Angela Boatwright.
(photo: Brandee Brown)
Angela Boatwright is one of my favorite photographers working right now. During her time as Creative Director at the now defunct Mass Appeal, she put together amazing projects with the likes of the Beastie Boys and Ed Templeton, and subsequently has done editorial work for magazines like W, Vice, and Nylon. All her work has this great sort of fuck you quality, and come to think of it, so does she. She also knows more about metal than most music critics and while I have no proof of this, I suspect she can shotgun an O’Douls in under 3 seconds. She’s just that cool.
You can find more of her work at
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1. What was the best part about growing up in the midwest (besides $1 beers at the bar and a collective affinity for mayonnaise)?
OH MAN. I CAN NOT TELL YOU HOW MUCH I HATE MAYONNAISE. Hate, hate, hate.
2. Top 5 metal albums that came out between 1982 and 1987. Go.
Okay – I can approach this one of 2 ways. Either I can write down what the best LPs were from this era as per what a critic would say/ an overall assessment or I can write them down in order based solely on my opinion. For example “Reign in Blood” probably deserves to be #1 but I’m gonna go with “Appetite…”
Also – I could answer this as me in 1989 or me now. I guess I’ll go with what I think now. If I had answered this in ‘89 “Back in Black” would have been listed instead of “Pyromania” and the Maiden LP would have been “Somewhere in Time”.
1. “Appetite for Destruction” – GN’R
2. “Pyromania” – Def Leppard
3. “Reign in Blood” – Slayer
4. “Ride the Lightning” – Metallica
5. “Number of the Beast” – Iron Maiden (at this point I prefer Paul Di’Anno Maiden however both LPs he sang on came out before ‘82 – I mean Iron Maiden’s s/t LP is probably top 10 of all time.)
3. If you hadn’t become a photographer, what profession do you think you’d be in now?
I’d be playing guitar, I guess or something in production or teaching. The older I get the more I’m convinced that I was meant to be a photographer. And I mean that in the most un-romantic way possible.
4. I saw pictures of you in high school on your Facebook and basically I need you to give me all those clothes. Do you still have them?
I wish. Shit. My step-mom tanked all my t-shirts in the early ’90s (to the best of my knowledge) as well as all my posters. Some of the stuff I gave away when I got really into Dinosaur Jr. etc. I do have one Ratt t-shirt that remains in my collection, other than that everything else is gone. I have all my vinyl though.
5. Who has been your all-time favorite subject thus far?
There are lots. Scott Gorham from Thin Lizzy was beyond incredible. I love shooting JR – she’s always a blast. Everyone I know from Rhode Island over the past 5 years… DJ AM was awesome, The Donnas, DJ A Trak, Kembra from Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black… I got to photograph the guitar players for Def Leppard a few years back – my hands shook the entire time.
6. I heard you’re in the process of breaking into documentary film-making. Can you tell me a little about that?
hahaha… I’m getting into film, yes. Slowly. I have ideas – I’ll just say that for now.
7. If you could go on a date with either Rob Zombie, Mike Patton, or Lemmy, who would it be and where would you go?
Rob Zombie? How did he get thrown in there? Every single one of my friends is gonna kill me but I’m gonna say Mike Patton. He’s amazing although I’m pretty sure I’m not his type. Can I say Mark Slaughter/ Vinnie Vincent era only?
8. Put me on to the best new metal band, an interesting website, and the best bar in your hometown of Columbus, Ohio.
Bar? The obvious is the Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio. This is the metal bar that I grew up in and it still exists to this day. We spent many nights hanging out in the parking lot waiting for some ‘local band’ member to come outside and get us into the show (we were waaay underage). I think most of my friends that still live in Columbus associate the Alrosa with total trash, however. My best friend works at Bodega so I’ll say that. It’s a restaurant but whatever…
Website? I check this and Facebook everyday. Not much else. Be forewarned as it is of ill humor:
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As for new bands, I’m just gonna run down the list of sick homies as most of the music I’ve been listening to lately isn’t metal at all…
Early Man, Toxic Holocaust, Atakke, Battletorn, Holy Grail, Space Vacation, Valient Thorr, Dead Sea, Skeletonwitch, Demassek, Natur and Barn Burner
9. What is your present state of mind?
Slightly jet-laggish.
10. How would you like to die?
Never. Can I say that?
