I want to go where the action is,
I want to fly through the urban blight.
I want to live like a shadow in the dark
and only move at night...
I get asked fairly often what kind of photography I shoot. The funny thing is I've never considered myself much of either a photographer or a writer, but more a documenter. I try to capture a moment, a feeling, what's going on, generally in punk and underground music, although the scope of stuff I obsessively document has definitely expanded far beyond punk music over the years to cover zines, pinball, classic arcade games, and other types of music and events. So when people ask that question about my photos, I usually say "In the pit photography." And really, that's what it is. I'm down there front and center as a music fan, not to take pictures, my camera just comes along for the ride. And I've broken quite a few cameras at shows, had them doused with beer, seen them go flying out of my hands from a fist or elbow of someone dancing by and probably have taken more than my share of bruises getting up to where I wanna be, where the action is...
A couple of these shots I think I've run before (maybe the 2nd and 4th ones), I just found the first one today, it's from a show in the early '90s at Rkcndy. I love the chaos and energy of the circle or slam pit, old school style, with people laughing, raging, and yet all rocking out together.
ps- Check out the dude's Joy Division tat in the first picture, that's awesome!
4 comments:
Dan, in that first photo the person with the Joy Division tattoo is Mark Ohl aka "Goiter". He was the very first singer of The Rickets. He is the singer that got the Rickets banned from our high school for burning an american flag and sieg heiling during our talent show performance.
I just looked at the photo closely again, and there is me in the bottom left corner of the photo. This must have been a G.B.H. or U.K. Subs show.
Hey Dan Ten Things...
This is another Dan (Jones). I used to pick up "10 Things" back in, oh, '95 (if it was around in '93, then in '93 as well)? Liked it a lot. Glad you're still around (i've barely been in seattle proper all these years, but live here again now), and doing this online.
I've noticed that whenever i come to your site, i spend WAY more time than i meant to...perusing.
Thanks also for the cool links.
Were you, by chance, at Area 51's last show, with Unabombers, Pud, and Whipped? I was! Lucky me, huh?
Peace, and see ya "in the pit."
Dan
By the way, hey Larry Rickets, I met you in Richland, WA, at a Larry and the Gonowheres show at the Frontier, in 1998 or '99! We chatted a bit -- I was like, "I recognize that song "We hate you, we hate you, we hate you, FUCK YOU" song...who did that originally?" Haha, and you were like, "I did...with a band called the Rickets." And I was like, "Oh, right, I have that on "We Are Not Guilty!" I bought that Pud 7" you guys had for sale. Nice meeting you. How's Oakland treating you? I'll go check out jesusfuckingchrist at myspace (thanks, Dan, for the tip on that...see how useful your page is?).
Later, dudes...
Post a Comment