Huh magazine

Portrait of the Anti-Hero as a Young Man

Glen E. Friedman's work is a living, working instrument of agitation and social transformation. Troops on the truly dangerous fringe of hard-core punk, surf, skate, thrash, rap and hip hop communities have been waiting for years for G.E.F.'s retrospective, Fuck You Heroes, but you can see from these brilliant photos - which literally changed the meaning of being young in America - that Glen's process was much more incendiary than it was documentary. He ran images in Thrasher, Action Now!, Skateboarder, and Maximum Rock'N'Roll so the kids who weren't tapped directly into hardcore urban scenes would know, first, that these scenes existed, and, second, that they had rights and could face down their folks, cops, governments, corporate America in general, and crappy feel-good radiopop in particular.

Glen was an insider on every from of the war. He skated for five years before taking his first photo and becoming a contributor to Skateboarder at the ripe old age of 12 or 13. His homies in the DogTown skate crew became the seminal influence in skating, skate design, style, and anti-authority attitude. He shot the early Black Flag, Minor Threat, Germs, Bad Brains, and Dead Kennedys shows. He produced and managed Suicidal Tendencies, inspiring gang, Latino, and surf-punk crossover. His now-rare 1982 book, My Rules, is the first great punk documentary. The rage and righteousness of early Run-DMC, Public Enemy, L.L. Cool J, Ice-T and Beastie Boys proved an irresistible lure, and he's worked closely with New York's hip hop community. Then there's over 100 album covers. The guy is inexhaustible, low-budget, DYI, politically aware and in it more for the bang than the buck.

In the preface to Fuck You Heroes, Glen lays it all out:
"On our own, we do what we can to keep things evolving positively. In my life, there is no reason to be conservative politically or creatively. The same goes for most of the people I've photographed, and for anyone. I know that some people don't give a fuck about how the world around them evolves, but when so many people do want change - or at least a chance to express themselves without being persecuted - shouldn't we all be grateful to the individuals who say "Fuck You" to those trying to limit the thinking and ideals of others? I think so."

Huh Magazine

(2 full pages with color photos)
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