“Bruce and Family, Ashland, Oregon 1974”
In the early 70’s a migration occurred. Many of my friends headed west from Boston. Some had just finished college while some had just had enough. A group of them landed in Southern Oregon, seeking a new life, experimenting with that Utopian concept better known as a “commune”.
Most of my friends established their new homes in 1972, I venturing out two years later. They worked the land; lived in group homes they built and let their hair grow long. And many of my friends had begun families. As many of the men left to seek a new life, one that departed from the status quo of the time, equally of note were the single mothers who had migrated to this lifestyle as well. Many, having begun lives in the suburban dream of Southern California migrated north. The era called to them to find themselves. And many discovered that the conventional life of wife, mother and homemaker was not their calling after all. My circle of friends, now including partners and children had expanded exponentially since I last saw them
Everybody lived together, farmed together and survived together. It was the start of a new world.
“Bruce Springsteen, Cambridge, MA 1974”
With the excitement and anticipation of the release of Wrecking Ball, I will post some of my favorite shots from Bruce’s historic “I’ve seen the future of Rock and Roll” show, May 1974, at the Harvard Square Theater in Cambridge, MA. When shooting film, with available light, sometimes mood must substitute for clarity. This is one of my favorites. I was standing on the edge of stage, just in the wings next to Danny Federici when Bruce turned in my direction.
“Dancers” Emerson College, 1974
Before moving to California in 1974, I was a member of the Fine Arts Department of Emerson College. Emerson College, where I also attended as a student, was a center of artistic expression built on an academic foundation. You learned what you needed but better, you experienced it. Students who attended had a purpose, they wanted to express themselves.
I spent the better part of the Spring of 1974 in a loft high above a storefront on Charles Street hanging out with the Ann Morris Dance Troupe. It was my first experience becoming totally immersed in another’s artistic endeavor. I spent the first few weeks just hanging, getting to know them as they got to know me. As the days progressed I slowly began to photograph them. In time I was a part of their artistic experience as they became part of mine.
What surfaced in the end was my first solo show. Simply titled “Dancers” it became my swan song for Emerson and my days in Boston. I was leaving for California and I knew not what lay ahead.
