Jun 21, 2008 | Live and Uncensored, Psycho Attack
For those of you who think that being a rock and roll photographer
is "glamorous," let me tell you a little story…a story about the Mad
Sin show. Not that it was that much different than any other, but
somewhat more… intense. And lengthier.
We had a lineup of what, about 8 bands? Now, this is a small venue,
and they did set up a barrier because it was an all ages show, and they
needed the barrier for the bands to have beer on stage. The width of
the distance between said barrier and the stage was about, oh, foot and
a half…two feet, tops. Those who know me know I’m kind of a big gal.
Of course, I could stretch a bit between sets, but I spent the better
part of 6 or 7 hours crammed in that space, sitting on the floor so as
not to block fans’ view as the stage is really only a slightly raised
platform. If I put my feet under the rails, they got trampled, so I was
sort of twisted up like a pretzel trying to shoot, or on my knees.
(This is why I now own a pair of kneepads.)
Also remember we are talking about Phoenix. And a whole lotta people
packed in a tiny bar. It was HOT. I was sweating so much, that it was
rolling down my back most of the show. I ended up getting so
dehydrated, that the next day I felt like I had a hangover, but without
the benefit and fun of getting drunk.
On top of the that, the always rowdy Phoenix crowd was in rare form
for Mad Sin, and the whole damn venue was the "pit." When I’m shooting,
I get into a sort of weird, zen-like state, and was only vaguely aware
of getting kicked and a few people kind of…falling on my head. But
apparently it looked a lot worse to some of the fans. A few people I
know were like, "Di! You’re fucking amazing! People are falling on you,
and you just brush them off and keep shooting!"
So I’m down in front, sweating like a pig, getting kicked in the
head, and then the band decides to throw confetti glitter. Please note:
Glitter really sticks to sweaty bodies. Someone told me afterward I
looked like I had been to a David Bowie concert, but I think the people
at the Jack in the Box drive-thru afterward really enjoyed my new look.
Think a big vanilla ice cream cone with multicolored sprinkles. A big
wilted one, after sweating for about 6 hours.
BTW…colored glitter stains you skin. Bad.
And oh yes, my knees hurt afterward for a week.
Apr 30, 2008 | Behind the Scenes, Psycho Attack
I’m doing my first cut edit of the Stitch Hopeless and the Sea Legs
shoot last weekend, and of course I’m looking for the technical stuff
and trying to find the best shot. But I also find myself waxing a bit
poetic about the medium of photography in general, and having one of
those moments when I realize how much I love it. I mean really, really love it.
I
love the feeling of capturing a moment, or a place or a person in a way
that really shows something about them — in that little fraction of a
second in time — and freezing that moment for eternity. And once I
capture a little piece of that person, I sorta can’t help but fall in
love in a way. Annie Leibovitz noted this same phenomenon when she
said, "A thing that you see in my pictures is that I was not afraid to fall in love with these people."
Yeah…I totally get that. I know exactly what she means.
And,
you know, the thing with these guys, is they’re not just a band, but a
traveling party of close knit people. Every time they play, they bring
a whole crowd with them. And the thing I have discovered in the last
week or two, is that that crowd is not "fans" but friends.
For
the record, let it be known when you mix copious amounts of alcohol and
rowdy Irish boys, beer will be spilled and glassware broken. Thanks to
the Pub and Grub for allowing me to shoot from behind the bar and
Hollywood Alley for putting up with our jackassery, and being the
coolest fucking bar on the planet.
So anyway, enough soppy, sentimental bullshit. Here are a few outtakes
Apr 30, 2008 | Photo Gallery, Psycho Attack
Koffin Kats at the Surly Wench, Tucson, Arizona, 8/10/07.
This is one of my favorite photos, although I think a lot of people don’t appreciate the irony as much as I do, because it’s difficult to read Vic’s "Living in Darkness" tattoo. I was struck that he was in the spotlight in a darkened room, which I thought was particularly fitting, as I’ve always thought that Vic has a lot of contradictory qualities…a bit of a living dichotomy. Which I hope I captured here.
Or, come to think of it, maybe they don’t get the irony in the tattoo because they’re too busy staring at Vic’s crack. Which anyone who has been to a KK show has already seen. Many times.
Copyright 2007 Diana Price. All rights reserved.
EDIT: You know, I was not going to elaborate any further on my comments on Vic, but I think I should. I think if you’re going to blog, it’s not enough to scan the surface, but be honest and personal.
I was struck that night by the fact that as the band right before the Koffin Kats was playing, there was Vic, the singer for the headlining band, sitting alone drinking at the bar in a room full of people. (That, by the way, was the shot I SHOULD have gotten.) For a guy in a room full of people who had come out to see him, he looked pretty damn lonely. There’s a lot I can say about Vic –and eventually will because a lot of my favorite photos are of him — but that night was the first time I had really seen that side of him. And that side of "rock and roll" and life on the road.
And I can also honestly say that was what I call my "Sid and Nancy" moment. That moment when fucked up recognizes fucked up. I think it’s fair to say he became one of my favorite muses that night. He can irritate the shit out of me sometimes, but I can never stay mad to him. It’s hard not to love the little fucker.
