Brad Elterman
April 16, 2009 6:28 AM   Subscribe

 
It's worth it just for Robert Plant playing soccer in a Speedo.
posted by Mister_A at 6:41 AM on April 16, 2009


where are they now?
posted by snofoam at 6:45 AM on April 16, 2009 [1 favorite]


Some pretty great photos in there...
posted by schyler523 at 6:51 AM on April 16, 2009


It's interesting that "two girls making out in the living room" was apparently a significant bit of debauchery back then,
posted by oddman at 7:03 AM on April 16, 2009


Wow. There's a great, shabby intimacy to a lot of these photos, like this one.
posted by maudlin at 7:06 AM on April 16, 2009


I'm always disappointed when folks tag their posts w/ NSFW and not link NSFW things to the acronym.
posted by bigmusic at 7:08 AM on April 16, 2009


Great shots. Love the Ramones portrait, shot right HERE.
posted by JBennett at 7:10 AM on April 16, 2009


Wow, and that Joan Jett portrait! Killer.
posted by JBennett at 7:18 AM on April 16, 2009


That is one thin, thin smile on the former first lady's face.
posted by The Whelk at 7:25 AM on April 16, 2009


It will take me a while to 'shop Leif Garrett out of that Nicolette Sheridan picture... but it will be worth it.
posted by Joe Beese at 7:27 AM on April 16, 2009 [1 favorite]


This makes me want to move to LA.

And build a time machine.
posted by vibrotronica at 9:21 AM on April 16, 2009


Thanks for this post. That shot of Sid is beautiful.
posted by davebush at 9:29 AM on April 16, 2009


Great photos, great post.
posted by painquale at 9:59 AM on April 16, 2009


This reminds me of my friend Chris.

Chris's kids went to elementary school with my kids. We all know him as the "Fish Man of Stamford Connecticut." He ran his own business of setting up and maintaining fish tanks in businesses and homes -- with a flair for acquiring exotic fish. He and his wife were wonderful people, and often invited us over to parties.

It was one such party, where Chris was showing off some young talented musicians that he was apparently managing on the side, that I noticed he had some photo albums sitting out on a coffee table. Being the nosy type, I starting thumbing through them. What I discovered was pretty amazing: Hundreds of Polaroids of back stage at concerts, casual moments at CBGB's, various clubs throughout NYC, and what appeared to be ... At that moment Chris walked through the living room, beer in hand, and asked me if I needed anything. I looked up at him and said: "What the hell, man?! Is this a picture of a half-naked Joey Ramone making out with a chick in a hotel room?"

"Heh, yea, we were all pretty high, then. I don't even remember taking that."

He then sat down with me and spent the next few hours regaling me with stories that began and ended with "Yea, we were drinking pretty heavily, when..." or "We'd just gotten some great pot from a friend of mine, and then..." . I basically sat back and let it wash over me.

I would have hated him for his access and his tendency to be at the exact right moment at the exact right time, but Chris was just way too nice of a guy. He was also the only other elementary school parent to have a Black Flag sticker on his minivan.

When we moved to Madison in 2004, we kept tabs with Chris and his family with Christmas cards and the like, but a few years later, we got the bad news. I'll always remember that time in Chirs' living room, when he humbly revealed to me that he was potentially the coolest guy ever.
posted by thanotopsis at 10:02 AM on April 16, 2009 [2 favorites]


That shot of Ringo and John in L.A. seems a rare find.
Nice stuff, great history, great post!
posted by Seekerofsplendor at 10:59 AM on April 16, 2009


More. I want more.
posted by xod at 12:42 PM on April 16, 2009


Those images are awesome, thanks for the link!

His captions leave a lot to be desired, though. I appreciate getting the context only he can give for the moment the photo was taken, but the consistent refrains of "Everyone was so free and cool back then. Glad I had my camera with me that evening!" don't do the photography any favors.
posted by juliplease at 12:49 PM on April 16, 2009


These are great, thanks! (Very minor quibble: he's got the wrong date on Duran Duran, though -- they weren't together in 1977. Based on Andy and Nick's hair colors, I'm going to say that it's 1981.)
posted by scody at 12:49 PM on April 16, 2009


Oh, and I have to say I love this picture of Steve Jones. Even the filth and the fury enjoys a nice swim!
posted by scody at 12:56 PM on April 16, 2009


Based on my totally hopeless teenage obsession with learning the dates on every Duran Duran photo I came across... yes, that's '81.
posted by katillathehun at 4:23 PM on April 16, 2009


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