Duran Duran at the Riot House 1977
I was a really big Duran Duran fan. I read about them in the European press and of course heard their records. A couple of days before their debut showcase at the Roxy, I called up their road manager at the Hyatt House (we used to call it the Riot House) and asked for a photo session. I probably told him I was shooting for Music Life and Rock Show, which were amazing magazines in Japan that would regularly publish my work. I piled them into my old Mercedes and gave them a tour of the Sunset Strip. What was amazing was that they knew who I was by seeing my photo credit in the Japanese press. John Taylor made sure I was on the list for the gig that evening. A couple of years later they were back in town and staying at the Chateau Marmont Hotel. I heard that Andy Taylor was getting married and I just kind of showed up and joined the bash. Took some photos and sold them everywhere. If it was only that easy today!

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Debbie Harry at The Whisky A Go Go 1977
I was hired by Private Stock records to photograph Blondie’s very first Los Angeles concert — a really big deal. We had read about Debbie in Rock Scene and of course knew all of her records. I had all access to the event and I invited my pal Ron Galella to do backstage photos. Debbie and Chris got a real kick out of this. I have not seen Debbie in years, but her former manager, Toby Mamis, remains in touch to this day.

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Eddie Behind The Beverly Hills Hotel No. 2 1977
I think John Rockwell invited me to this party. Directly behind the Beverly Hills Hotel is a huge mansion owned by David Lane. I knew many of the guests, although an older crowd because I was about 21. It was a warm sunny afternoon, I was standing next to the bar trying to get a drink and all of a sudden this lovely girl started to strip down right in front of me. I only had a wide-angle 24 mm camera lens, not really wide enough, so I backed up as far as I could, almost knocking over the bar. You have to do the best you can in these situations. Take a close look at the guy on the left of the photograph walking towards the girl. That is Burt who was and still is, almost thirty years later, a permanent fixture on the party circuit. I am sure that he was on his way to get this girl’s telephone number. Back then, I did not think it too much of a big deal going to a Mega Mansion party in Beverly Hills with nude girls because I attended three or four of these a week! This was the only photograph worth taking at the party and now is one of my favorite photos. It truly captured a moment from that incredible era that I will never see again.

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On The Phone With Lisa 1977
This is a photo from that amazing session at the Tropicana Motel. Joan has been tossed out of her mom’s house and here she is on the phone with her stunning girlfriend Lisa, who everyone called Lisa Devil Worship. Incredible how I can remember such details 30 years later.

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Ali And The Sea Of Faces 1979
Muhammad Ali was and is still today the most famous and recognizable person on the planet. I vividly remember when he walked to his seat at the Forum because the entire 18,400 guests and VIPs at this event stood up and applauded him. It was truly a moving experience. I stood nearby for as long as I could to get this shot. It was not easy with all the security guards around. Seated next to Ali is his wife Veronica, Dr. Jerry Buss and his lovely date and the former Mayor of Los Angeles, Tom Bradley and his wife. Many years later I was invited to a boxing match at the Forum by Jerry Buss. Seated near me at ringside was Ali, much older and now ill. I shook his hand and for the first time in my life, asked for an autograph. I still have it to this day.

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Marie, Vickie & Cherie San Fernando Valley 1976
I was hired by Nippon Phonogram Records in Japan to do this session of the Runaways lead singer Cherie Currie at her Van Nuys home. I previously photographed her on stage, backstage, hanging out, etc. Her twin sister Marie, pictured on the left, also became a singer and the girl in the center is Vickie Ronald, with whom I attended Van Nuys High School. Record producer Kim Fowley later discovered her when he transformed her into “Vickie Razor Blade” in a band called “Venus And The Razor Blades.” Like me, they all wanted to get out of the Valley to the other side of the hill to discover the magic.

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The Ramones on Sunset Boulevard 1978
The Ramones were staying at the Sunset Marquis, near the current House of Blues. Their manager Danny Fields let me grab the band from their rooms for this quick shot. I think I promised him a photo for Rock Scene magazine, but the photos were published all over the world. I still see bootleggers trying to sell this image. They look a bit out of place with all the California sunshine, albeit standing in their classic poses.

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