob became John and Yoko’s personal photographer and friend, making photos of their working life as well as private moments. In 1974 he created the iconic images of John Lennon wearing a New York City t-shirt and, standing in front of the Statue of Liberty making the peace sign - two of the most popular of Lennon’s images.
Bob has worked with major rock acts such as Led Zeppelin, The Who, David Bowie, Tina Turner, Elton John, Aerosmith, Kiss & Alice Cooper. He toured extensively with the emerging punk and new wave bands including the New York Dolls, Sex Pistols, Clash, Ramones, Patti Smith Group and Blondie.
His “Sid Vicious with Hot Dog” photo was acquired in 1999 by The National Portrait Gallery, London, for their permanent collection. In June 2004 Bob was presented with MOJO Magazine’s prestigious Honours List Award for Classic Image in London. “All Dolled Up,” a DVD documentary made by Bob Gruen and Nadya Beck of their early ‘70s video footage of the New York Dolls, was released in 2005.
In the spring of 2007 FAAP University in Sao Paulo, Brazil presented an exhibition of Bob Gruen’s work. Titled ROCKERS, the exhibition attracted 40,000 visitors. The ROCKERS exhibition was also shown from April to July 2008 at Morrison Hotel Gallery on the Bowery in New York City.In November 2010 Bob was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame.
Recent PHOTO EXHIBITS include:
Centro Cultural Borges, Argentina – “Rock Seen” - 2011
Brooklyn Museum of Art – “Who Shot Rock & Roll?” - 2009
MoMA – Museum of Modern Art, New York – “Looking at Music – Side 2” - 2009
Auditorio Nacional, Mexico City, Mexico - 2008
FAAP University Musuem, Sao Paulo, Brazil - 2007
Recent BOOKS by Bob Gruen:
“Rock Seen” – Bob Gruen (Harry Abrams, Inc, Fall 2011)
“New York Dolls – Photographs by Bob Gruen” (Harry Abrams Inc, 2008)
“ROCKERS” (Cosac Naify, 2007)
“John Lennon – the New York Years” (becker & mayer!, 2005)
“The Clash, Photographs by Bob Gruen” (Music Sales, 2004)
More recently he has also photographed Green Day tour of Europe, Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band, Iggy Pop, Ozzy Osbourne, AC/DC, Jesse Malin, Ryan Adams, Courtney Love and other new popular acts.
Please see bobgruen.com for more info.
From his days fronting seminal hardcore trio Heart Attack and infamous glam punks D Generation to nine years on the road as a solo artist and with his band, The St. Marks Social, Malin has cultivated a devout fan base, sharing the stage with everyone from Ryan Adams to Counting Crows, The Hold Steady to Lucinda Williams. His songs are filled with messengers and misanthropes, hopefuls and hypocrites-and as always, his constant themes of redemption, nightlife, heartbreak, and survival. With the critically acclaimed 2009 release of LOVE IT TO LIFE, a monthly radio show (New York Nights) with John Varvatos on Sirius, and so much more up his sleeve, Jesse Malin is now back in the studio with the St. Marks Social ready to deliver a refreshing new album.
BE WHO YOU ARE BECOME WHO YOU WILL BE: BP FALLON
109 years old and younger than yesterday, BP Fallon is to rock'n'roll what a stamp is to an envelope.
Singer with BP Fallon & The Bandits and in a previous incarnation publicist and guru to Led Zeppelin and T.Rex and manager of Johnny Thunders.
Name-checked by Marc Bolan in the T.Rex hit Telegram Sam, sometimes played tom toms live with Led Zeppelin on Whole Lotta Love, popped up on BBC TV miming bass guitar with John Lennon on Instant Karma - after all, he had worked at The Beatles' Apple Records, where one of his jobs was testing Paul McCartney's grass.
Recorded his song I Believe In Elvis Presley with Jack White producing and playing bottleneck guitar and designing the Third Man Records 45 sleeve (TMR 022)
Formed BP Fallon & The Bandits with Aaron Lee Tasjan (guitar) and the reunited classic Blondie Rock'n'Roll Hall Of Fame rhythm section of Nigel Harrison (bass) and Clem Burke (drums).
John Varvatos grew up in Detroit - the music melting pot of America - where Motown, rock & roll, blues, jazz, and punk melded together in unforgettable period of music history. At an early age, John was exposed to defining musicians including The Who, Led Zeppelin, Detroit’s own MC5, Alice Cooper, Bob Seger, and The Stooges. The creative spirit, electricity and edginess intrinsic in the personal style of these rock ‘n roll icons inspired John at an early age, and influenced the evolution of his eclectic sensibility. This can be seen as a unifying theme in his design and it is deeply ingrained in every expression of his brand, including his famed 315 Bowery boutique in New York City, formerly the seminal underground music club CBGB’s, where Varvatos pays tribute to the musical heritage of this legendary site. With this unique brand position that unites a rock ‘n roll sensibility and old world craftsmanship with modern innovation, Varvatos has become one of the most well known menswear designers in the world.
John’s designs often draw inspiration from the past only to repurpose these ideas into something entirely new. The resulting collections reflect the quality and attention to detail inherent in old world tailoring, while creating luxurious, comfortable clothing for a modern lifestyle. “I have a great reverence for the craft of old world tailoring, but a big part of what I love designing is functional, timeless clothing that is created to be lived in.”
John Varvatos joined Polo Ralph Lauren in 1983. Recruited by Calvin Klein in 1990, he was appointed head of menswear design and oversaw the launch of the men’s collection and the influential cK brand. In 1995, he returned to Polo as Head of Menswear Design for all Polo Ralph Lauren brands and created the highly successful Polo Jeans Company.
For Fall/Winter 2000, John launched his premiere men’s collection and in the same year was recognized by the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) with the Perry Ellis Award for New Menswear Designer. He received a second CFDA award for Menswear Designer of the Year in 2001; this successive honor was an unprecedented achievement in this category. In 2005, John was once more recognized by the CFDA with the Menswear Designer of the Year Award and in 2007 GQ magazine named John “Designer of the Year” in its 12th Annual “Men of the Year” issue. Spring 2009 saw the launch of New York Nights, a monthly radio show hosted by John on SURIUS XM’s Faction channel. The show includes songs and interviews from various artists who have influenced John throughout his career in fashion.
Airing March 2012, John joins a cast of celebrity mentors on NBC’s “Fashion Star,” the new reality competition series that will search for the next big brand in fashion.
Follow John on Twitter: @johnvarvatos
Having learned from the masters and been endorsed by the legends, Anna Webber is one of rock photography’s rising young arists. The jet-setting 25-year-old bounds between offices in New York, Los Angeles and Austin, TX, frequently on assignment from assorted music industry clientele to shoot musicians when they’re not making music. Her portrait work has appeared in Rolling Stone, People, Spin, and Billboard, and she has created publicity and album cover photography for Sony, EMI and numerous other record labels.
By the time she graduated Pepperdine University with a double major in Creative Writing/Communications and Business, Anna already had photographed an extensive behind-the-scenes catalog of famed musicians, even touring with a handful. And having spent her spare time mastering the digital darkroom in the James Hickey fashion photography and lighting studio, her own commercial photographic style had evolved, paving the way for her current foray into the fickle world of creative professionalism.
Baron Wolman, Rolling Stone's first chief photographer, noticed Anna's special qualities and hired her at 19 as his assistant. He quickly became her mentor.
"You can see the quality of empathy between Anna and her subjects in her pictures, and that's hard to get," says Wolman. "She gets the musicians to work with her – that is really the most important part. They cooperate with her and you can see how relaxed they are in the photos. Unlike most photographers, Anna knows music. That's a real asset."
Wolman is not the only legendary rock photographer to recognize and nurture Anna's special talent. At 18, she also studied noticeably in Florence, Italy with Jill Furmanovsky, the legendary British rock photographer whose photos of Björk, Chrissie Hynde, the Human League, Joan Armatrading, and others are on view in London's National Portrait Gallery.
Anna also is a partner at Webber Designs, an Austin-based company that quickly has become recognized in the music world for creating Flash website “environments.” She primarily delivers the photography element to their signature “3D Collage Web Design” process, which brings viewers into an online, interactive world where they are free to roam any number of intriguing and eye-catching sub-sites. Together, Anna and her Webber Design clients work to implement her vision and cohesively master the client’s branding needs.
Thursday, March 15
