Description
Jay Reatard (born Jimmy Lee Lindsey Jr.) was a raw nerve of modern punk rock. Emerging from Memphis’ garage punk scene as a teenager, he first fronted the Reatards and later co-founded the Lost Sounds, making various lo-fi hurricanes of distortion, angst, and brilliance. By his early 20s, he had dozens of releases under his belt—7″s, cassettes, LPs—fueled by urgency and prolific energy. His 2006 solo debut Blood Visions cemented his status as a cult hero, a power-pop fireball with punk roots. Reatard was both chaotic and obsessively creative, pushing every performance to its edge.
I made this picture on August 18, 2009. Jay was mid-set at the original Amoeba Records (on Sunset Blvd.) in Hollywood—playing one of ten free shows in support of indie record stores. I shot it from the edge of the stage. It’s a moment suspended in the chaos of his final year. The print features my own handwritten caption below the image—an inked recollection of that day made in the spirit of Allen Ginsberg’s pictures— a giclée print on archival paper.
An open edition but printed in small runs—I won’t make a lot. And once they’re gone, they’re gone.
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