Mick Rock is really his name — though he’s Michael to his mother — and he is exactly what you might imagine a rock photographer to be: tall and hip with shaggy hair. Shaded Ray-Bans, jean jacket, scarf. Oh, and an English accent to boot — so he can drop words like “bloody” and “shag” with allure (though he doesn’t shy from the American equivalents, either).

“In any other era, dogs wouldn’t have pissed on me,” he says. “Thank God for Mick and Keith,” who helped make lanky, messy Englishmen cool. He’s referring to the Rolling Stones, of course.

Now in his 60s, Rock remembers the ’70s well. Or, parts of them. And it goes without saying that the times have changed.

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They say if you remember the 70′s you weren’t there. But how could photographer Mick Rock forget. Despite admitted use of some “chemical substances” Rock remembers his hey days photographing the likes of David bowie, Mick Jagger, Lou Reed and his all time favorite muse, Blondie’s Debbie Harry.

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Those iconic photographs, now on display in Washington, include 1970s superstars David Bowie and Freddie Mercury, as well as current talents such as Bono, Lady Gaga and Janelle Monae.

Rock was born in London and became interested in photography as a student at Cambridge University in the late 1960s. He was taking classes in modern languages and literature but picked up a friend’s camera one day and started taking pictures of his buddies.

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WORDS/INTERVIEW – BOBBY MOZUMDER, IMAGES COURTESY MICK ROCK

Photographer Mick Rock has a great new series at CATM Chelsea Gallery. The “Man Who Shot the 70′s” reaches into the archive of his own iconic photography and tinkers with them using several modern techniques. The result is a series of raw photo-art that explodes with energy while clearly stating his ownership of rock-and-roll photography genre. As there are no rock icons anymore, this series is a great reminder of a time when authentic stars once existed, and that great things had happened to the music and cultural world.

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“A friend of mine called Bleeker Bob (of the Greenwich Village record store) used to bring stray characters and musicians to my Madison Avenue studio. This would have been 1980. And one day Madonna appeared…She wasn’t known, she hadn’t even made a record, she told me she was a dancer. I took a few little test pictures and forgot about them for 20 years. She stuck her tongue out in the photo; she already knew about the camera. I didn’t say anything like ‘stick our tongue out, doll.’ That was purely spontaneous on her part. Who would have thought? But then again, I never really thought about anything. I just rolled with it. I was always on a roll…”

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The legendary Mick Rock has photographed rock and roll icons for decades, fusing music, photography, and the digital era. He has captured the likes of Davie Bowie and Lou Reed to Queen and Lady Gaga, along with their spirit and embodiment of music.

Rock is now showcasing some of these photos in his first ever art show, “The Legend Series,” at the CATM Chelsea Gallery on 22nd Street and 10th Avenue. The exhibit features enhanced version of his old prints with digital alteration and psychedelic additives.

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