Fearless Vampire Killers: The Bad Brains Photographs

(Hardback)

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Description

FEARLESS VAMPIRE KILLERS uniquely features almost every single Glen E. Friedman photograph of the Bad Brains, considered by many music fans to be the greatest and most influential American punk rock band of all time. The photographs are from 1981 and 1982, when the band was at its most fiery musical heights. The book also includes an introduction by Friedman, a preface by HR (singer of Bad Brains), and an afterword by Zack de la Rocha (singer of Rage Against the Machine). Some of these photographs will be recognised as iconic shots that have graced album, book, and magazine covers, while most of them have never been seen before. In his introduction to the volume, Friedman writes, 'They were outsiders in the scenes they infiltrated and soon thereafter influenced The Bad Brains were all Black! They showed other punk musicians that in fact you could be an incredible musician and be PUNK at the same time.' Indeed, many bands beyond the realm of punk cite the Bad Brains as a seminal influence, including Beastie Boys, Living Colour, Jane's Addiction, and Red Hot Chili Peppers, to name just a few. The artistry of Friedman's Bad Brains photographs is unparalleled, and music lovers the world over will feast on Fearless Vampire Killers.

Reviews

Many of Friedman's photos of the band midperformance include, critically, galvanized audience members, which reinforces the idea that early punk was a social movement. Friedman . . . has been fighting the good fight with his lens for decades. What I See documents a band standing in for any artist committed to questioning rules and living with integrity.-- "Shelf Awareness, starred review on What I See: The Black Flag Photographs of Glen E. Friedman"
Punk photographer Glen E. Friedman has compiled a wealth of previously unseen images for the aptly named new book Just a Minor Threat: The Minor Threat Photographs of GlenE. Friedman. Due Oct. 3 from Akashic Books, it also boasts essays from Washington DC underground stalwarts Guy Picciotto, Alec MacKaye, and Ian Svenonius, as well as Rage Against the Machine's Zack de la Rocha.-- "SPIN, on Just a Minor Threat: The Minor Threat Photographs of Glen E. Friedman"

Author Bio

GLEN E. FRIEDMAN, one of the most important photographers of his generation, is known for his influential and iconic images of rebellious artists from classic skateboarding, punk, and hip-hop cultures. As a true artist his process was much more incendiary than it was documentary. Friedman, first published at the age of fourteen, has produced over one hundred record covers, countless magazine pages, and almost a dozen books, including What I See: The Black Flag Photographs, Keep Your Eyes Open, DogTown: The Legend of the Z-Boys, The Idealist, Recognize, My Rules, and Together Forever: The Run-DMC and Beastie Boys Photographs. His work is now included in a number of notable international collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Smithsonian Institution. His latest work is Just a Minor Threat.