Mick Rock

According to most sources, Michael David Rock was born in 1948 in Hammersmith, London, the son of David and Joan Rock,[http://flattmag.com/art/1395-2/ 'Mick Rock'], FLATT magazine (Accessed 10 April 2019). although in a 2017 interview he stated that his birth name was Michael Edward Chester Smith, and his birth was the result of his mother's relationship with an American airman.[https://the-talks.com/interview/mick-rock/ "Mick Rock: I Blame the Name", The Talks, 2017]. Retrieved 19 November 2021

He was educated at Emanuel School in London, and Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, graduating with a degree in Medieval and Modern Languages.{{cite web |title=The Man Who Shot the Seventies: Mick Rock (1948-2021) |url=https://www.cai.cam.ac.uk/news/man-who-shot-seventies-mick-rock-19482021 |website=Gonville & Caius |access-date=20 November 2021 |language=en |date=20 November 2021}}{{cite news |title=Mick Rock: David Bowie, Iggy Pop and Queen photographer dies at 72 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-59344065 |access-date=20 November 2021 |work=BBC News |date=19 November 2021}}'Cambridge University Tripos Lists', Times, 26 June 1967. While at Cambridge, he developed an interest in 19th century Romantic poetry{{mdash}}principally the works of Rimbaud, Baudelaire, Shelley, and Byron{{mdash}}and his first appearance in the press came after he was arrested for marijuana possession.[https://www.andrewpurcell.net/?p=2175 'Mick Rock: from "Receiver" to Transformer'], andrewpurcell.net, 6 July 2015 (Accessed 10 April 2019).[https://www.cai.cam.ac.uk/sites/default/files/downloads/once_a_caian._issue_3.pdf Once a Caian...], Issue 3, Spring 2006, pp. 16-7. (Accessed 10 April 2019)

During his time at Cambridge, Rock rowed in the Caius First VIII, and also picked up a friend's camera and started to take pictures of the local rock music scene, acquiring some friends and contacts along the way (including Cambridge native Syd Barrett and Mick Jagger's younger brother Chris).[http://www.classicbands.com/MickRockInterview.html 'Gary James' Interview with Photographer Mick Rock'], classicbands.com (Accessed 10 April 2019).[https://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/technique/interviews/rock-ages-mick-rock-98186 'Mick Rock interview: Shooting David Bowie portraits'], Amateur Photographer, 4 December 2016 (Accessed 10 April 2019).{{cite news |last1=Schudel |first1=Matt |title=Mick Rock, photographer who created indelible images of rock greats, dies at 72 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2021/11/19/mick-rock-dead/ |access-date=20 November 2021 |work=Washington Post |date=20 November 2021}}

In addition to his work with Bowie, whom he met in early 1972, Rock also created album covers for Barrett's The Madcap Laughs, Waylon Jennings's Lonesome, On'ry and Mean, Lou Reed's Transformer and Coney Island Baby, Iggy Pop and the Stooges' Raw Power, Queen's Queen II (recreated for their music video "Bohemian Rhapsody") and Sheer Heart Attack, Geordie's Don't Be Fooled by the Name, the Ramones' End of the Century, and Joan Jett's I Love Rock 'n' Roll.[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6613107.stm Photographer lives the Rock dream] BBC News. Retrieved 25 May 2011{{cite web|access-date=19 August 2021|title=The stunning photography of Mick Rock|url=https://www.nme.com/photos/the-stunning-photography-of-mick-rock-1418872|date=10 November 2010|website=NME}}

He was the chief photographer on the films The Rocky Horror Picture Show,{{cite news |title=Legendary music photographer Mick Rock has died, aged 72 |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/legendary-music-photographer-mick-rock-has-died-aged-72-3099649 |access-date=20 November 2021 |work=NME |date=19 November 2021}}{{cite news |last1=McMahon |first1=James |title=Mick Rock, 1948-2021: iconic photographer who brought pop’s greatest to life |url=https://www.nme.com/features/music-features/mick-rock-1948-2021-obituary-3100070 |access-date=20 November 2021 |work=NME |date=19 November 2021}} Hedwig and the Angry Inch, and Shortbus. He also produced and directed the music videos "John, I'm Only Dancing",{{cite news |title=Mick Rock, famed music photographer and ‘man who shot the 70s’, dies aged 72 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/nov/19/mick-rock-music-photographer-dies-david-bowie-queen |access-date=20 November 2021 |work=the Guardian |date=19 November 2021 |language=en}} "Jean Genie", "Space Oddity", and "Life on Mars" on Bowie's Sound and Vision DVD collection.

His photo subjects include The Misfits, Snoop Dogg, Air Traffic, Maxwell, Alicia Keys, The Gossip, Lady Gaga, Richard Barone, The Killers, The Scissor Sisters, Michael Bublé, Miley Cyrus, Michael Stipe, Kate Moss, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Chemical Brothers, Janelle Monáe, Queens of the Stone Age, Daft Punk, Kasabian, Snow Patrol, Daniel Merriweather, Black Keys, Hall & Oates, Peter, Bjorn and John, MGMT, Alejandro Escovedo, Pete Yorn, Gavin Degraw, Peaches, Fat Joe, Rhymefest, Nas, Q-Tip, Jane's Addiction, Tom Stoppard, the Foo Fighters, Bradford Cox and old friends Bowie, Lou Reed, Debbie Harry, Joan Jett, Mötley Crüe, Nicos Gun, and Iggy Pop.{{cite web|access-date=19 August 2021|title=From Iggy Pop to Janelle Monae, the stunning photography of Mick Rock|url=https://www.nme.com/photos/from-iggy-pop-to-janelle-monae-the-stunning-photography-of-mick-rock-1404179|date=6 December 2011|website=NME}}{{cite web|access-date=19 August 2021|title=Rockarchive - classic images from the vaults|url=https://www.nme.com/photos/rockarchive-classic-images-from-the-vaults-1411556|date=8 January 2009|website=NME}}{{cite web|access-date=19 August 2021|title=Raw Power: Rare Iggy Pop photos by Mick Rock|url=https://www.nme.com/photos/raw-power-rare-iggy-pop-photos-by-mick-rock-1430973|date=5 March 2013|website=NME}}

Rock received the Diesel U Music Legends Award for his contribution to Music in late 2006.{{cite web|access-date=19 August 2021|title=Diesel-U-Music Awards 2006|url=https://www.music-news.com/news/UK/12120/Read|website=Music-News.com}}

• Rock'n Roll Eye: the photography of Mick Rock, Tokyo Photographic Art Museum, 2003.{{cite web|access-date=19 August 2021|title=Rock'n Roll Eye: The photography of Mick Rock|url=http://topmuseum.jp/chi/contents/exhibition/index-885.html|website=topmuseum.jp}} A retrospective.
• Rock 'n' Roll Icons: the photography of Mick Rock, Urbis Cultural Centre, Manchester, UK, 2005/6.{{cite web|access-date=19 August 2021|title=Rock 'n' Roll Icons: the photography of Mick Rock|url=https://urbismanchester.wordpress.com/exhibitions/rock-%e2%80%98n%e2%80%99-roll-icons-the-photography-of-mick-rock/|date=14 January 2010|website=Urbis}}

Rock was the host of On the Record with Mick Rock, a documentary series on the Ovation channel.{{cite web|access-date=28 June 2021|title=On the Record with Mick Rock : Series : Ovation Official Site|url=http://www.ovationtv.com/series/on-the-record-with-mick-rock/|date=18 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170118151646/http://www.ovationtv.com/series/on-the-record-with-mick-rock/|archive-date=18 January 2017|website=Ovation}} The series followed Rock as he rolled across the country and met with musicians for a tour of their hometowns,{{cite web|first1=Brian|last1=Steinberg|access-date=19 August 2021|title=Isabella Rossellini, Mick Rock To Join Ovation TV Schedule|url=https://variety.com/2015/tv/news/isabella-rosellini-mick-rock-ovation-1201478312/|date=23 April 2015|website=Variety}} highlighting the people, places, and cultural institutions that have been integral in their lives and careers. Each episode features a performance. Guests in the first season included Josh Groban, The Flaming Lips (featuring Wayne Coyne and Steven Drozd), Kings of Leon, Patti LaBelle, and Mark Ronson.

Shot! The Psycho-Spiritual Mantra of Rock (2016) is a biographical documentary about Rock, directed by Barnaby Clay, produced by Monica Hampton.{{cite web|access-date=19 August 2021|title=Shot! The Psycho-Spiritual Mantra of Rock review – picture-perfect profile|url=http://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/jul/23/shot-the-psycho-spiritual-mantra-of-rock-mick-rock-david-bowie|date=23 July 2017|website=The Guardian}}{{cite web|first1=David|last1=Ehrlich|access-date=19 August 2021|title='Shot! The Psycho-Spiritual Mantra of Rock' Review: David Bowie's Favorite Photographer Gets His Close-Up In Candid and Compelling Documentary|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2017/04/mick-rock-shot-psycho-spiritual-mantra-of-rock-review-documentary-david-bowie-lou-reed-1201801203/|date=6 April 2017|website=IndieWire}}{{cite web|access-date=19 August 2021|title=SHOT! The Psycho-Spiritual Mantra Of Rock|url=https://www.timeout.com/movies/shot-the-psycho-spiritual-mantra-of-rock|website=Time Out}}{{cite news |last1=Grow |first1=Kory |title=Mick Rock on Shooting David Bowie and His Life-and-Times Doc 'Shot!' |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-features/mick-rock-on-shooting-david-bowie-and-his-life-and-times-doc-shot-128680/ |access-date=20 November 2021 |work=Rolling Stone |date=7 April 2017}}{{cite news |last1=Fishkind |first1=Scott |title=The History of Rock: An Interview with the Iconic Mick Rock |url=https://www.asifmag.com/story/interview-with-mick-rock |access-date=20 November 2021 |work=AS IF Magazine |date=22 July 2020 |language=en}}

Rock moved to New York in the mid-1970s{{cite news |last1=Morris |first1=Bob |title=Mick Rock Survives the ’70s to Shoot Again |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/15/fashion/mick-rock-70s-photographer-has-new-exhibition.html |access-date=20 November 2021 |work=The New York Times |date=14 December 2011}} and lived in New York City on Staten Island with his wife, Pati Rock and their daughter.{{cite news |last1=Vora |first1=Shivani |title=How Mick Rock, Music Photographer, Spends His Sundays |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/24/nyregion/mick-rock-photographer-sunday-routine.html |access-date=14 August 2021 |work=New York Times |date=24 March 2017}}{{cite web |last1=Heching |first1=Dan |title=Mick Rock, Legendary Rock Photographer of David Bowie and Andy Warhol, Dead |url=https://people.com/music/mick-rock-legendary-rock-photographer-of-bowie-and-warhol-dead/ |website=PEOPLE.com |access-date=20 November 2021 |language=en |date=19 November 2021}}

He died on 18 November 2021, at the age of 72.{{cite web |last=Legaspi |first=Althea |title=Mick Rock, Photographer Behind Iconic Images of David Bowie, Lou Reed, Dead at 72 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/mick-rock-dead-obit-1259988/ |website=Rolling Stone |access-date=19 November 2021 |date=19 November 2021}}

The following album covers feature Rock's photography:

• The Madcap Laughs – Syd Barrett (1970){{cite web |title=Rock photography meets street art in Mick Rock, Fin DAC project |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-people-mick-rock-idUSKBN2AU16R |website=Reuters |access-date=19 November 2021 |language=en |date=2 March 2021}}
• Deuce – Rory Gallagher (1971)
• Live! In Europe - Rory Gallagher (1972)
• Transformer – Lou Reed (1972){{cite web |last1=Kohn |first1=Daniel |title=Mick Rock, Legendary Music Photographer, Dies |url=https://www.spin.com/2021/11/mick-rock-legendary-music-photographer-dies-at-72/ |website=SPIN |access-date=19 November 2021 |date=19 November 2021}}
• Lonesome, On'ry and Mean – Waylon Jennings (1973)
• Raw Power – The Stooges (1973)
• Foreigner – Cat Stevens (1973)
• Pin Ups – David Bowie (1973)
• Queen II – Queen (1974)
• The Psychomodo – Cockney Rebel (1974)
• Don't Be Fooled by the Name – Geordie (1974)
• Sheer Heart Attack – Queen (1974)
• Coney Island Baby – Lou Reed (1975)
• Silly Sisters – Maddy Prior and June Tabor (1976)
• Rock and Roll Heart – Lou Reed (1976)
• Timeless Flight – Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel (1976)
• DMZ – DMZ (1978)
• We Have Come for Your Children – Dead Boys (1978)
• The Candidate – Steve Harley (1979)
• End of the Century – Ramones (1980){{cite web |last1=Helman |first1=Peter |title=Yeah Yeah Yeahs Reunite To Cover David Bowie & Lou Reed At Mick Rock Party |url=https://www.stereogum.com/1873255/yeah-yeah-yeahs-reunite-to-cover-david-bowie-lou-reed-at-mick-rock-party/news/ |website=Stereogum |access-date=19 November 2021 |language=en |date=23 April 2016}}
• Come Upstairs – Carly Simon (1980)
• I Love Rock 'n Roll – Joan Jett & The Blackhearts (1981)
• The Blue Mask – Lou Reed (1982)
• Teaser – Angela Bofill (1983)
• Nightlife - Cobra Verde (1999)
• Out of the Vein – Third Eye Blind (2003)
• The Quality of Mercy – Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel (2005)
• Parallax – Atlas Sound (2011){{cite web |last1=Fitzmaurice |first1=Larry |title=Atlas Sound Announces New Album |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/43632-atlas-sound-announces-new-album/ |website=Pitchfork |access-date=19 November 2021 |date=24 August 2011}}
• Cool Blue Halo: 25th Anniversary Concert – Richard Barone (2012)
• Underneath the Rainbow – Black Lips (2014)
• Plastic Hearts – Miley Cyrus (2020){{cite web |last1=Kaufman |first1=Gil |title=Miley Cyrus is a Pop Queen on Dramatic ‘Plastic Hearts’ Album Cover |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/miley-cyrus-plastic-hearts-album-cover-9484634/ |website=Billboard |access-date=19 November 2021 |date=16 November 2020}}

• A Photographic Record 1969–1980 (Century 22, 1995)
• Glam: An Eyewitness Account (foreword by Bowie) (Omnibus, 2006){{cite news |last1=Roberts |first1=Randall |title=David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Queen: Photographer Mick Rock captured stars of glam rock and beyond |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2021-11-19/mick-rock-dies-david-bowie-photographer |access-date=20 November 2021 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=19 November 2021}}
• Psychedelic Renegades / Syd Barrett (Genesis, 2002)
• Moonage Daydream / Ziggy Stardust (with Bowie) (Genesis). {{ISBN|978-1-84403-380-5}}.
• Rock 'n' Roll Eye (Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography, 2003)
• Killer Queen (with Brian May and Roger Taylor) (Genesis, 2003)
• Picture This / Debbie Harry & Blondie (foreword by Debbie Harry) (Omnibus, 2004)
• Raw Power / Iggy & The Stooges (foreword by Iggy Pop) (Omnibus, 2005)
• Blood and Glitter. 2005. {{ISBN|978-0-9537479-9-3}}.
• Rocky Horror (foreword by Richard O'Brien) (Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf, 2006
• Classic Queen (Sterling, 2007). {{ISBN|978-1-4027-5192-9}}.
• Tamashii: Mick Rock Meets Kanzaburo (Kabuki Theatre Photos) (Hachette Fujingaho, Japan, 2007)
• Psychedelic Renegades (Gingko, 2007){{cite web|website=Rolling Stone|access-date=19 August 2021|title=Psychedelic Renegades: Photos of Syd Barrett by Mick Rock|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/psychedelic-renegades-photos-of-syd-barrett-by-mick-rock-208416/|date=13 September 2007}}
• Mick Rock Exposed (Chronicle, 2010).{{cite web|access-date=19 August 2021|title=Mick Rock Exposed: The Faces of Rock 'N' Roll|url=https://www.flavorwire.com/137025/mick-rock-exposed-the-faces-of-rock-n-roll|website=Flavorwire}}

• Punk Drunk Love: The Images of Mick Rock (Panoramica, 2007){{cite news |title=Photographer lives the Rock dream |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6613107.stm|publisher=BBC News |access-date=20 November 2021 |date=10 May 2007}}

Rock's work is held in the following permanent collection:

• National Portrait Gallery, London: 2 prints (as of 15 May 2023)

{{Reflist}}

• {{Official website|www.mickrock.com}}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20070908023927/http://www.fusedmagazine.com/Past_Issues/Issue_24/Mick_Rock.aspx Mick Rock - article by Fused Magazine]
• [http://www.constructionlitmag.com/interview/mick-rock-interview-part-i/ The Mick Rock Interview, Part I] An Interview by Richard Fulco, Construction Magazine, 19 April 2012
• [http://www.constructionlitmag.com/interview/mick-rock-interview-part-ii/ The Mick Rock Interview, Part II] An Interview by Richard Fulco, Construction Magazine, 26 April 2012
• {{discogs artist|Mick Rock}}
• {{imdb name|1311186}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rock, Mick}}

Category:1948 births

Category:2021 deaths

Category:20th-century British photographers

Category:21st-century British photographers

Category:British album-cover and concert-poster artists

Category:Alumni of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge

Category:Concert photographers

Category:English expatriates in the United States

Category:Photographers from London

Category:Rock music photographers