Mick Rock Talks About His Legendary Photos in Advance of LA Visit

Photographer Mick Rock will be making an appearance in LA this week, taking portraits at the launch of the John Varvatos shop in Bloomingdales at Santa Monica Place (details below). We asked him to tell us about some of his favorite photos:

Iggy Pop: From the ‘Raw Power’ cover session. La Scala, King’s Cross London July 1972. Very similar to the actual cover, but probably taken a second later. In this one his head is turned slightly more to the front.

B) Queen 2 album cover. It was inspired by a photo of Marlene Dietrich on the set of the movie “Shanghai Express.” 18 months later it was copied for the video for ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’. It was taken at my very first photo studio in Great Newport Street in London’s West End Theatre District in January 1974.

C) Debbie Harry: My first session with Debbie. Shot at my first New York Studio on East 21st Street in the autumn of 1978. A similar shot was used on the cover of Lester Bangs ‘Blondie’ book in 1980. It was also from the session that inspired writers to dub Debbie the ‘Marilyn Monroe of Rock’

D) Mick Jagger: shot at the Earls Court Arena, summer 1975, the Stones biggest UK concert for their 1975-76 world tour, that promoted their first album recorded with Ronnie Wood, ‘Black and Blue’. It’s a very popular print in my gallery exhibitions, maybe because it’s got the lips, the tongue and the flying hair that gives him the classic ‘rooster’ look!

Event Details:

Saturday, October 2

2-5pm

Bloomingdale’s Santa Monica Place

The Men’s Store, Level 1

Have your portrait taken by Mick Rock at the launch of the John Varvatos shop. Spend $250 or more and receive one 11×14 Mick Rock print. For more information or to rsvp please call 310-360-2929.