From Madonna To Andy Warhol, New York’s Cool Kids In The 1980s

Marcus Leatherdale seemed to always be at the right place at the right time. His new photo book Out Of The Shadows, published by ACC Arts & Books, is a series of portraits that takes us back to a time when New York City wasn’t unspoiled by rampant capitalism and rising rents. Granted, almost everyone misses—or at least romanticizes—the 1980s music, fashion and unhinged club scene. Leatherdale photographed the city’s in crowd, from Madonna to Andy Warhol, Jodie Foster, Debbie Harry and Leigh Bowery. These stunning black and white portraits, all captured between 1980 and 1992, capture the city’s vibrancy as a cultural capital before it became the business-driven city it is today. Leatherdale spoke about life before smartphones, Warhol’s secret and why he respects Madonna.

You've said that you weren't looking to make history, but you did. What's it like looking back at these?

Marcus Leatherdale: History, I never considered my work to be archiving an era that would be extinct in 30 years. I did not realize that my work could be relevant historically, I was just a 20something and simply photographing all the hip and cool people around me at the time. It was all a moment in time, a day in my life, just trying to get by. However, no one was prepared for AIDS pulling the rug from under bohemia and culling so many amazing and irreplaceable people.

What was New York like back in the 1980s?

The 21^st century New York is not the New York of the 1980s. First off, the neighborhoods were not gentrified and there was a sense of camaraderie within the bohemian community. It was the melting pot of America, overflowing with diversity. Being unique and creative was the ticket, not money, credit cards and designer labels. We lived in the moment for the moment, not on our smartphones. In the 1980s, the only tech dependency was our groundline telephone answering machines, which my cat usually turned off by sitting on it. New York in the 1980s was the center of the universe, you had to be in it to win in, but no longer.

What was Madonna like to shoot and was she career-driven back then?

I only photographed Madonna once, I was set to photograph Martin Burgoyne and he asked me if I would shoot his good friend and roommate, as well. He told me that Madonna was about to put out her first record. We listened to the songs Holiday and Borderline on a cassette. They both came to my studio together. I dressed her in my jean vest. She was quiet and easy to photograph. The next evening, I was having my 30^th birthday dinner at Club A and invited Martin and Madonna. Madonna sat next to Andy Warhol and Andree Putman. Andy asked me who she was, I told him that she was an upcoming singer. “Greaaat” said Andy. She was very again quiet and left early. She and Martin gave me an AstorBoy robot for a birthday gift. Of course, Madonna must have been career driven, she would have to have been. Very focused, I respect that.

What do you remember most about Andy Warhol?

Warhol’s Interview Magazine is was what lured me to the Big Apple. Andy was a living icon to me. He was always friendly and interested in whatever I was up to, or so he appeared. “Greaaat,” he would say. Once, at Radio City Music Hall, he confided in me that he most likely did not have any film in his camera, which he was photographing people in the lobby with. “They all just love the attention,” he said. Ironically, Andy photographed me far more than I did him.

When did you photograph Andy?

I photographed Andy three times, first at the Factory at Union Square, sitting on a black couch next to a stuffed penguin, later I photographed him in an Issey Miyake tuxedo for Bodyworks. And lastly, I shot him at his new Factory, sitting next to a statue of Caligula. The last time I ever saw Andy was at Jerry Hall’s birthday party at her uptown townhouse. We were sharing a downtown checker cab with Tina Chow, In conversation he mentioned that he never wanted to go to a hospital, he dreaded that he would not get out. It was a sad shade of things to come, as he later died of complications and dear Tina died of AIDS. I am the last man standing.

Was Divine, the muse of John Waters, funny off camera?

Divine was not a transvestite nor a drag queen. You would never see him out and about on the street in drag. He was a professional actor whose female impersonation was Divine. It was a job. When I wanted to photograph Glen, I had to arrange for a time to drop by his Pent-Hut a few hours before he had a gig, so he would be made up in drag. Was Divine funny? Yes, but not outrageously camp like his stage persona.

What made Leigh Bowery brilliant?

I met Leigh at the Roxy Hotel one night when he was in town. He was wearing a beaded mask, a corset, silver platform boots and a merkin wig. He came to my studio the next afternoon wearing the exact outfit in broad daylight. Leigh was a perfect English gentleman to work with, very easy. What was difficult was flagging down a taxi on the Bowery at 5PM, wearing the wig. Now, that is what makes Leigh Bowery brilliant!