The internet has rendered photography ubiquitous. From capturing bands on stage to the plethora of party pics, there’s no shortage of websites churning out the images. But no matter how well composed or well lit, there’s little to do with art in capturing these subjects in their natural domains. Whether holding guitar or a glass, they’re all, well . . . posing.

Which is why Ken Regan’s coffee table-sized retrospective book is so aptly named: All Access. Seemingly from Day #1 in the annals of Rock and Roll history, Ken was present. Shooting.

From the Beatles to the Stones, Joni to the Doors, Regan had intimate access to history unfolding. Led Zeppelin to the Clash. Woodstock to Live Aid.

Yes, I imagine it would have been cool to be in the room when Dylan met Springsteen for the very first time, but Ken was there—and documented that introduction on film. The intimacy of these personal interactions, these intangibles, are collected in this excellent book—and the reason I thought, well, hell—we could spend an entire week documenting his career as we are this week.

The Beatles (1964) Capitol Recording Party in Los Angeles

And I’ll be honest, they sent me a copy of the book and it’s a gem. And we have one to offer one of you in tandem with our retrospective week.

Enter to win a copy of All Access: The Rock ‘N Roll Photography of Ken Regan by letting us know in the comments what bit of Rock ‘N Roll history history you wish you were personally present to see unfold.

The one that strikes that intangible chord will be awarded the book. We’ll choose our winner a week from today, 11/16. 

David J. Haskins is primarily known to music fans as the former bassist for Bauhaus and Love and Rockets. In the past few years, he has made his mark in Los Angeles with a series of innovative cabaret-style theater productions. These have included such darkly glamorous subject matter as the Black Dahlia murders, and the life and tragic death of Warhol star Edie Sedgwick.

David’s new album Not Long for This World is a haunting collection of eulogies inspired in part by his recent theatrical work. The songs strike a perfect balance between humor and sadness, and include unique takes on compositions by Tom Waits, Bill Callahan, and Dennis Wilson. We spoke with David about the album and his upcoming revival of Silver for Gold: The Odyssey of Edie Sedgwick.

How long have you been working on the new album?

It goes back a few years. I didn’t go in, do one session, and focus on the record. Although I did do that towards the end when I realized I was making an album. The oldest track is this song for Elliot Smith, “Dagger in the Well,” which I wrote the day it was announced that he was dead. I recorded a basic version, with just acoustic guitar and vocal, the day after that. It just sat on the shelf. It was one of the last things that was finished for the album, because we added all the other instruments on top of that.

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Twenty years ago one of the best dance recordings was “Now That We Found Love” by Dwight Arrington Myers, better known as Heavy D. On Nov 8, the influential rapper and producer who emerged in the late 80s, died in Beverly Hills, Calif. from a cause undetermined. He was pronounced dead Tuesday afternoon at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. He was only 44.

Heavy D with his group, the Boyz, made their debut in 1987 with the album Living Large. The albums neatly packaged sound was ushered by veteran rapper/producer Marley Marl along with rising star beatmaker Teddy Riley. Known for his cat-like moves on the dance floor despite his large frame, Heavy D’s music was the heart and soul of parties across the nation. He also re-personified sex appeal so for once the big guy had a shot of getting the girl.

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 Yesterday we told you about Ken Regan‘s humble beginnings in photography, but today in part two of our five part series we delve a little deeper. Ken received a few lucky breaks early on when he was able to review live events like Woodstock, but getting into the Fillmore East in Manhattan proved a little more difficult.

“Bill Graham ran the theatre and you weren’t allwed to take photos there unless he said so,” Regan explained. ”Not having those connections at the time I would bring in a camera under my jacket and every time he caught me, so often in fact it became a joke.”

The Doors (1970) Westbury Music Fair, NY 

But one day, The New York Sunday Times asked Regan to photograph a Thanksgiving day concert at the Fillmore, complete with Thanksgiving dinner afterwards personally hosted by Graham. Graham once again caught him with a camera and nearly threw him out until he saw his credentials and personally called Regan’s editor, confirming he was allowed access to the show.

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