Le R*ck est m*rt

A pretty poor version of Max’s beautiful history, September 11, 2010 By Roberta – See all my reviews This review is from: Max’s Kansas City: Art, Glamour, Rock and Roll (Hardcover) I am Roberta Bayley, and I am not featured in this book nor am I mentioned, which is absolutely 100% fine with me. Leee Black Childers IS mentioned, as one of the four great Max’s photographers, along with Anton Perich, Danny Fields and Brigid Berlin, and a photo OF Leee appears. However, NONE of Leee’s photographs are included in either the book or the show about it at Steven Kasher Gallery. Leee is alive and well, and still an active photographer with many recent and upcoming shows. So why is he missing here? Absurd. Every one of the Cockettes ( a very famous drag troupe from San Francisco with many documentaries and books about them extant) are identified only as « a Cockette » except for Pristine Condition. As if they didn’t all have names! It’s like showing a photo of Mick Jagger and John Lennon and captioning it « Mick Jagger and a Beatle ». Dee Dee’s Ramone’s wife, Vera, who recently published her own memoirs, is « unidentified »!!! Couldn’t anyone make phone call? (Actually I learned that someone from Abrams, the publisher, DID make a phone call, to Lenny Kaye, who told them the « blonde in the photo » was Vera, Dee Dee’s wife.) Many quite famous people are « unidentified » in this book. Where oh where were the research people on this? Talking to « editor » Steven Kasher? The « unidentified » chimp at Max’s was the World’s Most Famous trained chimp, J. Fred Muggs! (Do you think Mickey would let just ANY chimp into Max’s?) I also have to say I was appalled when the New York Times article about this book and show gave Steven Kasher credit for having « helped discover previously unknown pictures of Max’s from insiders like music producer and writer Danny Fields. » (BTW Danny Fields is not a music producer.) As co-curator with Bobby Grossman of a show entitled « The Cool & The Crazy » in 1996 (which travelled to the Candice Perich Gallery in Conneticut, Govinda Galley in Washington D.C. and the Earl McGrath Gallery in Manhattan), Danny was included as a photographer, with his photos of Max’s from 1973, including his contact sheets. An aborted mish mosh of different photographers who are NOT Danny adorn the cover of this poorly conceived book. In other words, it looks like a contact sheet, but isn’t really because many different photographers are pasted in. That’s the exact opposite of a contact sheet. Danny Fields was also included in a book and show I curated in 2004 called « Bande a part: New York Underground 60s, 70s, 80s » (the book is still in print in the U.S. from Gingko Press). This book includes many of Danny’s photos, including his Max’s contact sheets. Some years ago, I proposed the « Bande a part » show to Steven Kasher for his gallery but he passed. He saw the book a long time ago (before it was published in the U.S.) and was well aware of Danny’s so-called « unknown » photos. Also included in « Bande a part » were photographers Anton Perich, Billy Name, Marcia Resnick, Godlis, and Stephanie Chernikowski, including many of the exact same images reproduced in this book. So much for the originality and accuracy of this book. It is a joke. We all look forward to books by Danny Fields, Leee Black Childers, Brigid Berlin and many more photos (and books!) by the great Anton Perich. Save your money, this book will be remaindered soon. Try to find Yvonne Sewall (Ruskin)’s Max’s book instead. Or buy « Bande a part »! Roberta Bayley