#Virginia Turbett photography

[savage-kult-of-gorthaur]

"...SOMEONE WHO IS INSTANTLY RECOGNISABLE AND SO INCREDIBLY FAMOUS, HE DOESN'T NEED EYES!"

PIC(S) INFO: Spotlight on an eyeless portrait of American musician/ composer/ bandleader, Frank Zappa (1940-1993), photographed by Virginia Turbett in New York City on April 16, 1981.

UNDERGROUND ENGLAND: "Without fear or favour is there one band image that you would like to talk us through?"

VIRGINIA TURBETT: "A difficult question. This isn’t necessarily my favourite, but I like my photograph of Frank Zappa for a number of reasons. I’d taken myself to New York for a few days with nowhere to stay and nothing lined up to do so I called Jane Freidman, publicist, but more importantly she is ‘Sweet Jane’ of Velvet’s fame. She said, “I’ve got a press conference with Frank in the morning, why don’t you come along.”  Frank Zappa was promoting an Edgar Varèse retrospective conducted by Joel Thome.

During the press conference I decided to take photos that featured only his nose, moustache, and most of his heavily badged leather jacket. One of my things was to always print the whole 35mm frame, not to crop so I always intended that this photo be unmistakably Frank, but not a portrait in the strict sense that a portrait should have eyes…. it kind of worked and luckily, I did take a couple of full head shots but they’re mostly a sense of someone who is instantly recognisable and so incredibly famous he doesn’t need eyes!

When the press had left, Jane introduced me to Frank who responded with: “There’s only one people I hate more than the English and that’s the French”  Jane asked if I’d like to go to lunch with her and Frank, in his limo, to the Russian Tea Rooms (incredibly expensive restaurant) on Central Park.  I had loved Frank Zappa very much in my early teens and listening, very stoned, to him was part of my formative years so I found all this to be quite unbelievable on many levels."

Source: https://underground-england.com/the-sex-pistols-frank-zappas-moustache-and-rock-against-racism-the-photography-of-virginia-turbett.

[undergroundrockpress]

Debbie Harry onstage in Newcastle, 5th Jan 1980. Photo by Virginia Turbett.

[marian-1122]

The Clash live onstage at Hammersmith Palais , London , England , 16th June 1980 .

[x-heesy]

VIRGINIA TURBETT

documentation of the chaotic emergence of British subculture in the 70s

Virginia Turbett photographed punks, rockers, mods, skinnies and New Romantics.

Here comes Johnny Yen again

With the liquor and drugs and the flesh machine

He's gonna do another striptease

Hey man, where'd you get that lotion?

I've been hurting since I bought the gimmick

Something called love

Yeah, something called love

Well, that's like hypnotizing chickens

Well, I'm just a modern guy

Of course, I've had it in the ear before

'Cause of a lust for life

'Cause of a lust for life

I'm worth a million in prizes

With my torture film, drive a GTO

Wear a uniform, all on a government loan

I'm worth a million in prizes

Yeah, I'm through with sleeping on the sidewalk

No more beating my brains

No more beating my brains

With the liquor and drugs

With the liquor and drugs

Well, I am just a modern guy

Of course, I've had it in the ear before

'Cause of a lust for life (lust for life)

'Cause of a lust for life

I got a lust for life

I got a lust for life

Oh, lust for life

Oh, lust for life

A lust for life

I got a lust for life

I got a lust for life

Well, I am just a modern guy

Of course, I've had it in the ear before

'Cause of a lust for life

'Cause of a lust for life

Well, here comes Johnny Yen again

With the liquor and drugs, and the flesh machine

I know he's gonna do another striptease

Hey man, where'd you get that lotion?

Your skin starts itching once you buy the gimmick

About something called love

Oh, love, love, love

Well, that's like hypnotizing chickens

Well, I am just a modern guy

Of course, I've heard it in the ear before

'Cause of a lust for life (lust for life)

'Cause of a lust for life (lust for life)

I got a lust for life

Yeah, lust for life

I got a lust for life

Oh, lust for life

I got a lust for life

Yeah, a lust for life

I got a lust for life

A lust for life

Lust for life

Lust for life

A lust for life (lust for life)

Lust For Life by Iggy Pop

[soupy-sez]

Prince backstage at the Paradiso, Amsterdam, Netherlands, May 29th, 1981, © Virginia Turbett

[rabbitgonerogue]

New Romantics ca. ‘79 Photography by Virginia Turbett

[12singlesemixesreevaluated]

No.20 Heaven 17-Im Your Money(1981)

No.19 Heaven 17-I'm your Money(1981)

Release Date:1981B Side: Are Everything(Buzzcocks Cover)

Photography on Sleeve Virginia Turbett

This is a strange one to write. Back in 84 I was really into Heaven 17, 'Temptation' was a great track that just built and built on layers. It stood out on any compilation album it was on, so then  you fast forward about 30odd years and then you can now contact the band through Facebook, unlike so many bands Heaven 17 use the media to promote and interact with the fans. This is really good, where as before they were more a studio band , the band tours more but still releases music as well. Also I run a FB group more for H league Mk1, so there is an acceptance of the past added to that, which is refreshing. So there is part of me that is like, I actually have a means of communication with the band. That 12-13 year old part of my head would of struggled to comprehend that back then. 

With Heaven 17 I have to admit I sort of stopped following them after 1992, but I think they moved more into production of other artists(successfully)in the late 80s and early 90s. They did still play live, but were more a live band more recently.So getting back to the H17 track above, I was researching Sheffield bands for a website and contributing to that and then you sort of delve into the back catalogue. This can throw up some classics and also some dated tracks. Those BEF albums and parts of 'Penthouse & Pavement' I only discovered for the first time back in 2010, although I was aware of them for many years , just not heard them as I was only 9 at time of release. I was more for the 'How Men Are' era.

The track that stood out to me was 'I'm Your Money' especially the extended version, it kind of skips along until about half way through. The live versions of the track sound like it would now, but this kind of is an analogue mix, but the samples and voices give it the  early 80s feel. It sort of predates 'Blue Monday', but not directly but you feel there is a kind of Giorgio Moroder influence behind it. The B side of the 12” was a Buzzcocks cover 'Are Everything'.I think when I hear the song it just makes me think '1981, wow'. It just seems compared to most electronic tracks of the time streets apart.

[rock-n-roll-redux]

Sex Pistols Notre Dame Hall 77 Print - Artwork by David Lloyd / Photography by Virginia Turbett - Shipping worldwide 6 days a week. ETSY STORE: https://etsy.me/2Y2e9Ss

[likeamadonnau2]

Virginia Turbett early-days U2 photography appreciation post. Her wonderful work can be found here.

[savage-kult-of-gorthaur]

"HELLO, I'M TERRY, AND I'M GOING TO ENJOY MYSELF FIRST..."

PIC INFO: Spotlight on English 2 tone and ska revival band THE SPECIALS, performing live, venue & location unknown, c. late '70s/early '80s. 📸: Virginia Turbett.

"Enjoy yourself, it's later than you think, Enjoy yourself, while you're still in the pink, The years go by, as quickly as you wink, Enjoy yourself, enjoy yourself, it's later than you think,

Hello, I'm Terry, and I'm going to enjoy myself first.

It's good to be wise when you're young, 'cause you can only be young but the once, Enjoy yourself and have lots of fun, So glad and live life longer than you've ever done."

-- "Enjoy Yourself" (1980) by THE SPECIALS (a cover of 1949's "Enjoy Yourself (It's later than You Think)" by Carl Sigman, with lyrics by Herb Magidson)

Source: https://underground-england.com/the-sex-pistols-frank-zappas-moustache-and-rock-against-racism-the-photography-of-virginia-turbett

[undergroundrockpress]

Stiff Little Fingers, 1978. Photo by Virginia Turbett.

[undergroundrockpress]

The Jam performing at Sheffield University, 4th May 1979.

Photo : Virginia Turbett.

[undergroundrockpress]

At an Iron Maiden concert, United Kingdom, 1980 photograph by Virginia Turbett.

[soupy-sez]

Tears For Fears, 1983, © Virginia Turbett

[undergroundrockpress]

Rock Against Racism, Alexandra Palace, 1979. Photo : Virginia Turbett.

[soupy-sez]

John Oates, 1982, © Virginia Turbett