Rock photographer Ethan Russell shares stories in Folsom talk
Ethan Russell uses a passage about himself that was published in the June 2012 Daily Beast to launch his multimedia performance “The Best Seat in the House”: “To tell the story of the now-famed rock photographer – known for shooting iconic images of ’60s music legends including the Who, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, Cream, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones – is to strain the amount of luck you imagine any one human is allowed.”
The 70-year-old Grammy-nominated rock lensman, art director, video-film director and author will share his story Friday, May 20, at the Harris Center in Folsom. Russell’s show transports the audience back in time and into the veritable lap of rock royalty while on tour, in the studio and at home using a candid, intimate blend of about 275 photos, music, videos and live narrative.
Russell serendipitously entered rock photography with a Nikon and no credentials, eventually shooting album covers for the Beatles, the Stones and the Who and becoming friends with many of rock’s key players. He went on the 1969 and 1972 tours with the Stones, stood next to the cameraman who filmed the stabbing at Altamont, was on the roof of the Apple Studios headquarters for the Beatles’ last public concert and directed the final film of John Lennon and Yoko Ono in Central Park.
By: Mark Halverson
Source: The Sacremento Bee
