Mick Rock

Mick Rock is a British photographer best known for his iconic shots of rock and roll legends such as Queen, David Bowie, Syd Barrett, Lou Reed, Iggy Pop and The Stooges, The Sex Pistols, The Ramones, Joan Jett, Talking Heads, Roxy Music, Crossfade, Thin Lizzy, Motley Crue, and Blondie. Often referred to as "The Man Who Shot the Seventies",^[1] most of the memorable images of David Bowie as Ziggy Stardust were shot by Rock, in his capacity as Bowie's official photographer.

Currently living in New York City with his wife, Pati, and their daughter, Rock has been showcasing his work in a series of exhibitions.

Career highlights

In addition to his work with David Bowie, whom he met in early 1972, Rock is also noted for creating iconic album covers for Syd Barrett’s The Madcap Laughs, Lou Reed’s Transformer and Coney Island Baby, Iggy and the Stooges' Raw Power, Queen's Queen II (recreated for their classic music video "Bohemian Rhapsody")^[1] and Sheer Heart Attack, the Ramones End of the Century and Joan Jett's I Love Rock 'n' Roll. He was the chief photographer on the films The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Shortbus. He also produced and directed the music videos "John, I’m Only Dancing", "Jean Genie", "Space Oddity" and "Life On Mars" on Bowie's Sound and Vision DVD collection.

His recent subjects include The Misfits, Snoop Dogg, Air Traffic, Maxwell, Alicia Keys, The Gossip, Lady Gaga, Richard Barone, The Killers, The Scissor Sisters, Michael Buble, Michael Stipe, Kate Moss, The YeahYeahYeahs, The Chemical Brothers, Janelle Monae, Queens of the Stone Age, Daft Punk, Kasabian, Snow Patrol, Daniel Merriweather, Black Keys, Hall & Oates, Peter, Bjorn and John, MGMT, Alejandro Escovedo, Pete Yorn, Gavin Degraw, Peaches, Fat Joe, Rhymefest, Nas, Pharrell, Q-Tip, Jane’s Addiction, Tom Stoppard and old friends Bowie, Lou Reed, Debbie Harry, Joan Jett, Motley Crue and Iggy Pop.

He received the Diesel U Music Legends Award for his contribution to Music in Autumn 2006.

Publishing

In recent years Mick Rock has published a series of books, many based on his classic images: A Photographic Record 1969–1980 (Century 22 Books, 1995), Glam: An Eyewitness Account (foreword by David Bowie) (Omnibus Books, 2006)), Psychedelic Renegades / Syd Barrett (Genesis Publications, 2002), Moonage Daydream / Ziggy Stardust (with David Bowie) (Genesis Publications), Rock ’n’ Roll Eye (Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography, 2003), Killer Queen (with Brian May and Roger Taylor) (Genesis Publications, 2003), Picture This / Debbie Harry & Blondie (foreword by Debbie Harry) (Omnibus Books, 2004), Raw Power / Iggy & The Stooges (foreword by Iggy Pop) (Omnibus Books, 2005), Rocky Horror (foreword by Richard O’Brien) (Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf, 2006), Classic Queen (Sterling Press, 2007), Tamashii: Mick Rock Meets Kanzaburo (Kabuki Theatre Photos) (Hachette Fujingaho, Japan, 2007) and Psychedelic Renegades (Gingko Press, 2007).

Exhibitions

Rock has had major exhibitions in London, Liverpool, Berlin, Manchester, New York, Los Angeles, Oslo, Stockholm, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Tokyo, San Francisco, and Las Vegas. His 2003 retrospective exhibition of 186 prints at the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography was dubbed by the Japanese press as "one of the finest collections of pop art to ever reach these shores."^{[citation needed]} His 150 print exhibition at the Urbis Cultural Centre in Manchester, England in 2005–2006 was voted Manchester's best exhibition for 2006.^{[citation needed]}

An exhibition of his Kate Moss photos (as well as of Debbie Harry, Bowie, Iggy Pop, and Syd Barrett), called "Rock n' Roll" Kate ran from February to June 2009 in Amsterdam and Rotterdam and was praised in the Dutch press as "hot, sexy, totally rock n roll, and probably truer to the real spirit of the Divine Ms Moss than any other photos ever taken of her. They rank up there with the best of Mick's classic imagery. Mick Rock meets Kate Moss, a legendary collision of photographic energies[...]this exhibit is a must-see for all fans who know how to rock!"^{[citation needed]}

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Photographer lives the Rock dream BBC News. Retrieved May 25, 2011

Bibliography

• 2001: Psychedelic Renegades. Photographs of Syd Barrett. (Genesis Publications)
• 2002: Moonage Daydream: The Life and Times of Ziggy Stardust. ISBN 978-1-84403-380-5. With David Bowie (Genesis Publications)
• 2003: Killer Queen. Photographs of Queen published as an official signed limited edition book (Genesis Publications)
• 2004: Picture This: Debbie Harry and Blondie. Foreword by Debbie Harry.
• 2005: Blood and Glitter. ISBN 978-0-9537479-9-3.
• 2007: Classic Queen ISBN 978-1402751929 (Sterling Publishing)

DVDs

• Punk Drunk Love: The Images of Mick Rock (Panoramica)

External links

• Official website
• theartsdesk Q&A: Mick Rock (6 November 2010)
• Mick Rock Photo Library - A collection of Mick Rock photographs
• Mick Rock - article by Fused Magazine
• Rocky Horror - Photo Book by Mick Rock
• Glam! An Eyewitness Account by Mick Rock
• Classic Queen by Mick Rock
• Interview for SWINDLE Magazine
• Interview-Video with Mick in Berlin 11/2007

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