Book Review
By Anthony Kuzminski
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Visit Neil Zlozower here
Mötley Crüe is a band who will almost certainly be better known for their overall history than anything else. More than their music, their videos, their look or their personal lives, their collective legend will reign above everything else. There is a reason for this. For a band that hasn’t really made any career defining music in nearly two-decades, their legacy has only grown by leaps and bounds in recent years. Part of this is due to their return to the concert circuit, the emergence of their music on classic radio, their vintage videos being aired daily on VH-1 Classic but most of it stems from a series of events beginning with the publication of The Dirt in 2001. The book’s greatness stems from its honesty more than its debauchery. Don’t get me wrong, the stories are unheralded in the realm of rock n’ roll but the real reason the book resonates is because when people read it they didn’t feel as if the covers were being lifted over their head. There was a sincere and authentic voice present throughout the entire book. Nikki Sixx’s The Heroin Diaries furthered the myth and now photographer Neil Zlozower’s Motley Crue: A Visual History, 1983-2005 (Chronicle Books) helps cement the legacy. Neil Zlozower has been a staple of the LA music scene for over three decades. Besides capturing many of the biggest 80’s rock stars of the Sunset Strip, he also has some of the most legendary pictures of Van Halen during their prime, for which he compiled into a book, something he has done once again for Mötley Crüe.
Something missing from rock journalism these days is trust. Acts should confide in certain journalists and photographers because one never knows how they will help form and shape their history. Look at Sacha Gervasi, who went to a metal show in the early 80’s, the band Anvil befriended him and two decades later he makes a film about them. When Mötley began its rise to fame, they were fortunate to forge relationships with many people and one of them was photographer Neil Zlozower. Zlozower managed to capture the band at their most innocent yet also managed to capture them at their most decadent. The pictures within the book could not have been captured by just anyone. There was a level of trust between Zlozower and the Crüe. Between club shows from 1983 and their arena comeback in 2005, Zlozower caught it all. There are the album sleeves from Theatre of Pain, the “Girls, Girls, Girls” video shoot, early press pictures from the Dr. Feelgood era, numerous full page spreads from their live shows and arguably the most famous of all their pictures, the “blood” session from 1984. The pictures are gigantic and often full page spreads that jump out at you. They are a reminder of what a grand and gratuitous band Mötley Crüe was at their prime.Another band recently culled a coffee table book for publication and what is missing from it is a coherent history. Instead of choosing one photographer, it’s a culmination of several and it’s a disservice to the book and more importantly, the artist. As artists let people into their inner sanctum, they let their guard down and that’s when enduring moments are born. The notorious “blood” session wouldn’t have happened with just anyone sent to shoot the band, there had to be a realm of trust. The up-close and on-stage shots of the band in their prime also differentiate from newspaper photographer’s who have to shoot bands from either a pit or a mile away. Zlozower takes the reader into the inner sanctum of the Crüe. The hardcover book is immense with in all of its 232-pages. Covering most of the band’s history (sadly there is virtually nothing from the 1990’s); Zlozower helps put the band’s visceral image into perspective. In many ways, the book lives up to its title as a visual history of the band and what a history it is. Featuring insight and recollections in text format from Vince Neil, Mick Mars, Nikki Sixx (who does the introduction), former managers, roadies and producers, this book is an easy recommendation; especially considering it’s going for less than $25 over at Amazon.com. If The Dirt was the definitive story of their legacy, then Mötley Crüe: A Visual History, 1983-2005 is the visual companion piece.
Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer and Special Features Editor for the antiMusic Network and his daily writings can be read at The Screen Door and can be contacted at thescreendoor AT gmail DOT com.
