Starred review from August 31, 2020
Gruen chronicles his adventures as one of the preeminent photographers of rock and roll in his spectacular memoir. Gruen launched his career in 1970s Downtown Manhattan (renting a studio in Tribeca for $75 a month), then worked steadily capturing images of music stars such as David Bowie, John Lennon, Tina Turner, and the Rolling Stones. His tales of far-ranging assignments, ecstatic concerts, and wild times with famous folk make for a roller-coaster narrative. The pages are studded with choice details and plenty of examples of his subjects’ hedonistic lifestyles, though Gruen is rather diplomatic in his mentions of alcohol dependency, arrests for selling drugs, and “groupies in and out of the rooms all night.” Gruen’s (mostly) open, matter-of-fact telling brings readers in beside him, from rooftops to club back rooms. Some of the most moving recollections involve John Lennon and Yoko Ono, whose partnership made a deep and lasting impression upon the photographer. Gruen’s plainspoken formula for his success: he went out every night with his camera and “trusted intuition,” and though he found that “living an unscheduled, unpredictable life is scary,” embracing it is how he got “in the right place at the right time.” Brimming with singular period photographs and incredible personalities, Gruen’s story is a must-read for any rock and roll fan. Agent: Paul Lucas, Janklow & Nesbit.
August 28, 2020
If there's anyone who can claim that they were "there," it's Gruen. One of the most highly regarded rock photographers of all time, Gruen took pictures of everybody during the 1970s, from the Clash, the Sex Pistols, and Blondie to Elton John, David Bowie, and the Allman Brothers. His Zelig-like presence in the rock world makes for some great stories, which he reels off at a near-dizzying pace. Each chapter is jam-packed with tales--having breakfast with Ike and Tina Turner, bumping into Jimi Hendrix in Greenwich Village, snorting cocaine with the Hell's Angels at an Elephant's Memory concert--though some anecdotes aren't nearly as fascinating as he thinks they are. Nonetheless, rapidity makes up for some of the less compelling pieces. Included throughout are iconic pictures of his famous subjects, such as John Lennon in his New York City T-shirt, Turner lit by strobe lights, and Led Zeppelin in front of the Starship jet plane, making the volume a treasure trove for rock and roll lovers. VERDICT Rock fans will devour this narrative and find its "you are there" style eminently palpable.--Brett Rohlwing, Milwaukee P.L.
Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
August 15, 2020
In this aptly titled memoir, pioneering rock photographer Gruen documents a long career behind the lens. The author recounts decades spent making images of anyone who was anyone in the pop music world--and plenty of musicians who didn't find success. A product of suburban Long Island, Gruen got into the city as soon as he could, swayed by seeing Dylan go electric at Newport in 1965--a climacteric that, due to his lack of funds, Gruen recorded with film he stole from his job at the World's Fair. He wound up living around the corner from John Lennon and Yoko Ono, with whom he became friends after giving them some photographs he had taken. "Yoko remembered the gesture," writes the author, "the fact that I hadn't pushed too hard and hadn't asked for anything from them." John and Yoko come and go throughout the text. So do legends such as Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry, who liked a photo of himself so much that he asked Gruen to autograph it. So do the principal players of the punk rock scene, at which Gruen arrived before most. Of doomed Sex Pistol Sid Vicious, he writes, "I have never met anybody with such low regard for personal hygiene." When Britain's National Portrait Gallery bought a photograph of Gruen's for its permanent collection, it was of the very same Sid smeared with mustard and ketchup in the course of stuffing a hot dog down his gullet. While much of Gruen's narrative, which is sometimes laid-back enough to be soporific, seems an exercise in name-dropping, there are a number of takeaways for aspiring rock chroniclers. Better yet, there's a constant sense of awe that he's walked among gods and goddesses for so long: "For me it's about the moment when everyone is screaming 'Yea!' and no one is thinking about paying their rent or anything else." It's not Lester Bangs or Greil Marcus, but rock-history buffs will enjoy Gruen's reminiscences.
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