Legendary Rockstar Photographer
Belle Vie Magazine is honored to bring our readers this exclusive interview. If you are a fan of rock music, or music at all, you have seen his photos. They have graced hundreds of magazine covers. He has photographed everybody from AC/DC to ZZ Top. He is none other than Neil Zlozower, the undisputed heavyweight champion of celebrity rock photography. In this insightful interview, our own Peggy McIntaggart Seagren sits down with “Zloz” as he opens up about his astonishing career.
Peggy McIntaggart Seagren:
Okay, I am sitting here with Neil Zlozower, I am interviewing him for Belle Vie Magazine, so of course I am going to ask the typical questions that I always ask people first. How did you get started Neil and where are you from?
Neil Zlozower:
I was born in Los Angeles, lived here all my life. I basically got started in my Rock'N'Roll photography career as a glorified fan. I used to go to concerts and then one day my Aunt and Uncle from Palo Alto came down, and I said, "Oh, who is Cousin Rick doing?" “Oh, he bought a camera, he's shooting photos” I was like 14 years old. Well if Rick can buy a camera, I can buy a camera, so, I bought a camera and used to walk around with it everywhere and started shooting photos. I was already going to concerts, so I started bringing my camera to concerts too running up to the front and shooting photos of my idols.The Rolling Stones, Ten Years After, Led Zeppelin, The Who, basically so I could go back home and put the pictures on my bedroom wall like any glorified 14 year old fan, and the rest is history.
Peggy McIntaggart Seagren:
Wow. What I can see by your website that you shot pretty much everybody. So, what are some of the most memorable shoots you have done and why?
Neil Zlozower:
Well, you know, the Motley Crue blood session that I did in '84 with the band was pretty iconic because it's so eye catching. It's probably the most, what's the word, quintessential or whatever, Motley shoot. I mean the Motley fanatics think that's probably the best Motley shoot they ever did, it's probably their most well-known. Another is the Steve Vai with the silver paint. I am in my golden years, they all sort of blend into one now, I am still shooting even though being a photographer is probably one of the most worthless professions in the world in the year 2018, but I still have my clients that appreciate what I do and know that if they hire me, they know what results to expect and they aren't going to have to call up the subject and get a re-shoot or whatever. I've moved on to different branches of photography, like running a photo agency, Atlasicons.com with my partner Eddie Malluk, who's a New York photographer I've known for years. So, I am still in the photo/music industry, it's just I've moved on to different avenues.
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