As a woman in '90s punk photography, she worked harder. Now her SoCal archive debuts

Maggie St. Thomas had an antithetic puerility that led to a beingness of documenting uncommon moments successful punk stone history.

As a 6-year-old, St. Thomas utilized to spell retired connected schoolhouse nights and bent retired astatine seedy euphony venues with her dada to ticker bands similar Motörhead and TSOL. In 1991, erstwhile she was successful sixth grade, she casually picked up a camera to sprout a governmental rally astatine Los Angeles City Hall, wherever L7 and Red Hot Chili Peppers were performing. St. Thomas says this is the infinitesimal she discovered her passionateness for photography, and implicit the adjacent fewer decades, her beingness became consumed by punk stone shows and movie rolls.

The SoCal autochthonal went connected to sprout revered acts similar the Ramones, Johnny Thunders, and Lemmy Kilmister of Motörhead, capturing galore backstage moments with musicians disconnected signifier too. St. Thomas has compiled these and countless much images successful her latest book, “Subject: Punk,” a postulation and chronicle of her punk stone photography from the ‘90s to the present. The book, which published its 2nd variation successful October, besides includes euphony journalism narratives and past interviews that the punk stone lensman conducted with musicians similar Wayne Kramer of MC5, Markie and Johnny Ramone of the Ramones, and galore others.

This interrogation has been edited for magnitude and clarity.

The Ramones astatine the KROQ Weenie Roast successful Irvine successful 1995.

(Maggie St. Thomas)

Your latest book, “Subject: Punk,” captures your photography successful the SoCal punk country from the ‘90s to contiguous day. Despite each the large bands you were capturing successful the aboriginal ‘90s, your imagination was to yet sprout the Ramones. What did that infinitesimal mean to you erstwhile it yet happened?

When it yet happened, it was June 17, 1995. I’ll ne'er hide that day. I inactive person the T-shirt that they signed, I haven’t washed it, and I’ve lone worn it connected a mates peculiar occasions since. It was everything to maine — seeing the Ramones astatine a precise aboriginal age, watching “Rock ‘n’ Roll High School” connected TV. I retrieve my dada saying, “Make definite you’re successful earlier the streetlights travel connected due to the fact that ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll High School’ is going to beryllium on.” I had nary thought what to expect, I retrieve watching it and I was conscionable like, “Oh, my gosh, these guys are incredible,” truthful it was everything to me, absolutely. When I photographed the Ramones, Rage Against the Machine, Hole, White Zombie and Sublime were connected the aforesaid bill. It was huge. During the Ramones’ set, I thought, “OK, I tin dice blessed now, I did what I wanted to bash successful life.” I chose to look astatine it similar a calling and prosecute it. I’m truthful thankful I’m inactive present — I’ve lived truthful galore lives since 1995.

You yet became adjacent to Arturo Vega, the Mexican graphic decorator and creator who created the Ramones’ iconic logo and who is known by fans arsenic “the 5th Ramone.” What was your narration like, and however did helium enactment your work?

Arturo Vega was incredible, truthful supportive, and helium did truthful much. He helped maine get this 1 interrogation with Johnny Ramone. Johnny didn’t speech to galore people, helium was a antheral of fewer words, and the information I got an interview, I was conscionable like, “Whoa.” Arturo did truthful much, and I retrieve helium would say, ‘You gotta enactment a publication out,’ and this was aboriginal on. I got a punctuation from him successful 2001 astir my enactment with the Ramones, helium said immoderate astonishing words, I inactive person the email that helium wrote, and helium was ever great. When I was successful New York successful his loft photographing him, CJ Ramone came successful portion Arturo was showing Ramones artwork to maine and sharing antithetic stories that happened, for example, helium would constituent astatine the level and say, “Over determination — that’s the stain wherever Dee Dee burned it with candles.” He was a wealthiness of truthful overmuch past and I really, truly admired him. He saw them arsenic much than conscionable a band; they were an art, a enactment of art. I mean, convey God for Arturo Vega.

A assemblage surfer astatine the now-closed Showcase Theatre successful Corona 1996.

(Maggie St. Thomas)

Your publication describes however absorbing your puerility was. While different kids were having bedtime stories work to them astatine night, you were astatine euphony venues with your dada watching acts similar Motörhead, Johnny Thunders and TSOL. How instrumental was your dada successful cultivating your passionateness for euphony and sparking your enactment arsenic a photographer?

Extremely. I went everyplace with him, and it was a antithetic childhood, I’ll accidental that. And the happening is, erstwhile you’re a kid and you are brought up a definite way, I figured everybody did that until I realized they didn’t. It was a precise antithetic beingness from what astir kids were living. I retrieve erstwhile I saw Lemmy Kilmister successful 2006, portion we were doing a representation that would beryllium featured successful the book. I shared with him that I saw Motörhead successful performance erstwhile I was 6 years old. Lemmy gave maine a thumbs up and said, “That’s existent stone ‘n’ roll.”

The time that everything clicked — it happened astatine a precise aboriginal age, and I’m truthful thankful for that. Sixth grade, I ditched schoolhouse that time and I went with my dad. He was going to papers immoderate L.A. show; that’s each I knew. I conscionable didn’t privation to spell to schoolhouse and I went with him successful his 1984 El Camino, and we went to L.A. City Hall for a rally. The Red Hot Chili Peppers played, L7 played, I was close up front, you couldn’t get immoderate closer, and I had an 8-millimeter camera. My dada was filming, documenting the event, and I was conscionable a sixth-grader, bright-eyed like, wow. That was specified an unthinkable moment, looking down maine and seeing thousands of radical and past determination I am. How tin schoolhouse comparison with that?

After this large moment, this realization that this was your calling, who were immoderate of the archetypal bands that you started shooting?

Well, soon aft successful 1992, I photographed Dr. Timothy Leary with my dada astatine Chapman University, and past successful 1993 I started shooting astatine the Hong Kong Cafe [in L.A.] these anarchy, crustcore punk bands. Other bands I was shooting astatine Hong Kong Cafe included MDC and Total Chaos.

Maggie St. Thomas

(Courtesy of Maggie St. Thomas)

What was it similar for you arsenic a pistillate shooting bands successful the ‘90s, erstwhile performance photography was overmuch much male-dominated than it is today?

It inactive is precise overmuch well-dominated by men today. It’s a man’s satellite nary substance however you portion it, and being a pistillate successful the tract — I’m definite arsenic you tin subordinate — determination are challenges. It was hard past and it inactive is hard successful immoderate ways. In my experiences, I’ve recovered that women oftentimes person to enactment harder than men to beryllium taken seriously, not conscionable successful photography, but successful immoderate profession.

What proposal bash you person for different women who privation to get into this and navigate this situation to bash performance photography?

You’ve got to person heavy skin, you’ve got to truly beryllium determined, and you’ve got to judge successful yourself. I didn’t person prestigious schools down me. When I got into this, I was learning arsenic I went, and this was the clip of film, which is overmuch much unforgiving than digital. I person truthful galore rolls of movie wherever there’s stills of blurs and nether exposures, and overexposed pictures, but I kept connected shooting. You’ve got to truly judge successful yourself, adjacent if it’s lone you, due to the fact that it’s large erstwhile you person an assemblage and the enactment of radical applauding you telling you however large you are, but that isn’t ever there, and that isn’t however you grow. So, you’ve got to truly judge successful yourself and ever support moving forward.

X performs astatine Pacific Amphitheatre successful 2024.

(Maggie St. Thomas)

“Subject: Punk” chronicles the improvement of the SoCal punk country done the decades, but however is this publication much than conscionable a postulation of photos, and what does it correspond to you?

To maine it represents bosom and soul. This publication wasn’t casual to enactment unneurotic astatine all. I had a batch going against me, but I besides had a batch of enactment from immoderate beauteous astonishing people. The artists who are featured connected the screen are artists who perfectly supported maine done this: Exene Cervenka of X, Lou Koller of Sick of It All, Corey Parks, she played with Die’ Hunns and Nashville Pussy, Gina Volpe of the Lunachicks, and, of course, the tone of the top set ever, the Ramones. I enactment everything into this publication — it is heart, it is soul, it is tears, it is sweat. “Subject: Punk” is nary bulls—, man.

What’s your favourite photograph successful the book?

Every photograph I’ve captured of the Ramones volition ever beryllium my favorite, but determination are truthful galore others. I look astatine the photographs connected the pages, immoderate of which were taken 3 decades ago. That’s portion of my youth, what I did increasing up, and I’m inactive alive, I’m inactive here. There’s a batch of radical successful this publication that aren’t [alive anymore], and that is thing I ne'er instrumentality for granted, to beryllium alive, and to acquisition and spot immoderate of the fruits of my labor. I americium truthful incredibly grateful to beryllium talking to you close present — that’s the top gift. I look astatine this publication like, “Wow, I did it. I really enactment this publication together.” That punctuation from Arturo Vega from much than 2 decades agone is close wherever it’s meant to beryllium — successful the publication helium ever told maine I should enactment retired — truthful present it is.

“Subject: Punk” publication cover

(Courtesy of Maggie St. Thomas)

Other than the Ramones gig, what was the astir memorable amusement oregon set you’ve ever shot?

When my ma passed distant — this is wherefore I judge successful higher powers and cognize there’s thing greater than america — I went and saw Etta James. I brought my camera with me, and someway got a photograph walk truthful I could bring my camera in. After photographing her unthinkable unrecorded show, I maneuvered my mode backstage wherever she had similar 20 guards astir her, and I became invisible and got close up to her and handed her a mag with my photograph enactment connected the screen — of Lee Rocker and Kitten de Ville. She said, “Oh, wow, is this for me?” and I was thrilled that she wanted to support it. “Absolutely, Miss Etta James, it is,” I responded, and we had this existent chill conversation, and I snapped immoderate pictures of her holding my magazine. So galore of those instances person been truthful magical wherever it’s like, however other bash you explicate that? How could I get past each of those information radical connected my own? There has to beryllium thing greater than us, you know?

What is the eventual connection you anticipation radical travel distant with aft speechmaking and seeing your enactment successful this book?

My connection is that I anticipation that radical ne'er halt trying and they ever judge successful themselves. Life tin get truly hard, and it oftentimes does, and you hide astir those precious moments, those snapshots of beingness that go our small forevers that we clasp beloved and cherish. When I look astatine the book, I get blown away, I get precise affectional sometimes due to the fact that I’m like, “Damn, what a beingness this idiosyncratic lived” and past I realize, “Hey, this is my life, wow” — it conscionable hits maine antithetic sometimes. Who would person known these photographs I began taking arsenic a teen would beryllium successful a publication connected an full culture? Whatever you do, immoderate you privation to be, conscionable bash it, due to the fact that you can. There’s a magic successful each of us, and you person to judge successful that magic. You don’t ever privation to suffer it. So that’s what I anticipation anyone would get from the book.