I was living in the Hollywood Hills at the time and many a night I barely limped home after an easy night of photography and a very hard night of drinking.” The images I shot were firstly delivered to Nan then she would use them for the publicity of Flipper’s. I worked with David and Nan Miller, publicist for Flipper’s. The paparazzi waiting like sharks outside were envious of my access – but I did not sell my images to tabloids or outside press. It only lasted a few heartbeats, a year at best. They wanted a photo – a star for a moment. I was often invited to sit and schmooze with the haves and the have-nots. I was the man who could walk up and snap away. “As the house photographer, I had amazing access to all the hidden truths and falsities, as well as the open lies. Wild pile-ups on the skating rink were common, stars fell, stars helped, the wannabes were there in the middle claiming their moment in the limelight.” One of the best aspects of Flipper’s was dancing and skating around the live band stage. Every star in Hollywood wanted that special table near where Flipper held court. So many people would show up that the doors were closed to all but a select few. Nights were filled with an energy that was non-existent in other clubs. It was pure unadulterated fun – legal and otherwise. I could explore the hedonism of the Hollywood mix of wannabes and those who were the leaders of new ‘new’. And of course the divine LA climate allowed people to participate in so much, to find their place under the sun and moon.”
Small venues were the rage and off the beaten path was the leitmotif. Clubs were filled with every type of music, all vibrant, and people wanted more. The ‘new’ was what everyone wanted to hear. The air was ripe with exploration to find the next ‘it’.
The vibe was ‘anything is possible’ if you are willing to push the boundaries. “LA was a paradise for people from all over the world to come, explore, and create for a responsive audience. Dietz takes us back to those heady nights under the disco ball. The book never happened, but the photos live on. With a glass of Chartreuse in hand, Dietz made the rounds, capturing an exquisite moment in time. The position afforded Dietz the ability to open his own photo studio on Western and Melrose and participate in the emerging art scene.ĭietz seamlessly blended the boundaries between commercial and fine art in his work, making him the perfect candidate to become Flipper’s house photographer. Allen introduced Mr Flipper to Cisco Craig Dietz, who was working as a staff photographer at Muscle magazine. He contacted David Allen and Jules Bates at Artrouble, the LA art collective working with musicians and nightclubs in the punk underground. Sensing a major scene in the making, Mr Flipper wanted to make a photo book to promote the venue. The building was painted purple and blue, and had just opened that year to take advantage of the new craze sweeping a nation donning tube tops, hot pants and high socks to bounce, skate, and rock‘n’roll in a disco wonderland. Back in 1979, Flipper’s Roller Boogie Palace stood on the corner of La Cienega and Santa Monica Boulevard in the heart of Los Angeles.
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