ACTION! An Anniversary Photo Celebration:

Congratulations on thirty years! I’m so happy I was invited to come along for the ride and document four of them (years Two through Five).

Of the hundred and hundreds of photos we shot together between 1982 and 1985 it’s darn near impossible to pick my favorite darling of the bunch; I love them all. But I think I’ll go with the photograph of you all at Walter’s Bar-B-Que which I took in Athens in 1984. (March 6th, to be precise).

I remember that day well. You were just about to release Reckoning and I’d flown myself down to Athens to shoot photos of you all and finally see this town which you’d told me so much about and which I’d already fallen in love with. For several days you were all so patient with me as I schlepped you to every nook and cranny that had photogenic possibilities – railroad tracks, abandoned factories, trees covered in kudzu, roadside signs, R.A. Miller’s whirlygig yard, and of course, Walter’s Bar-B-Que. In fact, I’m pretty sure we stopped at Walter’s simply because we were hungry and wanted to grab some lunch between shots. But, never allowing an opportunity for a good photo to pass me by, I shot all through lunch too. I’m afraid I didn’t even allow you to eat your meals in peace.

And, since everyone always asks, that’s my plate of ribs sitting in front of Michael.

I think the fact that we were all friends brought an extra level of fun and trust to the process of shooting photos, which can sometimes, I realize, be a drag for musicians. It means a lot to me, thirty years on, to still be considered part of the R.E.M. family. Loyalty, friendship and history have always very important to you, as it is to me, and you consistently show it in many ways.

This photograph has a special place in my heart not only because of that friendship, but because it documents a time and a place that disappeared soon thereafter. All of the time I spent with you, and all the time I spent visiting Athens was so special to me. It was a very happy time…. of fun, youth, experimentation and endless potential. I don’t suppose any us of could have imagined how much would change in just a few year’s time. It captures those last moments of innocence, before you moved on to the wonderful successes that you did. But mostly, for me, when I look at this photograph, I see my four friends being themselves, relaxing, smiling, and chowing down on a good meal.

p.s. I’m proud that this image was chosen to be exhibited at the Brooklyn Museum as part of Who Shot Rock & Roll: A Photographic History, 1955 to the Present (traveling on to several other museums for the next few years). In conjunction with the museum exhibit I’ve recently released an edition of prints of the image which can be found here.