Brad Elterman (photography)

Brad Elterman photography
Stiv Exposes Himself at Aron's Records

The Industrialists 1977: I photographed dozens of cool bands that never went anywhere. These are the Industrialists. I took them out to an out-of-the-way area of downtown Los Angeles to take some photos. I loved photographing the girl in the band. I can't remember her name, but I think she briefly dated the band’s producer, Kim Fowley. Dig the red gloves!

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The Ramones Work My Camera 1978: The Ramones were staying at the Sunset Marquis, just down the street from the intersection of Sunset Blvd and Alta Loma. The band was wonderful to photograph and they really knew how to work the camera. They would all line up and strike their pose like they had already done it a thousand times before. It was so cute to watch. I am sure they were taught how to do the dog for the camera by their brilliant manager, Danny Fields, also a talented photographer. Both the Sunset Marquis and The Whiskey are still around. You can go for a visit and stand in the exact spot where Joey, Johnny, Dee Dee and Tommy once stood. I should conduct tours of these landmarks.

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Sid Vicious, Winterland 1978: Nothing was more anticipated than the Sex Pistols concert in San Francisco. There was no local L.A. show, so everyone made arrangements for flights, rides and motels. Half of the people in S.F. were from the in crowd L.A. scene. It was not an easy ticket or pass to obtain, but I got there and took photos. I learned very quickly that live onstage photos really did not sell, and I spent more time trying to get the behind-the-scenes photos. This one took my fancy.

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The Orchids At Kim's Hollywood Dog Den 1979: Kim Fowley would refer to his apartment as his “Dog Den.” Really cool bands and girls always hung out there. This photo was taken beside Kim's swimming pool, which I am sure he never once used. Our good friend Michelle Meyer was kind of the queen of the house. She helped him with all of his daily tasks. Kim would yell at Michelle while she was busy on the phones or typing away, “Michelle Meyer, keep urinating!” It was hysterical, but you really had to be there to see it in person. One of Kim's brilliant seventies bands were The Orchids. I do not even remember their music or how well they played, but it did not matter. Between Kim's talent and me hustling the photos all over the world, these girls were in every magazine from Germany to Japan. All that without a single tour. That is what it took back then - a talented producer and someone to take the photos and hype it to the magazines all over the world. Keep in mind this was decades before the internet!

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The British Pop Star & The Girl 1976: If you were in-crowd or involved in the music industry around 1976 you knew that Rod Stewart played soccer every Saturday at the Coldwater Canyon park in Beverly Hills. He was nuts about his game. I showed up every weekend with a long lens and I shot away. Rod never seemed to care. I would dash off to the color lab; then the next day on to the post office to mail my color slides to the teen publications in London. They purchased them all and demanded more. Photos of Rod kicking a ball can get a bit mundane after while; but if you wanted to make the real dough, you needed to get Rod with a girl. This photo is just what the London Daily Mirror wanted. Not only did they love the chick in the photo, but the icing on the cake was Rod with his pint of beer in hand! That is what made this photo! During these magical days at the Coldwater Canyon park, not once did anyone say No Photos nor did another photographer ever appear. Today, it would be total bedlam to photograph a star of Rod’s magnitude in a public park. The last time I drove by the park the soccer field was gone and the Department Of Water & Power had taken over the property. I will always have these wonderful memories of Rod, the soccer field, and that chick with the endless legs!

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Duran at the Riot House 1981: I was a really big Duran Duran fan. Everything about the band was so cool. I read about them in the European press and of course, I had heard their records all over the radio. A couple of days before their debut showcase at the Roxy, I called up their road manager at the Hyatt House (we used to call it the Riot House) and asked for a photo session. I could have told him I was shooting for Music Life and Rock Show, which were amazing magazines in Japan regularly publishing my work. The band had nothing better to do, so it was arranged and I met them at the hotel pool. They did not have a clue about getting around in Los Angeles; so, I piled them into my old Mercedes and gave them a tour of the Sunset Strip. The photo session was amazing and John Taylor made sure that I was on the guest list for the gig that evening. The following year, Andy Taylor got married at the Chateau Marmont Hotel and I just kind of showed up with some friends and joined the bash. Camera in hand, of course.

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The Ramones on Sunset Boulevard 1978: The Ramones were staying at the Sunset Marquis, near the current House of Blues. Their manager Danny Fields let me grab the band from their rooms for this quick shot. I think I promised him a photo for Rock Scene magazine, but the photos were published all over the world. I still see bootleggers trying to sell this image. They look a bit out of place with all the California sunshine, albeit standing in their classic poses.

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Joan Jett And Sandy West Santa Monica Pier 1977: One day I piled all of The Runaways into my car and drove them off to Santa Monica beach. We did a bunch of posed photos on the pier, but this is definitely one of my favorites. Probably because it is just Joan with Sandy West the drummer. Sandy was there at the very beginning of the band. Joan and Sandy were close. It is incredible how much Joan looks like Kristen Stewart in this photograph. Or does Kristen Stewart look like Joan in this photograph?

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I Was A Teenage Paparazzo 1975: I wanted to take David Bowie's photo in the worst way. I had called his publicist asking for a photo pass, but I was turned down. No one knew me at the time and Bowie had a couple of photographers who did most of his coverage, but this was not going to stop me. I had a tip that he was having a late night recording session at Cherokee Recording Studios on Fairfax Blvd in Hollywood. The tip came from a very reliable source; so, I cut school, got there really early in the morning, and waited for Bowie to emerge. 6am Bowie walked out and the early morning light was magic. All he said to me was “Good Morning.” Since no one was really doing paparazzi-style photography back then both Bowie and his producer, Paul Buckmaster, thought my approach was incredibly hysterical. Word got out to all of the publicists in town that I was bold enough to perform this sort of ambush, but since I was a teenage kid, they all found it amusing. Creem ran the photograph as a full page in their "Stars And Their Cars" section.

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John Taylor from Duran Duran hanging out by the pool 1981: I was a really big Duran Duran fan. Everything about the band was so cool. I read about them in the European press and of course, I had heard their records all over the radio. A couple of days before their debut showcase at the Roxy, I called up their road manager at the Hyatt House (we used to call it the Riot House) and asked for a photo session. I could have told him I was shooting for Music Life and Rock Show, which were amazing magazines in Japan regularly publishing my work. The band had nothing better to do, so it was arranged and I met them at the hotel pool. They did not have a clue about getting around in Los Angeles; so, I piled them into my old Mercedes and gave them a tour of the Sunset Strip. The photo session was amazing and John Taylor made sure that I was on the guest list for the gig that evening. The following year, Andy Taylor got married at the Chateau Marmont Hotel and I just kind of showed up with some friends and joined the bash. Camera in hand, of course.

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Duran at the Riot House 1981: I was a really big Duran Duran fan. Everything about the band was so cool. I read about them in the European press and of course, I had heard their records all over the radio. A couple of days before their debut showcase at the Roxy, I called up their road manager at the Hyatt House (we used to call it the Riot House) and asked for a photo session. I could have told him I was shooting for Music Life and Rock Show, which were amazing magazines in Japan regularly publishing my work. The band had nothing better to do, so it was arranged and I met them at the hotel pool. They did not have a clue about getting around in Los Angeles; so, I piled them into my old Mercedes and gave them a tour of the Sunset Strip. The photo session was amazing and John Taylor made sure that I was on the guest list for the gig that evening. The following year, Andy Taylor got married at the Chateau Marmont Hotel and I just kind of showed up with some friends and joined the bash. Camera in hand, of course.

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Debbie Harry Early Visits To Los Angeles 1977: Debbie Harry was such an exciting person to photograph. The camera adored her and she loved having her photo taken, which is a rare match in my industry. Blondie's first Whiskey A Go Go concert in Los Angeles was a big deal. I was hired by their record company and brilliant manager, Toby Mamis, to do the official photographs. Not that getting backstage to a concert in 1977 was all that difficult, but it always helped when you were taking photos for the band. Debbie also did more than work the photo press line at an awards show at the old Hollywood Palladium, she also hung out with all of us!

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Leif Garrett & Nicolette Sheridan 1980: No producer or art director could have ever created a sexier couple than a teenage Nicolette Sheridan and heartthrob Leif Garrett. This was Nicolette's first photo session for the mass media. I had worked with Leif for years and he was my pal. One warm summer day he called me and commanded that I drop everything and get right over to his house and make sure to “BRING YOUR CAMERA.” He said he had a new hot girlfriend. Well, it turned out to be a teenage Nicolette Adams, the step-daughter of actor Telly Savalas. (Remember Kojak?) Well, when I showed up I could not believe this chick. She was to-die-for and by the look of things, Leif had probably had her in bed all day long! She wanted to get dressed for the impromptu photo session, but I would not hear of it. “No way.” So this is the result. I wanted that kind of just-fucked look. Worked out great, I think.

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Teenage Twins 1977: The Japanese went nuts when they found out that Cherie had a twin sister. I did too and so did just about everyone else on the scene. They were adorable to photograph. Dig the stuff animal toys!

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