50 years with iconic rock musicians: Behind-the-scenes footage from the famous photographer Neil Preston
On November 21, the world-famous rock photographer Neil Preston publishes the book Exhausted and Exhausted ("Cheerful and Exhausted"). It will include footage of musicians on stage and behind the scenes, taken during Preston's 50-year career — including when he worked as a tour photographer with Led Zeppelin.
His office is filled with cabinets filled with millions of photographs. The first 122 boxes are designated as "Abba — Aerosmith", the last — "Young (Neil Young) — ZZ Top". Neil Preston happened to shoot all the iconic musicians of our time. The only exception is John Lennon. "I saw him once,— Preston said. — I was driving down 57th Street (New York) in 1978 and saw Lennon and Yoko walking on the sidewalk. This is one of my biggest regrets as a photographer and an unconditional fan of his."
"I had the opportunity to do what I love. If you are a musician, then you love to play and compose music. I'm a photographer and I love taking pictures. Everyone who has the opportunity to make a living doing what they love is incredibly lucky."
"I didn't plan to do photography professionally. By perfect chance, some of my works were shown to people who turned out to be concert promoters. My friends and I were allowed to perform in New York, and now my photos are already being published."
The band KISS during one of the most famous photo shoots in the history of rock and roll, 1977.
"This is what a passed out rock star looks like. I knew for sure that Simmons and Stanley were 100 percent sober. What could not be said about Ace Fraley, who could barely cross the door threshold without help."
Axl Rose, 1990. "When I was filming Axl and his wife Erin, I heard stories about the musician's bad and good days. Axl must have had one of the good ones that day."
Gregg Allman, 1973. "Cameron Crowe and I were given the task to make a material about The Allman Brothers Band. A room in a Phoenix motel. I've never met anyone like Gregg. He exuded such an unearthly magnetism that it overcame even the narcotic fog that seemed to always envelop him."
Rod Stewart, 1996. "I don't know why the British think that the funniest joke is a man disguised as a woman."
The Traveling Wilburys, 1988. "George Harrison and Tom Petty took me aside and told me they would only shoot when Bob Dylan was ready. They were all almost tiptoeing around him."
Rat Pack, 1988. "Sammy Davis, Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra sing at a concert in Auckland. Suddenly Frank pinched Dean. What I especially like about this shot is that even though you can't see their faces, it's easy to guess what their expression is."
Elton John, 1979. "Elton John performed at the Universal Amphitheater in Los Angeles, it was hot. Suddenly he lost consciousness. I thought he was dead. The receptionist came down and carried him off the stage. Ten minutes later, Elton came back and finished the concert."
Bob Dylan and Joan Baez, 1982. "Bob and Joan had already broken up when the photo was taken. A very touching moment. She was the only person who was allowed to ruffle his hair."
Pete Townshend, 1982. "The Who is on tour, and suddenly Pete appears in a bowler hat and gaiters. Listening to the Walkman audio player, which seems terribly old-fashioned today. The other members of the group are in jeans and T-shirts. I only recently noticed that Pete is giving me the finger in the photo."
Tommy Lee, 1989. "Detroit. Tommy took the stage in front of a crowd of 20,000. He looks around with mischief, apparently wondering whether to do it or not. And then he takes off his pants."
Foo Fighters, 1996. "The band is rehearsing in a garage in Seattle. Insanely loud. I've been to a million concerts, but none could compare to this rehearsal."
Mötley Crüe, 1992. "Sometimes your grandiose ideas look amazing on paper, but not at all in reality. A photo shoot with a band on a glacier in Canada was exactly the case."
Bruce Springsteen, 1985. "When traveling with a band on a tour, new creative ways to shoot come to mind."
Sid Vicious, 1978. "I've never understood punk culture, even though the Ramones went to my school. But somehow I ended up at a Sex Pistols concert in San Francisco. Three hours after the concert, the band broke up."
Michael Jackson and Freddie Mercury, 1980. "Queen was playing a concert in Los Angeles, and suddenly Michael Jackson walked in."
Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey, 1976. "Photos are like your children or dogs. You don't have a sweetheart. But if I had to choose the only one, I would choose this one. When they ask me what I was trying to shoot, I answer that I was not catching movement, but the emotions of both musicians."
Stevie Nicks, 1981. "I knew Stevie was beautiful and talented, but I didn't realize how funny she was. I still tell her that if it wasn't for rock and roll, she could have become a stand-up comedian. The shot was taken on the roof of her house in California. Because of the strong wind, my assistant is holding her leg. Therefore, the photo is not full-length."
Bob Marley, 1979. "Believe it or not, Bob Marley was the opening act for The Clash in Santa Monica. I don't really like reggae and I didn't come there to shoot Marley, but I took a couple of shots out of boredom. Only then did I discover how powerful the picture turned out to be."
Neil Preston.
Hilton Hotel, San Francisco, 1988. "This is not another number trashed by a rock star, but my mobile office. I was on tour with Amnesty International. Food trays, yellow and green packages of Kodak and Fuji films, wires, equipment, a couple of cockroaches in an ashtray. It was a normal life for me."
The photographer is in his office today.
Keywords: Behind the scenes | Music | Musicians | Rock and roll | Photographer