Dead Boys 1977: The Lost Photographs of Dave Treat

2017 | Art, Photography & Fashion | Music & Dance

In the mid 1970s, photographer Dave Treat was a friend and neighbor to members of the nascent Cleveland punk rock band the Dead Boys. When they needed press kit pictures, Treat and his camera were at the ready, and together with the band, he captured a series of stunning portraits—not just of a group of musicians, but of engrossing ’70s Rust Belt decay and a major city at the brink of ruin. Soon after the photo shoot, the band pulled up roots to move to New York, added a fifth member, and cut off their hair, so the photos were obsolete for promo purposes, and into the proverbial shoebox they went for almost forty years. The new book DEAD BOYS 1977: THE LOST PHOTOGRAPHS OF DAVE TREAT collects those incredibly rare images (Only one was ever published—in “Rock Scene” magazine, the alley photo that served as the template for the “Young Loud and Snotty” cover), selections from Treat’s series of intimate portraits of singer Stiv Bators, and early live photos of the band in concert, along with new commentary by band members Cheetah Chrome and Johnny Blitz, and essays by art historian Brittany Mariel Hudak and longtime Dangerous Minds culture blogger Ron Kretsch. The book is an astonishing document from the pre-history of one of the most seismically important movements in the history of rock ‘n’ roll, and an absolute must-have for fans of punk’s first wave.

Ron Kretsch (Author)