Along for the ride
Andrew Kent exhibits his photographs of David Bowie
By ADAM TANOUS
Express Arts Editor
The world of rock and roll, especially
during the era of the `60s and `70s, holds a special appeal to anyone even
remotely old enough to have a connection to the period. Granted, there was
a huge fallout in human life that the genre caused. Despite that fact, and
perhaps because of it, we tend to be fascinated by the times. Photographer
and valley resident Andrew Kent was about as close to the rock scene as
anyone could have been and still have lived to tell the tale.
In a new group exhibit at Anam Cara Gallery
that includes the work of fellow rock and roll photographers Jim Marshall
and Barry Feinstein, Kent will be displaying his photography of a 1976
concert tour by David Bowie. The exhibit opens Thursday and runs through
Jan. 4.
Kent spent 10 years shooting the rock and
roll scene from 1968 to 1978. Currently, he has a thriving business
photographing works of art for galleries and artists as well as doing
commercial and catalog work. Kent recently took time out of his schedule
to talk about his career in rock and roll photography.
It all began in 1968 when Kent traded a
stereo system for a camera. He had been trained as an electrical engineer
and had started a stereo business in the Los Angeles area. With his new
camera, Kent took a photography class at Santa Monica City College. He
couldn’t get enough of it.
Halfway through the class, Kent was asked
by a friend at the Los Angeles Free Press to take some pictures for
him. It turned out Kent’s first assignment as a photographer was to
shoot pictures of the Black Panthers. They had had a confrontation with
the police and Kent went to cover it.
"I got to go all through the inside of
the Black Panthers’ headquarters, with the bullet holes in the walls and
the sandbags…It was something."
With that kind of a first assignment, Kent
decided to stay on as a staff photographer with the Los Angeles. Free
Press. He was covering, primarily, political stories. "But
suddenly I saw that I could go to rock and roll shows at will—whatever I
wanted to do for the magazine. So, I started shooting everything and
everyone that performed in L.A."
After he printed a photograph of Elton John
in the newspaper, Kent was contacted by John’s publicist and offered
money for the photograph. It was his first sale.
"I found that there was a commercial
world out there for this work," Kent said. So, in 1970, he and a
partner started a business shooting rock and roll bands. They went on all
sorts of assignments for record companies and publicists, shooting
everybody in the business.
And Kent’s resume bears this out. In a
10-year span, he shot more than 200 rock stars, everyone from The Band, to
Jim Morrison, to the Rolling Stones, to Frank Zappa.
Kent’s work for David Bowie started out
modestly enough. He was asked to take photographs of Bowie’s appearance
on Soul Train. Bowie loved the work and eventually hired Kent to
shoot his 1976 concert tour.
"It was total immersion for six
months," Kent said. "I was with them all of the time, probably
one of three or four in his intimate circle."
"He was the best person I ever worked
for…It was his shape, the way he set himself and the way he moved. I
took the best pictures I’ve ever taken. I was totally motivated. I was
making a lot of money. I was having a great time. I was traveling around
the world first-class…all of it was great."
By 1978, Kent’s business had grown so
much that he found himself spending more time running a business than
doing photography. He decided to close up shop and move to Ketchum.
I asked Kent, with a more sedate work
schedule shooting art and catalog photographs, if he missed the rock and
roll scene?
"Not one bit. Capitalize and underline
that. But I don’t regret a moment. I left happy and never looked back. I
still live with it, though. It was a wonderful time, and I still get to
make money on it [through sales of his photographs to MTV and VH1]. What
could be better than that?"
He also indicated the industry had changed
quite a bit over the years. "Back then, we had lots of access. We got
to go to everything. Everybody wanted us to be there. There are so many
more people in the marketplace now. So you go to a show, and they let you
shoot for three songs…and then you have to leave."
It is apparent that Kent’s timing was
impeccable. He was on the inside during the heyday of a remarkable time.
Now he enjoys life in the Wood River Valley, hunting, fishing, and
pursuing other avenues of photography.
A lot of people didn’t make it out of the
era. For Kent’s part, he maintained a professional approach to the work.
"I had a good time, but it was a job. I didn’t stay after…I didn’t
hang out with the bands. I was working for them, and that was part of the
whole thing. I didn’t put myself in the scene other than the fact I was
working in the scene. And that’s how I came out of it alive."
