As much a part of rock history as the legends he photographs, Mark Weiss marvels at his life of art and passion

by Laura D.C. Kolnoski

Some of rock’s most recognizable and iconic photographs were in fact taken by a New Jersey photographer, and one whose career began in novel fashion.

At 14, Mark Weiss made a deal to cut a neighbor’s lawn in exchange for a 35mm camera. By high school, he was bribing security guards to get down front at concerts with a concealed camera so he could shoot acts like Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, and Queen. He developed the prints in his bathroom and sold them at school, heading back to shows the next night. Outside Madison Square Garden, he was arrested for selling his KISS photos for a dollar apiece and spent a night in jail. Undeterred, he took his portfolio to Circus magazine—his first published effort a centerfold of Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler in 1978. Weiss soon became a contributor and then a staff photographer for Circus. In the process, he developed relationships with managers and bands that helped further propel his career.

“It became clear I could make a living as a rock photographer when I got an assignment to shoot Peter Frampton in 1979,” Weiss recalled. “He trusted me to give him images of how he wanted to be portrayed.”

That summer, Weiss photographed Van Halen at Asbury Park’s Convention Hall. “That’s when I got hooked on shooting backstage…the glitz, the glam, the groupies. I loved the music, the clothes, the hair, and the girls!” he recounted

Among the album covers he’s shot are Twisted Sister’s Stay Hungry (1984), Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Lyve from Steel Town (1998), Christina Aguilera’s Mi Reflejo (2000), Gwen Stefani’s The Sweet Escape (single cover 2007), and three for Bon Jovi—Slippery When Wet (1986), One Wild Night Live 1985–2001 (2001), and Dry County (single cover 1994). Weiss first saw Jon Bon Jovi when the singer was 18 and in a band called The Rest, opening for Hall & Oats and Southside Johnny and The Asbury Jukes.

“I was taking photos of Southside as he was watching Jon, and he told me I should be shooting that kid on stage, so I went over and snapped a few,” Weiss related. The two Jerseyans met in 1985 when Weiss was hired to shoot press photos for Bon Jovi’s 7800° Fahrenheit album. Over the next ten years, he photographed the band and traveled with them to Europe, Japan, and South America. Press photos for Slippery When Wet were taken in Red Bank, by Rumson’s Oceanic Bridge, and in Bradley Beach, where Jon was renting an apartment.

Weiss turned wedding photographer for the nuptials of Richie Sambora and Heather Locklear, toured with KISS, Van Halen, Ozzy Osborne, and Aerosmith, and shot photos and videos of Mötley Crüe, Metallica, the Back Street Boys, N’Sync, Journey, Sound Garden, and Jane’s Addiction. Over the past decade, he has shot the Black Eyed Peas, Usher, Lil Wayne, Mariah Carey, Rihanna, and Nelly, and has photo-graphed winter tours of the Trans Siberian Orchestra for the last 20 years.

Weiss’s work has appeared in books, magazines, and on licensed merchandise throughout the world. He is also writing a book entitled The Decade that Rocked, featuring his 1980s photographs and more than 100 interviews. Last year, he shot the wedding of his good friend, Fox News anchor Steve Lacy.

His place in rock history solidified during the 1985 Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) hearings in Washington, DC. The committee, formed by Tipper Gore, sought to label music deemed violent, pro-drug, and/or sexually charged. The resulting list of “offensive” songs was called “The Filthy Fifteen.” Twisted Sister’s Dee Snider was called to testify. He asked Weiss to accompany him to document the proceedings, and Weiss was amazed to see his own photos used as evidence. The proceeding was a pivotal theme of the play and movie Rock of Ages. When the play debuted on Broadway, the Helen Hayes Theatre was filled with Weiss’s classic ’80s photographs (more shots are displayed at the Venetian in Las Vegas where the musical is running). This year, he created an App called The Filthy Fifteen to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the PMRC hearings.

“It’s a history lesson which I will expand with interviews—a documentary in the making,” Weiss explained. He also appears in a film submitted to the Sundance Film Festival this year, Let Me Down Hard from Asbury Park, in which he plays himself.

Weiss uses his archives and talent to support Red Bank’s Lunch Break Food Pantry, the Light of Day Foundation, and the ROCKIT Foundation; a youth music program based at the Count Basie Theatre (also supported by Steven Van Zant and his wife Maureen). His work is currently on display at Jack’s Music in Red Bank and Fetish in Asbury Park.

“Mark has a bedside manner with bands and a way of putting everyone at ease,” said Debbie Harry of Blondie. “He loves what he’s doing and it shows. Coupled with his long association and enduring passion, he’s a great rock photographer.”

Mark Weiss
WeissguyGallery.com