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Right Place, Right Time: The Life of a Rock & Roll Photographer
An action-packed memoir that takes readers on the road with rock and roll’s hardest-working photographer
Bob Gruen is one of the most well-known and connected photographers in rock and roll. For almost 50 years, he has documented the music scene in pictures that have captured the world’s attention. Right Place, Right Time is Gruen’s first written account of his winding, adventure-filled journey. He takes us on visits to John and Yoko’s apartment, on a cross-country road trip with the Ike and Tina Turner band, to Glasgow with Debbie Harry, backstage with KISS, inside CBGB, and on the bus as he swaps steel-toed boots with Sid Vicious. In wildly entertaining stories and iconic images, Gruen gives the reader a unique window into the evolution of American music culture over the last five decades.
Bob Gruen is one of the most well-known and connected photographers in rock and roll. For almost 50 years, he has documented the music scene in pictures that have captured the world’s attention. Right Place, Right Time is Gruen’s first written account of his winding, adventure-filled journey. He takes us on visits to John and Yoko’s apartment, on a cross-country road trip with the Ike and Tina Turner band, to Glasgow with Debbie Harry, backstage with KISS, inside CBGB, and on the bus as he swaps steel-toed boots with Sid Vicious. In wildly entertaining stories and iconic images, Gruen gives the reader a unique window into the evolution of American music culture over the last five decades.
400 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 20, 2020
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October 21, 2020
”Bob had the ultimate backstage pass. He was backstage with all these bands.
“Can you imagine the stories he’s got?”
- Alice Cooper
In 1965, Bob Gruen took his first concert photos at the Newport Folk Festival. The first concert where Dylan ”shocked the world by going electric.” Added to his more iconic events would be the Woodstock Music Festival, but since then his life has been filled with concerts, photography and celebrities, world-wide travel, and some crazy stories. He’s become friends – not just friendly – with some of the most famous celebrities in rock & roll history, as well as other artists around the world. Through the years, some of the most iconic photography associated with rock and roll was shot by him. This book contains more than I could keep track of.
This book covers more than that, though, it is also about him, his life, how his early years as a young kid with a camera, and an eye that looked for more than the standard shot, wanting something that captured the feeling of the moment, the movement, the excitement, and occasionally the frustration and the dreams as well as the excess.
’There’s the style, the swagger, the show, the song. But rock and roll also needs an image—as much as it needs a guitar and a mic.’
I lost count of how many photos are in this book, or how many amazing experiences he has been blessed with. There are so many, too many to even begin to recount. His life, the way he has to live with every day a potentially changing, revolving plan sounds daunting and exhausting, but it is a life he seems to have thrived on, making last minute decisions based on instincts, and hoping they are the right decisions. A daily, almost ever-changing journey, that is filled with non-stop adventure, some of it crazy, some of it bittersweet, and some just… well, wildly, passionately, entertaining rock and roll.
They became my extended family—my wonderful, crazy, wildly creative, and sometimes dysfunctional family.’
Since this covers a multitude of musicians, bands, and styles of music, the music / bands / musicians covered may – or may not – all appeal to every reader, but this is more about Gruen, and how he went from a young kid with an interest in photography to accompanying and / or photographing virtually every musician of note at one point in his career. Some of the photographs are ones I’d love a copy to put on my walls for the beauty of the photography, alone. His stories are epic, if sometimes crazily so, others heartbreaking, and his photographs always iconic.
A beautiful, entertaining walk through the years of rock and roll, as seen through the eyes of Bob Gruen.
Published: 20 Oct 2020
Many thanks for the ARC provided by ABRAMS / Abrams Press
#RightPlaceRightTime #NetGalley
October 22, 2020
A memoir from the top photographer in rock and roll. He has met about everyone and shares behind the scenes stories, It is a fascinating read for anyone who enjoys rock. Well written and flows quite well.
September 4, 2022
Right Place, Right Time is Gruen’s autobiographical tale of becoming one of the most iconic rock photographers. He did so often by befriending his subjects such as Ike and Tina, John and Yokohama, the New York Dolls, the Sex Pistols, and the Clash. Reading his stories offers a personal bird’s eye view that only riding with the band could offer. One star he never quite grooved with and almost got knocked out by was Dylan. All in all, it is quite a fun and interesting read.
August 8, 2020
This was a strange one for me. There is no denying that Gruen has led a fascinating life and his pioneering work as one of the foremost rock and roll photographers is both influential and interesting. His love for music and the freedom that it offers both bands and their fans is clear from the outset and his passion and commitment to the job is seen in both the iconic images he captures and the unprecedented access he enjoyed to some of the most famous names in the music industry. I loved his passion for new music as well as the well established bands and the fact that he is still discovering and being excited by bands in his Seventies is testament to his commitment to his work, which he also made his life. Having said all that, I found the book uneven in places. It's hard to distill six decades in the music industry into a couple of hundred pages and I was frustrated that a good 80% of the book focuses on his work from the sixties to the eighties and everything else is crammed into the remaining 20%, which felt uneven to me. His relationship with John Lennon and Yoko Ono takes up a fairly significant chunk of the rest of the book and I almost felt that it deserved a book of its own. There was so much to say that at times it became more like a list than a narrative and I was always left wanting to know more. It's a shame there wasn't more of everything to be honest.
May 28, 2021
Very nice autobiography of Robert Gruen, the great Rock n Roll photographer who did the last photoshoot with John Lennon before he was murdered. Gruen was also close to Tina Turner, The Clash, Yoko Ono, Kiss and others. The book contains many photographs he took. Very nice.
December 27, 2020
Such a fascinating set of stories and photos! Gruen has witnessed so many of rock’ incredible signature moments. He became friends with some of my favorite musicians as well- especially Lennon and Joe Strummer. A very entertaining book!
February 13, 2025
If you've ever looked at photographs of rock royalty from the late 20th century, you have no doubt seen Bob Gruen's work. His images have graced albums, magazine covers, and posters on dorm room walls for decades. Gruen didn't just photograph musicians, he traveled with and befriended them, as well. His book is full of stories of legendary musicians, giving us insight into the everyday lives of people we often struggle to imagine doing anything ordinary.
Bob Gruen is an amazing photographer. He is not, however, an amazing audiobook narrator. It is a testament to the power of his incredible stories that I was able to get through what was often a painful audiobook experience for me.
Bob Gruen is an amazing photographer. He is not, however, an amazing audiobook narrator. It is a testament to the power of his incredible stories that I was able to get through what was often a painful audiobook experience for me.
January 1, 2023
Great audiobook! The book was narrated by Bob himself, and is well done. I also bought the Kindle edition, as the book has quite a few photographs that cover the various celebrities and events he recalls in the book.
November 26, 2020
I really enjoyed this one, it was a fascinating look at the evolution of rock photography as well as the evolution of rock. I'm a big fan of rock and roll memoirs, and Bob Gruen's offers all the delightful bits (behind the scenes views at stars, the origins of bands/genres) without many of negatives (addiction, violence, drugs) that seem to plague so many artists (and their memoirs). The writing style is engaging and easy-going - it's like listening to your cool relative tell stories about back in the day. I read it on kindle so the pictures were cool but not always that easy to see, fortunately Google was a quick solution to that.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my obligation-free review copy.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my obligation-free review copy.
October 19, 2020
Bob Gruen has hobnobbed with anyone who is anyone in rock and roll. Bob Dylan, Tina Turner, The Who, The Ramones and Elton John. Even John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Bob has photographed them all but also hung around them backstage. This gives the autobiography a unique perspective from the true beginning of rock. He really was in Right Place, Right Time.
However, the book is more than just a who’s who of musicians. It tells the author’s own inspiring story of following his dreams. Instead of going to college and getting a boring 9 to 5 job, he used his photographic skill to meet the most interesting, and famous, celebrities at the time. Bravo!
Right Place, Right Time is the perfect book for music fans or anyone starting their adulting right now in these troubling times. 4 stars!
Thanks to Abrams Press and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.
However, the book is more than just a who’s who of musicians. It tells the author’s own inspiring story of following his dreams. Instead of going to college and getting a boring 9 to 5 job, he used his photographic skill to meet the most interesting, and famous, celebrities at the time. Bravo!
Right Place, Right Time is the perfect book for music fans or anyone starting their adulting right now in these troubling times. 4 stars!
Thanks to Abrams Press and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.
August 25, 2020
This book is all about the pictures as you might guess! There are some iconic shots that we all recognize and some truly amazing shots that are not nearly as well known, of artists such as Elton John and Pete Townsend. Lots of cool info about the author and his experiences with Bob Dylan, John Lennon and The New York Dolls, to name a few. It doesn’t come off as name dropping at all, just a real genuine experience of the 60’s and 70’s and beyond in the NYC music scene. A time and place that could never ever be replicated again. If you’re interested in the music scene of those times this book is for you. And the photos!! “Thanks to NetGalley for proving me
With this free e-book in exchange for an honest review”
With this free e-book in exchange for an honest review”
December 22, 2020
A quick read but was it worth the time invested. I’m torn on this one because I found some of it superficial puff and missing insights from his unique inside view of rock. There was enough to maintain my interest, but when I was done I found myself thinking “yeh, so what.”
September 30, 2020
“It’s lazy not to ask for something, because if you don’t ask, you are the one saying no.”
Operating on that wisdom from his mother, Bob Gruen has become a man whose name nobody knows, but whose catalogue is familiar to millions.
John Lennon in his New York City shirt, The Sex Pistols touring America, Elton John seemingly floating in mid-air while playing piano...the list goes on and on, a career of photos spanning fifty years of rock and roll as it evolved with the heartbeat of the world. He’s elbowed his way in with the people who fascinate our world the most, taking chances and living life in the fast (tempo) lane as a freelance music photographer in the heart of New York City.
And now, Abrams Press readers can elbow their way in with him.
Out on October 20th, Right Place, Right Time: The Life of a Rock & Roll Photographer chronicles Gruen’s quick rise from amateur concert attendee to seasoned music photographer under the recognizable skyline of New York City. Like all good artists-gone-autobiographers, Gruen feels personable, like someone you’d want to chat to at a party. That kind of personality explains his ability to get in with just about every major rock star in American history, from Ike and Tina Turner to the New York Dolls, among others.
All rock and roll autobiographies start to hit the same notes after a while — they all know about as many narrative structures as a punk does guitar chords — but Gruen has the distinct advantage of tracking his career through his own visual work. Starting with the fuzzy, yellow toned shots every photographer knows all too well, it morphs at a frenetic pace into work that would grace the cover of hundreds of magazines and album covers across the years, from concert photography to portrait sessions to candid shots of rockstars big and small. Everyone from Alice Cooper to Sid Vicious fill the pages of Gruen’s book, an illustration of how rock in New York City grew and changed, fueled by love and grief and a desire to stand out amongst a crowd of thousands.
The story behind how a shot comes to be can be just as fascinating as the work itself, a moment of realization that brings on brilliant work solely because of someone’s quick thinking with a Nikon. Linda McCartney once said that good photography is something you feel instinctively, when you click that shutter in the moment without worrying about the outcome, and Gruen’s body of work certainly reflects that practice. (The copyright watermark that obscured all of the images did dampen their effect, but that might just be a side effect of reading a digital proof.) Right Place gives him the opportunity to tell those stories, to liberate them from the confines of a recording studio or an underground club and send them out into the world to flourish.
Gruen is no rock critic, with every personality he mentions labeled as “fantastic” or “tremendous”, but the enthusiasm for what he does is what makes the stories in this book so exciting. The infectiousness of an artist loving what they do propels all of his writing, and his love for the artists he’s worked with makes him seem like one of us, a normal person serving as a gateway into a stunning, glittering world of rock stardom. Right Place reflects a unique time and place in rock history, when everyone knew everyone else and opportunities and collaborations popped up at a moment’s notice, and Gruen’s stories become uniquely interesting because of it.
Unfortunately, some of those stories get lost to the sands of time (or copyediting) as a visual artist is forced to put pen to paper in an art form he has no experience working in. Like many autobiographies, Right Place starts to slide around its midpoint, its control over Gruen’s career timeline slipping as he affords large chunks of space to his work with a select few artists. Certain months or years are skipped over in mere sentences, while artists like John Lennon and Yoko Ono are afforded chapter after chapter, at the risk of making the book sound like a biography of someone else rather than him. The 80s are hardly a blink in the reader’s eyes, and the Roadrunner race through time in the last few chapters gives off the distinct impression that Gruen grew too bored to afford anything after 1981 more than a paragraph’s worth of space.
That being said, fitting fifty years’ worth of a career into four hundred pages is no easy task, and Gruen makes a clear effort to engage readers with the stories he deems to be the most important in his career. (No amount of good press will ever make me not hate John Lennon, but I can’t say those stories weren’t interesting.) Like most artists, Gruen has a hard time structuring a concrete narrative, but his stories are still compelling in a way that speaks to human curiosity. It all feels a little bit like a fairy tale, like that many famous people in one place can’t possibly be real. His life seems slightly otherworldly, except his book falls into the nonfiction section of the library instead of the fiction one - proof that maybe there is a little bit of magic in our world after all. All you need is a camera lens to see it through.
Right Place, Right Time is more than just a photography book, elevated above the coffee table clunkers people buy to look cool. Meaningful tales fill the space between photos, rather than copy drummed up at the last minute to fill space in InDesign. Some of the work feels glossed over, but the important stories are there, the highlights of his career picked out amongst a torrent of influential work. It’s refreshing to see an insight into the people who make rock stars look good, the perspective from the other side of the camera. Gruen has influenced hundreds of young artists, whether they know it or not, and now he gets to tell his own story, and hopefully bring even more young photographers into the fold.
Operating on that wisdom from his mother, Bob Gruen has become a man whose name nobody knows, but whose catalogue is familiar to millions.
John Lennon in his New York City shirt, The Sex Pistols touring America, Elton John seemingly floating in mid-air while playing piano...the list goes on and on, a career of photos spanning fifty years of rock and roll as it evolved with the heartbeat of the world. He’s elbowed his way in with the people who fascinate our world the most, taking chances and living life in the fast (tempo) lane as a freelance music photographer in the heart of New York City.
And now, Abrams Press readers can elbow their way in with him.
Out on October 20th, Right Place, Right Time: The Life of a Rock & Roll Photographer chronicles Gruen’s quick rise from amateur concert attendee to seasoned music photographer under the recognizable skyline of New York City. Like all good artists-gone-autobiographers, Gruen feels personable, like someone you’d want to chat to at a party. That kind of personality explains his ability to get in with just about every major rock star in American history, from Ike and Tina Turner to the New York Dolls, among others.
All rock and roll autobiographies start to hit the same notes after a while — they all know about as many narrative structures as a punk does guitar chords — but Gruen has the distinct advantage of tracking his career through his own visual work. Starting with the fuzzy, yellow toned shots every photographer knows all too well, it morphs at a frenetic pace into work that would grace the cover of hundreds of magazines and album covers across the years, from concert photography to portrait sessions to candid shots of rockstars big and small. Everyone from Alice Cooper to Sid Vicious fill the pages of Gruen’s book, an illustration of how rock in New York City grew and changed, fueled by love and grief and a desire to stand out amongst a crowd of thousands.
The story behind how a shot comes to be can be just as fascinating as the work itself, a moment of realization that brings on brilliant work solely because of someone’s quick thinking with a Nikon. Linda McCartney once said that good photography is something you feel instinctively, when you click that shutter in the moment without worrying about the outcome, and Gruen’s body of work certainly reflects that practice. (The copyright watermark that obscured all of the images did dampen their effect, but that might just be a side effect of reading a digital proof.) Right Place gives him the opportunity to tell those stories, to liberate them from the confines of a recording studio or an underground club and send them out into the world to flourish.
Gruen is no rock critic, with every personality he mentions labeled as “fantastic” or “tremendous”, but the enthusiasm for what he does is what makes the stories in this book so exciting. The infectiousness of an artist loving what they do propels all of his writing, and his love for the artists he’s worked with makes him seem like one of us, a normal person serving as a gateway into a stunning, glittering world of rock stardom. Right Place reflects a unique time and place in rock history, when everyone knew everyone else and opportunities and collaborations popped up at a moment’s notice, and Gruen’s stories become uniquely interesting because of it.
Unfortunately, some of those stories get lost to the sands of time (or copyediting) as a visual artist is forced to put pen to paper in an art form he has no experience working in. Like many autobiographies, Right Place starts to slide around its midpoint, its control over Gruen’s career timeline slipping as he affords large chunks of space to his work with a select few artists. Certain months or years are skipped over in mere sentences, while artists like John Lennon and Yoko Ono are afforded chapter after chapter, at the risk of making the book sound like a biography of someone else rather than him. The 80s are hardly a blink in the reader’s eyes, and the Roadrunner race through time in the last few chapters gives off the distinct impression that Gruen grew too bored to afford anything after 1981 more than a paragraph’s worth of space.
That being said, fitting fifty years’ worth of a career into four hundred pages is no easy task, and Gruen makes a clear effort to engage readers with the stories he deems to be the most important in his career. (No amount of good press will ever make me not hate John Lennon, but I can’t say those stories weren’t interesting.) Like most artists, Gruen has a hard time structuring a concrete narrative, but his stories are still compelling in a way that speaks to human curiosity. It all feels a little bit like a fairy tale, like that many famous people in one place can’t possibly be real. His life seems slightly otherworldly, except his book falls into the nonfiction section of the library instead of the fiction one - proof that maybe there is a little bit of magic in our world after all. All you need is a camera lens to see it through.
Right Place, Right Time is more than just a photography book, elevated above the coffee table clunkers people buy to look cool. Meaningful tales fill the space between photos, rather than copy drummed up at the last minute to fill space in InDesign. Some of the work feels glossed over, but the important stories are there, the highlights of his career picked out amongst a torrent of influential work. It’s refreshing to see an insight into the people who make rock stars look good, the perspective from the other side of the camera. Gruen has influenced hundreds of young artists, whether they know it or not, and now he gets to tell his own story, and hopefully bring even more young photographers into the fold.
October 27, 2020
“ I have seen and heard sixty years of rock. I’ve participated as rock and roll has evolved from being played in little clubs to theaters to gigantic festivals, becoming a multibillion-dollar corporate business, as each new generation reinvents it.”
That is how Bob Gruen describes his career in the ending of his new book, Right Place, Right Time The Life Of A Rock & Roll Photographer. But just saying that Gruen was a photographer is an understatement, he is part of rock & roll’s past as much as the musicians he has photographed. You may not necessarily know his name, but if you love rock, you have seen at least a few of Gruen’s photos. One of his most iconic is John Lennon in the New York Tee-shirt
As with any autobiography you get the back story, from his time as a boy, his first camera, etc… but it is when his career began back in 1965 at the Newport Folk Festival that the book takes on magic. He was there to capture Bob Dylan at the moment he “ went electric “ and put behind his folk days, and from then on he managed to find himself at the right places and with the right people.
He writes about musicians we all know, but he really knew them, behind the camera, and in front of it. Names I can only dream about seeing live, much less photographing them.
He saw the rise of CBGB’s, with the Ramones, New York Dolls, and the rise of American punk rock, The Sex Pistols on their ill-fated US tour, The Ramones, Elton John at the beginning before the glasses and costumes, and so many more. He tells of the long grudge Dylan has with him, and of funny and touching stories of those he becomes friends with.
Some of my favorite stories were of John and Yoko, my favorite being of John knocking on apartment doors in Gruen’s building trying to find the correct apart. Can you imagine opening your door and there stood John Lennon? He was close to him and Yoko, in fact, he spoke to John the day before he died, and was working on photos of him and Yoko when he first heard the news of him being shot. I can only imagine the pain he must have felt, as I also felt the pain that night, and I didn’t know Lennon, other than through his music, but I can tell you what I was doing at to exact moment I heard on the car radio that John Lennon had been shot. I also remember laying in bed all night listening to a radio station that played his music for the rest of the night. It was a great personal loss to Gruen, but it was also a loss to the world and we all mourned together.
Joe Strummer of The Clash was another favorite of mine, as were the stories told about him in the book, how the band would allow fans to come back and speak to them after the show, because well, they knew it was them that paid their way, even after they were more household names, they still were accessible to their fans.
Right Place, Right Time is the book for every music lover or even someone who might want in the business. Even a casual music fan will find this book entertaining, for me…it was a 5 star read
That is how Bob Gruen describes his career in the ending of his new book, Right Place, Right Time The Life Of A Rock & Roll Photographer. But just saying that Gruen was a photographer is an understatement, he is part of rock & roll’s past as much as the musicians he has photographed. You may not necessarily know his name, but if you love rock, you have seen at least a few of Gruen’s photos. One of his most iconic is John Lennon in the New York Tee-shirt
As with any autobiography you get the back story, from his time as a boy, his first camera, etc… but it is when his career began back in 1965 at the Newport Folk Festival that the book takes on magic. He was there to capture Bob Dylan at the moment he “ went electric “ and put behind his folk days, and from then on he managed to find himself at the right places and with the right people.
He writes about musicians we all know, but he really knew them, behind the camera, and in front of it. Names I can only dream about seeing live, much less photographing them.
He saw the rise of CBGB’s, with the Ramones, New York Dolls, and the rise of American punk rock, The Sex Pistols on their ill-fated US tour, The Ramones, Elton John at the beginning before the glasses and costumes, and so many more. He tells of the long grudge Dylan has with him, and of funny and touching stories of those he becomes friends with.
Some of my favorite stories were of John and Yoko, my favorite being of John knocking on apartment doors in Gruen’s building trying to find the correct apart. Can you imagine opening your door and there stood John Lennon? He was close to him and Yoko, in fact, he spoke to John the day before he died, and was working on photos of him and Yoko when he first heard the news of him being shot. I can only imagine the pain he must have felt, as I also felt the pain that night, and I didn’t know Lennon, other than through his music, but I can tell you what I was doing at to exact moment I heard on the car radio that John Lennon had been shot. I also remember laying in bed all night listening to a radio station that played his music for the rest of the night. It was a great personal loss to Gruen, but it was also a loss to the world and we all mourned together.
Joe Strummer of The Clash was another favorite of mine, as were the stories told about him in the book, how the band would allow fans to come back and speak to them after the show, because well, they knew it was them that paid their way, even after they were more household names, they still were accessible to their fans.
Right Place, Right Time is the book for every music lover or even someone who might want in the business. Even a casual music fan will find this book entertaining, for me…it was a 5 star read
February 6, 2021
I requested an arc for this on NetGalley.
I was interested in this book, because it's about photography.
I'm not necessarily all that familiar with the rock scene, but my parents listened to it a lot and so obviously whilst growing up I listened to it as well. I really like to read books that are about people successfully making an career out of their dreams. Especially when Bob Gruen ended up making a lot of iconic photographs and connections in the music industry, of like Tina Turner, Bob Dylan, Elton John, Alice Cooper to name a few. So it was intriguing to read about.
What I really liked about this book was the fact that not only are you finding out more tidbits about Bob Gruen, but also the people either working or partying in the scene. And it does paint a picture of that time period. How for just 5 dollars you could see the Rolling Stones which now seems crazy. And also how certain artists grew into the icons they are to this day. I also really like the photo's that were included, which of course would've been weird to leave out of the story of a photographer. I wasn't familiar with those pictures so it was nice to see them, as well as that they were intertwined with the paragraphs surrounding the pictures.
I also liked the humorous conversational way of how the memoir was told, which definitely made it an easy read.
I was interested in this book, because it's about photography.
I'm not necessarily all that familiar with the rock scene, but my parents listened to it a lot and so obviously whilst growing up I listened to it as well. I really like to read books that are about people successfully making an career out of their dreams. Especially when Bob Gruen ended up making a lot of iconic photographs and connections in the music industry, of like Tina Turner, Bob Dylan, Elton John, Alice Cooper to name a few. So it was intriguing to read about.
What I really liked about this book was the fact that not only are you finding out more tidbits about Bob Gruen, but also the people either working or partying in the scene. And it does paint a picture of that time period. How for just 5 dollars you could see the Rolling Stones which now seems crazy. And also how certain artists grew into the icons they are to this day. I also really like the photo's that were included, which of course would've been weird to leave out of the story of a photographer. I wasn't familiar with those pictures so it was nice to see them, as well as that they were intertwined with the paragraphs surrounding the pictures.
I also liked the humorous conversational way of how the memoir was told, which definitely made it an easy read.
March 13, 2025
Extensive memoir of possibly one of the most fortuitous careers in rock history photography. Gruen's horseshoes for being in exactly the Right Place, Right Time with some of the most legendary artists to walk a stage is impressive, and he has the pics to prove it (and the photos themselves are just as fabled.)
His stories, while interesting, almost always seem to be missing a little something though. It's hard to put a finger on. Gruen was undeniably passionate about his discovery of new music (and being around for the evolution of music in the 60s and 70s was probably the best of experimental music of all), and he certainly enjoyed the position and privilege his photography career gave him. But it seemed to me that a large portion of his anecdotes lacked something a little deeper. He hints at it in some of the stories of John and Yoko, but I think he was reserved, probably and understandably to protect the privacy (and dignity) of some of those who were clearly good friends.
I think it's a little difficult to do a full and proper memoir of those legendary, excessive years in rock and still hold back in the way it feels Gruen has. And I guess that's ok, but I think it was a disservice to the overall impact of what was clearly a memorable life.
His stories, while interesting, almost always seem to be missing a little something though. It's hard to put a finger on. Gruen was undeniably passionate about his discovery of new music (and being around for the evolution of music in the 60s and 70s was probably the best of experimental music of all), and he certainly enjoyed the position and privilege his photography career gave him. But it seemed to me that a large portion of his anecdotes lacked something a little deeper. He hints at it in some of the stories of John and Yoko, but I think he was reserved, probably and understandably to protect the privacy (and dignity) of some of those who were clearly good friends.
I think it's a little difficult to do a full and proper memoir of those legendary, excessive years in rock and still hold back in the way it feels Gruen has. And I guess that's ok, but I think it was a disservice to the overall impact of what was clearly a memorable life.
February 5, 2021
In his memoir, Gruen recounts his life and career as a legendary rock and roll photographer documenting some of contemporary music’s most iconic performers for nearly six decades. With a portfolio filled to the brim with figures like John Lennon, Ike & Tina Turner, Bob Dylan, the New York Dolls, Alice Cooper, the Clash, and countless others, Gruen shares personal stories of his life on the road and in some of the most legendary rock clubs and concert halls. Looking back on his career, Gruen attributes his success and life’s work to a willingness to just get out there and not let life pass you by, even if there are times of financial uncertainty and insecurity. And that approach to his art and profession sure paid off with such incredible and intimate portraits and profiles of so many iconic figures. Having worked all over the world, from the early days of punk in New York to documenting the rising admiration of rock in Japan to capturing blossoming music scenes throughout Europe, Gruen and his camera have seen it all.
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December 16, 2020JUST PICKED UP THIS BOOK FROM MY LIBRARY AND I LEAFED THROUGH IT LOOKING AT THE PICTURES -- IT COVERS A LONG TIME AND IT'S A VERY INSIDE AND PERSONAL LOOK AT ALL THE "ARTISTS" BIG AND SMALL -- ANYONE WHO'S INTERESTED IN ROCK AND ROLL IS GOING TO LOVE THIS BOOK BUT I'M A RHYTHM AND BLUES GUY AND THERE'S A BIG DIFFERENCE SO I DOUBT I WOULD HAVE READ IT IN ANY CASE BUT I'M SURE TO LOOK AT ALL THE PICTURES AND GET INTO THE STORIES A BIT JUST FOR THE POPULAR CULTURE AND ZEITGEIST WHICH INTERESTS ME A LOT AND LOOKING BACK IT SEEMS LIKE DECADE AFTER DECADE STARTING IN THE 40'S. TO ME DISCO WAS THE END BUT MOST ROCK AND ROLLERS WOULD COUNT TOW OR THREE DECADES AFTER THAT . ONE THING IS SURE THOUGH IT'S ALL GONE GONE GONE NOW REPLACED RAP I GUESS...
WELL THIS IS REVIEW FROM SOMEONE THAT'S UNLIKELY TO ACTUALLY READ THE BOOK BUT IF YOU WANT A LOT MORE LISTEN TO TERRY GROSS'S INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR...
THAT'S ALL FOLKS -- HCM
November 30, 2024
As an amateur photographer, I picked this up hoping to learn something about photography. There were a couple of lessons, but the book didn't deliver satisfaction on that desire.
As someone who loves music I'd hoped the book might give me new insight into some of the music I loved. Again, I was disappointed. There's a lot of name dropping of various famous folks, and even some stories about hijinks on tour, or whatever, but it's shallow pool made of many name drops and drips.
For the book's third chance at redemption, I hoped that maybe the memoir might be brave or insightful or show -- in writing -- how the artist who can see the world through a lens might use that same ability to see things clearly to write about his own life, or to at least make interesting observations about life. The book didn't deliver as a memoir, either.
Talented photographer, not a talented writer.
As someone who loves music I'd hoped the book might give me new insight into some of the music I loved. Again, I was disappointed. There's a lot of name dropping of various famous folks, and even some stories about hijinks on tour, or whatever, but it's shallow pool made of many name drops and drips.
For the book's third chance at redemption, I hoped that maybe the memoir might be brave or insightful or show -- in writing -- how the artist who can see the world through a lens might use that same ability to see things clearly to write about his own life, or to at least make interesting observations about life. The book didn't deliver as a memoir, either.
Talented photographer, not a talented writer.
December 15, 2020
I was interested in reading this book because I really like photography. I enjoy listening to other photographers tell their stories and talk about their creative process, so I was predisposed to like this book.
It's a casual and fun read, decades of stories from the rock and roll industry. It's pretty obvious that the author has a passion for his work, he put up with a lot and stuck with it and was rewarded with a life he wanted to live. Pretty sweet if you ask me.
I personally would have enjoyed reading more about the technicalities of how he shot, he goes into that but not in a whole lot of detail. This book is more of a conversation than a how-to. I enjoyed it.
I received a copy of this book from the Goodreads Giveaway program and what you read was my honest review.
It's a casual and fun read, decades of stories from the rock and roll industry. It's pretty obvious that the author has a passion for his work, he put up with a lot and stuck with it and was rewarded with a life he wanted to live. Pretty sweet if you ask me.
I personally would have enjoyed reading more about the technicalities of how he shot, he goes into that but not in a whole lot of detail. This book is more of a conversation than a how-to. I enjoyed it.
I received a copy of this book from the Goodreads Giveaway program and what you read was my honest review.
February 5, 2022
An excellent memoir and photo collection by the fantastic rock photographer Bob Gruen great stories about his personal friendship with John Lennon and Yoko Ono, as well as just a series of stories about his willingness to be in the right place at the right time. need someone to fly to Japan to shoot your band? He's right there. need someone to go downtown to take some photos. He's right there. He always has his camera with him. And if he doesn't have it, he'll leave in the middle of the show and go home to get it. Bob Gruen a truly excellent rock photographer, a great memoir, and an incredible list of bands and musicians that you've photographed. And one excellent story about Bob Dylan not liking him. Good book.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
December 1, 2022
Gruen’s taken some of the most iconic photographs in rock. His memoir’s fun, filled with adventures and interactions with singers and bands through the years (The Stones, Ike & Tina Turner, Lennon, Dylan, The Clash, Green Day, etc.). With ambition, luck, and an appreciation for craft, he was able to make a challenging living documenting the rise of an exciting art form. I was hoping for more revelatory insights into musicians’ personalities and thinking, but Gruen’s restrained in his approach. He writes, for example, that he had many conversations with Yoko Ono, but we’re not privy to much beyond that. I understand why he wouldn’t wish to divulge much, as many of the artists featured are/were his friends, but I was rarely startled by reflections related to interiority.
September 30, 2023
This book is my new answer to the question: “What’s your favorite book?”
I loved reading this book. Its a behind the scenes guide to early rock n roll with The NY Dolls, the Stones, Alice Cooper and more. Plus the punk rock history and the stories with the Pistols and the Clash. And then on to the later side of rock n roll with Green Day, D Gen and others. Not to mention his relationship with John and Yoko.
I loved reading about Max’s Kansas City, CBGB and so many other venues.
As a music photographer myself I’ve admired Bob’s work forever and I feel like I got a little taste of what it was like to pursue and excel as a rock photographer in the age of film photography.
I loved reading this book. Its a behind the scenes guide to early rock n roll with The NY Dolls, the Stones, Alice Cooper and more. Plus the punk rock history and the stories with the Pistols and the Clash. And then on to the later side of rock n roll with Green Day, D Gen and others. Not to mention his relationship with John and Yoko.
I loved reading about Max’s Kansas City, CBGB and so many other venues.
As a music photographer myself I’ve admired Bob’s work forever and I feel like I got a little taste of what it was like to pursue and excel as a rock photographer in the age of film photography.
December 29, 2021
The most consistently entertaining book of all the NY/CBGB-adjacent music bios I’ve read recently (Everything is Combustible by Richard Lloyd, Punk Avenue by Phil Marcade, Remain In Love by Chris Frantz). Less bio, more collection of anecdotes. Leans heavily on his relationship with John Lennon + Yoko Ono. Gruen reads the audiobook & made an 8-hour car ride pleasant. Also his Bob Dylan interactions over the years are awkward, uncomfortable, and a bit bizarre…. which is exactly how I would imagine it to be.
January 27, 2023
This is Bob Gruen’s story – how he combined his passions, photography and music, to become a top rock photographer. His love for music and respect for the artists comes through and he became friends with many of them. It says a lot that they trusted him and invited him along. I’m sure he left his wildest stories out and there’s discretion with his personal life. But this book is really about his subjects, the rock stars he captured on film. There are lots of photos and I’m sure he’s got thousands more and many more stories. I wouldn’t have minded if the book was longer.
December 23, 2020
Rock photographer Bob Gruen shares some of his many stories and experiences, both good and bad, capturing the image of many of the biggest names in rock's fabled pantheon. Told in an enjoyable conversational style this book is a tremendous amount of fun with interesting tidbits and facts that might not be known except for Mr. Gruen's faithful viewfinder. The best part is the collection of photos, and his recollections of how these pictures came to be.
January 16, 2021
At first, I thought that Gruen had simply strung together a bunch of anecdotes, illustrated with the photos that came out of the stories, and I was completely fine with that. But there's something deeper going on here: Gruen argues that his success is because he was willing to go with and take advantage of whatever the day brought, and that's exactly how the book reads. He made his own fortune by being open and flexible. A pretty great lesson.
September 9, 2021
Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this book in return for an honest review.
Rating: 3⭐
This is an interesting account by Bob Gruen about being a photographer in the rock and roll industry. It was well written and I enjoyed it. The only reason the review has taken so long to write is because biographies and autobiographies can take me a while to read.
Would I Read It Again? Yes
Would I Recommend it? Yes
Rating: 3⭐
This is an interesting account by Bob Gruen about being a photographer in the rock and roll industry. It was well written and I enjoyed it. The only reason the review has taken so long to write is because biographies and autobiographies can take me a while to read.
Would I Read It Again? Yes
Would I Recommend it? Yes
January 24, 2021
I got this book for Xmas. I knew nothing about the author so I as hoping for some insight into how things work for a Rock & Roll photographer. The book was mostly a series of name dropping (many of which were lost on me) and venue descriptions. The redeeming part of the book was the parts having to do with John Lennon and Yoko, particularly those memories around the time of John’s death.
February 5, 2021
If you are a rock & roll fan, you should read this book. You will not only find many cherish pictures of musicians, but also a little history of Rock & Roll. This memoir is more than a personal one, but also a memoir of Rock & Roll. The author is more than a photographer of all those musicians, but also their good friend.
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