Mick Rock

Mick Rock (born 1948) is a British photographer best known for his iconic shots of rock and roll legends such as Queen, David Bowie, Syd Barrett, Lou Reed, Iggy Pop and The Stooges, Geordie, The Sex Pistols, The Ramones, Joan Jett, Talking Heads, Roxy Music, Crossfade, Thin Lizzy, Mötley Crüe, and Blondie. Often referred to as "The Man Who Shot the Seventies", most of the memorable images of David Bowie as Ziggy Stardust were shot by Rock, in his capacity as Bowie's official photographer.

Currently living in New York City with his wife and their daughter, Rock has been showcasing his work in a series of exhibitions.

Career highlights

In addition to his work with David Bowie, whom he met in early 1972, Rock is also noted for creating iconic album covers for Syd Barrett’s The Madcap Laughs, Lou Reed’s Transformer and Coney Island Baby, Iggy and the Stooges' Raw Power, Queen's Queen II (recreated for their classic music video "Bohemian Rhapsody") and Sheer Heart Attack, Geordie Don't Be Fooled By The Name, the Ramones End of the Century and Joan Jett's I Love Rock 'n' Roll. He was the chief photographer on the films The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Shortbus. He also produced and directed the music videos "John, I’m Only Dancing", "Jean Genie", "Space Oddity" and "Life On Mars" on Bowie's Sound and Vision DVD collection.

His photo subjects include The Misfits, Snoop Dogg, Air Traffic, Maxwell, Alicia Keys, The Gossip, Lady Gaga, Richard Barone, The Killers, The Scissor Sisters, Michael Buble, Michael Stipe, Kate Moss, The YeahYeahYeahs, The Chemical Brothers, Janelle Monáe, Queens of the Stone Age, Daft Punk, Kasabian, Snow Patrol, Daniel Merriweather, Black Keys, Hall & Oates, Peter, Bjorn and John, MGMT, Alejandro Escovedo, Pete Yorn, Gavin Degraw, Peaches, Fat Joe, Rhymefest, Nas, Q-Tip, Jane’s Addiction, Tom Stoppard and old friends Bowie, Lou Reed, Debbie Harry, Joan Jett, Mötley Crüe, Nicos Gun and Iggy Pop.

Rock received the Diesel U Music Legends Award for his contribution to Music in late 2006.

Rock is so respected by the subjects of his photography that in 2001, when his book Psychedelic Renegades was being published, he was successful in convincing Syd Barrett to personally autograph a special series of 320 books. Barrett had left the music business for good in 1974, had lived privately ever since, declining all interview requests and all contact with any of his fans or people from the music industry, and was notable for intensely disliking being reminded of his previous music career.

Publishing

Mick Rock has published a series of books, many based on his classic images: A Photographic Record 1969–1980 (Century 22 Books, 1995), Glam: An Eyewitness Account (foreword by David Bowie) (Omnibus Books, 2006)), Psychedelic Renegades / Syd Barrett (Genesis Publications, 2002), Moonage Daydream / Ziggy Stardust (with David Bowie) (Genesis Publications), Rock ’n’ Roll Eye (Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography, 2003), Killer Queen (with Brian May and Roger Taylor) (Genesis Publications, 2003), Picture This / Debbie Harry & Blondie (foreword by Debbie Harry) (Omnibus Books, 2004), Raw Power / Iggy & The Stooges (foreword by Iggy Pop) (Omnibus Books, 2005), Rocky Horror (foreword by Richard O’Brien) (Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf, 2006), Classic Queen (Sterling Press, 2007), Tamashii: Mick Rock Meets Kanzaburo (Kabuki Theatre Photos) (Hachette Fujingaho, Japan, 2007), Psychedelic Renegades (Gingko Press, 2007), and Mick Rock Exposed (Chronicle Books, 2010).

Exhibitions

Rock has had major exhibitions in London, Liverpool, Berlin, Manchester, New York, Los Angeles, Oslo, Stockholm, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Tokyo, San Francisco, and Las Vegas. His 2003 retrospective exhibition of 186 prints at the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography was dubbed by the Japanese press as "one of the finest collections of pop art to ever reach these shores." His 150 print exhibition at the Urbis Cultural Centre in Manchester, England in 2005–2006 was voted Manchester's best exhibition for 2006.

An exhibition of his Kate Moss photos (as well as of Debbie Harry, Bowie, Iggy Pop, and Syd Barrett), called "Rock n' Roll" Kate ran from February to June 2009 in Amsterdam and Rotterdam and was praised in the Dutch press as "hot, sexy, totally rock n roll, and probably truer to the real spirit of the Divine Ms Moss than any other photos ever taken of her. They rank up there with the best of Mick's classic imagery. Mick Rock meets Kate Moss, a legendary collision of photographic energies[...]this exhibit is a must-see for all fans who know how to rock!"

Bibliography

• 2001: Psychedelic Renegades. Photographs of Syd Barrett. (Genesis Publications)
• 2002: Moonage Daydream: The Life and Times of Ziggy Stardust. ISBN 978-1-84403-380-5. With David Bowie (Genesis Publications)
• 2003: Killer Queen. Photographs of Queen published as an official signed limited edition book (Genesis Publications)
• 2004: Picture This: Debbie Harry and Blondie. Foreword by Debbie Harry.
• 2005: Blood and Glitter. ISBN 978-0-9537479-9-3.
• 2007: Classic Queen ISBN 978-1-4027-5192-9 (Sterling Publishing)

DVDs

• Punk Drunk Love: The Images of Mick Rock (Panoramica)

External links

• Official website
• theartsdesk Q&A: Mick Rock (6 November 2010)
• Mick Rock - article by Fused Magazine
• Interview for SWINDLE Magazine
• The Mick Rock Interview, Part I An Interview by Richard Fulco, Construction Magazine, 19 April 2012
• The Mick Rock Interview, Part II An Interview by Richard Fulco, Construction Magazine, 26 April 2012
• SF-EP-034 - Mick Rock - Interview Series Special Features Podcast, August 18th 2013