If not for an LSD trip he took in 1968, at age 19, photographer Mick Rock might never have snapped iconic photos of David Bowie, Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, Mötley Crüe …
If not for an LSD trip he took in 1968, at age 19, photographer Mick Rock might never have snapped iconic photos of David Bowie, Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, Mötley Crüe and a host of other musicians. At the time, he was attending Cambridge University in England, majoring in literature and harboring no photographic ambitions. But Rock told The Post that on that night, “I was at the home of a friend who had all the toys, including a great record player and camera. Sitting around his room, tripping on blotter acid, I picked up the camera and began playing with it. Every time I clicked, there was an explosion and I saw a lady’s faces in a million iterations.” Rock fell in love with photography and went from shooting girlfriends to capturing rockers for London publications and Rolling Stone. “It was a different time,” he said. “I picked up what I needed to know as I went along. I realized that you didn’t need to know much when it came to photography.” Still, Rock went on to become an image-maker of choice for stars from Freddie Mercury to Joey Ramone. The West Contemporary Editions gallery in London is in the midst of a sale that includes a dozen of his favorite prints. Here are a few of his top shots and the stories behind them. In 1978, Penthouse publisher Bob Guccione wanted to start a women’s fashion magazine. Rock was commissioned to shoot a portrait of Blondie frontwoman Debbie Harry. He did it in his New York studio. “Debbie and Bowie were the two most photogenic people to come down the pike,” said Rock. “She loved having her picture taken… I gave her some attitude with wild hand gestures, and she responded by pulling on the scarf.” Rock remembered that she told him, “If you were a drag queen, your name would be Miss Direction.” As for the fashion mag, it never happened and Guccione ended up putting the punk princess on the cover of Penthouse. “She didn’t mind,” said Rock. It was 1973, the Pointer Sisters were getting ready to play their first British gig and everybody was pumped. Rock went backstage to capture the moment. He was ready — but made to wait longer than expected. “The makeup artist was good but a pain in the neck,” Rock remembered. “He worked with me for [Bowie’s] ‘Life on Mars’ video [which Rock directed]. David called him Pierre Le Poof.
