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Misery Obscura: The Photography of Eerie Von (1981-2009)

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 March 2 2010 at 12:03:08 AM



Ghoul’s night out

Here is a great reminder that the most memorable music and bands are often the result of collaboration, born of a steady channel of ideas moving freely between artists, friends, associates and audience. The most creative individuals, weirdoes or plain old spooky kids will naturally gravitate toward one another in any given space. The world of legendary horror-punks The Misfits, and their Orson Welles-like frontman Glenn Danzig, is no exception. What is exceptional is for only one individual to have lived closely within all major permutations of an artist’s career, from onlooker to friend and longtime bandmember.

Eric “Eerie Von” Stellman began his sixteenth year in the summer of 81 by photographing The Misfits inside a cave at the request of classmate and guitarist Doyle. Two years after the breakup of the original Misfits he took over bass guitar for the occult. death-punk outfit Samhain, which later transformed into the heavier Danzig. By 1994, Danzig’s first self-titled record was certified gold and Eerie Von was playing for one of the most heard bands in the country. He never stopped shooting.

Misery Obscura is the result of 28 years behind the camera, in class and on stage. A photo diary filled with extraordinary memories, from The Misfits and The Necros to Danzig and Metallica. Punk rock and Heavy Metal, devillocks and lots of Karo syrup.

Foremost it is a document detailing Stellman’s personal growth inside the scene, first-hand knowledge from a guy who remembers never wanting to leave high school, and maybe you wouldn’t either if you lived a real-life Ramones movie.

From that first shoot to his first band, Rosemary’s Babies, traveling to and from NYC, learning to shoot concerts from inside the pit, switching from drums to bass in Samhain and his anxiety over keeping that spot as famed producer Rick Rubin gambled on his newly assembled “supergroup” at a time when widespread recognition of The Fits was still a few years away (reflections on being spit at by Metallica fans on the band’s Justice tour provide all the context needed.)

While the book shares a number of shots taken by other photographers, its very best – Eerie Von and Glenn at Graceland, A meeting between Danzig and H.R. Giger, plus candid moments during various recording sessions- all come from Von’s own portfolio.

Since leaving Danzig, Eerie Von has recorded solo at a mostly consistent pace, even while his personal life appeared anything but stable. Today he concentrates both on his music and painting. In the book he writes of his entire adolescence being captured in a single photo of his best friend sitting outside the house where two of the most infamous bands in rock once practiced.

This is the brief history of those bands and more during one of the most fertile and inspired eras in music history. A time of hand-made t-shirts, leather boots, b-movies and fiend clubs. A time when jocks played punk rock!

While most of us swore off "Evil Elvis" and co. till next October, Misery Obscura is enough to want to keep those jack o’ lanterns lit all year ‘round.

[Todd DePalma]
Eerie Von
Misery Obscura: The Photography of Eerie Von (1981-2009)
Dark Horse Books
Eerie Von



Related

- Samhain
- Halloween
- Glenn Danzig - Black Aria II

Comments (7)

  • 19 comments
    Joe
    3:10 PM on Mar 02, 2010 // reply »
    Holy shit. Just ordered.
  • 35 comments
    -c
    1:48 AM on Mar 03, 2010 // reply »
    been meaning to pick this up. Eerie and the designer of the book did an instore signing at Generation Records in NYC in early Jan. apparently Lyle Preslar was as well and from i heard they did a jam sesh but idk what was played.
  • 24 comments
    dennis dread
    2:31 AM on Mar 14, 2010 // reply »
    This book rules! The first 89 pages or so are particularly amazing. "Drench your vision in darkness..."
  • 19 comments
    Joe
    3:18 PM on Mar 15, 2010 // reply »
    got mines, read it immediately in one sitting, took a leak and read it again. struck by the way eerie captures the melancholy feelin of time passin by, people come and go, bands fall apart, all without talking too much shit. a real good book.
  • 1 comment
    Mike
    2:43 PM on Jun 11, 2010 // reply »
    I just saw that Generation Records has signed prints for sale!!! Go check out their website.
  • 1 comment
    Skulls
    4:56 PM on Jul 14, 2010 // reply »
    I just picked up two prints. They are awesome!!! If you're a huge Misfits fan like myself, go get one. Signed and limited.
  • 1 comment
    L Jay
    2:19 PM on Mar 07, 2011 // reply »
    Eerie Von and Artist Manager, Laura Jay, are to launch a pledge drive on Kickstarter for his "Misery Obscura: The ART and Photography of Eerie Von Event Tour. The pledge drive officially begins March 9th, 2011, after a three day preview launch for fans. Kickstarter is a funding site powered by a unique all-or-nothing funding method. Eerie's project must be fully-funded by April 8, 2011, 9:00pm EDT or no money changes hands.

    Best known as the Bass player from Samhain and Danzig, Eerie Von photographed everything from The Misfits humble beginnings, as the band's unofficial photographer, to the heights of Danzig's stadium-rock glory alongside metal superstars such as Metallica. The collection of photos were in part documented in Von's recent Book release, "Misery Obscura: The Photography of Eerie Von (1981-2006), which is reaching the end of stock for it's second printing via Dark Horse Publications. A collection best described by fans as an essential visual document of music history, thematically tied to these punk rock roots, the book also loosely introduces his Fiend Art, which he's been painting full time since 1998.

    Unexpectedly, common fan response to this inclusion has included, My one complaint...not enough of Eerie Vons Fiend Art... His artwork is incredible. I honestly want some on my wall...It does make me happy that he is getting back out into the world and spooking things up...come on Eerie, we want more.

    In response, the Multimedia Tour is tentatively slated for late-2011. A first of its kind for this road veteran, Eerie's Art Tour is to include seven to ten cities in the US. Yet to be finalized, the tour is entirely dependent on the initial start-up goal being met by Kickstarter pledges. As an added incentive for support from the Kickstarter community and his fans, Eerie is offering series companions on an exclusive or limited edition availability for those who back the Project.
 

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