These Awesome Vintage Photos Make Us Wish We Lived in Southern California in the 1970s

Punk photographer Spot chats about shooting the beach, skate, and punk scenes of the 1970s.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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Featured in a new book titled Sounds of Two Eyes Opening, photographer Spot's images documenting the punk and skate cultures in Southern California during the 1970s are described by VICE as a "beautiful nightmare." Nick Gazin, who interviewed Spot for Vice, writes, "He has drained 70s-era Los Angeles of any element of beach fantasy and replaced it with an ominous and frightening beach reality. His exteriors are lonely and frightening. His interiors look like haunted houses. Spot shows LA as it truly is: gray, isolating, and frightening." We don't disagree with any of that, but this is one nightmare that we wouldn't mind diving into.

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In the interview, Spot told Gazin that he is a musician first and that his photography came later. He also said that it is important for photographers to "keep both eyes open—otherwise you miss all the subtlety and depth of what you're looking at and how it connects with everything that's happening around you."

When asked about the nostalgia (or lack thereof) expressed through his photos, Spot explained that "nostalgia is a byproduct of action and memory. It doesn't have to exist but culture tends to impose a "longing for times gone by" and "the other side is always greener" mentality on perception. It's very marketable and does a great job of spinning history into easily digestible hot dogmas and popsicle politics...We've all pined for living in a time we were never part of."

To see more of Spot's photos and to join us in pining for the world he captured, head over to the Sinecure Books website and grab a copy of the book.

[via VICE]

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