Click to listen / follow on Apple Podcasts | Spotify Podcasts | Amazon Podcasts | GoodPods
Ed Colver discusses his iconic punk rock photography career, including shooting legendary album covers like Black Flag's "Damaged" and Circle Jerks' "Group Sex," as well as his passion for collecting strange "crackpot records".
Topics Include:
Ed Colver known for punk photography, also collects strange records
Calls his collection "crackpot records" - religious, political, spoken word
Started buying records at 14 in 1964, Pretty Things album
Always liked heavy underground psychedelic music growing up
Collected antiques, spent time at flea markets and thrift stores
Would hide good records behind Sean Cassidy albums
Put Herb Alpert records in front to fool other collectors
Music and art were everything to him growing up
Exposed to avant-garde classical in 1967 by art teacher
Learned Stockhausen, John Cage, Edgar Varèse, Toru Takamitsu
Called electronic music "your grandfather's punk rock"
George Antheil's Ballet Mechanique caused riots in 1923
Hated high school, dropped out at 18 for junior college
Studied all kinds of applied art classes and woodworking
Made skateboard in 1963, year Kennedy was shot
Beatles on Ed Sullivan made no impact on him
Preferred Pretty Things over Beatles and Rolling Stones
Never tried playing instruments, glad didn't buy drum kit
Started photography in late 1978 at punk shows
Took friend Robert Hill to shows, now works national security
Couldn't afford much film, had to be selective
Used manual focus with small flash, paid attention constantly
Shot rhythm-timed photos, watched for dramatic moments
Lost lens in right eye 30 years ago
Famous Chuck Berk stage dive photo taken July 1981
Met Chuck next night, never saw him again since
Chuck gets paid when photo is licensed commercially
Levi's and Vans perfect product placement in photo
Circle Jerks "Group Sex" cover shot at Marina skate park
Was there specifically to shoot album cover, not spontaneous
Used color film, took more than one roll
High contrast printing saved the mediocre color photo
Black Flag "Damaged" cover concept was Ed's idea
Shot near La Bianca murder house location coincidentally
Made fake blood from ink, coffee, and dish soap
Red-eyed Henry photos were rejected as "too demented"
Original red-eye photos lost for 35 years
Channel 3 Pure Life photo originally for Damaged insert
Typeset layout ruined the backward gun photograph's power
How to Overcome Discouragement record from early 1970s
Played it as soundtrack at art walk event
Has broken glass on cover, similar to Damaged
Wild in Streets cover shot during San Francisco parade
Circle Jerks crashed parade, Ed ran ahead shooting
Parade doesn't show in final photo, just street
Shot Darby Crash mohawk photo backstage at Starwood
Darby died about two months after that photo
Ice Cube portrait shot in one minute, ten frames
Used medium format camera with professional lighting setup
Extended and high resolution version of this podcast is available at: www.Patreon.com/VinylGuide
Listen on Apple: https://apple.co/2Y6ORU0
Listen on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/36qhlc8
How to listen to The Vinyl Guide
Listen & follow on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!
You can also SUPPORT OUR PODCAST by becoming a patron at Patreon.com/vinylguide !
About The Vinyl Guide
If you like records, just starting a collection or are an uber-nerd with a house-full of vinyl, this is the podcast for you. Nate Goyer is The Vinyl Guide and discusses all things music and record-related.