Anonymous

Some people find photographing rocks, flowers or trees relaxing. Others might go for old pick-ups or double-decker busses. For me, it was always bands. Maybe it’s because I always liked being under the influence of music. It was a weird compulsion that I really don’t have anymore. The thing that has always puzzled me about this sort of “hobby” is the preference among most people for celebrity images. I suppose it went through an unusual arc for me—from an artistic pursuit, to a way of making a few bucks to support my photographic habit, and finally into a “hobby” of sorts. Photographing bands was what I chose to do to relax. So, the more anonymous the band was the better—sometimes celebrities were fun, but more often they made me feel like a paparazzi.

I gave photography up around 1997 as I got more serious about school. I was digging through some old pictures, tossing out the mildewed ones from the floods that have occurred in the last few years when I found some images of one of the last bands I shot. The female singer was the “celebrity” of sorts—as I recall, she was part of a Lilith Fair tour. But I can’t for the life of me remember her name. Anyone out there know?

I put together a gallery of the images of this mystery band, as part of my current project to stuff my life into little boxes and move it. There will be a bunch more things like this in the next few weeks (I hope). My memory has been fading about a lot of the images I’ve made, so I was thinking if I blogged them it might help.