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About Me

Born October 11, 1946 in Long Beach, CaliforniaDocumentary Photographer, 1968 to presentMy interest in photography began in 1968 after seeing the work of Walker Evans, Dorothea Lange, Robert Frank and Henri Cartier-Bresson. This led to a very active eleven years doing street photography in Boston and Los Angeles. A large portion of my portfolio from this period focuses on the residents and transients in, and nearby, the Chapman Hotel at the corner of 5th & Wall Street - Los Angeles. In 1978 my photograph, Tarnished Angel, 5th & Wall Street – Los Angeles won an Honorable Mention in the Cal Arts International Documentary Competition juried by Garry Winogrand.In 1979 I spent a month photographing in Ireland. While in Ireland I met and photographed the all women’s punk rock band The Boy Scouts. That experience inspired me to pursue the Los Angeles new wave and punk music scene. Within a few months I began photographing the performances and backstage activities of The Plugz and X. My portrait of The Plugz became a large silkscreen poster. That led to work for X. My photograph of one of their performances filled up the back sleeve of their first single (White Girl/Your Phone's Off The Hook, But You're Not). In 1981 I spent two weeks photographing X on their first tour (we left L.A. for the first show at midnight on the day John Lennon was murdered). Other town on the tour incliuded Tucson (where I have lived for 19 years), Austin, Houston and New Orleans. Images from that trip were included in the tour sequence of The Unheard Music, the documentary film about X. My rooftop photograph of them became the group shot in the press kit for the film. Other photographs of X were included in the book Beyond and Back, The Story of X. In 1982 and 1983 I produced Xerography calendars that featured my work and significant dates in music history. Exene created the graphics for those calendars and for the 1984 Mailart datebook. The calendars and a series of my xerographic and photographic postcards sold at concerts, record stores, Artworks in Los Angeles and the L. A. County Museum of Art.Here’s the story behind the "X on the Rooftop" photograph: While hanging out at the X rehersal studio prior to their soldout show at the Greek Theatre in 1981 (which included Ray Manzarek on keyboards with Top Jimmy & the Rhythm Pigs opening the show), I asked John if he'd ever been on the roof of the building. He said sure and took me up there. I decided on the spot to do a group portrait right after the Greek show while the energy was still high. They played Saturday. This session happened on Monday afternoon. Needless to say, the session was a dream come true, highlighted by the presence of Billy & Don's beautiful wives Denise & Dinky in attendance. Other images from this day appear in the "Wild Gift" reissue (inside the rehersal studio, page 8) and in the book "Beyond and Back - The Story of X" (Cover shot and pages 26 and 45). The rooftop shot is also one of the postcards in the "Lucky 13" Box Set, available at La Luz de Jesus Gallery in Los Angeles, Hotel Congress in Tucson, etc. and via mailorder at MySpace homepage.Interviews on KPFK and KCRW in Los Angeles about my photographs and calendars in 1982 led to an interest in DJ work and ultimately to my current career at KXCI-FM in Tucson. October 9, 2006 marked the 19th anniversary of my radio show ROUTE 66 on KXCI (hear it on the stream: www.kxci.org Tuesday nights from 8 to 10PM). It's an early country (hillbilly boogie, western swing, honky-tonk and Americana (Knitters) show). In 1997 I began producing the critically acclaimed “Classic Railroad Songs” series for Rounder Records. See website.Since then I have continued to photograph. In August, 2004 the University of Arizona Press published my book "Organ Pipe - Life On The Edge" about Organ Pipe Cactus Nation Monument on the Mexico/Arizona border. I'm currently working on a book about migrant workers on the Mexico/Arizona border and the humanitarian efforts to save lives by the groups Humane Borders, Samaritans and the No More Deaths coalition.As for X, look for more vintage photographs of the band on MySpace in the weeks to come.

My Interests

I'd like to meet:

Open minded "human beings" with similar interests in southern Arizona

My Blog

X @ HOB Anaheim

August  31, 2007September 1, 2007House Of Blues AnaheimAnaheim, California
Posted by on Fri, 27 Jul 2007 16:25:00 GMT

How to Order

All cards are available via mail order at $1.00 (US) apiece, with a minimum order of 13, mix or match. First-class postage to US destinations: $2.00$5.00 for international destinations. Allow 10 days ...
Posted by on Tue, 22 Aug 2006 20:50:00 GMT