Patti and Sam

Reading a magazine article about photographer David Gahr and his celebrated b/w pictures of folk and rock royalty. A World War II veteran Gahr had a reputation of being "mean enough to handle any band. They know I won't take shit". Two of his photographs will be instantly recognizable from your record collection - a shot of Miles Davis in action graces the cover of the Jack Johnson album, and an introspective looking Bruce Springsteen was captured for the The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle album. My personal favourite David Gahr picture is of Patti Smith and Sam Shepard. Gahr said of the photograph: "I stopped in on the poet Patti Smith during 1972 at the Chelsea Hotel to bring her some proof sheets of herself, Eric Anderson and Viva. Sam Shepard was there - Patti was in a play of his at the time - and I asked them out on the balcony where I took their image. God, they looked good together".