- Paperback: 132 pages
- Published: 9/1/07
- IBSN: 9781933354422
- Genre: Art/Music/Pop Culture
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Silent Pictures
The first collection of work from the acclaimed underground music photographer.
Description
Fugazi. Bikini Kill. Modest Mouse. These groundbreaking bands and their peers not only shaped the face of today’s underground music scene, but also established a thriving subculture based on do-it-yourself ideals while repudiating mainstream conventions with urgency and integrity. Here, in acclaimed photographer Pat Graham’s debut collection of work, the moments, the music, and the message all come alive with vivid intensity and searing honesty, as he documents the evolution of independent music history from his vantage point at the heart of the Washington, DC scene over the last two decades. This retrospective traces Pat Graham’s development as a photographer, while reflecting a deep appreciation of the scene he helped to create—and has now memorialized.
Like the bands he captures on film, Graham thrives because of his uncompromising anti-establishment aesthetic. Many of the images presented here have taken on iconic status over the years, proving that the energy of live shows resonates beyond the walls of the nightclub. Indeed, Graham’s inimitable style is partly a consequence of the countless times he has accompanied groups such as Modest Mouse and The Make-Up on tour across the world; these photographs convey the power of legendary performers such as The Jesus Lizard and the late Elliott Smith in unscripted spontaneity onstage, while more intimate portraits provide candid glimpses of life on the road, behind-the-scenes peeks backstage, and shots of euphoric audiences participating in similar scenes of community collaboration across the country.
Taken as a collection, Silent Pictures shows that the spirit of the underground transcends the music to express an attitude, culture, and way of life that is sincere and authentic—one that underscores the links that bind groups as sonically diverse as OutKast, Thievery Corporation, and The Shins.
See below for some sample images from Silent Pictures:
- Subjects: Gift Books, Music/Popular Culture/Art, Nonfiction
- Tags: Bikini Kill, DC, Elliott Smith, Fugazi, Modest Mouse, OutKast, Pat Graham, punk rock, The Make-Up, The Shins, Thievery Corporation, Washington
Book Details
Author
PAT GRAHAM has been a photographer for nineteen years. His work has centered around musicians and has been used on dozens of albums. He spent years on the road with bands, especially Modest Mouse, capturing all aspects of being a musician (playing music, and living the life). His debut book, Silent Pictures, covers this ground and more. Pat’s photos have appeared in every major music publication in Europe and the US. His work is part of the permanent collection in the Experience Music Project museum in Seattle and The Arlington Cultural Affairs in Virginia. He currently lives in London, England where he continues taking pictures and running 96 Gillespie, the gallery he cofounded with his wife Melanie Standage.