Richard Kern
Encyclopedia
Richard Kern is a New York underground
filmmaker, writer and photographer. He first came to underground prominence as part of the underground cultural explosion in the East Village
of New York City in the 1980s, with erotic and experimental
films featuring underground personalities of the time such as Lydia Lunch
, David Wojnarowicz
, Sonic Youth
, Kembra Pfahler
, and Henry Rollins
in movies like "The Right Side of My Brain" and "Fingered." Like many of the musicians around him, Kern had a deep interest in the aesthetics of extreme sex, violence, and perversion and was one of the leading lights of Nick Zedd
's coined Cinema of Transgression
.
In 1985, Kern directed a video for the Sonic Youth
song, "Death Valley 69", which led to more music video work, including videos for King Missile
("Detachable Penis
") and Marilyn Manson
("Lunchbox
").
Kern can also be credited with discovering Lung Leg
, the star of his film You Killed Me First and the cover model for Sonic Youth
's EVOL
album (a still shot from the film). Along with other Cinema of Transgression filmmakers he is a subject of Jack Sargeant
's book Deathtripping.
In the 1990s, Kern, whose father was a North Carolina newspaper photographer and editor, turned almost exclusively to still photography. Although mainly known for his photographs of naked women, Kern frequently shoots celebrity portraits for international publications.
He is represented as an artist by Jousse Entreprise gallery in Paris and Feature Inc. in NYC.
In 2007, Kern's book Action, edited by Diane Hanson, was released by Taschen, featuring more than 200 full-color photographs of young nude women. Accompanying the volume was Kern's DVD of models featured in the book, Extra Action.
Kern is a regular contributor to Vice Magazine, Purple, GQ and Playboy.
Since February 2007, Kern has directed Shot By Kern on VBS.tv
, stills of which are published monthly in Vice
.
The UK band The Manhattan Love Suicides
take their name from one of Kern's short films.
Extra Action(2007)
Lunchbox
(1995)
My Nightmare (1993)
Detachable Penis
(1992)
The Bitches (1992)
Sewing Circle(1992)
Horoscope (1991)
Nazi (1991)
Tumble (1991)
The Evil Cameraman (1990)
Money Love (1990)
Pierce (1990)
X is Y (1990)
Underground film
An underground film is a film that is out of the mainstream either in its style, genre, or financing.-Definition and history:The first use of the term "underground film" occurs in a 1957 essay by American film critic Manny Farber, "Underground Films." Farber uses it to refer to the work of...
filmmaker, writer and photographer. He first came to underground prominence as part of the underground cultural explosion in the East Village
East Village, Manhattan
The East Village is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, lying east of Greenwich Village, south of Gramercy and Stuyvesant Town, and north of the Lower East Side...
of New York City in the 1980s, with erotic and experimental
Experimental film
Experimental film or experimental cinema is a type of cinema. Experimental film is an artistic practice relieving both of visual arts and cinema. Its origins can be found in European avant-garde movements of the twenties. Experimental cinema has built its history through the texts of theoreticians...
films featuring underground personalities of the time such as Lydia Lunch
Lydia Lunch
Lydia Lunch is an American singer, poet, writer, and actress whose career was spawned by the New York No Wave scene...
, David Wojnarowicz
David Wojnarowicz
David Wojnarowicz was a painter, photographer, writer, filmmaker, performance artist, and activist who was prominent in the New York City art world of the 1980s.-Biography:...
, Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
, Kembra Pfahler
Kembra Pfahler
Kembra Pfahler is an American performance artist, rock musician and actress. As a performance artist she has been recognized on every "Top 10 List" published during the past quarter century. Her graphic depictions of the horror, repetition, degradation, and have been recognized as insightfully...
, and Henry Rollins
Henry Rollins
Henry Rollins is an American singer-songwriter, spoken word artist, writer, comedian, publisher, actor, and radio DJ....
in movies like "The Right Side of My Brain" and "Fingered." Like many of the musicians around him, Kern had a deep interest in the aesthetics of extreme sex, violence, and perversion and was one of the leading lights of Nick Zedd
Nick Zedd
Nick Zedd is an American filmmaker and author based in New York City. He coined the term Cinema of Transgression in 1985 to describe a loose-knit group of like-minded filmmakers and artists using shock value and black humor in their work...
's coined Cinema of Transgression
Cinema of Transgression
The Cinema of Transgression is a term coined by Nick Zedd in 1985 to describe a New York City, United States based underground film movement, consisting of a loose-knit group of like-minded artists using shock value and humor in their work...
.
Career
Kern's first dabbling in the arts was a series of self-produced underground magazines featuring art, poetry, photography, and fiction by Kern and several friends. Kern's first zine was the bi-monthly "The Heroin Addict," which was later renamed to "The Valium Addict." The hand-stapled photocopied magazines (a.k.a. zines) featured writing and images that expressed the bleakness of New York City's East Village in the early 1980s. About 12 issues of these two zines were produced, along with the occasional special issue. This phase of Kern's career lasted from late 1979 to around 1983.In 1985, Kern directed a video for the Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
song, "Death Valley 69", which led to more music video work, including videos for King Missile
King Missile
King Missile is an American avant-garde band that has been led in various disparate incarnations by poet/singer John S. Hall since 1986. Currently, Hall performs with a new version of the first incarnation, King Missile ....
("Detachable Penis
Detachable Penis
"Detachable Penis" is a song by avant-garde band King Missile. It was the first single from the band's 1992 album Happy Hour, and became a modest hit, reaching #25 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.-Lyrical content:...
") and Marilyn Manson
Marilyn Manson (band)
Marilyn Manson is an American metal band from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Formed in 1989 by Brian Warner and Scott Putesky, the group was originally named Marilyn Manson & the Spooky Kids with their uniquely theatrical performances gathering a local cult following in the early '90s. This attention...
("Lunchbox
Lunchbox (single)
"Lunchbox" is the second single from Marilyn Manson's debut album, Portrait of an American Family.In the credits of CD booklet from the Portrait of an American Family album, Lunchbox contains elements from the song "Fire" by The Crazy World of Arthur Brown.Inspired by a piece of legislation dating...
").
Kern can also be credited with discovering Lung Leg
Lung Leg
Born Elizabeth Carr, Lung Leg is best known for appearing on the cover of the Sonic Youth album EVOL...
, the star of his film You Killed Me First and the cover model for Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
's EVOL
EVOL
Evol is the third studio album by American alternative rock band Sonic Youth, released in 1986 on SST Records, and recorded and mixed by New York recording icon Martin Bisi. The album cover features a picture of Lung Leg, a still taken from Submit to Me, a film by Richard Kern...
album (a still shot from the film). Along with other Cinema of Transgression filmmakers he is a subject of Jack Sargeant
Jack Sargeant
Jack Sargeant is a writer specialising in cult film, underground film, and independent film, as well as subcultures, true crime, and other aspects of the unusual. In addition he is a film programmer and an academic...
's book Deathtripping.
In the 1990s, Kern, whose father was a North Carolina newspaper photographer and editor, turned almost exclusively to still photography. Although mainly known for his photographs of naked women, Kern frequently shoots celebrity portraits for international publications.
He is represented as an artist by Jousse Entreprise gallery in Paris and Feature Inc. in NYC.
In 2007, Kern's book Action, edited by Diane Hanson, was released by Taschen, featuring more than 200 full-color photographs of young nude women. Accompanying the volume was Kern's DVD of models featured in the book, Extra Action.
Kern is a regular contributor to Vice Magazine, Purple, GQ and Playboy.
Since February 2007, Kern has directed Shot By Kern on VBS.tv
VBS.tv
VBS.tv is an online television network owned by the Vice media conglomerate. The network produces original, short-form, documentary-style video content. Subject matter includes humanitarian issues, music, insider travel guides, and news. The creative director of the network is Spike...
, stills of which are published monthly in Vice
Vice (magazine)
VICE is a free magazine and media conglomerate founded in Montreal, Quebec and currently based in New York City.Vice is available in 27 countries...
.
The UK band The Manhattan Love Suicides
Manhattan Love Suicides
The Manhattan Love Suicides was a UK-based rock band, originating from Leeds that was active between 2006 and 2009. The band took its name from a 1985 short film by Richard Kern and was influenced by acts such as The Velvet Underground and The Jesus & Mary Chain...
take their name from one of Kern's short films.
Filmography
Lunchbox (single)
"Lunchbox" is the second single from Marilyn Manson's debut album, Portrait of an American Family.In the credits of CD booklet from the Portrait of an American Family album, Lunchbox contains elements from the song "Fire" by The Crazy World of Arthur Brown.Inspired by a piece of legislation dating...
(1995)
Detachable Penis
"Detachable Penis" is a song by avant-garde band King Missile. It was the first single from the band's 1992 album Happy Hour, and became a modest hit, reaching #25 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.-Lyrical content:...
(1992)
- Submit to me Now (1987)
- Death Valley 69 (1985)
- Fingered (1986)
- Goodbye 42nd Street (1986)
- King of Sex (1986)
- I Hate You Now (1985)
- Manhattan Love SuicidesManhattan Love SuicidesThe Manhattan Love Suicides was a UK-based rock band, originating from Leeds that was active between 2006 and 2009. The band took its name from a 1985 short film by Richard Kern and was influenced by acts such as The Velvet Underground and The Jesus & Mary Chain...
(1985) - The Right Side of My Brain (1985)
- Stray Dogs (1985)
- Submit to Me (1985)
- Thrust in Me (1985)
- Woman at the Wheel (1985)
- You Killed Me First (1985)
External links
- Richardkern.com
- IMDb
- Richard Kern exhibition review
- Hardcore French 2 Dvd Edition
- Extra Action French Dvd Edition
- Official Myspace page for "Llik your idols", a documentary about the Cinema of Transgression featuring Richard Kern
- Interview with Richard Kern about his work.
- Article about Cinema of Transgression documentary Llik Your Idols
- Interview with director Angelique Bosio about Llik Your Idols
- Richard Kern x Mishka NYC
- Richard Kern on Nofound