Ryan McGinley

I first saw Ryan McGingley's photography in an issue of Vice (Volume 6 Number 5) a long time ago. 

I loved McGinley because of his no bullshit explanation as to why he took photos in the first place:

“I was so psychotically obsessed with documenting my life,” he said. “All I wanted to do was make pictures of anything and everything. One of my favorite things to do back then would be to go out and get completely demolished and take tons of photos. Then I’d get the film developed and they were like evidence of whatever I had done that night because I usually couldn’t remember any of it.”

He was just a young gay dude cruising around snapping pics of him and his friends. Simple and unpretentious. Then he was chucked into the art world and became the new sensation. But his early works are my favourite. And looking at them I'll think you will understand why.

The captions that go with each photo are just as fascinating as the pictures themselves.

SELF-PORTRAIT (CAR ACCIDENT), 1998

It was one of the hottest days of summer. I was riding my bike with my shirt off and I got hit by a car. My ass and back got dragged along the pavement for a good ten feet. The screeching noise those tires made haunts me to this day. It was my fault, but the driver was so freaked out that he gave me all the money in his wallet, close to $400. I was psyched! My back still has fucking gravel in it.

SPARKY, 1999

When I used to live on Seventh Street in the East Village, me and my oldest friend from Jersey, Teddy, sold weed to pay our way through college. When I started to date Marc, every time he would come over Teddy would say, “Hey Marc-y Sparky, let’s spark one up!” Anytime he walked through that door, they lit up a number. Fucking stoners, man. Everyone started calling Marc “Sparky” and that’s all we call him now.

MARIANA (BATHROOM), 1998

Mariana was my first muse. She’s the most beautiful girl I’ve every photographed. The energy this girl had. She was not afraid to say exactly what was on her mind. She’s the kind of girl you go to the movies with and she talks back to the screen. We were always up to no good and getting in trouble. In this picture we were at a party at some kid’s parents’ house and she was ransacking the bathroom, racking up some Kiehl’s and Crème de la Mer from their granny.

Read more: THE KIDS WERE ALRIGHT - Selections From Ryan McGinley's Early Work, 1998-2003 - Vice Magazine