SUPER-X
1996
GLEN E. FRIEDMAN
In the 18th century European philosophers proposed the notion of the
sublime. Implicit to this concept was the sense that nature was too
overwhelming and terrifying to contemplate and that man was powerless
before it. In the photographic arts Henri Cartier-Bresson articulated the
mental construct of the decisive moment a couple of centuries later. To
Cartier-Bresson the essence of art was reduced to the importance of a
split second occurrence. The documentary work of Glen E. Friedman goes
beyond these philosophical tenants to embrace the vitality of the
banalities which are the integers of daily living and the extremists whom
obsessively deal with them. The things which we all do and encounter yet
seldom focus on are interpreted by a few visionaries whom are seen in his
photos. Glen extolls the virtues of these independents who function
beyond the constrictive boundaries of societal norm. The action of his
subjects may seem bizarre to some, but Friedman reveals the basic logic,
initiative and integrity all possess as well as their openness to their
surroundings. His innate understanding corresponds to his personal
participation in these activities. The basic GEF equation is: he Does, he
Sees, he Communicates. Cognitio ergo sum.
This artist's body of work is filled with examples of those who utilize
the overlooked and the intangible. Sidewalk curbs, gutters and sewers
become the arena for skateboarding denizens of the legendary Dogtown
district of Santa Monica, California. To these beings the empty swimming
pool, (a concept that is inherently contradictory by definition, i.e. no
water = no swim), is transformed by self directed action into an ultimate
performance environment. Everyday angst and alienation become art in the
explicit lyrics and musical approach of proto punk musicians such as Ian
Mackaye, Darby Crash, Jello Biafra, Henry Rollins and Mike Muir. These
individuals are motivated to pursue excellence oftentimes at significant
personal expense. The protracted legal harassment of Biafra because of
his anti censorship stance is a case in point. Rappers such as Ice T,
Chuck D of Public Enemy, Ice Cube and King T take ignored aspects of
ordinary urban existence and forge them into powerful commentaries which
become instruments of political protest. Before Ice T began rhyming about
the tactics of gang life and the disenfranchised status of street
criminals the general public was oblivious to these elements. After the
international police community's concentrated efforts to block the sale
of Ice's Body Count tune Cop Killer was there anyone left who wasn't
aware of the collision course of avenue ethics and authoritarian power
trips? The photography of Glen E. Friedman underscores the critic
Malarux's admonition to transform destiny into awareness.
Friedman's choice of subjects is joyously and unapologetically hard core
and his shooting style is lean, clean and graphically explicit. His
choice of a title for his first book "Fuck You Heroes" is a statement of
fact because uncompromising involvement is the
nature of Glen's quest. He rejected a Lollapalooza offer to come on board
as a guest artist "art and commerce don't mix". When a multi national
soft drink corporation famed for doing business in an exploitive manner
recently made inroads towards hiring this artist to do work they were
turned down flat. "It's not about money, their shit was just not
correct", Friedman relates, "Individuals and corporations alike have a
responsibility to improve this for everyone and to accentuate the positive
tip. My work highlights individuals whom refuse to bow down to those
forces trying to limit the thinking and ideals of others."
How he functions provides a bit of insite into his repertoire. The
spirit of collaboration is essential to this approach. He hangs with
Russell Simmons, The Beastie Boys Jerry Brown, Darlene Oritz, Michael
Stipe, Christy Turlington, Naomi Campbell, Tony Alva, Steve Olson, Sidney
Portier, Richard Meier, Rick Rubin and many of his other frequent
subjects. Most assuredly Glen dwells on two coasts at the same time
ricocheting back and forth while maintaining separate residences and
quivers of transportation vehicles, cameras, clothing et al in New York
and Los Angeles. Getting into stuff deep and early is the rule for this
photographer rather than the exception. Henry Rollins states "The bottom
line is that he was there at the beginning of so much cool stuff in so
many different areas it's not funny". Surf-skate, punk, street, b-boy,
freestyle, gangsta, hip hop, rap and a whole lot more, Friedman can be
located at their origins. Typically his reportage is instrumental in
helping give the activities and artist a much larger audience. Some of
Glen's accomplishments include: being staff photog for Thrasher,
Skateboarder and Action Now magazines; shooting, art directing and
publishing the seminal punk photozine My Rules; working on the initial
Black Flag video; producing the first Suicidal Tendencies album as well as
managing the group; working as a columnist for Maximum Rock'N'Roll;
doing early street promotion, putting the world tour book together and
later producing some music for Run-DMC; serving as Def Jam Recordings west
coast representative; shooting Public Enemy's It Takes A Nation of
Millions To Hold Us Back vid; photographing over 100 album covers for a
variety of edge acts and working in New Jersey's Rahway State Prison with
the Lifers group.
Waste not want not don't preach and live life as an
example for others. When pressed GEF can recite eco factoids like a
messianic curandero. He drops science incessantly. "The processing of a
single roll of 35 mm film results in 25 gallons of contaminated effluent
discharge". Another favorite parable is that "The production of 1 fast
food franchise hamburger requires enough water to float a battleship". He
understands the mechanics of big business but isn't lured by it's siren
call. "I'm just a normal person trying to live right, have some fun and
to do work that has some meaning", he states, "I'm into energy
conservation. When you have large amounts of money to manage, the money
ends up managing you. I try and keep it all simple and honest which saves
both time and energy. I feel that my subjects are people who strive to
make a difference so I owe them and my audience my best. I refuse to
shoot extraneous shots. A successful proof sheet for me is one which has
36 separate quality meaningful moments on it. 36 pictures out of 36
frames, that's what I am after. On Madison Avenue the advertising art
directors want tons of fluff so I just avoid dealing with them and instead
concentrate on subject which have consequence for me personally.
Photography is about timing and if you can't get it right in a thousandth
of a second then you're never going to get it right".
Truth and beauty reside where ever one is lucky enough to find them. Glen
E. Friedman works overtime attempting to ferret them out and present their
essential characteristics in a manner that others can learn from. This
man's mission is to distill it all down and to then serve it straight up
and right at you.
C.R. STECYK III
SUPER-X magazine
1996
(6 full pages with G.E.F portrait and photos from book throughout)
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