On the Record with Mick Rock

This is a sponsored post, for which I received compensation. But all opinions are my own, and I only recommend it because I think Midlife Mixtape readers will like it as much as I did.

If you want to spark a (probably non-fatal) fistfight amongst music fans, just ask a “greatest ever?” question. Greatest band? Album? Show? Immediately, you’ll find lifelong friends squaring off over the Beatles vs. the Stones, Straight Outta Compton vs. Licensed to Ill, U2’s Joshua Tree tour vs. that time you saw Lyle Lovett do a solo acoustic act at a hole-in-the-wall. The only way to calm it all down is to get everyone to agree on who ISN’T the greatest (Nickelback.)

As conflict averse as I am, I find Greatest Ever debates endlessly fascinating, because of what they reveal about the debater, their innate biases and the level of ardor. Which is why I loved the whole concept of a new Ovation show, On The Record With Mick Rock, which follows legendary rock-and-roll photographer Mick Rock as he visits the hometowns of musicians Josh Groban, Patti LaBelle, Kings of Leon, and The Flaming Lips and asks them a series of Greatest Ever questions.

Beyond possessing what, back in the day, my hometown newspaper columnist called “A Name That Works!”, Rock is a fascinating guy. His nickname, “The Man Who Shot the Seventies,” gives you some inkling of the backstage access he had during that era, shooting iconic images of David Bowie, the Sex Pistols, Debbie Harry, and more. (If you want to go down a rabbit hole, click through to his photography portfolio. I dare you to stop at just one Lou Reed.)

But he’s not stuck in the ‘70s. He continues to shoot 21st century acts like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Black Keys, and Lady Gaga.

Snoop Dogg Snoop Doggy Dogg Snoop Lion DJ Snoopadelic Snoopzilla Bigg Snoop Dogg Snoop Lion Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. is another Mick Rock favorite.

The conversations between Mick and the band members as they traverse hometown haunts are candid, unconventional, and shed light on the unknown stories behind an album cover, record release, or tour. Of course, having come out from behind the camera for a change, Mick has earned as much of a right to share his views on the music industry and its players as anyone.

The series premiered on August 2, and you can catch new episodes every Sunday at 8 pm ET on Ovation. In the next episode Mick’s heading to Oklahoma City to hang out with the Flaming Lips, and the following week he’ll be with Patti LaBelle in Philly, my old stomping grounds. I can only hope they get into a Greatest Cheesesteak Ever debate between Jim’s and Geno’s.

And I definitely hope she takes him on a visit to West Philly’s Irvine Auditorium where I saw what was, empirically, quantitatively, scientifically, the Greatest Concert Ever: Echo and the Bunnymen, April 1986.

Do you beg to differ? Hit me (figuratively) in the comments.