When legendary New York photographer Bob Gruen turns to you in the middle of a crowd and asks if he can take your picture, you smile and say, “Yes!”

 

I’m captured me here with former client Johnny Rotten/John Lydon—who today (January 31) celebrates his 70th birthday—at the infamous Hotel Chelsea in NYC. I rode there on the tour bus with John after the Sex Pistols’ show at Jones Beach in August 2003. 

 

Someone in NY (I forget whom) thought it would be clever to have an after-party in the basement space of the same hotel where Sid Vicious’ gal Nancy Spungen died from a stab wound in 1978.  I thought the party location idea was in poor taste. But then, I guess, “it’s only rock and roll.”

 

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