Glen E. Friedman

Glen E. Friedman (born March 3, 1962) is an American photographer and artist.

Friedman became known for his activities within rebellious skateboarding and music cultures. Photographing artists Fugazi, Black Flag, Dead Kennedys, Circle Jerks, Minor Threat, Misfits, Bad Brains, Beastie Boys, Run-D.M.C., KRS-One, and Public Enemy, as well as classic skateboarding originators Tony Alva, Jay Adams, Alan Gelfand, Duane Peters, and Stacy Peralta, among others.

Friedman's photography has been published in eight of his books as well as in many other publications, on many record covers, and has been exhibited in art galleries and museums. His work is held in numerous photography collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. He has been inducted as an "Icon" into the Skateboarding Hall of Fame.

Friedman is a progressive political activist, shuns intoxicants (straight edge), and follows a vegan diet. He lives in New York City.

As a pre-teen Friedman rode skateboards in the embanked schoolyards of West Los Angeles along with others that would revolutionize the activity. Whilst in junior high school, in the fall of 1976, Friedman corralled some of his friends, who were beginning to be featured in magazines, into riding in an empty swimming pool so he could make pictures. He showed the results to a freelance SkateBoarder writer, who put Friedman in touch with the editor. SkateBoarder published photographs by Friedman as a full-page subscription advertisement. He soon after became their youngest staff member.

Several years later Friedman began to photograph at punk shows. Black Flag received some of their first media documentation through Friedman's work. In 1981 he photographed his first record album cover, Adolescents by Adolescents. As well as many other punk record covers including Minor Threat's iconic Salad Days EP. Friedman's self-published punk zine, My Rules: Photozine (1982), sold 10,000 copies and was the largest selling zine of the era.

Friedman managed punk band Suicidal Tendencies and in 1983 produced their eponymous debut album.

In 1985 Friedman was introduced to Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons, after creating some memorable Beastie Boys photos, before they were widely known. Friedman began working with them and their newly formed Def Jam Records, promoting Beastie Boys, LL Cool J, Public Enemy, Ice-T and Run-DMC. He also photographed many of their album covers and publicity materials, including the covers of Public Enemy's It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, andBeastie Boys' Check Your Head,. Many of his photographs have become recognized as the subjects' definitive portraits. In 1987 he relocated back to New York.

Friedman has collaborated with artist Shepard Fairey, many times, including limited edition prints based on Friedman's photographs.

In 2004 Friedman created the "Liberty Street Protest" at Ground Zero in New York City. Its provocative anti-war sentiment received attention internationally. It was "re-visited" in 2010 in support of Freedom of Religion, and the placement of a mosque a few blocks away from Ground Zero in New York City.

In 2012 Friedman was inducted as an "Icon" into the Skateboarding Hall of Fame.

• My Rules: Photozine. Self-published, 1982.
• Fuck You Heroes: Glen E. Friedman photographs 1976–1991. Self-published / Burning Flags, 1994. ISBN 0-9641916-0-1. A collection of his more well known photographs of skateboarding, punk, and hip hop subcultures spanning 1976 to 1991.
• Fuck You Too, The Extras & More Scrapbook. ConSafos, 1996, updated 2005. ISBN 0-9656535-0-1.
• The Idealist
  • The Idealist: Glen E. Friedman – In My Eyes – 20 Years. ConSafos, 1998. ISBN 978-0965653541.
  • The Idealist: Glen E. Friedman – In My Eyes – 25 Years (1976–2001). Self-published / Burning Flags, 2003. ISBN 978-0-9641916-5-5. Revised edition.
• Dogtown: The Legend of the Z-Boys. Self-published / Burning Flags, 2000. ISBN 0-9641916-4-4. By C.R. Stecyk III and Friedman.
• Recognize. Self-published / Burning Flags, 2005. ISBN 0-9641916-6-0.
• Keep Your Eyes Open: The Fugazi Photographs of Glen E. Friedman. Self-published / Burning Flags, 2007. ISBN 0-9641916-8-7.
• My Rules. Rizzoli, 2014. ISBN 0847843556. A different publication to the 1982 publication of the same name.

• Dogtown: The Legend of the Z-Boys - Expanded edition. Akashic Books / Burning Flags, 2019. ISBN 1617756997. By C.R. Stecyk III and Friedman.
• Keep Your Eyes Open: The Fugazi Photographs of Glen E. Friedman - Expanded edition. Akashic Books / Burning Flags, 2019. ISBN 1617757004.
• Together Forever: The Run-DMC and Beastie Boys Photographs of Glen E. Friedman. Rizzoli, 2019. ISBN 0847866475

• Dogtown and Z-Boys (2001). Co-producer and creative consultant
• No No: A Dockumentary (2014). Associate producer and creative consultant.
• Saving Banksy (2017). Himself.
• Obey Giant (2017). Himself.

• Fuck You All, Institute of Contemporary Arts, London, 1997; Sydney, 1998; Tokyo, 1998; Rome, 1998; Florence, 1998; Milan, 1998; Berlin, 1999; Stockholm, 1999; Chicago, 1999; Washington, D.C., 2000; Philadelphia, 2000; Stockholm, 2000; Los Angeles, 2002; Antwerp, Belgium, 2007; Krakow, Poland, 2009; Dublin, 2010; San Francisco, 2010; Canary Islands, Spain, 2014.
• The Idealist, Los Angeles, 2004
• Idealist Propaganda, Subliminal Projects, Los Angeles, 2008Retrospective exhibition.
• My Rules, ATP Gallery at 14 Henrietta St, London, 21 November 2014 – 18 January 2015.

Friedman's work is held in the following public collections:

• Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York.
• Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, Berkeley, California.
• Smithsonian Institution, Photographic History Collection, National Museum of American History. Washington D.C.
• Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Houston, Texas.
• Morgan Library and Museum, New York, New York.
• Stanford University, Satnford, California.
• New York Public Library, New York, New York.
• University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.
• Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia.
• Cornell University, Ithaca, New York.
• Wolfsonian-FIU, Miami Beach, Florida.
• W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

• "The bottom line is that he was there at the beginning of so much cool stuff in so many different areas it's not funny." – Henry Rollins
• Friedman says about his work, "For me it's about inspiring people, with integrity and rebelliousness." To which, Keith Hamm of the Los Angeles Times said, "For the past quarter century, Friedman has been doing just that." – Keith Hamm, Los Angeles Times.
• "The most prolific photographer of his generation." – American Institute of Graphic Arts
• "The esoteric political and aesthetic conscience of his generation." – Juxtapoz Art & Culture Magazine
• "His [cloud] photos achieve what so many others only aspire to—they show the spiritual within the physical." – Adam Beinash, LA Weekly
• "Outspoken, individual, and the very best at what he does...It's time Friedman was listed alongside Capa, Bresson, and Avedon." - Candy Culture