Where others would look away or change the side of the street, Charles Gatewood pulls out his camera and shoots his subjects, from William S. Burroughs to drunken revelers and modern blood drinkers, like a war photographer. Never putting his camera down, always finding the story. His most famous, but also most provocative pictures are definitely the ones he shot in American cities of the 70s and early 80s. Documenting the modern primitve and tattoo scene, including now legendary figures like Fakir Musafar and Spider Webb, he captured this world long before tattoos were a regular feature in every suburban home. His images document a rich world made by the kind of characters your mother warned you about ― and that you secretly wanted to become- when you got your first tattoo.
