@drivenbyboredom

I took a photo of Guns N Roses. I wonder if I ever told this story on here before, but here it goes anyway... I was working NY Fashion Week for some fashion blog and they sent me to the John Varvatos store on the Bowery where CBGBs used to be. They don't ever have shows there but for some reason Guns N Roses were going to play small set to a hundred people or so. The fashion blog told me I was on the list, but of course when I got there I wasn't. I started texting my editor while standing near the front of the club watching the bouncers turn everyone away including some finance bro who offered them $500. It was hopeless. I wasn't getting in. But then I had an idea... I noticed the bouncers were both wearing Pabst Blue Ribbon beanies. It was February in NYC and absolutely freezing and I knew they both didn't bring those hats from home. It only meant one thing... PBR was sponsoring the event. I immediately texted the NYC marketing rep, Daniel, to see if he was there and he could get me in. I saw him walk over to the door woman who had the list and she just shook her head. Daniel came over to me to say hi and apologize for not being able to get me in. They were way over capacity. As he was telling me this, one of the bouncers came over to him and asked him for another PBR hat. He told the bouncer he'd give him one if he left me in. The bouncer who had just turned down $500, just opened the rope and let me in for a promotional PBR hat. I was in. I was one of the only photographers there and the place was packed with models and celebrities and the show was actually great. I think Axl was the only original member but he sounded exactly how he did when I was a kid and they were one of my favorite bands. It was an amazing experience and I actually ended up with his handwritten setlist which I still have somewhere. After the show I felt no loyalty to that fashion blog since they couldn't get me in and ended up selling the photos to TMZ. The place was so packed and the heat was cranked because it was so cold outside so it was sweaty as hell and they titled the photos "Sweat Child O Mine" which is objectively hilarious, but also kinda shitty. The next day my google alert for myself popped up because a GNR forum was talking about the TMZ coverage and blaming me for the whole thing, so I went on there and told them how good I thought the show was and linked to my coverage on my own website, and I actually ended up selling a bunch of prints from the show to GNR super fans. So yeah, I got paid like $2k from TMZ, made another $1000+ selling prints and then I think I made like $100 from the fashion blog who ran them as well. Oh, and I also got a PBR hat which is apparently priceless. The end.

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