The Crystal Holga

I'm really jazzed about my latest creation. I call it the Crystal Holga, for obvious reasons. I literally covered a white "Casablanco" model Holga 120N plastic camera with rhinestones. I actually initially wanted to use Swarovski Crystals, but those proved to be too expensive and I couldn't find them in the size and cut (square) that I wanted.



Let me tell you, it took me forever to make this. Each crystal had to be applied by hand, one by one. This was the first time I've tried making a project like this, and taking that into consideration, I think this turned out pretty darned good.



I think that there will probably be a second model on the way, eventually. I have some ideas on how to improve this design and make it look even better. Still, for now I'm pretty pleased with the outcome. :)



And, this is a working camera. I haven't actually run a roll of film through it yet, but unless it's a defective camera this should crank out pictures just like any other Holga. I'm thinking of painting a Holga Flash white and covering that with crystals as well, so that it complements the camera...that would look pretty cool, I think.

I wonder what this might go for on Ebay?

Recent Internet Stuff Of Mine

Hello universe,

Yes, once again it's been a long time between posts, but that's something that's going to change pretty soon, since I'm likely going to have a bunch of things to post about in the near future. One of the things that's been keeping me busy is my writings for other web sites, which has picked up somewhat as of late. Here's a link to my review of the classic L.A. rave Flammable Liquid's 20-Year Anniversary Reunion Show:

www.urb.com/2011/09/30/live-review-flammable-liquid-20-year-anniversary-reunion/

And here's a link to a piece I wrote for Magnetic Magazine about plastic cameras:

www.magneticmag.com/2012/01/plastic-cameras-ready-prepare-to-flash/

Hope that provides you guys with some entertainment for the time being. More cool stuff to come soon.


Michael

More Alice Cooper

No new pics, but I just wanted everybody to know that my Alice Cooper pics from last week have been bouncing all over the Net. No less than MSNBC, Rolling Stone, the Hollywood Reporter and Billboard have picked up my images for their reviews of the show...nice. No, rather, kick-ass. Here are some of the links:

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/alice-cooper-surveys-rock-history-at-the-whisky-20110916

https://secure.billboard.biz/bbbiz/industry/backbeat/backbeat-alice-cooper-returns-to-the-whisky-1005356602.story

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/alice-cooper-at-whisky-a-236608

Enjoy!

Alice Cooper, live at the Whisky A Go-Go

Man, this was a great night. Not only was it my first time shooting Alice Cooper, but the first time I had shot inside the Whisky in like forever...the last time was way back in the mid-90s when I shot my old friends the Humble Gods. On top of that, there were no photo restrictions (rare for any L.A. venue!) and I had clearance to shoot the entire set. Fucking fantastic.


"We're a bar band!" Alice proclaimed this night, and he was absolutely right--this band rocked with a real kick-ass, no bullshit attitude. They played one new song, a real rocker called "Bite Your Face Off" which I liked a lot. There were some guests throughout the evening, such as Robbie Krieger of the Doors (back in the place where the Doors played as the house band), and later Ke$ha, who joined in for "School's Out", which had Pink Floyd's "Another Brick In The Wall Part II" in it for good measure.


Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine was also there, but he didn't join Alice onstage. Cheech Marin was there too--in fact, he was peeking over my left shoulder when I was shooting alice fron the Whisky's front staircase up to the upper section. He was definitely rocking out, and for good reason...this band was loud, rude and very heavy. One particularly good example was their cover of the Animals' "We've Gotta Get Out Of This Place"--much faster, chuggier and harder than Eric Burdon & company's original version.



Alice was telling a number of funny stories this night, like the one about the last night he played in the Whisky back in 1969...opening for a little band called LED ZEPPELIN. Robbie also had a funny story about when Alice first met Jim Morrison. Apparently Alice was on pins and needles, anxious as hell to meet Jim...who, in one of his many booze-filled foggy days, totally blew off the extremely disheartened Alice. The entire Whisky audience all collectively went "Awwwwwwww!" in response to this tale.


One cool thing was the fact that they opened up covering "The Train Kept A-Rollin'", which as a lifelong student of rock music I heartily respected. Rock on, Alice.

Deadmau5 at the Hollywood Palladium

Just shot the electronic producer Deadmau5 at the Palladium last night. For those of you who don't know, Deadmau5 is one of the biggest electronic music artists in the world, thanks in part to his liberal use of visual effects in his show. He's certainly rocketed to the top of the genre--you should have seen all of the fan-made Mau5 heads that the Palladium security people confiscated. This was the second night in a four-night stand that Deadmau5 is doing at the Palladium, a first for an electronic music artist in that venue.


I shot this one with my Nikkor 200-400 f/4 lens. Nikon really knocked one out of the park with this lens--it enables me to reach all the way across the room and get right in there. I should note that I shot this from the very back of the room, which is pretty large as anyone who's been to the Palladium knows. That is one impressive lens, folks.

Here's another perspective, to show just how far away I really was.

Next week should also be interesting as the new electronic music festival called Identity makes its way to the vary same venue. I will likely be there to cover it--should be fun.

DANCEFLOOR THUNDERSTORM Promo video

Hello all,

I finally realized that I haven't put any support material for the book I'm writing up on this site yet. So, to correct this matter, here is the promotional video for DANCEFLOOR THUNDERSTORM, my photographic and written account of the glory days of the L.A. rave scene (1996 - 2002).



As you can see, it's pretty self-explanatory...and as you can bet, I'm looking for a publisher for this project. If anyone reading this post knows of anyone in the music or publishing worlds that you think might be of some help in this regard, I would appreciate it very much if you could steer them my way. Thanks!

BIG AUDIO DYNAMITE @ Club Nokia, 8.10.2011

Had a great shoot last night at Club Nokia, courtesy of Mick Jones and Big Audio Dynamite. The former Clash frontman and the original B.A.D. lineup (including legendary punk documentarian Don Letts) definitely rocked the house. Really wish I could've stayed for the whole show but alas I had to get up early this morning (*SIGH*).

Sunset Strip Music Festival is coming up, looking forward to that. Motley Crue is the band of honor this year--should be interesting.

Here's some more shots from the B.A.D. show:

Happy Happy Sci-Fi Babes

OK, I am now officially a very happy guy. Being an old-school sci-fi nerd, I've had my last two days be very good ones, indeed. Why? Simple: I got to shoot two very hot sci-fi women--the scorching Chase Masterson of Star Trek: DS9 and Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles, and Karen Gillan, the demure, slightly daft and sultry Amy Pond from Doctor Who. I actually got to chat with Chase for a bit--this was at a screening of William Shatner's new Trek-themed documentary "The Captains". What a sweetheart, such a pleasure to chat with, and of course she's so (INSERT HOTNESS METAPHOR HERE) in a black dress. And to top it all off, one of my Shatner pics got used by MSNBC.com in the Entertainment section. They use my stuff from time to time, so it's good to see it up there again. Didn't get to talk to Pond...sorry, Karen. This was at a Doctor Who DVD signing at Amoeba this evening. Matt Smith was also there, with a hairdo that's slipping dangerously close to "A Flock Of Seagulls" territory, and the line of fans went all through the store, out the door and around the block...massive. Naturally this meant that I couldn't get near Karen or Matt. I think the two of them are only now just beginning to appreciate the fan base that Doctor Who has built here in the States. Hope they decide to film more episodes out here.

Back From The Dead

Hello world,

Yes, I know it's been six months since my last post. Quite honestly, during that time I haven't even thought about posting because of a wide variety of reasons that I'm not going to go into here, since that would involve writing a post that would be longer than the U.S. Constitution. However, here's a summarizing some of the highlights & thoughts from that period:

• Coachella 2011. Assigned to the Dance music tent by Getty again. Sweated for 3 days straight. Got paid well for it, thankfully.
• PiL @ Club Nokia. John Lydon still rules. Thank you, Mr. Rotten.
• Many, many rejection letters from publishers regarding my book. Still working to correct that.
• My Boston Bruins are in the NHL Finals. Hopefully they'll be able to finally win their first Stanley Cup since the Bobby Orr era. For those of you who don't know, Bobby Orr is the greatest hockey player ever. Yes, including those amateurs Gretzky and Lemieux, as they themselves will admit.
• Hernia surgery is a drag.
• Met Paris Hilton again at Coachella this year and confirmed that she is indeed irrelevant.
• Shaq retires. Yawn.
• I'm looking for a good WWII artifact appraiser. Send me a note if you know of one.
• DJ Mea is the ideal new lead singer for Lords Of Acid. Check out my Getty Images gallery if you don't believe me.
• Fetish parties are sooooooo much fun to shoot.
• Robert Plant would not let anyone (re: ME) shoot his show at the Wiltern earlier this year. Oh, Percy, Percy, Percy...
• The Belasco Theater is the best venue to happen to downtown L.A. in 10 years. Too bad they've botched everything up since their opening.
• PopKiller is still the best East/West shop & clothing line to come around in like, forever.
• I'm waiting like crazy for the new Gaiking and Robotech movies.
• My father is just about the coolest Dad one could be lucky enough to have.
• Digital/analog photography hybrids are the way to go. Seriously.
• Everyone should visit Queen guitarist Brian May's web site at least once.
• The iCloud is a very, very bad idea, unless you feel like surrendering all control of your life and vital information to Steve Jobs under the false impression that Apple can't be hacked. Just look at Sony for proof.
• Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols needs a bigger radio show than what he's got on KROQ on Sunday nights.

That's it for now. More updates to come once something notable happens.

Behind the scenes: Video shoot for Christopher Lewrence/SuZie del Vecchio single "A Little Rush"

Hey all,

Yeah, I know it's been a month since my last post...I've been busy with LOADS of stuff, including shooting stills at a video shoot for two of my friends, DJ Christopher Lawrence and singer SuZie del Vecchio. They have a new single called "A Little Rush" coming out soon on Curvve Records, and it is hot. We shot at the Playhouse on Monday, before the house opened its' doors for the usual Monday Social crowd. Anyway, I wrote up a review of the event for URB.com, and here's the link:

http://http//www.urb.com/2010/11/17/christopher-lawrencesusy-del-vecchio-video-shoot/

Here are a few shots from the gig as well:

The single will be released late this year. Pick it up.

Cypress Hill Smoke-Out, 2010 Edition

Hello, all! Well, this posting may come as a bit of a surprise to some of you, but in light of my participation in the 2010 edition of the Cypress Hill Smoke-Out, I suppose I should reveal that this is a sort of re-convening between Guerilla Union (the Smoke-Out's producers) and myself. You see, I actually shot the first six Smoke-Outs as part of the crew, because back in those days the Smoke-Out was in part a product of Insider Magazine, which I was a staff photographer and writer for. Thus, I crewed on the first six Smoke-Outs, and the one that occurred last year was the only one I didn't participate in. So, when I put out feelers to my old colleagues at GU, I was happy when they accepted me back into the fold, so to speak. As usual, it was a marathon--but what all-day, all-night festival isn't, hmmm?
.

I was hired to shoot the acts in the Stoned Garden Tent (meaning dance music tent), which meant I got to shoot the likes of DJs Muggs, Reza, Dan Black, Chuckie, Basement Jaxx, MGMT, my friend Paul Oakenfold and Deadmau5. This was a real long haul: after arriving at 9:30, I made my way over to the stage, and over the course of the next 14 hours (12:00 PM to 2:00 AM!), I shot all of the acts listed above, plus loads of candids from the attendees. For those of you eager enough to keep reading, here are some of the moments that I managed to capture from the evening:
.


Deadmau5:





Paul Oakenfold:



MGMT:






Basement Jaxx:



Chuckie:




DJ Reza:


DJ Muggs (Cypress Hill):


In spite of the usual issues associated with a gig like this (fatigue, security, bands' management, etc.), it was still a good gig to work on. Hopefully more collaborations with Guerilla Union will be in the works in the future.

New Video: ME at the Monday Social

This is so funny. I honestly thought I would be one of the last candidates possible for a reality show, but apparently my friend Eric Ede thinks differently. Let me explain: a number of weeks ago, he proposed the idea of a show (or at least video presentation) of me going around L.A. clubland, doing what I do. No, I meant my photography. What did you think I was talking about, you nasty pervert? Anyway, I finally agreed to let Eric follow me around with his video camera at the Monday Social on the 11th, during Dave Aude's birthday party there. I had to cut out earlier than I would've liked, but I think we got enough to put together...a good beginning. No really, it's a decent start, but definitely not a finished product. But anyway, here's the link:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbLBwYJ_9EU&feature=player_embedded



Feedback is appreciated. I personally think we need to get footage from at least one or two other nights, in different venues, to make the thing really pop. There's some stuff that we shot that was not included in this cut that I think would make good additions, so I need to talk with Eric about this. The sound inside the clubs needs to be worked on as well...either that, or we're gonna have to start running subtitles like on Jersey Shore!


More footage to come later. Now I have to depart and prepare for the Cypress Hill Smoke-Out tomorrow...yes, I'm shooting as part of the production crew, as predicted. I'll be shooting the Stoned Garden stage...meaning the dance music stage, appropriate, no? Will provide a wrap-up of that sometime afterward--could be a while, considering I'll be working a 14-hour day tomorrow. This will be the first Smoke-Out I've worked on since 2003, and it's definitely gonna be a marathon. Wish me luck...

Laura Bush

Former First Lady Laura Bush, speaking at the Los Angeles Police Foundation's annual True Blue Gala. This was held on the roof of one of the parking structures at L.A. Live, downtown. The LAPF is the largest source of private financial support for the LAPD, as the department traditionally has monetary needs that the city couldn't possibly cover, even if it were in the black. Also had the unexpected pleasure of shooting Placido Domingo performing at this event, too.


Lots of stuff coming up. It looks like I'll be crewing on the Cypress Hill Smoke Out next week. It's been a long time since I've done the Smoke Out...a long way from those Insider magazine days. Should be interesting. I also might be heading to South Korea in mid-November, with my good friend Mark Lewis. Keeping my fingers crossed about that one. Will keep you posted...

Far Out, Man...

OK, mixed bag concerning the shoot I had last Thursday at the Music Box. It was a Getty shoot for High Times' 10th Annual Stony Awards, featuring (as you might guess) an assorted bunch of pot-oriented luminaries. Tops among this list was the immortal Cheech & Chong (seen above), who are always fun to shoot, especially if you grew up in the 70s and 80s listening to their albums like I did. My photographer colleague/friends Anna Webber and Katy Wynn were there. And as it turns out, MSNBC.com picked one of my pictures of Tommy for their daily Celebrity Sightings photo blog. Nice.



And now the other side of the coin: the truly nauseating conditions under which those pictures were taken. You see, unlike other Music Box gigs in the past where I've shot either out front or in the lobby, the geniuses who put this event together decided to move the step-&-repeat around the corner, to the Music Box's parking lot. This in of itself wasn't a problem...until you got to the problem of...THE VENT. You see, right next to the Music Box is a little bar/restaurant that has a kitchen, and this kitchen has a motorized VENTing system that empties out--guess where?? YES, directly over the step-&-repeat! Isn't that brilliant?? Not only does all the TV interview material get nearly ruined by the jet-plane-like drone of THE VENT, but the celebrities and photographers get assaulted by these smelly, offensive waves of deep-fried catfish and the like. We on the green carpet literally could not remain on that carpet for extended periods of time. It was that gross. If you stepped away, you could see clouds of the stuff spewing out of THE VENT, down towards the carpet area. Yuck.


At least Cheech and Tommy helped make it worthwhile.

My mama talkin' to me, tryin' to tell me how to live
But I don't listen to her 'cause my head is like a sieve...