September 2009

I read a report in the paper this week about a guy who is suing a security company in Chicago. He was going to see the Chicago Bears play in Soldier Field (owned by the Chicago Park District- meaning the City of Chicago). He was a photo hobbyist and decided to bring his camera to the game. When he got to the gate and went through a search procedure, he was told that he couldn’t bring one of his lenses in because it was more than three inches long, which makes it a professional lens. The security agent then proceeded to drop the lens, ruining it (that is what he is suing for).

This brings up a point- it is now getting impossible to go to a sporting event and take pictures! Many times I hear from security guys that a camera with a detachable lens is considered a professional camera and cannot be allowed in to a concert. Meanwhile, anyone with $500.00 can go into any big box store, department store or camera store and buy a “Professional” camera. So where does it stop? If someone brings a camera out to the beach to take pictures of a vollyball game, will they be stopped? I see two problems here:

1. What is considered professional and what is considered a hobby? I know hobbyists with twice the equipment that I own, that are very proud of their photography. Guess they had better not bring a camera to the Bears game on Sundays- even if they are paying $200.00 for a ticket!

2. If an event is held on public property, can the artist restrict access to photographers? If admission is charged (like a sporting event) maybe so. But what about the 90 days of free musical events taking place in public parks each summer in Chicago? Does Stevie Wonder have the right to restrict photographers to one minute of shooting and then ask for their copyrights when he is playing for free on public property? Just curious.

On another note, music photographers out there might take note of what is happening in the sports world. A few years ago, Chicago was awarded a WNBA franchise. Someone I know who works for the Chicago Bulls suggested that I become their photographer, given my sports background. I started a conversation with the new teams publicist, and she was thrilled to have me aboard. AS the season drew closer, she called me about shooting the official team portraits at “Photo Day.” We set up a time and a place, and I was ready to work! Two days before photo day, she called to tell me that I would have to speak to an attorney for NBA Properties. She also said, sadly, that this would probably be the last time that we talked! I called the attorney, who said he was expecting my call, and was very excited to be talking to me, having looked over my website. He then said that he would explain the “rules” so that I could turn him down and he could find a photographer that would accept the terms (He knew I wouldn’t).

Here were the terms:

1. I would shoot every home game for $200.00 per game. The NBA would own all of my photographs, copyright included. I would have no rights to the photos whatsoever. (including the fact that I couldn’t even use them on my website)

2. After every game, I would go to an office in the arena and up load a minimum of 10 images to the Getty website, images that Getty could sell as many times as they wanted, with me receiving nothing in return.

At that time, I was represented by a business rival of Getty, so if I would have agreed to their terms, I would be giving photos (for free) to a competitor) thus voiding my agreement with my agency.

I couldn’t help but start laughing. I asked him how he gets anyone to shoot for the NBA. He laughed too and said that, in anticipation of me turning him down, he had already pulled up a list on his computer of the 10 people that had already accepted his terms, knowing that I was going to turn him down

So maybe we music photographers don’t have it so bad!

This week my friend Rob Miller (Co-owner of Bloodshot Records, one of the greatest indie record label on the planet) posted one of his patented rants on: www.knowthemusicbiz.com/

As usual, he hits it out of the park!

At one point he asks the question:

Will Lollapalooza 2019 be celebrating the cultural impact of the Arctic Monkeys?

This brings up a question I have been asking people for years-

First the setup:

If you go back to the 1960’s and 1970’s you can probably come with any number of bands that started in that era, that are still in some form or another still making music and touring today. (The Rolling Stones, the surviving Beatles, Led Zeppelin (or it’s parts) Pink Floyd (or it’s parts), The Grateful Dead, Bruce Springsteen, Prince and many more too numerous to mention)

If you go back to the 1980’s, the same thing applies (check out U2, REM, Depeche Mode, The Pixies, The Black Crowes and many more)

So the question:

Of all the bands that have started in the 1990’s and the 2000’s, are there any that will survive for the next 20 or 30 years?

When I ask that question, only a few names crop up: Sheryl Crow, Dave Matthews and P.J. Harvey are the three names that come up regularly! To this I might add Kings of Leon and My Morning Jacket. The common denominator with all of these bands is that they love to play live, do it very well and do it very often! Bands that tour regularly build up a fan base that will last for years! And, lest we forget, that is their job description!

In this weeks edition of Rolling Stone Magazine, there is an interview with Steven VanZandt, guitar player in Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band. One of his comments: “It is not a big deal for us to play. It’s normal for us to play. Everything else in life is weird. I wish the rest of my life was as easy, orderly, satisfying and successful as when we play. That’s our sanctuary.”

Contrast that to this story:

In 1994, I was traveling with the Rolling Stones on the Voodoo Lounge Tour. One afternoon at the Meadowlands in New Jersey, I was playing Snookers backstage with two members of the Counting Crows (the opening act). At one point they asked me what I thought was the greatest fact I could tell them about the Stones. Discounting the great songs and the great shows, the greatest fact I came up with was the fact that in 35 years of touring, the Stones had only had to cancel one show, in 1990, which they made up a month later. The Counting Crows guys looked shocked, and mentioned to me that they had been a band for less than 5 years and had already canceled many shows (whenever they got tired)! What ever happened to “The show must go on?”

Ironically, I started this blog partially to talk about some of the cool people I am photographing, right at the time that I stopped photographing much of anything!

That changed last Wednesday when I heard and photographed a great new talent. A friend of mine is a booking agent, and he emailed me and suggested that I go to see a new, young Scottish singer playing her first show in North America. Here name is Imelda May. Looked her up on the web and found that she is somewhat of a sensation in the UK, so I called my friend and set up a quick photo shoot. Arrived at the club just as she started her sound check, and was completely blown away! Here was a woman from another continent, completely capturing the vibe of American roots music, backed by a great band of likeminded guys!

After sound check, I took her outside and photographed her for  about 10 minutes, and then had a nice conversation with her. Seemed that she had flown in from Londan the day before, checked into her hotel, and immediately went to check out two shrines of Chicago music history- The Chess Records Studio and Buddy Guy’s club Legends (although she didn’t go up to Buddy and have a conversation- she thought he looked preoccupied).

Her set that night was a perfect mix of originals and covers (Howlin’ Wolf and the Beatles) with remarkable stage presence. Someone to watch for in the future (she is coming back to the states in November)

This week I spent a few days on the road with Creed, and it brought back to me the idea that sometimes rock stars can be nice guys!! What a concept!!!

I remember a night sometime in the early eighties when both sides of that statement came together. One of my favorite venues in Chicago is the Park West Theater. I had gone there to see Adrian Belew, a great guitarist. After shooting some photos, I walked back to the lobby and had a short conversation with Bob, the guy at the door, and an old friend. He told me that the club had just received a call from the road manager for Men At Work, who had played the night before. Riding high on their ONE hit, they called the club and asked for a private section to be roped off for them and a security guard and waitress to be assigned to them. When they arrived, they made a big deal about their entourage, even though no one in the club had any idea who they were, they were fairly obnoxious throughout the evening, acting like the rock stars they thought they were. Shortly after they were seated, Bob asked me to watch the door for a few moments, while he went to the facilities. Right after he left, a taxi pulled up in front of the club, and out of the back door stepped a man who many people think is the greatest rock and roll singer on the planet. BY HIMSELF. Robert Plant walked into the club and saw me at the door. He gave me a puzzled look and I explained the situation. He asked me if it would be OK if he went in and sat at the bar and watched the end of the show. I said- Of course- go right in.

When Bob returned, he alerted the Park West crew, who when the show ended, invited Robert to spend a few hours drinking at the bar with them, totally ignoring the big rock stars in their private section.

Where are they now???