Made In California

An Interview with Rudy VanderLans, editor of the books 'Palm Desert', 'Cucamonga' and 'Joshua Tree'.

What approach did you use for the books? Did you choose the locations after the music? Or did you first shoot the pictures and then thought of a musical topic to fit them with?

It all started with me visiting the Mojave desert and in particular the fringe communities around the edges of the desert in the early 80s. Environmentally speaking it's a fascinating area. People play golf out in the desert on lush green courses that stretch out as far as you can see. There's something unsettling about that. But anyway, I was just so taken by this surreal environment I knew I would be back with a big bag of film. My only problem was, I didn't know where to start photographing. There was just too much to photograph. I had to narrow things down. So one day when I was listening to Parks's song "Palm Desert," from one of my all time favorite albums "Song Cycle", I realized he was singing about an actual town called Palm Desert which is right there on the edge of the Mojave just south of Palm Springs. And when I tried to figure out his rather cryptic lyrics, I realized he was singing about real estate development issues, mixed with his own experiences of living in L.A. And the lyrics of Palm Desert are saturated with environmental issues, in very subtle ways. I then found out, I think from reading Brian Wilson's bio, that he had actually written Song Cycle while living in Palm Desert for a few months. This is when my idea for the first book started. I decided to go out and photograph Palm Desert. See what this place was all about. This allowed me to focus on a very specific subject, which was situated in an area was intrigued with, while paying homage to one of my heroes. The route I took was roughly determined by the places Parks mentions in his lyrics. But I also photographed spots in L.A., like Brian Wilson's house in Laurel Canyon where Parks often hung out when he was collaborating with Wilson on "Smile," which was done before "Song Cycle" was made. With Cucamonga and Joshua Tree I roughly followed the same pattern of visiting places that these musicians either sang about or lived in.
Then, when I get to these spots, it's interesting to see if anything is left behind that may hint at the greatness that these places were witness to. Or perhaps to see what it is that attracted these artists to be in these particular places. The expectations are always big. These trips are like little pilgrimages. Of course, it's usually a disappointment. Most of the time there's nothing there of any significance. On the contrary. But what's always there are the stories, the histories that surround them that make these places interesting. And that is what these books are about. They're trying to extend the stories, or to keep the stories alive. Or, at the very least, to provide the stories with a visual backdrop. The music is picked simply to enhance the theme.

Why did you choose exactly these three artists?

The three artists that inspired these books made what I consider to be the three most important pop music albums ever made: Song Cycle, Sweetheart of the Rodeo, and Trout Mask Replica. And they have quite a bit in common. They were all released around 1968, and all three stand in stark contrast to the bulk of pop albums put out at the time. And not only are they artistically unique, they were obviously great risks for both the artists and record companies to release at that time. And what I admire most about these three albums is that they offered something original while remaining firmly grounded in the traditions of indigenous American music. Song Cycle, you could argue, was inspired by the music of American composers like Copland and Ives. Trout Mask Replica is mired in the blues and improvisational jazz, and Parson's music was obviously inspired by country. While designing my books, I tried to echo that, best I could, by looking back into my own profession. By looking at who came before, such as book designers like Jan Tschichold, type designers like Baskerville and Bodoni, photographers like Ed Ruscha and Walker Evans. So these books all pay homage to who came before. Not so much to bring back these times but to say, hey look, there was some really good stuff done then, let's build on it. Of course the great risk in doing these three books was to have them all be dismissed as a sad, sappy, nostalgic road trip by some midlifer. And I can't deny I don't derive some sentimental pleasures from doing this. But I also wanted to bring attention to these musicians and in particular these three albums. And to pay homage to them.

Was it originally planned as a trilogy?

No, it started with Palm Desert as a single book. Actually the Palm Desert book started as the packaging for the CD containing the cover versions of the Palm Desert song. It just slowly evolved into a complete book with a CD as a bonus. And I enjoyed the process of researching so much that I quickly realized I wanted to do more. It was great fun to involve myself deeply in the subject of something so dear to me, like the Song Cycle album, and combining all these different disciplines like design, photography, writing and music. But while working on the third book, I also realized there was a danger that it might become somewhat formulaic. So I decided to keep it at three.

When you took the photographs on location, did you have in mind recreating the mood of the music, when you selected motives? Or did you rather try to evoke the atmosphere of the location?

Each book has a different starting point and different ideas for how the music is supposed to relate. With the Palm Desert book the photography was largely inspired by the lyrics of the song Palm Desert. It was the lyrics that guided my travels and helped me pick the particular spots. But once there, I used my own sensitivities as a photographer to record the environment. With Cucamonga I pretty much went and photographed most of the places that I knew Captaain Beefheart and his band had occupied around the time of the recording of Trout Mask Replica. I shot most scenes in a rather straight documentary style. And with Joshua Tree I simply went into Joshua Tree National Park and tried to imagine what Parsons would have photographed had he brought a camera along on his desert wanderings. It's a place Parsons loved to hang out.

What, apart from the music, did inspire your work on these three books?

These books deal with a desire I have to connect with what is indigenous to California. I want these books to look like they were made in California. Lately, within my own profession of graphic design, I have sensed a serious decrease of work that feels indigenous. Work that holds qualities that are particular to a certain region or country where the work is made. I see work from New York, Tokyo, Alabama or Paris and it has become impossible to detect where it comes from. A good example of an artist who wears his immediate environment on his sleeve is Ed Ruscha. You look at much of his work and it just exudes Los Angeles. When you own one of his pieces, it's like owning a piece of Los Angeles. That's what I really like about Ed Ruscha. And it's what I like about Parks's work as well. Much of his work is unmistakably Californian, to my ears at least. It's what I like to bring into my own work. So I started touring around California with my camera and see what is still unique about this place, and how I can incorporate bits and pieces of that into my work.

Was Don Van Vliet involved with the second book at all? Has he ever commented on the book?

No, he was not aware that I was doing this book. But shortly before the Cucamonga book, I had published a poem by Van Vliet titled "81 Poop Hatch" in my magazine "Emigre," and I had illustrated the poem with a series of desert photographs. I had asked for permission to use the poem and his wife Jan very kindly responded granting permission. When the magazine came out I sent them some copies of the magazine, and his wife again responded saying that Don had enjoyed the photo layouts. I sent them a copy of Cucamonga, but they never replied. Don and his wife are very private people, and perhaps they figured I was getting a bit too close for comfort. Which is sort of the risk when you do these tribute projects. It can all come across as rather obsessive. Although I try to make the books such that they can stand on their own and that they can be enjoyed without knowing anything about the subjects.

When you contacted the musicians for providing music for the Joshua Tree book, what did you ask them for? Did you show them pictures from the book to give them an idea of the atmosphere you were trying to create?

Well, as with all three books, when I approach the musicians I describe the project to them best I can, because usually the photos don't exist yet at that point. It's all just an idea in my head. But most people I ask know my photographs. I realize that when I ask people to contribute I ask for a really big favor, particularly since I do not have the funds to pay them proportionate sums of money. And the projects are not big enough to generate significant income for all involved. And I'm always amazed how willing people are to contribute. But I try not to exploit that too much. So in some cases I pick work that already exists but has never been published, while some was published elsewhere but is rather obscure. And then some pieces were specifically created for the CD. But all the music is ultimately picked because I simply feel it fits the mood of the book. With the Joshua Tree book I was looking for music with a slight western tinge that could function as a sound track to the desert images. I deliberately stayed away from doing Parsons covers, because there's been a few too many of those releases lately. With Cucamonga I was able to track down three former Magic Band members who each quite readily and happily agreed to create an original track as a tribute to their former band leader. And with Palm Desert I had three bands do interpretations of the original song.

Is the "Joshua Tree" book definitely the last book in that series, or might there be others one day?

That particular series is finished, but I've slowly started working on a few other series of photo books. I'm always fascinated with place names, and the L.A./Mojave desert region has some remarkable ones, like Bagdad, Thermal, and Mecca. The difference between what these names call to mind and what they actually have to offer is often stunning. There's an idea for some books there, but I'm not sure yet what form it will take. And recently, Van Dyke Parks took me on a tour of the locations and former locations of the major recording studios in L.A. like Gold Star, Sunset Sound, and Western. They are all housed in rather generic looking stucco boxes without windows. But when I think what was created inside these boxes, it instils awe in me. Parks took me inside Sunset Sound and to me that felt akin to walking into The Louvre for the first time. The walls of Sunset Sound are covered with gold and platinum records by bands I've listened to all my life. This whole West Coast/L.A. music scene in the late 60 and early 70s was a very special place and time, and in particular the role that Warner Bros. played in all this. A lot of faith and money was put in supporting rather unusual and non commercial music. I'm really surprised there hasn't been a book published on the history of Warner Bros. Anyway, during my short studio tour with Parks a little seed planted itself in my head. Gold Star, Phil Spector's favorite studio, for instance, is no longer there. A mini mall has taken it's place. No big surprise. I made some photographs. I'm sure they'll eventually find their way into some kind of book project, with music added.

review of the first book of the trilogy, Palm Desert
review of part two and three of Rudy Vanderlans' trilogy, Cucamonga and Joshua Tree - Joshua Tree features a musical contribution by Van Dyke Parks, the Joshua Tree Suite

All three volumes available from Emigre Publishing.