A Night With Annie Leibovitz
There can’t be a better way to return to the WordPress world than with a tale involving Annie Leibovitz. For as long as I can remember I have obsessed over her images. ‘Images’ doesn’t even begin to cover the creative material she produces. She creates art, art that defines generations, defies the norm and carves it’s way into history and just as importantly, our hearts. She has photographed the most influential people of our time, capturing who they are in a simple moment. Her resume leaves you in awe and wishing you could be a fly on any wall at any time she was present. She began in San Francisco at the newly launched Rolling Stone Magazine in 1970. To be there from the beginning is something none of us can grasp. She then toured with The Rolling Stones in 1975, does it get much cooler? She lived the ‘Almost Famous’ dream. Her photos of that tour are simple, edgy, and utterly rock and roll. Keith Richards says he remembered the ‘lovely Annie’ but doesn’t remember a single photo being taken. That shows the artist she truly is and what every photographer should aspire to be; invisible and able to observe. Every shot was candid and raw and in my opinion some of her best work. She cites one of her favorite photos from that tour is of Mick Jagger in an elevator. Simple, raw, but always inspired.
There is a point to this Leibovitz rant I promise.
Last night I was lucky enough to go to a screening of Gia Coppola’s Palo Alto; James Franco’s baby from 2013. This wasn’t just any screening though, it was accompanied by Blood Orange (aka Devonte Hynes) playing the soundtrack live. It was a world premiere of its kind and I was lucky enough to be in attendance at BRIC House, Brooklyn. I was sitting there with my housemate waiting for the film to commence when I noticed a well dressed grey haired lady laughing with the woman next to her, I only saw her profile two rows in front me but I knew instantly who the woman was. Annie Leibovitz. There in the flesh was the person I considered the most talented and inspiring photographer of our generation. I was about to watch a film in the presence of a woman I’d idolized my entire life. I’m not ashamed to say I spent the next 15 minutes eaves dropping on her conversation. I’m only human.
Palo Alto was fantastic. Emma Roberts was classically beautiful. Nat Woolf was exceptional and off beat. Jack Kilmer’s debut was effortless and dreamy. It made me nostalgic, it made me laugh, it made me highly aware of how long ago 16 was. I loved it. Listening to Blood Orange sing live during the closing credits left me breathless. And I got to experience it all with Annie Leibovitz sitting only a few feet away. She was the first to start clapping when the lights came on. I was right there clapping with her.
Now that is a Thursday night I will never forget.
november yankee charlie 