Glen E. Friedman

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Glen E. Friedman
Glen E. Friedman, circa 1998
Birth name Glen Ellis Friedman
Born March 3, 1962 (1962-03-03) (age 47)
North Carolina
Nationality American
Field Photography

Glen E. Friedman (born 1962) is an American photographer and artist.

Coming to prominence in the 1980s with his photography of skateboarders and musicians, Friedman is considered one of the most important photographers of his generation.[1][2][3] He is perhaps best known for his work promoting rebellious artists such as Fugazi, Black Flag, Ice-T, Dead Kennedys, Minor Threat, The Misfits, Bad Brains, Beastie Boys, Ice-T, Run-D.M.C., KRS-One, and Public Enemy, as well as classic skateboarding originators such as Tony Alva, Jay Adams, Alan Gelfand, Duane Peters, and Stacy Peralta. Although this work is documentary by association, he considers the work more in the realm of fine art photography. His most recent works exhibit this leaning more obviously.[4]

Friedman's photography has been seen in International publications for more than thirty years, on record covers for over twenty five years, and has been exhibited in art galleries and museums worldwide for over ten years. Original prints of his work are in the Photographic History Collection of the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C., also in the permanent collection of the Experience Music Project Museum in Seattle, Washington, and private collections globally. Six hardcover books have been published documenting his various subjects of interest.[4]

Friedman is a progressive political activist, shuns intoxicants (straight edge), and follows a strict vegan diet.[5] He married in 2007, had his first child in the same year, and lives in New York City.[4]

Contents

[edit] Biography

Friedman's childhood was largely spent skating in the West Los Angeles schoolyards of the area called "Dogtown." His friends were beginning to be featured in magazines, but he felt the images failed to capture skating's true essence. Though still in junior high school, he thought he could do better.[4]

In the fall of 1976, Friedman discovered an empty pool, and corralled a few friends into riding it so he could take pictures. He showed the results to a freelance SkateBoarder writer he met on the local schoolyard banks, who put the eighth-grader in touch with the editor. They published the first photos Glen submitted as a full-page subscription ad. He soon after became their youngest staff member.[4]

Several years later Friedman began to shoot the punk shows he was attending. Punks such as Black Flag and others received some of their first national and international media documentation through Friedman's work.[6]

Learning a strong work ethic from the self promoters in Black Flag, Friedman started working with the younger brother of an old DogTown friends' band, got them a record deal, managed the band, and produced their first record. This band was Suicidal Tendencies, and that album became the largest selling punk album of the 1980s.[7]

By the mid eighties Friedman was working with Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons and their newly formed Def Jam Records, promoting groups such as Run-DMC and Public Enemy, continuing his dedication to popularizing rebel youth attitude.[7]

In the nineties to the present day Friedman has concentrated on publishing his books, selling his prints to serious collectors, and promoting those lifestyles that continue to inspire radical youth culture and rebels of all ages.[4][8]

In recent years, he has collaborated with artist Shepard Fairey, to create limited edition prints of some of his iconic images.[1][2][3][4]

[edit] Time line

  • 1976 - At fourteen years old Glen E. Friedman shoots his first published photograph.[4]
  • 1981 - Shoots his first record album cover for The Adolescents on the Frontier label.[4]
  • 1982 - Friedman self published his punk "photo-zine" My Rules. It sold 10,000 copies and was the largest selling 'zine of the era.[4]
  • 1985 - Friedman is first introduced to Hip-Hop moguls to be, Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons, after creating some memorable Beastie Boys photos, before they were known to the masses. By 1986 Friedman was photographing all the Def Jam artists and relocated back to New York in 1987. His early documentation of Run-DMC, Public Enemy, Ice-T, L.L. Cool J and the Beastie Boys brought hip hop to a wider audience.[4]
  • 1990 - By this time Friedman's work had achieved fame as record covers for many of the 80's decade finest in hip hop and punk. Many of his photographs are recognized as the subjects' definitive portraits.[9]
  • 1994 - Fuck You Heroes is published, a collection of his more well known work spanning 1976 to 1991. Fuck You Heroes looked at the pioneering leaders of the skateboarding, punk, and hip hop subcultures. Its title, though offensive to some, signifies his subjects' heroic rejection of reactionary social standards.[4]
  • 1996 - His second book, Fuck You Too: The Extras & More, is published by ConSafos press.
  • 1998 - The Idealist is published, the artistic summation of his photography. Diverging greatly from his other books. This title was revised in 2003 to include an additional five years (The Idealist - In My Eyes - 25 Years).
  • 2000 - DogTown-The Legend of the Z-Boys, is published, and co-authored with long time friend and mentor C.R. Stecyk III.
  • 2002 - Glen's film credit, co-producer and creative consultant, barely touch on the major influence he had on the feature-length documentary Dogtown and Z-Boys, which won audience choice award for Best Documentary at Sundance and many other awards at film festivals worldwide.[11]
  • 2005 - His artistic treatise, Recognize is published.
  • 2007 - Friedman released Keep Your Eyes Open, a collection of his best photographs of the band Fugazi.

[edit] Quotes about Friedman

  • "The bottom line is that he was there at the beginning of so much cool stuff in so many different areas it's not funny." - Henry Rollins[14]
  • Friedman says about his work, "For me it’s about inspiring people, with integrity and rebelliousness.” To which, Keith Hamm of the Los Angeles Times said, "For the past quarter century, Friedman has been doing just that." - [8]
  • "Outspoken, individual, and the very best at what he does...It's time Friedman was listed alongside Capa, Bresson, and Avedon." - Candy Culture[17]
  • "His [cloud] photos achieve what so many others only aspire to—they show the spiritual within the physical." - Adam Beinash, LA Weekly[18]

[edit] Friedman's Books

[edit] Books with significant Friedman contributions (partial listing)

[edit] References

  1. ^ sixspace gallery
  2. ^ a b Washington Post, 21 May 2000 - Here & Now - Art - By Pete L. Zanko.
  3. ^ Tisch School of the Arts, New York University
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l official Biography
  5. ^ "Glen E. Friedman", Herbivore Magazine, Fall 2003, http://burningflags.com/press/herbivore.php 
  6. ^ Fuck You Heroes Introduction by C.R. Stecyk III
  7. ^ a b Fuck You Heroes Introduction by C.R. Stecyk III
  8. ^ a b Los Angeles Times, 21 November 2002 - It's All About Attitude. By Keith Hamm.
  9. ^ Warp magazine, February 1995 - Glen E. Friedman - Photos from the Edge by Ian Christie.
  10. ^ official artist web site
  11. ^ Juice magazine, Dogtown Chronicles, Fall 2002
  12. ^ Time Out magazine, Sept. 2-9, 2004
  13. ^ LA Weekly, Dec. 14, 2008
  14. ^ Fuck You Heroes Quote from book flap written by Henry Rollins
  15. ^ AIGA website 2004
  16. ^ Juxtapoz Art & Culture Magazine, December 2003.
  17. ^ Candy Culture, Dublin, Ireland 2006.
  18. ^ L.A. Weekly, 26 April 2006 - Clouds' Illusions by Adam Beinash.

[edit] External links

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