Yesterday, I went to the David Bowie exhibit at the MCA in Chicago. Some great Mick Rock photographs, and a bunch of stuff from Bowie’s junk drawer. All in all, not very interesting. It reminded me of some good times. In 1989, I was on tour with the Rolling Stones on the Steel Wheels Tour of America. As we were flying into Los Angeles, one of the managers joked to me that I had my work cut out for me with a backstage celebrity parade coming up over the next four days!
So, over the next four days, I photographed some of the greatest film stars of our generation with the Stones. The first day Jack Nicholson came up to me , put his arm around my shoulder and said “ I am going to stick with you. That way I know I will get my picture taken with the Stones!! YIKES!!!!! Over the course of the next four days, I photographed Meryl Streep, Michael Douglas, Barbra Streisand, Bonnie Raitt, Eric Clapton and David Bowie. Three of the more surreal moments of my life occurred during those four days in LA.
- I found myself playing team billiards backstage one night. It was Keith Richards and I playing against Ron Wood and David Bowie. They kicked our asses!!
- The second day of the stand, I was asked to set up a photo backstage with The Rolling Stones and Guns and Roses. SURE no problem. I almost completed that task. I got a bunch of the Stones and four out of five members of G&R. (Slash was “Sick” and couldn’t be disturbed. But I got most of them.
- At a party after one of the shows, I was sitting at a corner table with a few of the tour publicists (both from the New York/New Jersey area) when Bruce Springsteen and his wife Patty decided to come and sit with us! What do you say to a legend?? Not a problem, as he started the conversation, wanting to know what the Stones were like!
All in all a pretty productive week in the City of Angels! I think it resulted in 2 full pages in People Magazine the next week. And some great memories.