‘Making It’: Bootsy Holler shares a visual journey of finding herself in the Seattle indie scene
Editor’s Note: The smell of cigarettes, beer, and Lynx, or whatever it’s called in America, lift off the cover of Bootsy Holler’s new Damiani Books photobook, MAKiNG iT, as though it has been permanently sitting in the dressing of an indie venue perpetually stuck in 2002 for the last few decades. As a photographer, for Bootsy, that smell is awfully familiar, and as an artist, it was the scent of her Seattle stomping ground.
In the op-ed below, Holler not only showcases some of her images but also discusses what it was like to be breathing in that sacred smell alongside the likes of Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, Fleet Foxes, Karen O, and a host of other bands from 1992 to 2008. As the eternal old saying goes: those were the days.
Bootsy Holler: “Writing about my own book feels like punching myself in the face. I’m a doer, maker, hands-dirty photographer, not a writer.
Here’s what I’ll say: this book is my personal account of a feverish time in Seattle’s music scene as we crossed over into indie music. Back then, none of us realised how special the second wave would be. We all lived through Seattle’s emergence as a global phenomenon, finding its way onto the map for the rest of the world through grunge.
In my eyes, I missed it as a photographer. I arrived, and Nirvana was exploding; Soundgarden and Alice in Chains were on the radio. Was I in bars with these people? Yes. Were some of them friends? Did I know I was on the inside? Yes and yes. Would I stick a camera in these people’s faces without an invitation? No way.
Everyone always asks, what did it feel like to be there? Really, this was my life. I was just in it – living, shooting, and documenting the people and relationships that shaped me. I had special privileges, but they were warranted.
I can be a bit of a loner, and I never felt like I fit in. I grew up in a small government science town in eastern Washington. It was the opposite landscape of the west side of the mountains that split the state. I began shooting and developing film at a young age, documenting my friends throughout school. Seattle was my escape, and I ran straight to the music and arts scene, taking to it and documenting my friends and life as I always had. I hung out in the most intimate spaces, long before any of these indie artists and musicians were famous – except for Pearl Jam.
As an artist and photographer who once worked binding books for a living, I have a deep appreciation for the art of the book. My goal has been to get my work into book form, and seeing all these negatives from a pivotal time in my life sitting in binders on my shelf, collecting dust, was staring me straight in the face.
I knew I would have to dig in and go deep to create a story out of fifteen years of negatives: portraits, documentary, and snapshots. When I finally looked through them, I was overwhelmed and then astonished – not just because of who some of those artists became, but because I had captured a moment, a truly unique chapter in Seattle’s musical history. I call it post-grunge – the pinnacle of independent music, which later evolved into the indie genre. I’m not even going to get into the transition from celluloid film to digital at that time.
Nirvana’s quick rise to fame cemented Seattle’s place in music history, and a consistent stream of aspiring musicians flooded into town. Because I was part of the community of people who worked around the venues and supported music, I found myself behind the ‘velvet ropes’ – or, in Seattle, as in my experience, under the arm of a big, tall bouncer at the door. I had incredible access. I was often sitting on the stage, leaning against a speaker to steady my camera, or trying not to be obtrusive with my lens.
I can still feel the vibrations, the sticky, beer-soaked floors, and smell the tangy, cigarette-tar-laden air. The clubs were a home away from home, a place where being different was embraced. It took years, but I gained a reputation for myself. These photos show everyone fighting for identity on stage and independence off it – unguarded, messy, honest. I was trying to capture an interesting image, something that evoked a sense of feeling and resonance, allowing you to also stand in the room so close to the band that you could touch them.
And yes, being a woman mattered. I saw things differently from the rock photographers who came before me. I built trust naturally with these musicians. They let me in. They came to me to add style to their image, doing so with class and capturing their raw vulnerability. The result in the book is a time capsule about striving, yearning, and, yes, the chaos of being twenty-something – trying to do great things and maybe survive and pay rent.
I knew I had to create this book; most of this work has never been seen. It’s a retrospective of all those voices, and looking back now, I see that by capturing them and finding their voices, I was also finding my own. That’s what MAKiNG iT is about.”
A selection of snaps from MAKiNG iT:
Bootsy Holler will be in New York at The Leica Store on November 22nd at the Leica Store and Gallery for a book signing with special guests.
