Mick Rock


Michael David Rock, commonly known as Mick Rock, is a British photographer. He is best known for taking iconic photographs of rock music legends such as Queen, David Bowie, T. Rex, Syd Barrett, Lou Reed, Iggy Pop and The Stooges, The Sex Pistols, The Ramones, Joan Jett, Talking Heads, Roxy Music, Thin Lizzy, Mötley Crüe, and Blondie. Often referred to as "The Man Who Shot the Seventies", most of the memorable shots of Bowie as Ziggy Stardust were shot by Rock in his capacity as Bowie's official photographer.

Early life

Michael David Rock was born in 1948 in Hammersmith, London, the son of David and Joan. He was educated at Emanuel School in London, and Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, graduating with a degree in Medieval and Modern Languages. While at Cambridge, he developed an interest in 19th century Romantic poetryprincipally the works of Rimbaud, Baudelaire, Shelley, and Byronand his first appearance in the press came after he was arrested for marijuana possession.

Career

During his time at Cambridge, Rock picked up a friend's camera and started to take pictures of the local rock music scene, acquiring some friends and contacts along the way.
In addition to his work with David Bowie, whom he met in early 1972, Rock is also noted for creating iconic album covers for Barrett's The Madcap Laughs, Waylon Jennings's Lonesome, On'ry and Mean, Lou Reed's Transformer and Coney Island Baby, Iggy Pop and the Stooges' Raw Power, Queen's Queen II and Sheer Heart Attack, Geordie's Don't Be Fooled by the Name, the Ramones' End of the Century and Joan Jett's I Love Rock 'n' Roll. He was the chief photographer on the films The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, and Shortbus. He also produced and directed the music videos "John, I'm Only Dancing", "Jean Genie", "Space Oddity", and "Life On Mars" on Bowie's Sound and Vision DVD collection.
His photo subjects include The Misfits, Snoop Dogg, Air Traffic, Maxwell, Alicia Keys, The Gossip, Lady Gaga, Richard Barone, The Killers, The Scissor Sisters, Michael Bublé, Michael Stipe, Kate Moss, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Chemical Brothers, Janelle Monáe, Queens of the Stone Age, Daft Punk, Kasabian, Snow Patrol, Daniel Merriweather, Black Keys, Hall & Oates, Peter, Bjorn and John, MGMT, Alejandro Escovedo, Pete Yorn, Gavin Degraw, Peaches, Fat Joe, Rhymefest, Nas, Q-Tip, Jane’s Addiction, Tom Stoppard, and old friends Bowie, Lou Reed, Debbie Harry, Joan Jett, Mötley Crüe, Nicos Gun, and Iggy Pop.
Rock received the Diesel U Music Legends Award for his contribution to Music in late 2006.
Rock is so respected by the subjects of his photography that in 2001, when his book Psychedelic Renegades was being published, he was successful in convincing Syd Barrett to personally autograph a special series of 320 books. Barrett had left the music business for good in 1974, had lived privately ever since, declining all interview requests and all contact with any of his fans or people from the music industry, and was notable for intensely disliking being reminded of his previous music career.

Publishing

Mick Rock has published a series of books, many based on his classic images: A Photographic Record 1969–1980, Glam: An Eyewitness Account ), Psychedelic Renegades / Syd Barrett, Moonage Daydream / Ziggy Stardust , Rock ’n’ Roll Eye, Killer Queen , Picture This / Debbie Harry & Blondie , Raw Power / Iggy & The Stooges , Rocky Horror , Classic Queen, Tamashii: Mick Rock Meets Kanzaburo , Psychedelic Renegades, and Mick Rock Exposed.

Exhibitions

Rock has had major exhibitions in London, Liverpool, Berlin, Manchester, New York, Los Angeles, Oslo, Stockholm, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Tokyo, San Francisco, and Las Vegas. His 2003 retrospective exhibition of 186 prints at the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography was dubbed by the Japanese press as "one of the finest collections of pop art to ever reach these shores." His 150 print exhibition at the Urbis Cultural Centre in Manchester, England in 2005–2006 was voted Manchester's best exhibition for 2006.
An exhibition of his Kate Moss photos, called "Rock n' Roll" Kate ran from February to June 2009 in Amsterdam and Rotterdam and was praised in the Dutch press as "hot, sexy, totally rock n roll, and probably truer to the real spirit of the Divine Ms Moss than any other photos ever taken of her. They rank up there with the best of Mick's classic imagery. Mick Rock meets Kate Moss, a legendary collision of photographic energiesthis exhibit is a must-see for all fans who know how to rock!"

Television

Rock was the host of , a documentary series on Ovation. The series follows Rock as he travels the country and meets with musicians for a tour of their hometowns, highlighting the people, places and cultural institutions that have been integral in their lives and careers. Each episode features a performance. Guests in the first season include Josh Groban, The Flaming Lips, Kings of Leon, Patti LaBelle, and Mark Ronson.
The 2016 biographical documentary Shot! The Psycho-Spiritual Mantra of Rock directed by Barnaby Clay tells the life and journey of iconic rock English photographer, Mick Rock. The documentary is available on Netflix stream as of September 2017.

Personal life

Rock lives in New York City with his wife and their daughter.

DVDs