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by Glen E. Friedman (Photographer), Ian F. Svenonius (Introduction by)
"Friedman . . . marvelously captures [Fugazi's] non-hierarchical structure and spirit . . . These images bristle with the manic yet controlled energy that characterized all of Fugazi's performances. Sweat sparkles, bodies contort themselves, microphone stands fly off the stage." --Bookforum
Fugazi, one of music's most revolutionary and gloriously indefinable bands, played their first concert on September 3, 1987. The first edition of Keep Your Eyes Open: The Fugazi Photographs of Glen E. Friedman was released by Burning Flags Press exactly twenty years later. This revised edition features brand-new photos and an interview with Friedman and Fugazi singer/guitarist Ian MacKaye.
Keep Your Eyes Open presents the best of Friedman's unparalleled photographic documentation of Fugazi's members in almost 200 color and black-and-white images captured by Friedman onstage and off between 1986 and Fugazi's last US concert in 2002.
Fugazi evolved from Washington, DC's, hardcore punk scene of the late 1970s and early 1980s. While it would be impossible to fully capture Fugazi in any one medium, Friedman's book effectively complements the band's Dischord Records catalog, which includes seven studio albums, one soundtrack, three EPs, and hundreds of live concert CDs produced from Fugazi's own soundboard recordings.
Fugazi--a band dedicated to democratic self-management, highlighted by complete artistic and financial control--booked its own tours worldwide, and was often the first band to perform in unconventional venues around the world in order to maintain ticket prices that averaged just five dollars, a practice that opened many new venue doors to other touring artists. In addition, Fugazi has never marketed or licensed its name or likeness for posters, T-shirts, pins, or other ancillary merchandise. Fugazi's unwavering respect for its audience is one of the band's most indelible marks on modern music. The band went on indefinite hiatus in late 2002.
Author Biography
Glen E. Friedman, one of the most important photographers of his generation, is known for his influential and iconic images of rebellious artists from classic skateboarding, punk, and hip-hop cultures. As a true artist his process was much more incendiary than it was documentary. Friedman, first published at the age of fourteen, has produced over 100 record covers, countless magazine pages, and almost a dozen books, including DogTown: The Legend of the Z-Boys. His work is now included in a number of notable international collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Smithsonian Institution.
Ian F. Svenonius is the author of the underground best sellers Supernatural Strategies for Making a Rock 'n' Roll Group, Censorship Now!!, and The Psychic Soviet. He was also the host of VBS.tv's Soft Focus, a different breed of chat show, where he interviewed Mark E. Smith, Genesis P-Orridge, Chan Marshall, Ian MacKaye, and others. As a musician he has created twenty-one albums and countless singles in various rock 'n' roll combos (Chain & the Gang, Weird War, The Make-Up, The Nation of Ulysses, etc.). He lives in Washington, DC.
