Street Hassle

I didn't see Lou Reed around anywhere when I went to the New York Photo Festival, but I did get to photograph him quite a bit back in the day. I love this shot from the stage at the Bottom Line, which was taken while Lou was touring to support the release of Street Hassle. Lou Reed smiling! And winking at me! Lou's people loved it too, and Arista Records bought 3 copies of the print. I heard they wanted to use it as his publicity photograph. But it just didn't fit with his image at the time, so there you go. The photograph did run in the June 1979 issue of the late, great Grooves Magazine. 

Lou Reed smiling at the Bottom Line in May 1978

Rock and Roll Heart

I don’t like opera and I don’t like ballet
And new wave french movies, they just drive me away
I guess I’m just dumb, ’cause I knows I ain’t smart
But deep down inside, I got a rock ’n’ roll heart. - Lou Reed- Rock and Roll Heart

Copyright 2010 New York Photo Festival, LLC. All rights reserved. 

Well, Lou Reed might not like opera or ballet, but he definitely likes photography. Not only have his own photographs been published in books (Lou Reed's New York and Romanticism) and exhibited in galleries, but this weekend he's the curator of one of the exhibitions at the New York Photo Festival. His show is called Hidden Books, Hidden Stories and is shown in three parts at the festival in DUMBO, which ends today.

Lust for Life

These were also taken at the Palladium, during the Lust for Life tour in October 1977. 

Well, here we are in the blogosphere...

Rock and roll. New York City in the late 1970's. The Palladium, CBGB's, summer nights in Central Park. Lou Reed, David Bowie and Iggy Pop, Talking Heads, Blondie. I’d shoot a show for the record companies or do it on spec for magazines and there was always someone new and exciting to photograph. So much energy! And did I mention that the record companies gave out lots of free albums?

So many years later. Working on my archive of music images, I'm reminded of some amazing stories. I will attempt to share the photos and the stories with you.

Yes, I'm still taking photographs. Visit my website - www.slbehr.com - to see what I'm shooting now. But if rock is your thing, come back soon for more.

This is a photo of Iggy Pop performing onstage that I shot at the Palladium theater (now NYU dorms!) in New York City in March 1977. No stories attached, but I do have lots of pix of Iggy. One of those performers you can't take your eyes off. And didn't he look handsome back in the day? Have you seen him lately?