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Arts

1970s photographer finds and buys his own negatives of Joan Jett, The Ramones and more on eBay

Since the 1970s, Brad Elterman has spent his time taking a lens to rock royalty. To date he’s contributed spreads, covers and individual shots to just about every big music, fashion or photography mag there is, his candid images known for being honest, utterly unforgiving but altogether just fucking cool.

Recently he rediscovered a collection of his old negatives on eBay and bought them back. He then spoke to Vice, remembering his time in the 1970s shooting the likes of David Bowie, Joan Jett, KISS and a ton of others.

Elterman at his desk, 1980. All photos: Brad Elterman

Down memory lane: Dan Elterman reflects on life in the 70s, littered amongst the gods and goddesses of rock ‘n’ roll.

“I wasn’t a traditional rock ‘n’ roll photographer because I didn’t give a shit about taking a photograph of someone holding a guitar. That’s what all the other photographers at the time were doing, and I wasn’t interested in those generic concert pictures. I photographed backstage – those were the really exciting pictures that told a story; those were the images that the magazines were craving.”

Read the full interview on Vice. It’s well worth it.

Check out a few of our favourite Elterman shots below:

Olivia Newton John kisses John Travolta
Joan Jett and Danny Wilde
KISS backstage at the Anaheim Stadium
Debbie Harry
Debbie Harry
Mark Hamill with the Quick
Danny Wilde
Sue Mengers, Michael Eisner, and John Travolta
The Orchids
The Ramones on the set of Rock ‘n’ Roll High School
Jackie Curtis and Andy Warhol
David Cassidy
Joan Jett on the Santa Monica pier
Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols

Via Vice.