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Friedman's photography has been published in six of his books as well as in other publications, on record covers, and has been exhibited in art galleries and museums. His work is held in the photography collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, and Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive. He has been inducted as an "Icon" into the Skateboarding Hall of Fame.
Friedman is a progressive political activist, shuns intoxicants (straight edge), and follows a strict vegan diet. He lives in New York City.
Interview with glen e friedman
Biography
As a child Friedman skateboarded in the West Los Angeles schoolyards of Santa Monica, California. Whilst in junior high school, in the fall of 1976, Friedman corralled some of his friends, who were beginning to be featured in magazines, into riding in an empty swimming pool so he could take pictures. He showed the results to a freelance SkateBoarder writer, who put Friedman in touch with the editor. SkateBoarder published photographs by Friedman as a full-page subscription advertisement. He soon after became their youngest staff member.
Several years later Friedman began to photograph at punk shows. Black Flag received some of their first media documentation through Friedman's work. In 1981 he photographed his first record album cover, Adolescents by Adolescents. Friedman's first, self-published punk zine, My Rules: Photozine (1982), sold 10,000 copies and was the largest selling zine of the era.
Friedman managed punk band Suicidal Tendencies and in 1983 produced their eponymous debut album.
In 1985 Friedman was introduced to Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons, after creating some memorable Beastie Boys photos, before they were widely known. Friedman began working with them and their newly formed Def Jam Records, promoting Beastie Boys, LL Cool J, Public Enemy, Ice T and Run-DMC. He also shot their publicity material and album covers, including the covers of Beastie Boys’ Check Your Head, Public Enemy’s It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back and Minor Threat’s Salad Days. Many of his photographs have become recognized as the subjects' definitive portraits. In 1987 he relocated back to New York.
Friedman has collaborated with artist Shepard Fairey, many times, including limited edition prints based on Friedman's photographs.
In 2004 Friedman created the "Liberty Street Protest" at Ground Zero in New York City. Its provocative anti-war sentiment received attention internationally. It was "re-visited" in 2010 in support of Freedom of Religion, and the placement of a mosque a few blocks away from Ground Zero in New York City.
In 2012 Friedman was inducted as an "Icon" into the Skateboarding Hall of Fame.
Publications by Friedman
My Rules: Photozine. Self-published, 1982.
Fuck You Heroes: Glen E. Friedman photographs 1976–1991. Self-published / Burning Flags, 1994. ISBN 0-9641916-0-1. A collection of his more well known photographs of skateboarding, punk, and hip hop subcultures spanning 1976 to 1991.
Fuck You Too, The Extras & More Scrapbook. ConSafos, 1996, updated 2005. ISBN 0-9656535-0-1.
The Idealist
The Idealist: Glen E. Friedman – In My Eyes – 20 Years. ConSafos, 1998. ISBN 978-0965653541.
The Idealist: Glen E. Friedman – In My Eyes – 25 Years (1976–2001). Self-published / Burning Flags, 2003. ISBN 978-0-9641916-5-5. Revised edition.
Dogtown: The Legend of the Z-Boys. Self-published / Burning Flags, 2000. ISBN 0-9641916-4-4. By C.R. Stecyk III and Friedman.
Recognize. Self-published / Burning Flags, 2005. ISBN 0-9641916-6-0.
Keep Your Eyes Open: The Fugazi Photographs of Glen E. Friedman. Self-published / Burning Flags, 2007. ISBN 0-9641916-8-7.
My Rules. Rizzoli, 2014. ISBN 0847843556. A different publication to the 1982 publication of the same name.
Publications with significant contributions by Friedman
Total Chaos: The Art And Aesthetics of Hip-Hop, Basic Civitas Books, 2007, ISBN 0-465-00909-3
Get in the Van: On the Road With Black Flag, Henry Rollins, 2.13.61 Publications, 1994, ISBN 1-880985-23-3
Declaration of Independents: Snowboarding, Skateboarding & Music-An Intersection of Cultures, Chronicle Books, 2001, ISBN 0-8118-2997-9
Def Jam, Inc.: Russell Simmons, Rick Rubin, and the Extraordinary Story of the World's Most Influential Hip-Hop Label, One World/Ballantine, 2005, ISBN 0-345-46804-X
Jay-Boy: Classic photographs, Jay Adams (stepfather), Kent Sherwood, Concrete Wave Editions, 2006, ISBN 0-9735286-6-4
Life and Def: Sex, Drugs, Money, + God, Russel Simmons, Crown, 2001, ISBN 0-609-60607-7
Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground, 1981–1991, Little, Brown, 2001, ISBN 0-316-06379-7
Super X Media Combine, First Point Productions, 2004
Beautiful Losers: Contemporary Art And Street Culture, D.A.P./Iconoclast, 2005, ISBN 1-933045-30-2
Banned in DC: Photos and Anecdotes from the DC Punk Underground, Sun Dog Propaganda, 1998, ISBN 0-9620944-0-4
Dysfunctional, Booth-Clibborn Editions, 1999 ISBN 1-86154-053-1
The Book of Hip-Hop Cover Art, Mitchell Beazley (publisher), 2004, ISBN 1-84000-919-5
Occupying Architecture: Between the Architect and the User, Routledge, 1998, ISBN 0-415-16816-3
Tougher than Leather: The Rise of Run-DMC, ConSafos Press, 2002, ISBN 0-9656535-6-0
The Philosophy Of Punk: More Than Noise, AK Press, ISBN 1-873176-16-3
The Sneaker Book, Booth-Clibborn, 1998, ISBN 1-86154-167-8
Five Decades of Rock X-Posed: Attitude In Pictures, Kodak Rock Photography Collection, 2000
Mix Tape: The Art of Cassette Culture, Universe, 2005, ISBN 0-7893-1199-2
Stoked: The Evolution of Action Sports, Empire, 2006, ISBN 0-9779008-2-7
Rockin' Down the Highway: The Cars and People That Made Rock Roll, Voyageur Press, 2006, ISBN 0-7603-2292-9
Radio Silence: A Selected Visual History of American Hardcore Music, MTV Press, 2008, ISBN 978-1-57687-472-1
DEFinition: The Art and Design of Hip-Hop, Harper Design, 2008, ISBN 978-0-06-143885-1
Who Shot Rock & Roll: A Photographic History, 1955–Present, 2009, Knopf, ISBN 978-0-307-27016-0
The Boombox Project: The Machines, the Music, and the Urban Underground, Lyle Owerko and Spike Lee, Abrams Image, 2010, ISBN 978-0-8109-8275-8
Maximum Rad: The Iconic Covers of Thrasher Magazine, Thrasher magazine and Craig Stecyk, Rizzoli, Universe, 2012, ISBN 978-0-7893-2432-0
Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, Berkeley.
Quotes about Friedman
"The bottom line is that he was there at the beginning of so much cool stuff in so many different areas it's not funny." – Henry Rollins
Friedman says about his work, "For me it’s about inspiring people, with integrity and rebelliousness.” To which, Keith Hamm of the Los Angeles Times said, "For the past quarter century, Friedman has been doing just that." – Keith Hamm, Los Angeles Times.
"The most prolific photographer of his generation." – American Institute of Graphic Arts
"The esoteric political and aesthetic conscience of his generation." – Juxtapoz Art & Culture Magazine
"His [cloud] photos achieve what so many others only aspire to—they show the spiritual within the physical." – Adam Beinash, LA Weekly
"Outspoken, individual, and the very best at what he does...It's time Friedman was listed alongside Capa, Bresson, and Avedon." - Candy Culture
