Mick Rock/Genesis PublicationsShortly before his death in 2013, Lou Reed collaborated with photographer Mick Rock on a limited-edition book called Transformer that features a variety of pics Rock snapped of Reed, most of them taken during the 1970s. An updated version of the book, boasting an additional folio of rare photos, plus new commentary from Rock, has recently been published.
Rock, whose friendship with Reed began after he shot the famous photo featured on the cover Lou’s classic 1972 album Transformer, tells ABC Radio that he and Genesis Publications initially decided to hold off on putting out another edition of the Transformer book following Reed’s death “as a gesture of respect to Lou.”
However, Mick and Genesis eventually decided to publish another edition because, Rock maintains, “Lou loved this book.”
The Transformer book features images from various Reed album-cover shoots, as well as from concerts, backstage, hanging with famous friends at parties, in hotels and at home. The pics are accompanied by the text of conversations Mick and Lou had about the photos.
Rock tells ABC Radio that some of his favorite images in the book are from a shoot he did in 1975 around the sessions for the Coney Island Baby album cover.
“He’s wearing a kind of plastic top, and he looks…I always called it like plastic alien pictures,” Rock explains, “and he does look like a f****** alien.”
Mick says he also loves photos he snapped of Lou with his dogs, which are part of the folio included in the book’s updated version.
“I always threatened Lou, I said,…’I’m gonna publish those pictures and blow your image, man!'” Rock says. “‘Cause you can see how sweet he is. I mean, he did love [animals.]”
Check out more details about the Transformer book at Genesis-Publications.com.
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‘Transformer’, a new book by Lou Reed and Mick Rock from Genesis Publications on Vimeo.
