Description

When I began photographing the Hollywood punk rock bands The Plugz and X in 1980, I noticed that all the bands made flyers to promote their upcoming shows and that the band photographs on the flyers had a certain quality — mid-tones were sacrificed for stark high contrast. What started out as unplanned style developed into a conscious look that even affected fashion.

Xerography was well suited for this brash new music. I found a copy shop in Santa Monica that had the latest Xerox machine that let me manipulate the tones beyond the lighter/darker functions. I’d go in late nights and experiment.

The portrait of The Plugz (in Musicians) made the day they opened for Johnny Rotten’s Public Image Limited at the Olympic Auditorium was my first Xerograph. The Plugz began using the image on their flyers. That led to a four-foot tall silkscreen poster made by renowned graphic artist Richard Duardo.

When I met John Doe and Exene of X the Band they commented on how much they liked the poster and asked if I’d photograph X. Within a short time I began making Xerographs of X photos and selling them as postcards at X shows. After shooting the rooftop portrait of X, I decided to make a calendar to display my work.

While on tour with X in late 1980, I had the pleasure of witnessing Exene’s highly creative graphic arts work. Her collage diaries were packed with found objects and her pen & ink drawings. Rubber stamps were also part of her arsenal. She was, I thought, the obvious person to create the calendar portion for each month. She agreed and quickly set to work designing each page, incorporating the dates of interest that I submitted.

Each page is unique. The completed calendars sold at X shows and even at the L.A. County Museum of Art bookstore. Calendar measures 8.5″ X 11″. There are a few left of the original 500 for discriminating collectors.

Sample Graphics

Buy the Calendar

$35.00