‘Topic: Punk’ is a snapshot of the SoCal punk scene over the a long time

Maggie St. Thomas had an uncommon childhood that led to a lifetime of documenting uncommon moments in punk rock historical past.

As a 6-year-old, St. Thomas used to exit on faculty nights and hang around at seedy music venues together with her dad to look at bands like Motörhead and TSOL. In 1991, when she was in sixth grade, she casually picked up a digicam to shoot a political rally at Los Angeles Metropolis Corridor, the place L7 and Pink Sizzling Chili Peppers had been performing. St. Thomas says that is the second she found her ardour for images, and over the following few a long time, her life grew to become consumed by punk rock reveals and movie rolls.

The SoCal native went on to shoot revered acts just like the Ramones, Johnny Thunders, and Lemmy Kilmister of Motörhead, capturing many non-public moments with musicians off stage too. St. Thomas has compiled these and numerous extra pictures in her newest e book, “Topic: Punk,” a set and chronicle of her punk rock images from the ‘90s to the current. The e book, which printed its second version in October, additionally contains music journalism narratives and previous interviews that the punk rock photographer performed with musicians like Wayne Kramer of MC5, Markie and Johnny Ramone of the Ramones, and lots of others.

This interview has been edited for size and readability.

Your newest e book, “Topic: Punk,” captures your images within the SoCal punk scene from the ‘90s to current day. Regardless of all the nice bands you had been capturing within the early ‘90s, your dream was to finally shoot the Ramones. What did that second imply to you when it lastly occurred?

When it lastly occurred, it was June 17, 1995. I’ll always remember that day. I nonetheless have the T-shirt that they signed, I haven’t washed it, and I’ve solely worn it on a pair particular events since. It was all the things to me — seeing the Ramones at a really early age, watching “Rock ‘n’ Roll Excessive Faculty” on TV. I bear in mind my dad saying, “Ensure you’re in earlier than the streetlights come on as a result of ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Excessive Faculty’ goes to be on.” I had no thought what to anticipate, I bear in mind watching it and I used to be similar to, “Oh, my gosh, these guys are unimaginable,” so it was all the things to me, completely. After I photographed the Ramones, Rage Towards the Machine, Gap, White Zombie and Chic had been on the identical invoice. It was large. In the course of the Ramones’ set, I assumed, “OK, I can die comfortable now, I did what I needed to do in life.” I selected to have a look at it like a calling and pursue it. I’m so grateful I’m nonetheless right here — I’ve lived so many lives since 1995.

You ultimately grew to become near Arturo Vega, the Mexican graphic designer and artist who created the Ramones’ iconic emblem and who is understood by followers as “the fifth Ramone.” What was your relationship like, and the way did he help your work?

Arturo Vega was unimaginable, so supportive, and he did a lot. He helped me get this one interview with Johnny Ramone. Johnny didn’t speak to many individuals, he was a person of few phrases, and the very fact I bought an interview, I used to be similar to, “Whoa.” Arturo did a lot, and I bear in mind he would say, ‘You gotta put a e book out,’ and this was early on. I bought a quote from him in 2001 about my work with the Ramones, he stated some wonderful phrases, I nonetheless have the e-mail that he wrote, and he was all the time nice. After I was in New York in his loft photographing him, CJ Ramone got here in whereas Arturo was displaying Ramones paintings to me and sharing totally different tales that occurred, for instance, he would level on the flooring and say, “Over there — that’s the stain the place Dee Dee burned it with candles.” He was a wealth of a lot historical past and I actually, actually admired him. He noticed them as greater than only a band; they had been an artwork, a murals. I imply, thank God for Arturo Vega.

A crowd surfer on the now-closed Showcase Theatre in Corona 1996.

(Maggie St. Thomas)

Your e book describes how attention-grabbing your childhood was. Whereas different children had been having bedtime tales learn to them at night time, you had been at music venues together with your dad watching acts like Motörhead, Johnny Thunders and TSOL. How instrumental was your dad in cultivating your ardour for music and sparking your work as a photographer?

Extraordinarily. I went all over the place with him, and it was a distinct childhood, I’ll say that. And the factor is, if you’re a child and you’re introduced up a sure manner, I figured everyone did that till I spotted they didn’t. It was a really totally different life from what most children had been dwelling. I bear in mind once I noticed Lemmy Kilmister in 2006, whereas we had been doing a portrait that might be featured within the e book. I shared with him that I noticed Motörhead in live performance once I was 6 years previous. Lemmy gave me a thumbs up and stated, “That’s true rock ‘n’ roll.”

The day that all the things clicked — it occurred at a really early age, and I’m so grateful for that. Sixth grade, I ditched faculty that day and I went with my dad. He was going to doc some L.A. present; that’s all I knew. I simply didn’t need to go to highschool and I went with him in his 1984 El Camino, and we went to L.A. Metropolis Corridor for a rally. The Pink Sizzling Chili Peppers performed, L7 performed, I used to be proper up entrance, you couldn’t get any nearer, and I had an 8-millimeter digicam. My dad was filming, documenting the occasion, and I used to be only a sixth-grader, bright-eyed like, wow. That was such an unimaginable second, trying behind me and seeing 1000’s of individuals after which there I’m. How can faculty evaluate with that?

After this huge second, this realization that this was your calling, who had been a number of the first bands that you simply began taking pictures?

Properly, shortly after in 1992, I photographed Dr. Timothy Leary with my dad at Chapman College, after which in 1993 I began taking pictures on the Hong Kong Cafe [in L.A.] these anarchy, crustcore punk bands. Different bands I used to be taking pictures at Hong Kong Cafe included MDC and Whole Chaos.

Maggie St. Thomas

(Courtesy of Maggie St. Thomas)

What was it like for you as a girl taking pictures bands within the ‘90s, when live performance images was way more male-dominated than it’s right this moment?

It nonetheless may be very a lot well-dominated by males right this moment. It’s a person’s world regardless of the way you slice it, and being a girl within the subject — I’m positive as you’ll be able to relate — there are challenges. It was tough then and it nonetheless is tough in some methods. In my experiences, I’ve discovered that girls oftentimes need to work tougher than males to be taken severely, not simply in images, however in any career.

What recommendation do you have got for different ladies who need to get into this and navigate this setting to do live performance images?

You’ve bought to have thick pores and skin, you’ve bought to essentially be decided, and also you’ve bought to imagine in your self. I didn’t have prestigious faculties behind me. After I bought into this, I used to be studying as I went, and this was the time of movie, which is way more unforgiving than digital. I’ve so many rolls of movie the place there’s stills of blurs and underneath exposures, and overexposed photos, however I stored on taking pictures. You’ve bought to essentially imagine in your self, even when it’s solely you, as a result of it’s nice when you have got an viewers and the help of individuals applauding you telling you the way nice you’re, however that isn’t all the time there, and that isn’t the way you develop. So, you’ve bought to essentially imagine in your self and all the time maintain shifting ahead.

X performs at Pacific Amphitheatre in 2024.

(Maggie St. Thomas)

“Topic: Punk” chronicles the evolution of the SoCal punk scene by the a long time, however how is that this e book greater than only a assortment of images, and what does it characterize to you?

To me it represents coronary heart and soul. This e book wasn’t straightforward to place collectively in any respect. I had quite a bit going in opposition to me, however I additionally had plenty of help from some fairly wonderful folks. The artists who’re featured on the quilt are artists who completely supported me by this: Exene Cervenka of X, Lou Koller of Sick of It All, Corey Parks, she performed with Die’ Hunns and Nashville Pussy, Gina Volpe of the Lunachicks, and, in fact, the spirit of the best band ever, the Ramones. I put all the things into this e book — it’s coronary heart, it’s soul, it’s tears, it’s sweat. “Topic: Punk” is not any bulls—, man.

What’s your favourite {photograph} within the e book?

Each {photograph} I’ve captured of the Ramones will all the time be my favourite, however there are such a lot of others. I have a look at the pictures on the pages, a few of which had been taken three a long time in the past. That’s a part of my youth, what I did rising up, and I’m nonetheless alive, I’m nonetheless right here. There’s lots of people on this e book that aren’t [alive anymore], and that’s one thing I by no means take without any consideration, to be alive, and to expertise and see a number of the fruits of my labor. I’m so extremely grateful to be speaking to you proper now — that’s the best reward. I have a look at this e book like, “Wow, I did it. I truly put this e book collectively.” That quote from Arturo Vega from greater than twenty years in the past is true the place it’s meant to be — within the e book he all the time instructed me I ought to put out — so right here it’s.

“Topic: Punk” e book cowl

(Courtesy of Maggie St. Thomas)

Aside from the Ramones gig, what was essentially the most memorable present or band you’ve ever shot?

When my mother handed away — that is why I imagine in increased powers and know there’s one thing larger than us — I went and noticed Etta James. I introduced my digicam with me, and one way or the other bought a photograph cross so I might carry my digicam in. After photographing her unimaginable stay present, I maneuvered my manner backstage the place she had like 20 guards round her, and I grew to become invisible and bought proper as much as her and handed her {a magazine} with my photograph work on the quilt — of Lee Rocker and Kitten de Ville. She stated, “Oh, wow, is that this for me?” and I used to be thrilled that she needed to maintain it. “Completely, Miss Etta James, it’s,” I responded, and we had this actual cool dialog, and I snapped some photos of her holding my journal. So lots of these situations have been so magical the place it’s like, how else do you clarify that? How might I get previous all of these safety folks by myself? There needs to be one thing larger than us, you already know?

What’s the final message you hope folks come away with after studying and seeing your work on this e book?

My message is that I hope that folks by no means cease making an attempt and so they all the time imagine in themselves. Life can get actually onerous, and it oftentimes does, and also you overlook about these treasured moments, these snapshots of life that change into our little forevers that we maintain pricey and cherish. After I have a look at the e book, I get blown away, I get very emotional typically as a result of I’m like, “Rattling, what a life this individual lived” after which I understand, “Hey, that is my life, wow” — it simply hits me totally different typically. Who would have identified these pictures I started taking as a teen could be in a e book on a complete tradition? No matter you do, no matter you need to be, simply do it, as a result of you’ll be able to. There’s a magic in all of us, and you need to imagine in that magic. You don’t ever need to lose it. In order that’s what I hope anybody would get from the e book.