Radar: Godlis

I recently spoke with Godlis — the photographer whose images defined CBGB’s, the Bowery, and downtown New York in the ’70s punk scene. His iconic photographs of the Ramones, Patti Smith, Television, Blondie, Talking Heads, Richard Hell, and many more offered a window into that world that stays with us today. It’s an astonishing record.

We talk about his college years in Boston and when he first picked up a camera. Having that first camera (a Leica) robbed, making his way back to New York, fully realizing his desire to be a defining street photographer, and how he discovered CBGB’s, plus much more.

His books include History Is Made at Night, Godlis Miami, and Godlis Streets, each capturing a different part of the worlds he’s been documenting for decades. All wonderful documents of one of the greatest street photographers of all time.

ICYDNK: Dylan Hundley is an artist and performer. She is the co-creator and lead singer of Lulu Lewis, and the creator of all things at Darling Black. She curates and hosts Salon Lulu, a New York–based multidisciplinary performance series, and is also a cast member of the cult-classic New York film Metropolitan.