The Boys Are Back In Town (RIP Gary Moore)

Gary Moore, who played with Thin Lizzy, passed away today. I was pretty sure I'd photographed him, since I photographed Thin Lizzy three times. But when I looked at the shots I had printed, and then at the slides that were in sleeves, I couldn't find him. I knew what he looked like because I found pictures on the Internet. I'm pretty good at recognizing some of the members of the bands I shot, but many I know by band name only. I could pick Phil Lynott out of a lineup (that's him on the far left), but he was the only member of Thin Lizzy I could recognize. Phil Lynott might have even been the first performer I photographed to pass away, and I remember being really upset about it when he died in 1986 at the age of 36.

Still, when I checked dates (I really don't know if I'd be able to do this without the Internet) I knew I had to have photographed Gary Moore. I found more slides, still in the original Kodak box (I know I know, I'm trying to finish getting organized) -- and I spent the rest of the day scanning. Not exactly what I had planned to do today. But hey, I'm trying to get this work out, so I did what I had to do.

Phil Lynott, Gary Moore and Scott Gorham of Thin Lizzy, September, 1978 

RIP Gary Moore. 

New Facebook Page

Please take a moment to check out my new Facebook page for Sheri Lynn Behr : rock and roll photography. It's new and it wants to be "liked". There'll be more photos. Tell me whose photo you want me to post and if I have one, I just might do it.

Big City (David Johansen)

One regret I have is that the New York Dolls were a little before my time with a camera. Now those photos would have been really amazing! Still, David Johansen seemed to turn up a lot when I was taking pictures. I have photos of him performing at the Palladium as Buster Poindexter,

and showing up at parties (like this one at a party for a band called Tornader)

and visiting other artists at record signings (see my earlier post on Ian Dury). 

Always seemed like a good guy, never gave me a hard time when I took his picture. Especially not at the Mermaid Parade in 2005 when he was King.

Hello in There (Bette Midler)

I was once hired by Atlantic Records to photograph Bette Midler doing a radio interview at the studio. I arrived there on time, only to be met with disbelief. No one had told Ms. Midler that a photographer was coming. Her hair was up, and she was in a pink button-down shirt. She had glasses. She was absolutely lovely and gracious about it all, and certainly looked good enough to have her picture taken doing an interview, but she was also very, VERY clear. It was just NOT going to happen. Basically, BETTE MIDLER wasn't there, only the lovely and talented Bette Midler, who said she would absolutely make sure I got paid anyway. And I did. But there are no pictures to go along with this post.

Rich Girl (Daryl Hall)

It's nice to be published in a magazine again. Last week's New York magazine did a story on Daryl Hall, using my photograph from 1977. Here's a link to the story.  Oh, and choosing Rich Girl as the title of this blog post-- yes, I was being sarcastic. There's not much money in editorial photography. (If I had really wanted to be a rich girl, I would have gotten into advertising photography). But I have to say, I always had a lot of fun. And as for Daryl, last week wasn't the first time I had a photo of him published.

I actually worked with Daryl Hall and John Oates a lot back then. I think that this was my first published picture of Daryl, other than what may have run in the trades. It was shot in the summer of 1977 in their trailer in Central Park. And remember the Elton John story I posted ("I don't read that trash"), when I saw Daryl after this picture was published in Circus, he was the one who mentioned it to me, and told me that he really liked it. Now that's the kind of person he is, and why I always enjoyed working with him. Great guy, great musician. I love that he's still making music! And who knows, maybe our paths will cross again one day. It's really been way too long.

Good Friends We Had and Good Friends We Lost

When I was taking photographs, especially at the Palladium or the Bottom Line, there was always a group of other photographers around. One of us was usually hired by the record company to shoot, and the rest of us were there to service the magazines as freelancers. We were all competitors I guess, but we always got along and were considerate of each other. I really don't think it's that way any more. 

In the years after I stopped shooting rock and roll, I seem to have run into almost everyone I shot with at some point: Richie Aaron, Gary Gershoff, Ebet Roberts, Lynn Goldsmith, others. The only one I never bumped into was Chuck Pullin. Chuck passed away earlier this year. I always thought he was a great guy and I know he's missed.

Stiv Bators and Chuck Pullin at a party for the Rolling Stones in 1980

The Pretender (Jackson Browne)

My good friends Lisa and Tracy in LA have been going to small clubs recently to hear music ( Jacksh*t at McCabes, Watkins Family Christmas at Largo) and Jackson Browne keeps showing up and joining the bands onstage. Here's hoping he shows up again the next time I visit them. It's been a while since I photographed him here in NY at the Palladium.

Jackson Browne at the Palladium, 1976