Bob Gruen
Rockers
Sao Paulo, Brazil: Cosac Naify. SIGNED by Bob Gruen on the
Sid Vicious side on the book on the John Lennon photograph page. With Rock On 08.
This is the Rockers exhibition catalogue from Brazil. Open the book on the John
Lennon side for the complete catalogue of the exhibition. Very good. Open on the Sid Vicious side for many full-size photos and
Bob Gruen's text in both Brazilian Portuguese and English. Featuring Iconic
Images of John Lennon, Led Zeppelin, The Clash, Debbie Harry and others. Bob
Gruen is a stealth artist. He’s one of those people that had a tremendous
impact on rock and roll culture, produced work that has been seen and loved by
virtually everybody, whether they knew the name of its creator or not. Rockers
provides a sidelong glance at the decadent 1970s from one of its most illustrious
observers. Certainly, among those of us who read Circus, Creem and Rock
Scene religiously during the seventies and paid attention to the credits, Gruen
was a rock star himself. All those incredible moments that we could never be
cool enough to experience in person, whether it be Led Zeppelin showing off
their private jet, John and Yoko Ono-Lennon showing off newborn Sean in the
hospital, or Sid Vicious showing off his broken nose, he was there, taking
pictures, showing us how great it must have been to be him. As much as any
photographer of the period, Gruen knew how to present the larger-than-life
moment to the bored, suburban kid who needed a visual to go with the stacks of
vinyl. Those were pre-music video days no VCRs, no cable, and a grand total of
six TV stations. You could read about bands like Suicide and the Ramones but
you never got to see footage of them. Even if you managed to get hold of the records, you had to
make up in your head what it all looked and felt like, based on the music, the
record cover and maybe a few pictures in a magazine. Since the supply of
available images was so limited, each one you did get to lay your eyes on
became extra-important. So it was in that climate, where kids getting into
music still had to use their imaginations, that Bob Gruen came along, and
basically owned the scene. His live stuff always looked thrilling, like the
most intense concerts ever given by anyone, no matter who the subject was. And his posed shots, different though they are, all have an
interesting quality: his subjects all seem to like him. They don’t look at him
as an outsider, he’s right there in the scene with them. He was John and Yoko’s
photographer of choice for years, as well as the only professional journalist
embedded in the Sex Pistols 1978 US tour. That he pulled off both gigs says volumes about not only his
technical mastery but his ability to be trusted with the moment, however
intense. Light wear to the covers. A diagonal crease to the lower
right hand corner of the Sid Vicious side. Few scratches and scuff marks to
both covers. Little edgewear. Dings to the side edge, Sid Vicious front cover.
Internally, clean, bright and tight. Right angle crease to the upper right hand
corner to about half the book if opened on the John Lennon side. Not obtrusive.
Rare signed catalogue. SIGNED Bob Gruen.