There was a paradigm shift in music during the late 80s and early 90s. A new sound consisting a web of bands based in the Seattle area deemed “Grunge” took the world by storm. Groups like Mudhoney, Soundgarden, and Nirvana achieved mainstream international success leaving an epic legacy of moshpits, screams, and beautiful music. The majority of all the iconic photos taken during this sonic revolution were by photographer Charles Peterson. Peterson is a master of bringing the viewer into the raw moments of his stills; Captivated by his work, many fashion designers, notably Takahiro Miyashita, have collaborated with him on collections. I’m extremely grateful to have gotten the opportunity to speak with Mr. Peterson since i’m a huge fan of his work and the music behind it. I hope you all enjoy our QnA!
What was your place like amongst the bands you were shooting, did you feel like an outsider/fan or someone on a job or part of their friend group?
Oh, we were all friends from the get go. Many of us met at the University of Washington in our freshman, sophomore years. Like Mark Arm of Mudhoney and I met in the dorms at the UW ins 1982. I introduced myself to him at the cafeteria because he was wearing a Crass t-shirt. Musicians, artists, designers, label heads or soon to be ones, ‘zine writers, gallery curators, you name it, all came together, from all over Seattle, the PNW and different walks of life, all really in a spirit of DIY.
Any tips you’d lend to a photographer attempting to shoot musicians the way you do? Like how you capture the moment and raw energy.
Be loose. Look behind you. Bend your knees. Shoot into the light. It’s not easy to do anything that original anymore, as everybody’s doing it now. So search for the new paradigm, and way of expressing and documenting the ongoing history of music and movement. Easier said than done I know, but just try and think outside the box is always the best device.
What makes your photos so alluring that people want to wear them on their body as a means of expression?
I think it’s because I also have a real sense of design in my photography, the ability to communicate the time and feeling in an iconic way. On top if it being this somewhat mythical time in music and youth culture, the two seem to compliment each other well.
Can you tell me about your first experience working with a clothing brand?
Oh, man, I don’t know what that would qualify as. I’ve been doing one offs for bands since the whole thing started, and lots of one offs in Japan. Takahiro was the first designer though to truly incorporate my work in a meaningful way.
How was fashion a big part of the grunge scene? Is there a poser element to highfashion brands like Saint Laurent referencing grunge and rock culture in their collections?
Well, it was supposedly the anti-fashion scene, and we know which way that goes… Posers? Yes. Hard feelings? Nah, let the rich pretend what they want to be. And it can be sometimes flattering (again, Takahiro).
Do you remember where Kurt would get his clothes and who influenced his style.
Goodwill and St. Vincent de Paul.
What is your personal favorite camera and film?
I currently shoot a digital Leica M10 rangefinder, and have been shooting M’s since the mid-nineties. My daughter’s name is Leica. That said, most of my classic grunge photos were shot with film Nikons and off camera flash.
Why do you like to shoot in black and white?
Well, back before digital it was largely a standard, and also easier than color for DIY. It’s also more forgiving. I did shoot some pretty interesting color but it’s not as well known. And now I shoot all color and convert when I need to.
How did your collaboration with takahiro miyashita for number (N)ine come to be in 2009 and then the collab for The Soloist in 2019? Whats miyashita like? Does he feel like a fan of grunge?
The first time was through powerHouse books. He came through and we got to meet. Interesting gentleman. We then met again in 2018, in my basement office here at my Seattle home. Funny thing is, I was just back from skiing for the day (take it while you can!) and so we met with me in my ski pants. Very Pacific Northwest! But he quickly saw what he wanted and I think is a genius that way.
Do you ever have any say in your fashion collaborations? Do you feel like your photos lose or gain any meaning when on garments.
Yes and no. True art comes from trust, but sometimes it is what it is and you move on. I have always wanted to design camera bags. though Most are woefully cosmetically poor, or overly fashion conscious. I mostly now use the former, nerd bags, because my old body wins and they’re generally best designed in that way. But it would be nice to find a balance between new tech and old world crafting with fashion in mind.
Grunge back then was an organic means of expression but now even partly due to fashion its boiled down to an aesthetic. People say punk is dead grunge is dead. is this true?
Well, kids these days are farther removed from grunge then we were from Elvis Presley, let alone punk, our true early inspiration. And yet the new generation still find fascination and enjoyment and solace from it. Myself, I currently find that in ’50’s and ’60’s jazz, or krautrock and ambient from the ’70’s. Nothing’s ever dead. Creedence and Marvin Gaye are just as relevant now as they were fifty years ago.
What bands do you listen to these days? Any new artists you enjoy?
Lots of ambient, psych rock, krautrock, jazz, classical, reggae, etc. Pretty much everything but hard rock! I need stuff to calm em down in the times. Loving Hans Joachim Roedelius, the originator from Dusseldorf (where my wife is from), who played in Cluster, Harmonia, etc. and still releases beautiful albums of piano based music. Maya Jane Coles is a house dub dj whose work I love (and her Nocturnal Sunshine dubstep project). Tennger, a husband and wife duo from Japan do spot on modern day kosmische krautrock. Spiritual 2 is the one to start with. Kikagaku Moyo, a psych rock group out of Japan. Their new one Masan Temples.
Do you own any of your fashion collaborations? If you had to choose a favorite which would it be and why?
I do. Probably the nicest is the Takahiro Kurt collage hoodie. I feel odd about wearing my own images, so I mostly keep them as archives.
What’s your favorite moment you shared with Kurt.
You know, we weren’t really friends per se. Good acquaintances. So really the most intense, longest, moments we shared was while photographing him playing. The energy was kinetic and electric and we both brought our game.
What are you currently working on?
Always working on my archives and print sales it seems. I’ve been taking what I call pandemic cloudscapes, or cloudemic panscapes, while walking the dog or from home. Storm clouds mostly. You could call it my ambient album. Some of it light, some dark, all it beautiful. I’ve also been healing myself over the last several years of my lifetime of chronic neck and shoulder pain. I can finally look up, and there’s a whole crazy world there few of us bother to see.