April 17, 2008

  • Encore Presentation

    From a distance.

    Meet Eddie Leibovitz:  Less-famous
    brother of renowned rock photographer Annie Leibovitz.  While never
    as celebrated as his wildly successful older sibling, Eddie has managed to carve out
    quite a niche for himself in the field of Nosebleed Photography.


    Eddie Leibovitz explains:

    Oh sure, big sister Annie has created hundreds of iconic portraits
    of folks like Sting and Johnny Cash and John Lennon,
    and yeah, Annie gets all the backstage passes to the biggest concerts,
    and yeah, you go to Annie's big expensive house and trip over all her
    awards that she uses for door stops, and yeah, Annie's always giggling
    while she gets instant-messages from Bob Dylan.  But really though, how hard can it be
    to get an in-focus shot of
    Steven Tyler when you're like three feet away?

    For me,
    Eddie Leibovitz, the real art emerges while
    you're up in the nosebleed seats of Madison Square Garden armed with a Kodak Instamatic and a
    box of flashcubes.  In the Blue Section, details tend to
    fall away, thus allowing you to ponder the pure existentialism of the
    moment. 

     

    Here are a few examples of my work:

    The Beach Boys / Radio City Music Hall NYC, 1979
    Nothing
    is more "Fun Fun Fun" than a Beach Boys concert.  That's Mike Love struttin' his stuff
    at center stage, but the thing that makes this shot interesting is the guy in the plaid shirt.  You can
    almost hear him saying, "When the f*ck are they gonna do "Fun Fun Fun"
    already so I can get the f*ck out of here?"

    The Rolling Stones / Philadelphia PA, 1981
    See
    Mick Jagger?  He's right there.  No, look to the right a
    little.  Too far.  Go back to the left.  Now
    squint!  See him next to that giant guitar?  Yeah, that's him.  Gosh, can you believe those lips? 

    That very
    same week my sister Annie took
    a studio portrait of Jagger that made the cover of Rolling Stone and won her some more awards. 
    Big deal.  I think my picture has more depth.


    Meatloaf / South Orange NJ, 1977

    I managed to get closer than usual for
    this one.  It was a terrific concert, as you can tell from this
    photo.  Truly, this was "paradise by the flashcube light."


    The Who / Monterey California, 1967
    OK, so I didn't actually attend the Monterey Pop Festival, but the movie was on TV one night.  Trust me, getting this shot was not that easy.  My stupid roommate wanted to watch Johnny Carson so I had to push him away with one hand and snap the picture with the other.  I bring that tension to the photo.


    Coming in June look for the gallery showing entitled     From a Distance: The Nosebleed Photography of Eddie Leibovitz at a telescope retailer near you.

                                                                        
    ----Ed Kaz

Comments (19)

  • I had a dream that Michael Stipe and I were hanging out together taking photos of flowers. It didn't occur to me to take a picture of him in my dream lol.  

  • @oceanstarr -

    That's because you're too cool to do that.    Stipe saw you as a
    creative peer.  Plus, he's not too photogenic these days anyway.  Dream
    on!  :)   Kaz

  • Why would anyone want to sit around photographing rocks? :P Excuse me while I traipse all over your page looking for a link to a friend. :D

  • @chasnfireflies -

    I love it when people just read the first line and then comment.  Ha ha!  Come back and read the whole thing!  I worked hard on this piece!!!!

  • @Ed_Kaz -  It's better than people who seldom visit their commenters and then when they do ....do exactly what you just accused me of only you usually comment on the LAST sentence instead of the first. *wink* Actually, I did read it and I didn't really have much to add in the comment department. It was just the first thing that came to mind because it cracked me up. I am sure many people will come by and give you lots of interesting, thought provoking comments on your hard work. You don't need mine. I could have just come and ran all over your page looking for what I wanted to find and not even LEFT a comment right?

    Just sayin'

    Don't worry.....I'm not bitchy today, but you DID ask for it. :D

  • Let the encore comments begin now.......

  • @Ed_Kaz - 

    ROFL. Thank you very much hehehe.  You can stroke my ego any time

  • :-b silly man

  • I think we must've been at the same concerts - 'cause I think I have the same photos!  haha!  (But yours are far superior.  So not only were you da photographer, but you were in the 'good seats', eh?)

  • @TheUnseenUndine - Yeah.  That was back in the days when you had to wait in line at a Ticketron at a deli or something and by the time you got there it was just the blue section. 

  • those weren't very good.

    hey, she is really good though.

  • The last picture is my favorite.  It's brilliant, maybe.

    RYC:  Never mind.  I better not say it.

  • Breathtaking.

  • @Saadias_World - 

    Maybe you're right.   Thanks, maybe!  :)

  • @chasnfireflies -   Yes.  I'm much more sneaky and devious than you.  I skip right down to the LAST part.  Now here's another secret for lazy commenters:  Don't read the entry at all, just read the comments, and base YOUR comment on what they are saying.   I suck.  I know.  But that's what endears me to you, right?

  • @jillcarmel -   Eddie Leibovitz says thanks for the compliment.

  • @Ed_Kaz - you're teasing me again

  • Hey, I think maybe I brought that same tension and depth to several bands in the 70s!  Man, I gotta find those pics!!!  And all with an instamatic with a "flash cube!!!!"

  • @coffeeiv -    Find 'em.  They're probably classic.  Eddie Leibovitz tells me that he might make his own page of these things and will be accepting entries.   Payment will be via Fotomat gift certificates.

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