Richard Alden Peterson Print

By Outtake Gallery

In 1977 during the band’s formative years, Devo ventured into San Francisco’s creative scene where the band encountered the like-minded team behind the influential Search & Destroy punk ​‘zine, the first-wave periodical launched by a City Lights Bookstore employee using funds from Allen Ginsberg and typed on Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s typewriter. Co-publisher and surrealist activist Ricky Trance’s inner-city flat served as a crash pad for Devo and other traveling 1970s punk-era performers. One night, in 1978, while Devo was staying in Ricky’s flat, Sid Vicious arrived wasted at 3:00 in the morning and stepped on Bob 2’s head in total darkness. He reacted instinctively and grabbed Sid’s ankle, twisting it as he screamed in pain. A sprained ankle and an ER visit was the result. During an earlier visit in 1977, S&D ​“Aerial Photographer” Richard Alden Peterson helped Devo clear their crash pad room of furniture to create spontaneous imaginative photo art, one of their finest collaborations. This fantastic image from early in the band’s evolution is a clear harbinger of Devo’s vision. As the session developed, all involved discerned both the sense of collaboration and the sense of each member aesthetically propping up the others. The skewed angles, the uniforms and the turning away from the camera combine to capture Devo’s imperative and ongoing willingness to defy conventional wisdom. Decades later, this innovative gem will likely be the most invigorating image in your collection.

17×22. Edition of 23.

Richard Alden Peterson grew up east of San Diego and sold his first photographic print by 8^th grade. He caught the attention of legendary rock journalist Lester Bangs, who encouraged Peterson (and Cameron Crowe) in their early years. By age 15, Peterson was photographing and hanging out with performers like The Supremes, Buffalo Springfield, The Stone Poneys, Cream, Turtles, Strawberry Alarm Clock, and The Byrds. For college Peterson headed to the Bay Area, where he connected with fellow anti-establishment travelers, including legendary artist Bruce Conner, with whom Peterson worked printing museum art for 30 years. Bruce Conner created Devo’s ​“Mongoloid” video. Peterson was at the scene’s epicenter, which allowed him to work on projects by David Byrne and Brian Eno. Peterson’s intimate access to Iggy Pop, Debbie Harry, Joey Ramone and countless others resulted in a treasure trove of images. Peterson’s photography is in the permanent collection of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. This image by Peterson has been exhibited in several museum shows.