Tribeca Photographer Looks Back at Glamour, Style and Hedonism of '70s

Allan Tannenbaum at a recent show of his images at Spring Studios in Tribeca. Behind him is his 1978 photo of Debbie Harry of Blondie. Inset: Tannenbaum's newly published book, "Grit and Glamour: The Street Style, High Fashion, and Legendary Music of the 1970s." Photo: Carl Glassman/The Tribeca Trib

Since moving to Tribeca and his Duane Street loft in 1974, photographer Allan Tannenbaum has covered a host of hard news stories at home and abroad. But his earliest work was for the former Soho News. From 1973 to the paper’s demise in 1983, Tannenbaum was a denizen of the city’s throbbing nightlife, photographing musicians, actors, models and other celebrities. Culled from those thousands of images comes “Grit and Glamour: The Street Style, High Fashion, and Legendary Music of the 1970s,” published this month by Insight Editions. Photos from the book are currently on display at Fourteenjay, 14 Jay St. in Tribeca, where there will be a book signing on Nov. 17, from 6 to 8 p.m.

Below is an excerpt from Tannenbaum’s book introduction, in which he recalls a “hedonistic time" that for a photographer brimmed with endless visual possibilities. All photos by Allan Tannenbaum.

When I first started photographing in the mid-1960s, I had no idea what I wanted to do or where it would take me. San Francisco was a good place to learn, however, with a city rec center where you could develop your film and make prints for a $10 yearly membership. The city itself was photogenic, and with the advent of the hippie scene and inexpensive rock shows there were plenty of visuals.

Foreign films were a passion for me. When I saw Michelangelo Antonioni's first English-language work, “Blow-Up,” I was fascinated with the lifestyle of fashion photographer Thomas, played by the late David Hemmings, and I liked that he did documentary work as well. After I saw the film twice more, the die was cast. This was what I wanted to do. I even got a Hasselblad 500C camera, like the one Thomas used in the film.

The first time I brought my camera to a rock concert was a Jimi Hendrix show at Winterland in 1968. It took me a few years to find photo work back in New York City, and it wasn't until I became the chief photographer at the Soho Weekly News in 1973 that the universe of New York City opened up for me.

SoHo was really an art center back then, and the paper covered the art world, SoHo, the music scene, nightlife, show biz, politics, and fashion. The '70s were a very hedonistic time, and people dressed the part, whether they were on the street or at the latest club. Annie Flanders became our style editor, and she stressed that style and fashion were two different things. One could have lots of style without worrying about the up-to-the-minute fashion trends. On a person without style, fashions could look ridiculous.

In my photo coverage, I made sure to notice how people looked in terms of what they wore and the message they were trying to convey with their style and attitude. Whether the subject was the clubs, capturing the style of the moment was essential. Looks of the era were eclectic, from nostalgic to modern, but the overriding ethos seemed to be an individualistic notion of style that fit with the ever-changing trends. One can see this in the faux glamour of Studio 54, the funky look of the downtown artist at the Mudd Club, and to the nascent punk style of CBGB on the Bowery.

Many new designers sprang from this fertile ground downtown, with styles and shows that were truly avant-garde. Betsey Johnson was a seminal figure in this new scene, and her clothes and shows had an exuberance that one doesn't find today. Elio Fiorucci also had this sense of color and fun, and Larry LeGaspi was way ahead of his time. The way fashion shows were presented in venues like Studio 54 and Bond generated much excitement and fun, especially compared to the staid and formulaic shows of today.

Alas, the Soho News folded in March 1982. My 1960s bell-bottoms and T-shirts had given way to shiny double-breasted satin jackets, which gave way to skinny mod ties. It was time to move on with my photography but by then I had amassed an extensive archive of how these denizens of New York City presented themselves visually to the world.