Photography show of rock legends opens in Edinburgh despite virus fears

Freddie Mercury, Blondie and Led Zeppelin are among the faces you could see on a visit to the Rock Stars exhibition opening at Gallery-Close on Howe Street tomorrow. It will launch on Friday and run Wednesday to Saturday from March 21 to April 13. The free-to-enter exhibition will open despite the coronavirus outbreak, with Gallery owner Chris Close saying it may be a good distraction for those who are able to attend. “Rock stars inhabit another world that most of us look on with a mixture of admiration, jealousy and sometimes horror,” he said. “This exhibition features a series of portraits of some of the greats from the world of Rock and Roll – Blondie, Bowie, Kate Bush, The Stones and Queen to name but a few.”Chris Close’s photography will feature in the exhibition, along with other artists including Brian Aris, Doug Corrance, Peter Hince, Lynn Goldsmith and John Claridge. Peter Hince, who was Queen’s chief roadie for a decade before beginning a career in photography, was asked by Freddie Mercury to take a picture of him in robes and crown. “He was not the arrogant persona that the press liked to portray,” Mr Hince said.Brian Aris first shot Blondie in the 1970s from his East End studio in London, then a less desirable district than it is now. Mr Aris also shot David Bowie’s wedding to Iman in Italy. Doug Corrance was an Inverness press photographer when he was asked to photograph Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin.New York base Lynn Goldsmith has shot legends including Bruce Springsteen, U2, The Rolling Stones, Patti Smith, Zappa and Debbie Harry. Gallery owner Chris Close, remembers shooting Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols. “Johnny had had a few beers and started taking his clothes off. He was over 50 at this stage and his body was not ‘beach ready’,” he said. “He looked at one of the pictures and snarled ‘look at that, I’m disgusting... that’s great’. Most people are so worried about looking their best so it was refreshing to have someone whose attitude was the polar opposite.”