A very good Washington Post article recently discussed two photographers, one of whom was very well known and the other not so much.
I was familiar with Robert Frank and his work because of his connections with the Rolling Stones (click here.) Several of his photos appeared on the cover of “Exiles on Main Street” including one of his most famous Three Ball Charlie:
Frank then directed the ill-fated Stones documentary titled “Cocksucker Blues.” I say ill-fated because the finished film showed the Stones so debauched out on their Exiles’ tour, that even they were embarrassed by it and lawyered up to prohibit it from ever being released. And who says you can’t have too much Sex, Drugs and Rock n Roll?
As for the other photographer Todd Webb, when asked about how the two photographers and their photography differed, Life Magazine Editor-in-Chief Bill Shapiro gave this response:
The little bit of perusing I did of Webb’s work, think I agree with Bill that Webb was more upbeat and positive in his subject matter than was Frank. Usually, I tend to prefer people photos to things’ photo’s, but Webb’s shots (particularly his architectural photos) make you want to spend some time checking them out. I didn’t see any country stores in any of Webb’s galleries, but he did feature several interesting city business shots like these two:
To conclude with a tune for you, see the building to the left with “ARMY” painted on it? This is the building that Arlo discusses at the 7:45 mark in his classic Thanksgiving tune: