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April 22, 2022 • Schneps Media
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
they have come back home —
this event is like a long awaited,
joyful reunion.”
For some though, it’s a bittersweet
experience. Patti Astor,
co-founder of the first East Village
gallery, “Fun Gallery,” looked
around and said,” I’m close to
tears – it’s not like looking back,
it’s like being there again. To me
they’re just my friends, and so
many are gone.”
It’s not just the veterans of the
scene who appreciate Grossman’s
work, though.
Twenty-one year old Emily Pavis
chose to write about the photographer
for a New School assignment
after discovering him
through the son of the late writer
Glenn O’Brien — who was known
for, among other things, being
the first editor of Warhol’s “Interview”
magazine and creating
the local cable show “TV Party,”
where Grossman was “unofficially
the official photographer.”
“Bobby’s photography genuinely
means so much to me,” Pavis
shares. “The pictures shed light
on a time period that seems so
distant from today. Candid photos
of William S. Burroughs, Andy
Warhol and Debbie Harry that expose
creativity and artistry before
the distractions and implications
of social media and digital technology.
They also serve as a time
capsule to commemorate and remember
those we have lost.”
Grossman left the scene for
awhile, living in Florida where he
“took a zillion pics of my dog” and
planned for a book that is just now
becoming a reality, about 12 years
after he began to put it together.
With the help of The Waverly
Press and a just announced Kickstarter
effort, the planned 224-page
opus will include a cover photo of
Debbie Harry that Shepard Fairey
used as the basis for his Blondie mural
on Bowery and Bleecker, as well
as shots of Lou Reed, David Bowie,
Iggy Pop, Alex Chilton, Andy Warhol
and many more.
Dagon James, Grossman’s editor
at Waverly, expressed his enthusiasm
for the project.
“We live in an age where virtually
Top: An angelic Bobby Grossman with artist Colette at the opening.
Above: Oscar O’Brien (son of the late Glenn O’Brien), Bobby
every notable photograph
has been seen and every story
told countless times, ” he notes.
“It’s rare that someone like Bobby
Grossman comes along with a
vast, largely unseen archive from
this important period when art,
music and fashion were being reshaped
and redefined. “Low Fidelity”
is a book that offers a rare opportunity
to give those who have
seen it all something new.”
As for Grossman, he’s celebrating
30 years of sobriety, looking
forward to the publication and
counting his blessings.
“I’m still here,” he says. “And
most of the people on these walls
are gone.”
Learn more about Bobby Grossman
at bobbygrossman.com or on
Instagram @bobby_grossman.
For information on his show, visit
howlarts.org.
Grossman, Emily Pavis
PHOTOS BY BOB KRASNER
Bobby Grossman at solo show “Low Fidelity”, between vintage images of himself. On the left he is
pictured with John Waters
/bobbygrossman.com
/howlarts.org
