DB Burkeman on His 40-Year Journey to Capture Punk Rock’s Golden Era

“When I put down the drugs, I also gave up the unrealistic dream of being a professional photographer,” DB Burkeman, a former photography enthusiast, tells us in an interview. “I was far too insecure and far too shy,” he adds. But whether DB believes it or not, he continues to be a paramount figure in both the photography and music spheres. Having photographed some of the renowned names in punk rock and new wave music before they reached stardom, DB offers us an excellent glimpse into an unseen side of the singers and bands. And now, after years of staying away from the medium, he has found his way back to where it all started.

The lead image is by DB Burkeman. All images are used with permission. For more, please follow DB on Instagram @dbburkeman or his publishing house, Blurring Books, on @blurringbooksnyc.

Where Dreams and Aspirations Collide

DB Burkeman’s tryst with photography began as a teenager in high school. A troubled child with poor academic performance, DB turned to creativity, especially photography, to get out of school work. “I was a high school dropout who failed the one O-level exam I took (photography) but had ridiculous and grandiose ideas about being the next David Bailey or Helmut Newton,” he adds. He initially wanted a Hasselblad “because that’s what all the big professionals used,” but he settled for a Nikon F camera at 15, a gift from his father. After a year of shooting, DB switched to Olympus OM-2n, with 35mm and “maybe” a 28-75mm zoom lens. Little did he know that the photographs he would capture were documents that gave us an exceptional look into a bygone era.

Although he has a keen interest in music, DB, unfortunately, does not know how to play an instrument. As with young teenagers, DB devised a creative solution: “I came up with the idea that a camera could give me the feeling of importance that I craved and also give me a reason to be at the ‘party.'” Between 1976 and 1982, DB Burkeman’s black and white photographs, often illuminated with a flash, portrayed a spectrum of expressions of artists like The Cramps, Sex Pistols, Ramones, Debbie Harry, Iggy Pop, Siouxsie and The Banshees.

When asked how he managed to get so close, DB reveals his self-medication gave him access backstage. “I believe that a lot of the incredible places I was given access to, and the amazing people I met, happened because of the drugs.” Often dressed in leather and chains, each artist appears to be DB’s friend, with their expressions often warm and welcoming. One also senses the genuine joy and excitement the artists exude, which many fans would appreciate. While most were thrilled to be photographed, there were a few instances where some artists weren’t comfortable with it. “If you look at the Ramones backstage in the dressing rooms, they don’t look particularly happy being photographed by me,” he adds.

A large number of images have a fine art appeal. The stark black and white wash out any detail, leaving you with a silhouette of a moment that transcends beyond being a photograph of a concert. It portrays DB’s excitement and how the groups on stage lost themselves to music, too. However, to DB Burkeman, these photographs reveal otherwise. “I was just in the right place at the right time and carrying a camera. Some of these photographs are good, but most of them were just lucky.”

In the early 1980s, DB went to rehab. This experience changed his perception, as he left photography to become an early pioneer of rave culture in the U.S. “When I gave up the fantasy of being a photographer, I actually became a professional club and rave DJ and hid behind turntables for the next 30 year,” he states. However, DB Burkeman’s calling was not over yet.

The Making of a Remarkable Photobook

After DB Burkeman’s mother passed away in 2016, he went to his old apartment to clean his room. With his early years becoming a blissful memory, DB was surprised to discover the undeveloped film rolls in his drawer. “In my mind, I was capturing bands that I loved for prosperity—the fact that I wasn’t developing the film was irrelevant,” he says while explaining his decision. As suspected, half of the rolls he developed were blank. Fortunately, “The other half had The Ramones from Christmas Day 1977 at the Rainbow London, which became their iconic It’s Alive album,” DB explains. “Another roll was The Cramps at the Mudd Club in NY, a show I’d even forgotten I was at in ‘79,” adds DB.

Initially, DB Burkeman thought of creating a zine. However, he chose to work on a photobook based on his friend Erik Foss’s suggestion. The publication took its root shortly after COVID, when DB, having lost his music business, decided to make publishing his venture. He established Blurring Books, a Brooklyn-based publishing company whose goal is to be “a disruptor in the traditional corporate ‘coffee table’ book world.”

It took DB a year to assemble the photo book from conceptualization to printing. But he was not alone. He was working with Sammie Purulak, a talented young designer, who carefully and with love began to shape DB’s memories, which became CRASH BANG: Pictures from a Punk. When asked why he chose to name the book “Crash Bang,” DB states, “Crashing and banging into things is kind of how I felt I went through life back then.” The cover of the book, too, has a unique story. The photograph shows two teenage boys DB met during his first girlfriend’s 16th birthday party. “These two kids, Danny and Nick, just showed up and gate-crashed. They were the first two kids we’d met with ‘the haircut,’” he states. The picture captures the essence of punk rock, as the genre is often associated with spiky hair.

Once they had created a dummy of CRASH BANG: Pictures from a Punk, they decided to crowdfund it through a Kickstarter campaign. The response was immensely positive, which led to the book’s publication. “We actually had really bad luck with the printer and kept getting sent dummies and proofs that were not up to scratch, and we told them to go back and do it again,” DB recalls. After consistent back and forth, DB finally has a wonderful photobook that features thick art paper with a tipped-in image on a cloth-bound cover.

With CRASH BANG: Pictures from a Punk, DB documented our rich music culture and created a tactile memory, which many fans can vicariously relive through his images. It’s a compelling time capsule that many won’t mind getting lost in while they savor every moment from cover to cover.

CRASH BANG: Pictures from a Punk is now available for preorder on Blurring Books’ website.

AUTHENTICITY STATEMENT

The Phoblographer works with human photographers to verify that they’ve actually created their work through shoots. These are done by providing us assets such as BTS captures, screenshots of post-production, extra photos from the shoot, etc. We do this to help our readers realize that this is authentically human work. Here’s what this photographer provided for us.