Miscellaneous - Gilbert Blecken Photography (1989-2009) 1

by Admin

published: 8 / 9 / 2012

Over twenty years between 1989 and 2009, former Pennyblackmusic writer Gilbert Blecken took portrait shots and interviewed mainly British and American musicians as they toured through his native city of Berlin. The photographs in these four galleries chronicle some of those encounters and interviews

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Over a twenty year period between 1989 and 2009, Gilbert Blecken, a music writer, took portrait shots of mainly British and American musicians as they toured through his native city of Berlin. Occasionally Gilbert travelled to Britain where he interviewed and photographed artists such as Rose McDowall from Strawberry Switchblade, whose photograph here remains his own personal favourite, and the late Kirsty MacColl and Billy MacKenzie. Gilbert took photographs and did interviews for his own fanzines for a decade between 1989 and 1999. Often he would do these impromptu before gigs, approaching bands and musicians at venues as they completed their soundchecks. If there was no time for an interview, he would still sometimes take a photograph. In 1999 he went into sabbatical, coming out briefly to interview and photograph former Propaganda star Claudia Brucken in 2001, before returning full-time to music work in 2004. He worked during this latter period for Pennyblackmusic between 2004 and 2005, and also for Berlin listings magazine, 'Tip'. Gilbert Blecken retired from music writing and music photography upon his fortieth birthday in 2009. The first two of these four galleries focus on the years between 1989 and 2001, and the remaining two on the latter years between 2004 and 2009. All these photographs and many more can be found at Gilbert's website http://gilbertblecken.wordpress.com Gilbert Blecken's first gallery consists of: 1. Mark White and Martin Fry (ABC) 1991 2. Marc Almond 1995 3. Edwyn Collins 1991 4. Tjinder Singh (Cornershop) 1997 5. Hugh Cornwell 1997 6. Terry Hall 1994