SPIN magazine

Rebel Yell The hardcore soul in Glen E. Friedman's book, Fuck You Heroes.

GLEN E. FRIEDMAN started taking pictures with a pocket Instamatic in 1976. He shot his friends as they carved the backyard pools and suburban divots of West L.A.'s "DogTown," fabled places in skatepunk lore with names to match-A-Rab Pool, Dogbowl. He was 13 years old when he sold his first photo to Skateboarder in 1976. From there, it was a natural evolution to shoot the hardcore punk shows that he and every other skater in the land was slamming at-Black Flag, Circle Jerks, Bad Brains, Minor Threat. Then came My Rules in 1982, a one-time only photozine of punk shows, and by 1985, he was documenting such early hard-core rap artist as Run-DMC, Public Enemy, and Ice-T.

For Friedman, up-close and intense has always been the focus, not just action. Hence his new book of photos, Fuck You Heroes. It gets to the nut, then cracks it. "As long as you still have the attitude," says Friedman, "you're down with me." So, if his shot of Chuck D behind bars doesn't send a shiver up your spine, or the sight of Henry Rollins, shirtless, dripping, collapsed on the stage, wailing into a mike, doesn't make you want to scream- well, you're already dead.

JAY STOWE

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