EIGHTIES PUNK ROCK PHOTOS FROM A TEENAGE FAN KEVIN SALK

Give us a little background of where you grew up, what kind of music you listened to before you got into punk and what were some of the rst punk shows you attended?

I grew up in Manhattan Beach, CA. It was a typical beach town. I listened to Hendrix, KISS, Aerosmith, Ted Nugent, etc. My rst “punk” show was the Clash at the Santa Monica Civic in 1979 with my friend who I have known since kindergarten. I saw 999 at the Roxy but I don’t know if I was still in junior high school or freshman year.

Did you take photos of other things before you got into punk concert photography, or did you dive right in to shooting live shows? Was your focus on documenting the music scene or just taking photos of your favorite bands?

I never really took photos of anything prior to my punk rock photos. My dad took a lot of pictures documenting our trip around Europe. I just started taking photos of bands. I really don’t have a reason, I just did.

How old were you when you shot most of these photos?

16-17 years old.

Were you friends with any of these bands or did you become friends, or were you just anonymously shooting photos at concerts?

I became “friends” with Black Flag because I used to “stalk” their HQ in Redondo Beach. I knew of Milo and Bill because they went to my high school. A number of the shows I was just anonymous and worked my way onto the stage.

What was your rst photo where you realized, this is good, I’m a punk concert photographer?

The one of Doyle starting at me at the Goleta Show. Also some of my Henry Rollins photos from The Federal Building and Mi Casita. I never thought of myself as a photographer. I was just a kids who took pictures at some gigs… I wish I took more!

What was your go-to venue to see a good punk show back in the early 80s?

There wasn’t one. I only took good photos of Black Flag, The Mis ts, Minor Threat, The Circle Jerks, and The Descendents. It turned out to only be a handful of venues.

What is your all time favorite punk photo that you took?

#1 Henry with the guy giving him the nger (Mi Casita). #2 Doyle staring me down (Goleta Valley