"Photographs: Together & Alone" by Karlheinz Weinberger (The Song Cave)

 

"Photographs: Together & Alone by Karlheinz Weinberger. Edited by Ben Estes with an introduction by Collier Schorr. (The Song Cave) ISBN: 9781734035117

This is such a remarkable book on various levels. Karlheinz Weinberger (1921-2006) worked in the warehouse department of the Siemens Factory by day, but in his time off he was a self-taught photographer. He made his own studio in his home in Zürich that he shared with his mother. In this studio, he would photograph construction workers, street vendors, outsiders, and members of the Halbstarke, a loose gang of young Swiss kids devoted to American 50s Rock icons as well as making a distinctive fashion statement.

The book is in two parts. The first section is devoted to the youth gang that hangs out in the parks, and there is an erotic quality to the photos that are similar to how Kenneth Anger looked at men in his great film "Scorpio Rising." The second part of the book is devoted to images of male nudes taken in his home studio. An outside culture that is lustful, and deeply moving as well. The book exposes an outer life, but it's the inner-life of Weinberger that makes the work and this book so enticing.

Also, keep in mind that the publisher 'The Song Cave' do interesting titles.

"Rebel Youth" by Karlheinz Weinberger

Who would have known outside of Switzerland that the hippest looking youth was in that country. Specifically in the very early 1960's. Photographer and full-time factory worker Karlheinz Weinberger knew. He photographed these kids in the parks and in the streets, and to add a certain voyeur quality - in his apartment. Erotic, with a tinge of danger, and a loyalty to Elvis, Cliff, Vince Taylor, and Little Richard, these cold war babies had a clothing style that was borrowed but then they added their own touches. 

A combination of rocker with a Situationist/Letterist motif with a hairstyle that is based on the 1950's but looked forward to an unknown future. The kids are playful, but the photographer, who is much older, is not. And it is that tension between image-maker and its model that gives Weinberger an edge. The book also has a wonderful introduction by John Waters, who actually met the late great Karlheinz Weinberger.

Tosh Talks Mar.18.2011 "Karlheinz Weinberger