This book was fell into my lap and captured my attention like an old family album or school year book. Punk Pioneers, a photography book shot by Jenny Lens, doesn’t read like a coffee table book but more like a yearbook, given the, at least to this girly who’s into punk, famous faces in it. The Ramones, the Screamers, Debbie Harry, Van Halen and Joan Jett are in it. The Sex Pistols even make an appearance. Lens’s images have a causual air about them, the subjects are photographed not just in concert environments, but hanging out, goofing off. Len’s had the unique position of being in the scene and of being within this crowd or world, which tranfers very well into the images. They feel intimate because Lens was most likely friends with her subjects and the images feel fun, as if they were taken on the sly during many punk adventures.
But, but, but, what I found so incredibly enjoyable was the prescence of the ladies of punk in this book. While also being shot by a woman, Jenny makes sure to include female musicans as well as groupies, fans, ect. I feel like most photography books on punk focus more on the boys and less on the girls. Usually girls are just portrayed as mainly girlfriends or groupies, then fans and then are portrayed as a small number of musicans. Jenny does a great job giving female musicans tons of coverage. so…i loved it! and thus, i think other awesome girlies will as well.
*c the intern*
