Adventures with Lady Di – What Rock ‘n’ Roll Looks Like
I Photograph Rock Stars…
Yes, Greg Watermann, you do.
Last Thursday, Lady Di and I ventured out to A&I Hollywood for the opening reception of the Greg Watermann Photo Exhibit “I Photograph Rock Stars.” Greg Watermann has a fairly strong following in the rock ‘n’ roll world from both the bands he photographs (Linkin Park, Slipknot, System of a Down, etc.) as well as the fans that get to enjoy these photos of their favorite bands, not to mention all of his peers in the field of photography many of which also showed up to show their support.
I tend to make it out to events like this with less frequency these days due to my sometimes crazy schedule, but always make an effort when my friends are involved. I still probably go out more than the average person, because it usually is my friends that are involved. If there is anything any LA resident knows it’s that LA is incestuous and it’s usually the same people who over and over make things happen (I’ll elaborate on this someday but not today).
Upon arrival it quickly became apparent that Dallas, TX would be the theme of the evening as Lady Di (a Texas native) instantly recognized an old friend named Steve that she hadn’t seen in years who also happened to be a member of one of her favorite Dallas bands. Steve is officially the first person I’ve ever met that lived in Antartica.
Although almost everywhere we go we are bound to know some people, this evening was no exception and it was nice to run into old friends instantly. There is nothing worse than being stuck at something that feels stuffy where everyone is trying to be overly cool and no one is having a good time. The lyrics “A room full of plastic smiles and an empty glass,” from “The Situation” by now broken up Ventura band The Return come to mind. Doesn’t that sound more like a nightmare than a night out?
We proceeded to grab some drinks and didn’t realize until midway through the evening that we had to purchase drink tickets to drink since the bartenders never asked us for any. Lady Di and I have a knack for many things like being ushered into secret rooms and for unintentionally befriending bartenders everywhere we go (time has proven that’s not such a bad thing as this equals free drinks, although we never ask for them), and this event was no exception as they tried to arrange a post-event hang out which we awkwardly laughed our way out of.
After doing a walk-through and taking a look at all of the photographs and watching a video featuring Watermann’s work with System of a Down, we quickly were back in the thick of a reunion and waxing nostalgia as a couple more of the members of the Dallas band Steve was in were spotted (they were all getting together to lay down some tracks this past weekend for a new project Steve has embarked upon), which included the drummer and one of Lady Di’s favorite people Joe Fulginiti. Joe also happens to be part of the A&I Hollywood team along with one of my favorite people in LA, Jason Costanzo, who because of busy schedules I rarely see despite the fact that he lives a couple of blocks from me.
A&I Hollywood regularly puts on photo exhibits at their Highland Ave. gallery such as the L.A. Nude 20 year Anniversary, which featured live nudes mingling through the crowds while showcasing photography from over forty photographers including Dennis Hopper, Douglas Kirkland, and Herman Leonard. I unfortunately had to miss this event when it happened as Brandy (BB) and I were putting on the “Unconventional” Fashion Show in Culver City in conjunction with Indie Collective and Seed Clothing that same night. The best part of the A&I Hollywood events is that A&I owner Baret Lepejian designates a charity which will be a recipient of any proceeds from each event. Baret is usually present at each of the events gregariously mingling with the crowd. If you happen to run into him, ask him what he likes to collect, and if you’re lucky you might get to see the actual unique items. I can honestly say I’ve never met anyone who collects what he does and doubt Lady Di had either.
It was a fun night filled with random multiple run-ins like The Woods owner and another of my favorite people Michelle Marini, AM (who is playing Spaceland with his new band Mondo Domingo this Saturday May 16), among many others.
Best dress of the evening award goes to the girl wearing this BeBe Studded Trapunto dress (retails at $249) that we would’ve never guessed was a BeBe dress. This was a perfect dress for the nighttime occasion just rock ‘n’ roll enough with the studs, gunmetal, and diagonal zip design completely avoiding the “stripper” look which I did see a couple of girls sporting.
I had actually almost forgotten all about this dress but happened to catch the Kellie Pickler “Best Days of Your Life” video and am pretty sure this is the same dress Taylor Swift is wearing in it.
It was a fun evening full of good people.
Please visit Greg Watermann’s official website www.gregwatermann.com to view his photographs. This exhibit will continue at A&I Hollywood from May 7 – June 10 and then at A&I Santa Monica from June 18 – July 24, visit www.aandi.com for more information.
You can also read more about the opening reception itself here.