A photographic tribute to ‘90s music, style and culture
- Text by Miss Rosen
- Photography by Meshell Ndegeocello by Guzman (main image)
Long before photography duos were commonplace, husband and wife Russell Peacock and Constance Hansen introduced Guzman to the world. “We started collaborating in the mid-’80s and at first, it was just playing around, making pictures of nightlife personalities in our Fifth Avenue photo studio,” Hansen says.
In 1988, they moved to a 3,000-square-foot studio on West 31st Street in Manhattan just as Guzman became a force in their own right. They hit the global stage with the album cover for Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814 and never looked back. Fusing classic large-format photography with a quirky sensibility that gave them a distinctive edge, Guzman soon secured A-list partnerships at a time when photographers were treated like stars.
Debi Mazar
Their groundbreaking 1996 ad campaign featuring Grandmaster Flash self-styled in his own clothes and carrying a monogrammed LV record case designed by Helmut Lang came at the height of their career. “We flew on the Concorde from New York to Paris to have a meeting at Louis Vuitton in the afternoon and then came right back,” Hansen remembers. “We weren’t even shooting there, we were shooting in the States.”
“Budgets were different then,” Hansen recalls of the times when ad agencies, record labels, and magazines had deep pockets. Guzman received many notable commissions which brought their signature style to the mainstream, crafting mesmerising portraits that were often crafted on whirlwind shoots.
When Details magazine brought Guzman on to photograph Soundgarden for a feature story, Hansen and Peacock caught the Seattle band completely off guard. Envisioning a modern take on the famed 1975 video of the Rolling Stones performing on a flatbed truck rolling down Fifth Avenue in 1975, the photographers rented a rowboat and hooked it up to the back of the car.
“We wanted the band to get in [the boat] and drive them around 42nd Street, but they didn’t go for it,” Hansen recalls. “Instead, we took a few shots of them around the car outside our studio.”
SWV, Release Some Tension, 1997
Soundgarden, Details magazine, 1994
Then the photographers pulled out one more surprise. “We told them, ‘We have these chainsaws…’ in our studio and they went crazy!” Hansen says, remembering the turning point for the shoot. “They got really into it and then they said, ‘Okay, let’s do the boat!’ But by then, it had gotten too dark and it was too late. We told them, ‘Sorry, that needed to be done in the light.’”
Back before surprise midnight drops, artists had a proper album rollout that lasted weeks if not months – and Guzman’s photography played a big role in helping to shape the zeitgeist by telegraphing their image and vision to the world.
“When an album came out, it seemed like everybody was listening to it,” Peacock says. “They were given their moment and in all the magazines. Maybe at the time, they didn’t realise how big this was but they were everywhere and it felt like everybody was on the same page culturally.”
Lady Miss Kier, 1996
Method Man, Vibe magazine, 1997
Melvin and Mario Van Peebles, Rolling Stone, 1993
k.d. lang, Out magazine, 1996
Total, “Total,” 1996
Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
You might like
A luminous portrait of Black life over six decades
Shared Memories — As staff photographer for The New York Times, Chester Higgins captured Black culture and spiritual connection like no other. A new exhibition celebrates his life and impact.
Written by: Miss Rosen
An intimate window into New York’s ’70s lesbian scene
We Others — An exhibition at The Photographer’s Gallery combines Donna Gottschalk’s unearthed photographs of LGBTQ+ activists and friends, along with Hélène Gianneccini’s written histories.
Written by: Miss Rosen
A tender portrait of life and ritual from Mexico City’s streets
Órale — For the last six years of his life, photographer, collector and designer Michel Hurst documented death rituals, street life and religious pageantry in contemporary Mexico. A new monograph showcases his work.
Written by: Roxana Diba
In photos: Washington DC’s Black communities facing up to gentrification
A Language We Share — A new exhibition featuring the work of Beverly Price and Gordon Parks preserves historically Black neighbourhoods in the USA, before development and economic forces made them disappear.
Written by: Miss Rosen
On the frontlines of Britain’s ’80s protest movements
Protest and Equality — Against a backdrop of Thatcherism, hospital closures and global conflict, photographer Sarah Saunders was a documentarian of the long decade’s effects on society, as well as the communities actively resisting it.
Written by: Miss Rosen
How one of the world’s best big wave photographers & filmmakers gets the perfect shot
Staring down the barrel — Sachi Cunningham has built an immersive body of work documenting huge barrels by getting closer to the action than most. Josh Jones speaks to her about her process, finding order within chaos, and the importance of feeling awe.
Written by: Josh Jones
