Discovery Inn: The Photographs of Danny Clinch

Discovery Inn, is a collection of photographs of musicians taken by Danny Clinch over the last decade. From striking publicity and album images to intimate, behind-the-scenes documentary work, Clinch has chosen the world of music as the mise en scene on which he channels his unique gift. Spontaneous, evocative, powerful, and unpretentious, Clinchs work will appeal to lovers of music, culture, fine photography, and to anyone interested in peering into the more human moments of rock glory.

Some of the many artists featured include: Radiohead, The Breeders, Ol Dirty Bastard, the Beastie Boys, Tupac Shakur, Pavement, Beck, Pearl Jam, Luscious Jackson, and Johnny Cash. Discovery Inn also features never before published photographs of artists such as Phish, Blind Melon, PJ Harvey, Michael Stipe, and Stevie Wonder.

Danny Clinch has made a career out of capturing far more than a musician's public persona in compelling and surprising photographic portraits. This gorgeous collection of Clinch's work reveals his tendency toward the unconventional--a photo of Tupac Shakur faces one of Iggy Pop, while Ol' Dirty Bastard (lying in squalor, raising a 40 ounce) is sequenced right next to Tony Bennett (adjusting his ascot).

Discovery Inn features about a hundred revealing black-and-white shots of a diverse group of musicians: PJ Harvey, mid-shimmy; Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder, stage diving and, later, reflecting; Pavement, yawning; Little Jimmy Scott, debonair; Jimmy Cliff, communing; Redman, buried alive; the Beastie Boys, fooling around with ex-Knick Anthony Mason; Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth, represented by their record collection; Public Enemy's Flavor Flav, getting a reaction even when he's not being outrageous. Clinch's favorite subjects--Metallica, Blind Melon, Phish, Smashing Pumpkins, David Byrne, and a host of blues legends--get a true fan's treatment, featured repeatedly in a variety of environments.

The opening page features a shot of a motel marquee that reads "If you're not living on the edge, you're taking too much space." An apt credo for the musical subjects Clinch shoots--but also for the technique and content of his photos. --Randy Silver