The Velvet Forum

http://www.google.com/imgres?num=10&hl= ... 4&hovw=290

I know this is one of the most famous Velvet pictures. Who was the photographer? I'd love to find a picture or a high quality poster of this.

Isn't that one of Lisa Laws's Castle photos, from L.A. in May (?) '66?

I think it's Gerard Malanga's. Check Uptight...

Uptight credits it to 'Malanga Archives'

Although this photo has been credited for years as "Gerard Malanga Archives", I think actual credit should go to Steve Schapiro.

"Photo Icons The Story Behind The Pictures Vol2" (Taschen 2002) credit the picture to Malanga and the full Contact Sheet is reproduced.
Malanga : "This picture almost didn´t happen" (talking about the famous picture with Andy and Cale on a chair from the same session)

Does anyone know where I could buy a copy of this photo?

This is an amazing set of pics, but I don't recall having ever heard the name Steve Schapiro before, at least not in the context of shooting pix of the VU. Other ID markings on this set leave me skeptical about his credit. For instance, there are only two shooting dates offered for them: May 1, 1966, or c.1965. The latter is clearly inaccurate, and while the former might apply in some cases, the same date is given for both L.A. and NYC images, which is equally out of the question.

While I can easily envision an otherwise-unknown (to them) photog showing up upon request to shoot them on location at one site or another, it is unlikely they'd have allowed that at multiple sites, on opposite coasts (let alone on the same day!), not when there were so many competent shooters with whom they were already familiar and comfortable. And while I recognize that Gerard Malanga has elsewhere been credited with shooting (or, at least, owning) these pics, it seems unlikely to me that they'd have allowed an amateur to shoot them while they were working in the studio, let alone on their first real session as a group.

Putting all this info together, my hunch is that the shots were taken by more than one photographer, but that the same shoddy record-keeping that's led to erroneous dating info has done same for that of shooter ID.

Finally for now, does anyone have any ideas of who the unidentified bearded fellow is in this frame?:



I'm guessing studio engineer. Speaking of whom, do any of you'all know where I can find a decent pic of Val Valentin?

--Phil M.

Sheila Klein wrote: Finally for now, does anyone have any ideas of who the unidentified bearded fellow is in this frame?:

Dear Phil,maybe i'm wrong,but I think that guy is the early Velvet's road manager David Faison,on EPI tour....!!!

I was gonna guess road manager! But I had Hans Onsager in mind, yet I don't think he came in until later -- brought in by Sesnick perhaps?

Have either of these guys (Faison and Onsager, I mean) ever been debriefed on their VU memories? They seem like they'd be important voices to be added to the body of information, if they haven't been done already.