David LaChapelle

I'd like to meet:

After going over about 8,000 submissions for the photo shoot contest, I would like to congratulate my winner, Molly from Georgia.Molly is going to be flown to my studio in LA (or New York depending on when we do the shoot, and her school schedule) where I am going to be shooting her main Myspace photoMany factors went into choosing Molly. Molly is an unusual beauty, with a unique face. She has a striking quality that comes thru in a snapshot, that I would like to photograph. She is currently going to school in Savanna, studying photography. Molly seems to have an intriguing combination of originality, style, and sense of humor. Judging from her essay and looking at her myspace page, she seems excited about life and art, straight forward, and smart. And on a personal level she reminds me of my friends from art school; positive, artistic, and quirky and without taking themselves too seriously. This was a really cool opportunity for me and I hope it will be a good experience for her.I would like to thank each and every one of you who submitted to the contest and I assure you I will be casting my myspace friends in the future for upcoming projects.A lot of people wrote in the essays that they didn’t think I would be reading the submissions myself. I was really fun to read the essays; there is a lot of great and creative people on Myspace. It was really cool to have had that connection with you. I really enjoyed this process and experience. I read all of the essays and I will be sending out a lot of books to some of my favorite essays writers.I hope to see you guys in New York for my gallery opening. I have begun to work on an epic photographic series for my gallery shows. I hope to do most of the casting from Myspace, because there are so many cool and interesting people out there that are not typical “model” types.David

Music:

Damien Rice, Jeff Buckley, James Blunt, Snow Patrol, Scissor Sisters,The Verve, U2, Courtney Love, Prince, Nirvana, Mary J. Blige, Jimi Hendrix, Janice Joplin, Ike and Tina Turner, The Flaming Lips, Hair the Musical,Blondie, AIR, Simon and Garfunkel, Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan, Thom York, Radiohead, Roberta Flack, Jennifer Holiday, any music with lyrics that matter.

Movies:

Why We Fight, La Dolce Vita, Ladri Di Biciclette, 8 1/2, Favela Rising, Miracle in Milan, Mad Hot Ballroom, An Inconvenient Truth, Cabaret, Before Night Falls

Television:

off

Books:

"Heaven to Hell" is the last book in the trilogy. It started with “LaChapelle Land”, then “Hotel LaChapelle”. The book is priced at 60 dollars, which is less than a pair of sneakers. I wanted a great book that was really affordable to everybody. I have always paid attention to, and strived for the best printing and quality. It is 350 pages, and was printed in Italy.

It’s my Christmas present to you, and if you still can’t afford $60, just steal it.

click here to buy my book
HEAVEN TO HELL

Heroes:

Nelson Mandela, Helen Suzman, Michaelangelo, Amanda Lepore, Andy Warhol, Jesus, Madalyn Murray O'hair, Luca Pizzaroni, Green Peace, Keith Haring, Diane Arbus, Tupac, Muhammad Ali, Eckhart Toll, Michael Bennet, Bob Fosse, Jimmy Carter, George Harrison, Tommy The Clown, Larry Kramer, Gandhi, Walt Whitman,Tennessee Williams, Vittorio De Sica, Federico Fellini...