Big Mike came through big-time at the reunion last week -- not only with his always positive presence, but the photo album he brought to the party increased the merriment exponentially. The old shots of the Astoria Zoo Crew provided much enjoyment to all who viewed them, and became a center of attention in their own right as we each gathered round to get another view. Simply put, the reunion would not have been the same without his photographic contribution.
Mike, or just M as we frequently call him, was nothing less than the Francesco Scavullo of 37th Street Park. In the days before lightweight, portable digital cameras, he seemingly always traveled with a camera strapped around his neck, ready to chronicle the next (mis)adventures of the gang, snapping portraits that captured the very essence of his subjects, who were always relaxed and at ease before this steady, crafty lensman. His work needs no introduction among the cognoscenti, but for those unfortunate, uninitiated souls, suffice to say that his legacy is assured in the soft sepia tones that still bring joy to us all these many years later.
Here is a sampling of some of the master's greatest works. Back then, our hair was a little longer, a little fuller and a lot less gray, but you know what -- it's still us. We've all grown a lot since most of these pics were taken, yet we haven't changed a whole bunch. And at the end of the day, that's not a bad thing.
So take a trip down Gentil Alley with us ... Up ahead, your next stop, it's the Twofer-izer Zone. Feel the Golden Decade of the 1970s come alive again thanks to Mike's selfless efforts back then to capture a now-long-lost time in our lives. Enjoy and, by all means, click to enlarge! I know I will...
See also:
More Zoo Crew
Hanging Out
Leather Weather
Greek to You
Past Present
Missing Dad
Mystery Girl
No comments:
Post a Comment