Michael Jang

Answers on a Postcard — First up in our Answers On A Postcard series, a visual q&a where photographers answer questions with their images, is SF-based luminary Michael Jang.

To celebrate Huck 46: The Documentary Photography Special II, our annual celebration of visual storytelling, we are having a Huck website takeover – Shoot Your World – dedicated to the personal stories behind the photographs we love.

In this regular series, Answers On A Postcard, we ask photographers to get existential and respond to a visual q&a with their images.

First up is Michael Jang, photographer of the wild, out of step, and famous. Jang has a diverse body of work that features a wide range of American life from his debauched 1970s Cal Arts classmates, Golden Age stars at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, and intimate family portraits to punks at Ramones shows, suburban teens in their garages, and weather presenter auditionees in the 1980s. Jang goes for the moments when his subjects let their guards down and captures the humour, passion and vulnerability beneath the surface.

His first London exhibition – Well, it’s all over now – is a one-night extravaganza hosted by The Photocopy Club at Doomed Gallery, Dalston, September 18.

Answers On A Postcard #1

Who are you?
A very lucky person.
j1 (self portrait)

What does home feel like?
Too comfortable. I always have a guilty feeling that being On the Road is where I should be.
j2

What does faith look like?
I had to Google this: The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith and the beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety.
j3

What’s your greatest fear?
It would be a bummer to wake up one day to headlines that someone with your name had committed some horrendous crime.
j4

What keeps you up at night?
Oh, when it comes to sleep, I am not a procrastinator.
j5

What helps you sleep?
Louis C.K. said: We shouldn’t sleep that much. Life isn’t that long. Buy some shit, use it, it breaks. Try to (bleep) somebody. Hope your shits don’t hurt too bad.
j6

What’s the meaning of life?
Of all the things that I’ve heard or read so far, striving to be in the moment makes the most sense. I just hope that when all is said and done I wasn’t wrong.
j7

Any vices?
Not really, maybe having a shot of great champagne to end the day.
j8

See more from the Answers On A Postcard series.


Ad

Latest on Huck

Red shop frontage with "Open Out" branding and appointment-only signage.
Activism

Meet the trans-led hairdressers providing London with gender-affirming trims

Open Out — Since being founded in 2011, the Hoxton salon has become a crucial space the city’s LGBTQ+ community. Hannah Bentley caught up with co-founder Greygory Vass to hear about its growth, breaking down barbering binaries, and the recent Supreme Court ruling.

Written by: Hannah Bentley

Cyclists racing past Palestinian flag, yellow barriers, and spectators.
Sport

Gazan amputees secure Para-Cycling World Championships qualification

Gaza Sunbirds — Alaa al-Dali and Mohamed Asfour earned Palestine’s first-ever top-20 finish at the Para-Cycling World Cup in Belgium over the weekend.

Written by: Isaac Muk

Crowded festival site with tents, stalls and an illuminated red double-decker bus. Groups of people, including children, milling about on the muddy ground.
© Alan Tash Lodge
Music

New documentary revisits the radical history of UK free rave culture

Free Party: A Folk History — Directed by Aaron Trinder, it features first-hand stories from key crews including DiY, Spiral Tribe, Bedlam and Circus Warp, with public streaming available from May 30.

Written by: Isaac Muk

Weathered wooden building with a tall spire, person on horseback in foreground.
Culture

Rahim Fortune’s dreamlike vision of the Black American South

Reflections — In the Texas native’s debut solo show, he weaves familial history and documentary photography to challenge the region’s visual tropes.

Written by: Miss Rosen

A collage depicting a giant flup for mankind, with an image of the Earth surrounded by planets and people in sci-fi costumes.
Culture

Why Katy Perry’s space flight was one giant flop for mankind

Galactic girlbossing — In a widely-panned, 11-minute trip to the edge of the earth’s atmosphere, the ‘Women’s World’ singer joined an all-female space crew in an expensive vanity advert for Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin. Newsletter columnist Emma Garland explains its apocalypse indicating signs.

Written by: Emma Garland

Three orange book covers with the title "Foreign Fruit" against a dark background.
Culture

Katie Goh: “I want people to engage with the politics of oranges”

Foreign Fruit — In her new book, the Edinburgh-based writer traces her personal history through the citrus fruit’s global spread, from a village in China to Californian groves. Angela Hui caught up with her to find out more.

Written by: Katie Goh

Huck is supported by our readers, subscribers and Club Huck members. It is also made possible by sponsorship from:

Signup to our newsletter

Sign up to our newsletter to informed with the cutting edge of sport, music and counterculture, featuring personal takes on the state of media and pop culture from Emma Garland, former Digital Editor of Huck, exclusive interviews, recommendations and more.

Please wait...

Accessibility Settings

Text

Applies the Open Dyslexic font, designed to improve readability for individuals with dyslexia.

Applies a more readable font throughout the website, improving readability.

Underlines links throughout the website, making them easier to distinguish.

Adjusts the font size for improved readability.

Visuals

Reduces animations and disables autoplaying videos across the website, reducing distractions and improving focus.

Reduces the colour saturation throughout the website to create a more soothing visual experience.

Increases the contrast of elements on the website, making text and interface elements easier to distinguish.