Ricky Powell Interview
the adidas logo shaved into the back of his head .
I got a job at Def Jam being an office messenger . The Beasties asked me to go on tour . I asked Lyor Cohen if I could go , and he goes , “ Yeah but you gotta get a replacement .” So I went on that tour . I started taking pictures in spring of ’ 85 and in less than two years , I am on a tour bus going to California with the Beasties , and I ’ m the “ official unofficial ” photographer . Def Jam jacket like wow . I ’ m in the middle of this musical revolution . I was with Run DMC and LL . Superstars . We ’ re on tour and looking at Rolling Stone and the album is shooting up the charts with a bullet . In 1987 , Run DMC joined the Beastie Boys for the Together Forever Tour , and that was big because it was a white group and a black group hanging tough .
You took the pictures for Paul ’ s Boutique ?
Adam Yauch took the cover pic for Paul ’ s Boutique . That was crazy . Within a year they went from Licensed To Ill to recording in LA in ‘ 88 .
No one would have imagined that . They used to fly me out to hang at “ The G Spot ,” which was this big house . They named it after the Grasshoffs , who were an old couple who used to live there . It was a huge house up in the hills and it had a pool overlooking the whole valley . Ad- Rock had this room that was built into a hill like some bat cave type shit . In it was a window that looked into the middle of the pool . That ’ s where I took the picture . They jumped in the water , and I took the picture from Ad- Rock ’ s room , [ from ] behind a plate of glass .
Tell us about the time you smoked dust and photographed Public Enemy ?
You know about that ? That happened because these two chicks at Oakland Coliseum asked me and Russell Simmons to go into the toilet stall to smoke a joint . I took one hit and I was like , “ What the fuck is this shit ?” She was like , “ Dust !” and I was like , “ Whaaaaaat ?” Russell was like , “ Yeah gimme that , I love this shit !” I don ’ t know . It
© Ricky Powell
106 | Classic Kicks | classickicks . com | Volume 1