Marfa Spark

Program #7 - Interview with photograher Mark Seliger. Listen to program

Chances are if you are very famous, Mark Seliger has taken your picture. Kurt Cobain, Drew Barrymore, Bob Dylan, Jerry Seinfield, Mikhail Baryshnikov. Mark was chief photographer at Rolling Stone for ten years. MUSIC BOOK, his encyclopedia of the musicians he has photographed, has just been released. His book IN MY STAIRWELL features stark portraits of his artist friends in the stairwell of his NYC studio. Mark is also a musician. On his latest album, LUCK’S CHANGING LANES, he’s accompanied by the likes of Willie Nelson.

I spoke with Mark in his studio and found myself immediately wishing I could live there forever. Bright and airy, plenty of room to run and shoot and sing, talented artists dropping by all the time, and most of all, Mark – his gentle honest gaze always looking for a picture to make, a song to sing, a story to tell, a laugh to give away. Mark was kind enough to talk with me in that studio about gigs, Gillian Welch and where to start, all while looking through his new collection MUSIC BOOK. He turned the pages while we shared a soda. That was a great soda. That was a great afternoon.