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I first began going to Ramones shows when I was in high school in Connecticut. We would drive up to the Hartford Agora every couple of months to see a show. If we didn't get the crap beat out of us by the bouncers, we would usually have a good time. However, the Agora did not allow cameras. Then I discovered the Living Room, in Providence. At this small club they packed 'em in so tight that even in the middle of winter it would get over 100 degrees inside. A great place to see a band, and they also had no problem with cameras. As it was expensive to drive up to a show, buy tickets, (plus the cost of film) we used to make bootleg T-shirts and sell them outside to pay our way in. The first one was just a rip off of a shirt that already existed but later I incorporated my own photos and designs. Maybe someone who will read this has one in their old punk rock memorabilia box in the basement. Once after a show Arturo Vega noticed the homemade Ramones shirt I was wearing and asked if I would trade it for some tour shirts. I later gave him photographs, which insured I would be able to take more at future shows. I also gave Johnny some of my original baseball photos but I think the real reason he liked me was because I pissed off most of the roadies. As a photography major in college, I got a lot of practice, and most of my best live shots were taken in 1988-89. My equivalent of a senior thesis was an exhibit entitled "It's Alive", which consisted of concert photos and a variety of animals. A few photos were actually used by the band, most notably for the 1988 Japan tour program. A couple are also in Jim Bessman's book, though I never even got a copy of that. Some of my other photos have appeard on records by 7 Seconds, the Meat Puppets, Operation Ivy and Redd Kross. I never really made much money on the whole thing but got to see a ton of shows for free, and got to eat a lot of free pizza and Yoo-Hoo. After Dee Dee left the band, I lost a considerable amount of interest. I played in the band Captain Crunch from 1990-93 and we reformed to do another record in 2002. In between this I dabled in endurance sports, completing events such as the Ironman Canada triathlon and the Markleeville Death Ride. Then I went back to school to study Mathematics and Economics. I moved to San Francisco to take a job in 1999 and am still here.
Enjoy. If you use any of these photos on your own page, fanzines, or bootleg t-shirts(!), please give me credit. |
