We call revered writer Vince Aletti for a chat about his book

Bruce of Los Angeles: Rodeo
Art | 24 May 2013
Interview Dean Mayo Davies

Born in Philadelphia, growing up partly in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, legendary music writer, photography critic and curator Vince Aletti has been a New Yorker since 1968. Synonymous with disco, a genre he was immersed in as it defined itself, writing weekly on the subject for four years from 1974, Aletti became more and more involved with the photography community, considering images, exhibitions and books; an expression he is still working with and writing about to this day.

His latest project is a tome on physique photographer Bruce of Los Angeles’s Rodeo series, published by Acne Studios as an edition of 500, with the brand’s Jonny Johansson developing a capsule line of clothes to go with.

A thematic departure for Bellas, the name behind the ‘Los Angeles’ pseudonym, the imagery portrays cowboys in between bull riding performances at western rodeos in the 50s, 60s and 70s. We called Aletti at home for the story behind the project.

“After contributing to the last two issues of Acne Paper and spending time with [editor] Thomas Persson, I showed him these Rodeo pictures I’d always thought would make a great book.

I first became aware of Bruce in the early 70s, there was a store a few blocks from me [in New York] called Physique Memorabilia that was almost an underground institution. They specialised in buying collections from people and always had boxes full of small photos and magazines. The pictures were between 50 cents and a dollar at that time, so it was a way of being able to train my eye and accumulate a lot of wonderful small prints, my own education of looking. Bruce had a distinctive style which I really responded to, adapting a classic Hollywood glamour.

In the course of several years of looking at his work, I became more and more interested in the eccentricities that were not typical. When I came across this Rodeo group, I became very excited, they’re very different from his regular work; charming, the guys are wonderful and it felt very authentic. I saw this photographer I thought I knew fairly well in a different light.

The Cowboy has always been a figure people respond to, not just Americans. He’s always been this stoïc, heroic, masculine figure that I think for a lot of people represents authenticity and a connection to the pioneer spirit. That image and that style, which is kind of timeless, never goes away.”

 

Especially for HERO readers, we have two signed copies of Bruce of Los Angeles: Rodeo, edited by Vince Aletti give away. Email with the subject ACNE to competition@hero-magazine.com before May 31st for a chance of winning.

 

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