The Michael Macioce Interview
I grew up on Long Island in the 60’s 70’s. I was 5 when the Beatles were on the Ed Sullivan Show. Like many of my generation this was a defining moment on who I would become. My brother was a musician, 11 years older than I. So as a kid I watched his bands practicing in the basement. Every now and then my mother would have me yell, “lower that!” When I was in 5th grade I got to see my brother play on the Ed Sullivan Show! His band was “The Brooklyn Bridge.” I started taking guitar lessons from my bro when I was 13. When he moved out of the house I decided to take up photography. Once again my brother (Richie) was an influence. I used to peruse his record collection. Some covers I was inspired by would be “A Salty Dog” and “Shine on Brightly” by Procol Harum. But I particularly was influenced by the CTI jazz records in his collection.
Never before seen early Lennon solarization.
Photographed by Pete Turner, these covers were vividly colored special effects photography. I started to do solarized versions of my record covers. Soon I decided that is what I wanted to do- make record covers! Years later I assisted Pete. The first assistant said “you like the CTI stuff? Let him know” In 7th grade I became friends with Mark Kramer (Kramer of Shimmydisc) and we talked music every day on the school bus. Mostly what is now known as prog rock. There were very few categories then, my first new category was “heavy metal’ (I can remember not knowing what it was!) which we then applied to Led Zeppelin. We listened to Pink Floyd, King Crimson, ELP, then Joni Mitchell (my first concert 1975) Mahavishnu Orchestra. Then one day I was in Sam Goody flipping through the record bins. I discovered Eno that day and Neu. I bought Eno because of the cover, I bought Neu because of the connection to Kraftwerk. This was high school back in 1975.
Vandergraff.
My parents let me go to art school and I got into SVA. SVA in the 1970’s was a bridge to the near past that I coveted so much. They were not teachers so much as cool cats who did the art they taught. Most of the instructors were part of the psychedelic Berkshires summers. The rest were the full on city types going back to the Beats. The students were like a party on the Titanic, we all thought the world was going to end. Remember this was the era of riots, the cover of the New York Post famously said “Ford to NY “Drop Dead!” It was in this context I developed my aesthetic. I wanted to be like Man Ray, portraits of artists I admired or were in my circle. Solarizations and Infrared pictures as art for record covers. If this was the end of the world I was going to go out in flames. I shot the Jazzy and avant Garde people I was interested in and shot the bands my friends were in. Gradually the two blended together. I’m not sure of my first artist portrait.
Highline circa: 1977.
Tangerine Dream - “Laserium.”
It may have been Derek Bailey. I met him at the Ear Inn one of the very oldest of New York establishments I think the building goes back to the Dutch. I had photographed John Zorn’s first game piece at Columbia and got into the improvisers at that time. To photograph Derek Bailey was a connection to “The Music Improvisation Society” which had as a member Jamie Muir, who was in a version of King Crimson. Thereby connecting my fan life with what was to become my creative (I hesitate to say working) life. The first paying job was around 1982 when I photographed “The Waitresses” My connection to them was the sax player, Mars Williams, who I knew from Creative Music Studio. I got paid $75, which was twice the amount I was to be paid for the Beastie Boys shoot (with Max the manx cat.) Kramer opened Shimmydisc and I became their photographer. I was now in a position to fashion photographs for record covers, which I had begun to do with Shockabilly. I would walk the downtown neighborhoods (the East Village was rough kinda like Brooklyn a few years back) and look for abstractions to team up with titles of records or songs.
Nick Cave performing at Peppermint Lounge.
Handbill for The Waitresses.
I accumulated a collection of possible images. Band would visit and look through my boxes of photos and we would select pictures that fit the band. This is how we came up with the cherub for the Butthole Surfers “Psychic Powerless” record. We then used solarized fisheye pictures from their first NYC gig (at the Pyramid Club) for the record labels. When the record cam out, and I heard the song “Cherub” I was more that pleased! The 80’s drifted into the 90’s and I became a more “professional” photographer. Real record covers and then commercial work done in my rock and roll style. I began to teach at the colleges I had attended. From my years assisting Bob Adelman, civil rights photographer, my interests “matured.” I began to teach at the liberal arts schools I had attended. I had 10 years at The New School, where I taught the advanced black and white printing class. John Cage gave his famous lectures, that influenced everybody at the New School. Bob Adelman was Pete Turner’s teacher at the New School.(Pete Turner, he of the CTI covers I mentioned earlier) The New School darkroom was built by Bernice Abbott back in the 40’s. It may be the first college darkroom.
White Zombie.
Sonic Youth performing at CBGB’s.
Lizette Model and Diane Arbus taught there too. Its where NYC adults keep learning. Times change and so did college darkrooms. The New School shut its darkroom classes and the wooden sink Bernice made was torn out. They have some Bernice Abbott pictures in the lobby now. The darkroom became a media/fundraising room. Teachers like me were let go. If you want to teach you find a way to teach. Some of my former students and I opened a community darkroom in Harlem. It is a non-profit. We do classes for the children at the homeless shelter. We teach the old folks at the Baptist church. Street photographers and protest photographers. Fine art printers and experimenters.
Ween.
Beastie Boys.
I’m trying to do my part in keeping the tradition alive. I pass on my secrets. The pandemic got me back in my own darkroom at home. I have been printing the negatives that go back to the beginning. Some of these gigs had never been printed. Who knew I had photos of Ginger Baker, taken right in front of the stage. Or Fats Domino or Sam Rivers and Dave Holland? Instagram has put me back in touch with my tribe. More people see my photos now than ever before. Bands are beginning to call. Glad I bought up the last of the final batch of Kodak Infrared film ever made. It sits in my freezer. 18 more rolls to take me to the end of my own roll.
Dakota Brown
