Over the course of the incredibly awesome 5-hour shoot, I learned a shit-ton of new tricks, discovered a bunch of lofty light-filled locations to shoot people, and basically just got to see how a pro photographer directs people.
Bjoern described their music as cyber-techno-punk. I expected them to be totally creepy and that we'd be talking about drinking lamb blood and burning babies, but they turned out to be the nicest sweetest guys ever. The lead singer, Jason (the bald one), was actually really shy. We talked about Lost, 24, David LaChappelle, and how amazing the OC soundtrack is.
Playing in a punk band is only a side job for them and has been for 10 years. They make decent money and have put out 6 albums, but the guys all have side-jobs as Photoshop experts, voiceover artists, audio engineers, and real estate mini-moguls.
It made me realize that it really is all just a business and their creepy image is just part of their marketing. They're not in a band because they expect to be the next U2, they do it because they love it and that's what people do out here in LA because they can. There are just so many ways to make money creatively that you wouldn't have the opportunity to in any other city.
All the money that the band makes (which sometimes is and sometimes is not enough to live extremely comfortably off of) is deposited directly into their retirement accounts. They're not hardcore drug addicts or partiers. They have families!
And Bjoern got paid almost 2 G's for less than five hours of work.
I can't wait to be Bjoern.
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