A Thousand (F***in') Words - and More!
I recently attended an AIGA SF-sponsored presentation by one of the great photographers of the psychedelic '60s, Jim Marshall. If you don't mind expletives being thrown in here and there and if tales of doing drugs with the rockers of the era doesn't bother you, then you would've enjoyed the evening and been as in much awe of the photographs shown as I was.
Marshall showed us slides (nothing digital here!) of the many, many celebrities and musical artists of the time that he shot as if they were simple vacation photographs. He shot such icons as Janis Joplin, Jimmy Hendrix, Johnny Cash, and Mama Cass while in performance and also in more candid moments that were astounding. Many of the images shown are priceless and haven't been published anywhere before.
The number of classics he shot are too many to count and he actually could ramble off most of the names (he forgot a few) as if they were old friends. Many of the artists of the day were his friends and would ask for him by name when it was time for a photo shoot.
Marshall was so dry and frank in his talk and description of the images being shown and had the crowd roaring with laughter. Even though I was just being born and living far, far away from the concerts and events photographed, I felt like I was there and in the same room as many of the legends of our time.
There are a few books of photographs available that Jim has produced, but many of the carousels of slides we saw that night are not in them. It was one of those evenings when you just had to be there. After all, seeing these photos in a book without hearing the raw discussion around them from the man himself just wouldn't be the same.
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