Days of Punk
| PUNK IMAGES
Lene Lovich,
Boston, MA, 1983
COVER: Jello Biafra
of the Dead Kennedys #6,
Boston, MA 1981
ARTIST STATEMENT
When I came of age in the late 70’s and early 80’s, it was in the middle of an artistic rebellion that changed the face of politics and culture forever. This was the era of Punk; bold, self expressed and free. An era of music, attitude and fashion that spat in the face of the established norms.
I had grown up in an oldworld Italian household in suburban New York. Tradition and rules marked my childhood. I was told how to be, how not to be. I felt stifled. Walking into my first Punk club in Boston at age eighteen, I found I suddenly joined a club where everybody belonged. I could finally be myself, or at least find out who I really was.
Wear what you want! Say what you want! Make music however you want! In this culture of acceptance, myself and countless others dove headfirst into a journey of social and artistic freedom.
This was my life from 1978 to 1986, in sticky, blackwalled punk clubs at night, in the bowels of Boston, with punk bands that would eventually become legends, as they started off on tours around America. I toted my 35mm film camera, and captured punk stars on stage, behind the curtain, and on gritty Boston streets.
The spirit of Punk was extraordinary, its music endures. It marked me forever. This collection of work has never before been seen. As you look at these images, I hope you also get touched by its infectious freedom
MICHAEL GRECCO
ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
The multimedia exhibition DAYS OF PUNK features over one hundred black and white and color photographs of music legends such as Billy Idol, New Order, Talking Heads, Elvis Costello, Human Sexual Response, David Bowie, Joan Jett, The Clash, Johnny Rotten, The Buzzcocks, Lou Reed and the Ramones portrayed, without filters or gimmicks, by photographer and filmmaker Michael Grecco.
The photographs in the show were taken from the late 1970s to the early 1990s, when Grecco witnessed the explosion of the punk, postpunk and new wave scene at concerts and nightclubs in Boston and New York City. In the midst of events, on stage, backstage and in the crowds, the photographer chronicled, for posterity, a frenetic moment in rock history, translating into image the rebelliousness, raw energy, emotional potency, and outrageous irreverence that characterized alternative music at the time.
For a truly immersive experience, DAYS OF PUNK features soundscapes specially created for the exhibition in collaboration with Roger Miller and Peter Prescott of the cult band Mission of Burma, and videos put together in collaboration with Jeremy Troy, including archival footage that Grecco himself shot during the punk era.
Additionally, facsimiles from Boston Rock magazine and original posters designed by artist Dini Lamot – all from Grecco’s personal collection – are available to be shown.
The exhibition is an extension of Michael Grecco’s latest book, Punk, Post Punk, New Wave: Onstage, Backstage, In Your Face 1978–1991, published in 2020 to great acclaim.
Michael Grecco,
Boston, MA
1978 and 1980
MICHAEL GRECCO is an award-winning photographer and director based in Los Angeles. He is recognized internationally for his high concept imagery, mastery of lighting, and powerful connections with his subjects in an immense body of work that encompasses fine art, celebrity portraiture, music, commercial, and editorial photography.
Born in New York City, Michael attended college in Boston, where he began his professional career shooting for the Associated Press and covering the music scene for the legendary FM radio station WBCN. Previously unseen photographs from his time as a music photographer comprise his latest book, Punk, Post Punk, New Wave: Onstage, Backstage,In Your Face, 1978–1991 (Abrams), and the accompanying multimedia exhibition Days of Punk, which premiered at Photo London in 2021.
Michael has lived in Los Angeles since the late 1980s when he was invited by People magazine to be a celebrity
photographer. He has continued to create new work ever since, and his images have appeared in publications including Time, Vanity Fair, Esquire, and Rolling Stone, among many others.
grecco.com | daysofpunk.com
The Rat Nightclub
Boston, MA
1979
“Wear what you want!
Say what you want!
Make music however you want!
In this culture of acceptance,
myself and countless others dove headfirst
into a journey of social and artistic freedom.”
DEVO, Boston, MA 1978
Lux Interior of The Cramps, Boston, MA, 1980
Siouxsie Sioux of Siouxsie
and the Banshees, Boston, MA, 1980
Siouxsie and the Banshees, Boston, MA, 1980
Johnny Rotten and Keith Levene
of Public Image, Ltd.
Boston, MA, 1980
Johnny Rotten
of Public Image, Ltd.
Boston, MA, 1980
Wendy O. Williams of the Plasmatics, Boston, MA, 1980
Adam Ant, Cambridge, MA, 1981
Posters by Dini Lamot, member of the band Human Sexual Response, and creator of their communication and covers.
All posters from the late 1970s to 1980s.
Jello Blafra of The Dead Kennedys, Boston, MA, 1981
Ramones, Boston, MA, 1981
Mick Jones
of The Clash
New York, NY, 1981
LEFT: Billy Idol, Boston, MA, 1982
ABOVE: Lou Reed, Boston, MA 1980
LEFT: Aimee Mann of ‘Til Tuesday, Boston, MA 1985
BELOW: ‘Til Tuesday, Boston, MA 1985
TOURING EXHIBITION SPECIFICATIONS
DAYS OF PUNK PHOTOGRAPHY BY MICHAEL GRECCO
All images ©Michael Grecco
Content: Two touring exhibitions
- USA Tour|110 Framed Prints (various sizes)
Print sizes vary between 16×24 and 26×40 inches
Two light boxes (24×24 inches)
Videos and Soundscapes
Memorabilia (original posters and magazines) - EU Tour|104 Framed Prints
Various print sizes (70x50cm & 100x100cm)
Four large light boxes
Videos and Soundscapes
Memorabilia (original posters and magazines)
Traveling from:
- Los Angeles, California (USA)
- Málaga, Spain (EU)
Available Now!
BOOKING LOAN FEES & INQUIRIES
Please contact: Patricia Lanza, PL@360curate.com | T: +1 310 463 6832
PUBLICATION AND PRINTS AVAILABLE
VENUES/USA & WORLD TOUR
Huntsville Museum of Art | Huntsville, Alabama, USA | October 10, 2024 – February 1, 2025
Centro Cultural de Cascais | Cascais, Portugal | October 14, 2023 – January 28, 2024
MOAH – Museum of Art & History Lancaster, California, USA | February 14 – March 19, 2023
Southeast Museum of Photography | Daytona State, Florida, USA | August 30 – December 17, 2022
La Térmica | Málaga, Spain | February 4 – September 30, 2022
Al Jourgensen of Ministry #3,
Austin, TX 1989
