The first time I worked with Greg Watermann - at Ozzy Osbourne's Beverly
Hills mansion for Britain's Metal Hammer magazine in 2002 - he looked every bit
the Hollywood rock star photographer. Black-clad like a Nine Inch Nail, blonde
"assistant" in tow, he was briskly efficient. Since then his career curve has
been steep: starting with smaller bands like Earshot and Mudvayne, he's worked
his way up to being something of the house photographer for commercial
juggernauts Linkin Park (he shot their best-selling Meteora - From The Inside
book in 2004) and System Of A Down.
Yet he's actually a quiet, sober bloke (who
insists on not being on local bands' guest lists - so they can make more money
at the door - and asked not to be photographed for this article) with a fierce
love for his art.
Last night was Watermann's first gallery opening of a 22-year career which began
in New York's fashion world before his move to Hollywood in 1998 to concentrate
on rock n' roll. The airy, high-ceilinged A&I Hollywood bustled with rock fans
of all ages, music biz types and glamorous gals perusing dozens of Watermann's
finest photographic moments and the debut screening of System Of A Down's
The
Forest Project - a breathlessly nostalgic video-montage of hundreds his pictures
from the band's last tour set to a mash-up of their music.
While the opening paid lip-service to Watermann's early magazine work (for Elle,
Cosmopolitan and others) with shots of a young Julia Roberts and not-so-young
Hugh Hefner, the walls were otherwise festooned with arresting images of rock
bands: three giant black and white portraits collectively capturing nine-strong
Iowan metallers Slipknot's bizarre masked menace; his career-changing 1992
Nirvana spread for Spin (their first national magazine cover); vividly artsy
portraits of Marilyn Manson, Wayne Static and Osbourne; and animated on-stage
shots of Linkin Park, Coldplay and, inescapably, System Of A Down.
"I will only shoot a concert if I'm given all-access - sound check, dressing
room, on the tour bus, on the jet etc.," Watermann, who'll sometimes spend whole
tours with an act, explained.
"I will not shoot a concert unless I'm allowed on
stage for the entire show." This, and a blend-into-the-background approach,
allows him to get unusual on-stage angles and fly-on-the-wall shots.
"There's a lot of photographers who have a lot of talent, but it's more that
Greg developed a relationship that's close with the band," said mildly mohawked
System Of A Down drummer John Dolmayan as fans hovered for autographs. "It's
kind of like any other relationship - you develop trust. Greg's like a family
member of System Of A Down."
Surveying I Photograph Rock Stars, it's easy to see why Watermann's subjects
cherish his documenting their careers - he captures bands as fans want to see
them but also as they want to see, and remember, themselves. His photos of
scribbled set lists, carefully-arrayed foot pedals and mid-gig eye-contact
transmit much more of a rock band's everyday existence than any number of posed
studio shots.
I Photograph Rock Stars is at A&I Hollywood (933 N. Highland Ave.) through June
10; and A&I Santa Monica (1550 17th St.), June 18 - July 24.
Photos and text by Paul Rogers from
LA Weekly
Read Fans Reviews (find more reviews in the
FORUMS)
Forest came on, and OH MAN, it was amazing, it made me tear up a
little bit, especially at the Lost in Hollywood part. It really made
me miss System.
So then an hour or so passed and I that John was
about to leave so I followed him out the door to the sidewalk and
called him and I asked him to sign my poster and that I didn't ask
him in the gallery because I didn't want to bother him, and he just
laughed and said it was ok. I forgot what else I said but yeah.
And
then right when he was about to walk away a limo pulled up, the
window rolled down and John went up to it and started talking to the
people in it, I figured it was Shavo, and I was right. So yeah John
was talking and laughing with him for a while but then John left and
Shavo and the RZA came out. I think Shavo's brother was with them
too. |
really liked it and yes Greg debuted Forest it was pretty damn
awesome!!!!!!!
and at the gallery it was john snd shavo at the same time |
He told me he talked to him just the other day. And I asked, “Is
Daron okay? Because he sort of seems like a recluse.” John then
responded saying, “He is a recluse.”
I then asked, “But is Daron…ya know…alright?”
He then said, “…well…the thing about Daron is that he’s a troubled
artist…” |
| FOREST was probably the most beautiful thing I’ve seen all year.
Although it was only stills, it still was an amazing “motion
picture” and went perfectly with the music.They showed it 4 times
and I saw it 3 out of the four times. (The last one I was outside
smoking a cig.) I later asked John to sign my poster too and he did
that as well. |
|
