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PRINCE FROM ANOTHER PLANET: An interview with rock photographer Dagmar - by Arjan Deelen.
Arjan Deelen - You saw Elvis for the first time on the September 1970 tour. Your spectacular photos can be seen in your book ‘ELVIS! by Dagmar’. Dagmar - Yes, The first time I ever saw Elvis in person was on September 10th, 1970. I've kept the ticket stub. It says Sec L/C Row L Seat 135. What did you think of his performance that night? I was very surprised he was THAT GOOD! If you like, read pages 18-20 in my book "Elvis! by Dagmar" (by the way, yes, the book is still available, just get in touch with me on FB or via email: dagmarfotos@gmail.com <Click to email) I wrote about his entrance on stage at the Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis that night:
And a little further on, here's another quote:
He was such a dazzling performer, a true one-of-a-kind.
You had already seen and photographed numerous great artists at that time. What did you think of Elvis before you got the assignment to photograph him on the September 1970 tour? I wrote stories and photographed groups and artists that were famous already, or that I thought would interest the European audiences. When I heard about the planned "Super Come-back Tour" - Elvis had not been on the road for 12 years - I suggested covering it for BRAVO Magazin in Germany. I was not a fan. I did like his songs and I was very curious. I wrote enthusiastically to the publisher. And I got the assignment.
He was calm and friendly and we spoke just a few sentences before he got off on his securely guarded floor. My impressions? Elvis at that stage in his career was a really nice guy, happy with his success. A bit tired, but he could have probably gone on several more songs! You photographed him again at Madison Square Garden in June ’72. Did you notice any differences in his performing style compared to 1970? His performance had become more routine. Of course! The band knew when a joke was coming, as he had incorporated some of the spontaneous jokes of 1970 (because they worked!). He had put on a little weight. Maybe it was not as intimate a concert, since Madison Square Garden is a much larger venue. But like back in 1970, he held the audience spellbound.
What about his vocals compared to 1970? I cannot answer that. I thought he was terrific. Then and now. Did you also photograph the press conference on June 9, 1972? No. Were you able to move freely in the room or did you have to stay in your seat? Was it easy to photograph him? I moved around a bit. Yes, it was easy, because Elvis always looked good in any pose. But I always waited for "my" special moment - an expression, a move... Did you get close to the stage? Do you think he noticed you? Yes, I believe I did. And yes, I believe HE did notice me. How many photos did you take at Madison Square Garden? Did they get published at the time? I cannot tell you how many photos I took. Several rolls of b&w and color . They were published in BRAVO Magazin in Germany and SALUT LES COPAINS In France. And several other publications... (sorry, don't remember the names, they are in my archives at home in AZ)
Some of your photographs will be used on the Sony Legacy release ‘Prince From Another Planet’. Can you tell us more about that? Don't have the final count yet. I believe it will be a double CD with an accompanying booklet. Ask SONY! How many photos did Sony Legacy select? Did you have any input? My input was my selection of 42 images I sent - they pre-chose about 12, and we shall see, how many actually will be in the booklet.
If I’m not mistaken, then you also photographed him on the April 1972 tour. Do you remember the date / location? Wasn’t that at Nassau Coliseum?? I'll have to check that! No, that’s where you photographed him in ’73. Yes. Right. I must have photographed him in Jacksonville on that April ’72 tour. That's right it was at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum and would have been the April 16, 1972, evening show. I understand that the last time that you photographed Elvis was in 1977. You told me earlier that you were so shocked by his performance that you destroyed the negatives. Yes, that is true, Elvis looked terrible, he was fat and seemed at times incoherent. I felt SO sorry for him, I did not want any of my photographs to be published showing him in this stage. I burned them all and was going to wait until he got better and then photograph him again. Alas... it was not to be. Did you ever regret destroying those negatives? I have never regretted destroying those photos. Yes, I am actually happy I did, because I would not just have wanted to make money off these pictures, I wanted to contribute to a positive memory of Elvis. And, truly, I believed he would recover and be back to dazzle his audiences again. And I would be there to document that!
As you mentioned earlier, your Elvis photographs have turned up everywhere, and you also mentioned some of the downsides… But what for you is the absolute highlight – the # 1 one moment where you were most proud of your Elvis photography being used, whether it be in a magazine or a CD or a Russian Stamp….? I loved the poster a company made of one of my full figure Elvis b/w photos in the 70s ... But I am still really thrilled like a kid, it is a highlight every time somebody uses MY Elvis pics legally! I have not yet seen the new PRINCE FROM ANOTHER PLANET, due out soon. I cannot wait to hold it in my hands!! Do you still photograph live shows? No, I am not doing live shows any more. The last one was several years ago: Donna Summer onstage for a private company in Manhattan. But I always carry a camera, as if it were an extension of myself. I photograph my husbands art (Anton Krajnc) and his projects, both two and three-dimensional, for an upcoming book. You can see some of it - Go Here: www.dagmarfoto.com/about.anton-krajnc.html - and I find things to photograph everywhere, be it wild life in Arizona (portraits of javelinas and bobcats, rattlesnakes and other unusual critters that cross my paths) or "wild" life somewhere else I happen to be. I have promised for years to do a book about "My Seventies" and I seriously must get to it now, very soon! Before, as a Canadian friend suggested, the title would have to be "Dagmar's Book of the Dead"! Yikes! Strangely enough, I never think of Elvis in those terms. For me Elvis, his voice, his music, is and has always remained, very much alive! Dagmar, thank you for the interview! You are welcome, Arjan! It was a pleasure.
Interview by Arjan Deelen. Click here to comment on this Interview
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