What I See: The Black Flag Photographs of Glen E. Friedman

by Glen E. Friedman (Photographer)

Overview

A stunning collection of the most iconic photographs ever made of Black Flag, along with never-before-seen photos and a foreword by Chuck Dukowski. 256 jam-packed pages, over 300 photographs, and over 70% of the photos have never been seen

"Lively, lavishly assembled collection of Black Flag photos . . . Fury is palpable throughout the book—even rehearsals look like barnburners." —Los Angeles Times

"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

What I See: The Black Flag Photographs of Glen E. Friedman is an incredible compilation of all of Friedman's most iconic and recognizable images (from 1980 to 1983), of this seminal American punk band, as well as over one hundred never-before-seen photos made during those phenomenal peak years in the group's history.

The book includes a foreword by Chuck Dukowski, a cofounder and bass player of Black Flag. Friedman's own introduction to the book takes readers through his journey with the group, from the very first time he heard their music, to his perspectives on the music of the era, to the how, why, and what Black Flag was doing at the time. His words provide additional context to the imagery, explaining what drove him to create his art alongside the band.

From the streets around Black Flag's single-room home base/office, rehearsing for their first album, handing out flyers, wheat-pasting posters, driving for hours to a show and returning the same night, house parties, clubs, to the big stage and the beach, Glen E. Friedman was there with his heart, soul, and most importantly his camera. In What I See, he shares with us and inspires us with these images that were made over an incredibly volatile four-year time span.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781636140360
Publisher:	Akashic Books, Ltd.
Publication date:	04/05/2022
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	8.80(w) x 10.60(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

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.

Editorial Reviews

"Evidence of how one band’s music—and especially its attitude—became essential and inspiring."— Kirkus Reviews

"A truly memorable and thought-provoking compendium."— Midwest Book Review

"This gorgeous book collects [Friedman’s] photographs chronologically, while capturing the full intensity, drama, and ethos of the group . . . For those of us who were too young to be there, this is the next best thing. These still images come to life with every turn of the page, so put on Damaged and dig in."— Big Takeover

"This is an excellent hardcover art book that preserves the savage work of Friedman, Black Flag, and Raymond Pettibon."— Punk Globe

From the Publisher

2022-02-01
Photos of the hardcore punk pioneers by the band’s best-known photographer.

Black Flag, the standard-bearer for independent American hardcore punk in the early and mid-1980s, wasn’t much for style. In the photos Friedman collects here, the band’s uniform was a rotation of dirty jeans, band T-shirts (or bare chests), and slacks fit for the office. The band’s “look,” to the extent it had one, was sweat-soaked intensity. During its heyday in Los Angeles, fronted by wild-eyed Henry Rollins, the band looks fearsomely focused, often feral. In one shot, Rollins is shouting into a mic he’s all but swallowed; in another, guitarist Greg Ginn doesn’t seem to be playing his instrument so much as wrestling with it. Friedman's shots became rightly famous in the punk underground—they sold both the band and hardcore genre as relentless, focused, and uncompromising. The photos taken during rehearsals and soundchecks suggest they were equally ferocious without an audience. In his introduction, Friedman—who got to know the band through the city’s punk-adjacent skateboard scene—suggests that he arrived at his particular aesthetic casually, eager to get as close to the band on stage as possible. There are publicity photos, too, but even those look intense; Rollins often looks coiled or in a sulk. To be sure, the band had reasons to be angry: As a target for moralizing industry types (one of whom called them “anti-parent”) and police, the band often found its shows shut down early. Consequently, the prevailing mood is one of righteous defiance, especially during a set of photos taken during an outdoor show promoting marijuana legalization in front of a federal building. It may be more difficult to be a Black Flag–type band now, but the photos show why it would be worth the effort. Bassist Chuck Dukowski provides the foreword.

Evidence of how one band’s music—and especially its attitude—became essential and inspiring.

Kirkus Reviews