By Rob Goald
rsgoald@comcast.net


 Symbolic Gallery Hosts Legendary Photographer Mick Rock's "Rock N Roll Eye" Exhibit

FRIDAY, May 2, 2008
The Exhibit is on display May 2nd to June 15th (11am-6pm)

Legendary rock photographer, Mick Rock, brought to Las Vegas a stellar retrospective of his photographic oeuvre last Friday at the beautiful Symbolic Gallery at 4631 S. Dean Martin Drive.

Robert M Knight, Mick Rock, Warwick Stone

Mr. Rock, who grew up in London before moving to New York in the late 1970’s, is a photographer best known for his iconic shots of the 1970s glam rock era.

In 1972, he was named the official photographer for David Bowie and Mick Ronson, and his photographs, particularly during Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust period, made him famous world-wide

His pictures of the illusive and mentally troubled Syd Barrett are a treasure. Barrett, who was a founder of superstar rock band Pink Floyd, was a college friend of Mr. Rock at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge. Barrett, who left The Floyd after their first album, went on to an ever-so-brief two album solo career. He recently passed away at age 60. Mr. Rock photographed the album cover for Barrett’s cult release “Madcap Laughs” and described him as a “shooting star”.

Other artists of the hallowed glam rock period on display at the Symbolic Gallery include Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, Queen, The Killers, Debbie Harry, Andy Warhol and Peter Gabriel. Mr. Rock’s amazing cover shot of The Stooge’s “Raw Power” and Lou Reed’s “Transformer” are indelible memories of that era.

But, Mr. Rock’s career continues today as he documents the rock artists of the 21st Century as well. His recent subjects include R.E.M., The Strokes, Foo Fighters, Kate Moss, to name but a few. Stopping by to say hello this opening night was none other than the guitar wizard of Velvet Revolver known as Slash.

At the opening night party and unveiling we caught up with Mr. Rock and listened as he delivered fascinating insights into music and celebrity that only forty years of photographic experience and living a life of rock n’ roll can deliver.

“Right in the middle of the glam rock period with David Bowie as Ziggy Stardust, Iggy Pop and Lou Reed as ‘Transformer’, I went and shot the (Grateful) Dead”, as Mr. Rock points to a 1972 photograph he took of the late, great Jerry Garcia. “People buy that print of Mr. Garcia because they identify the artist with a certain photographer”. He went on to point out a 1972 shot of Ozzy Osbourne with a similar trajectory.

When asked if the death of a star increases the value of a photograph Mick added with glee, “If I were to die tomorrow these guys (putting on the exhibit) would make more money”. He added, “Since the death of Andy Warhol his silk-screens of Marilyn Monroe are fetching $50 million. I’m now dabbling in silk-screens of my early stuff with a friend of mine and fellow artist named Russell Young”. Mr. Rock’s silk-screens will include Iggy Pop, David Bowie and Lou Reed. He notes parenthetically “Even though I’m shooting new stuff I can’t escape from my past”.

“In the past forty years, it’s obviously the technology that has changed people’s relationship to rock n’ roll”, ponders Mr. Rock to a question I posed to him.

When asked which iconic photograph he values above all else, Mick smiles and proclaims “All of the photos in this room”. He adds, “I think Kate Moss in her pasties is quite cute, the shot of Bowie was inspired by Picasso. I think it’s like having a lot of old girlfriends or wives---I loved them all. When they were in front of me they were the one that I loved. That’s what excites me about the camera. You can slice out little bits of passing reality and store it like a f**king squirrel”.

On the subject of drugs, Mr. Rock shares, “Sometimes drugs help a little bit with the arts. What got me into chemical stimulation was reading about Baudelaire. Mick went to Cambridge and studied modern languages and literature. He said, “If it wasn’t for LSD, I wouldn’t have been a photographer.”

Regarding photography, Mick stresses “I’ve always had a thing for faces and for lunatics. They were all characters and I enjoyed all of these people. Some I enjoyed more than others because I hung out with them for a longer time”

When asked what’s next, Mick lights up and says, “A retrospective book with the working title of ‘Exposures’ which will capture the four decades of rock from Barrett and David Bowie to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Killers”.