brad elterman
One of my Tumblr fans asked me to post a photo of Rodney Bingenheimer, The Mayor Of The Sunset Strip. Well here is Rodney backstage with Still Bator from The Dead Boys backstage at The Starwood in 1978. Rodney and I were best pals for years. We traveled the world together and he introduced me to so many incredible talented members of seventies Pop Culture. We still speak all the time. Thank you Tumblr fans. Keep those requests coming!
The Ramones were so much fun to photograph. They had all the poses down and it was so natural for them. I think that their brilliant manager Danny Fields, also a photographer, trained them well. I took this photo backstage at a Whiskey A Go Go concert in 1977. In a thousand years historians will be able to pinpoint the exact time and place that this photograph was taken by studying the graffiti on the Whiskey’s wall!
Forgive me if I have posted this one already. I just can not get this photo off my mind. Interesting how I even remember taking it back in 1978. This one is a double page in my upcoming book, “Like It Was Yesterday”.
Joan Jett Flips Me The Finger
1977: Joan Jett is not pissed off at me. She is just being Joan! We were all hanging around backstage waiting for Joan and the rest of The Runaways to take the stage. In a thousand years when a historian finds this photo they will be able to pinpoint the exact location by looking at the hieroglyphics on the wall of The Whiskey.
Bebe Buell And Stiv Bators At Fiorucci’s 1978, photo by Brad Elterman
This photo was taken at an incredible party at Fiorucci’s store in Beverly Hills. I think KISS, tons of stars and beautiful girls were present. Fiorucci’s was known for its outrageous fashions and fun parties, as well as the punks who worked there. Bebe had been living with Todd Rundgren and was at many happening parties. Think of Elvis Costello’s “This Year’s Model,” written when he was dating her. Stiv Bators was the lead singer of the Dead Boys. Interesting how celebrities attract. FYI Bebe is the mother of Liv Tyler. Stiv was hit by a car in Paris, refused to go to the hospital, and died in his sleep.
Debbie Harry at The Whisky A Go Go 1977, photo by Brad Elterman
I was hired by Private Stock records to photograph Blondie’s very first Los Angeles concert — a really big deal. We had read about Debbie in Rock Scene and of course knew all of her records. I had all access to the event and I invited my pal Ron Galella to do backstage photos. Debbie and Chris got a real kick out of this. I have not seen Debbie in years, but her former manager, Toby Mamis, remains in touch to this day.
Stiv Bators & the dead boys, photo by Brad Elterman
Stiv Exposes Himself… Again 1978:
The Dead Boys were from Ohio and made several trips to Los Angeles. The lead singer, Stiv Bators, was just about the ugliest guy in punk, but had the most beautiful girlfriends. He had this thing about exposing himself during photo sessions. Not too sure where that came from, but it was a real shocker the first time I photographed him. Years went by after this photo was taken and I met up with him at his apartment in Paris. I also met and came to know his parents, who were staying there. A few weeks after I had visited Stiv in Paris he was hit by a car and killed.
