Martyn Goodacre
It was while squatting in London in the ’80s that Martyn Goodacre became interested in photography. He began shooting pictures of street people but it was a Henry Rollins gig that inspired him to shoot his first concert and move into music portraiture. From 1989 through to 2001 he became a regular freelancer for the NME, The Independent on Sunday and Japanese magazines Rockin On and Buzz amongst others. Martyn is the photographer responsible for the amazing portrait of Kurt Cobain which made the cover of the NME, and subsequently became on of their most iconic covers.
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Signed limited edition fine art photograph of Nirvana by Martyn Goodacre. This print is exclusive to the collection.
Location: After Bleach and before Nevermind
Date: October 1990
Photographer’s notes: I had to meet the band and their PR Anton Brooks at The Dalmacia Hotel in Shepherds Bush, West London. It was really a bed and breakfast and they were staying in the basement. I dragged them outside but it was freezing so the session was quickly drawn to an end but not before I walked up and down the road looking for locations. I finally settled on a zebra crossing and a launderette. I managed to get a few solo shots before they darted back into their room to get warm. Other photographers that day had to shoot them inside.
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Beck, taken in Amsterdam in 1994 by photographer Martyn Goodacre.
Goodacre recalls, "Beck himself was lovely with an air of strangeness and charm. A joy to photograph, he is always looking to make a shot slightly unusual. His over zealous tour manager was a different case. 'You have 7 minutes' he barked "not 8 or 9 or 10. He then demanded I post all the pics to The USA for copy approval. What a wanker! Unlike Beck who was terribly nice."
Beck was in Amsterdam performing the 'Mellow Gold' tour, the name of the official debut studio album and third album overall. Mellow Gold was released on March 1, 1994, following the surprise success of "Loser". "Mellow Gold" is a concept album. Critics noted the album's hybrid of various styles including rock, hip hop, folk, psychedelia, and country,[1] and ironic, witty lyrics. The decidedly anti-commercial attitude of Mellow Gold became an unexpected commercial success and went platinum.
Signed fine art photographic print of Kurt Cobain from Martyn Goodacre. The image made the front cover of the NME and has since become both an iconic image of Kurt as well as an iconic front cover for the world famous British music publication.
Location: Shepherds Bush, London
Date: October 1990 (After Bleach – before Nevermind)
Photographer’s notes: I had to meet the band and their PR Anton Brooks at The Dalmacia Hotel in Shepherds Bush, West London. It was really a bed and breakfast and they were staying in the basement. I dragged them outside but it was freezing so the session was quickly drawn to an end but not before I walked up and down the road looking for locations. I finally settled on a zebra crossing and a launderette. I managed to get a few solo shots before they darted back into their room to get warm. Other photographers that day had to shoot them inside.
Scroll down for print information.
MArtyn Goodacre Print Information
Archival fine art print on Hahnemühle paper using archival inks - hand signed and numbered by the photographer.
Size information on each photo page.
NOTE: Measurements quoted are paper size, with the printed image being slightly smaller to create a natural border to house the photographer’s signature and edition number