August 2021 represents the 40th year of my photography career. I shot my firstshow on August 3rd, 1981 at the
Whisky‐a‐go‐go, in Los Angeles, California. I was 15. I had been attending shows for about a year before I got up the nerve to bring a camera. Not being a musician, I still wanted to contribute something lasting that would add to the historical record of what would prove to be an important genre, Punk Rock. When I walked into the Whisky the first time with my camera my perspective immediately changed. I was no longer a witness, but a participant. If women are 49.5% of the general population, they represented about 20% at shows. The next thing I noticed was that there were very few women with cameras.
I was raised by parents who had specific ideas about gender roles in society (based on their post‐Depression upbringing) but on the other hand had a strong sense of fairness and raised me to speak up, defend myself when necessary while still managing to be "lady‐like." Punk Rock completely tossed out the latter. There was no room to be anything other than bold when trying to photograph a punk show. I kept pushing forward both physically and metaphorically until I was satisfied, that I was in the best position to pursue my art – on the stage, next to the band.