My Eye on the Wild Side

My Eye on the Wild Side : The Adventures of a Teenage Rock Photographer in New York City

In early 1968 a NYC high school kid who loves rock music buys a secondhand pro camera so he can get close to the musicians that he idolizes at the Fillmore East. He meets and photographs Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd, the Who, the Jeff Beck Group, Led Zeppelin, Janis Joplin, and many others.

In the heart of New York City during the early 1960s, a quiet, wide-eyed kid named Thom Lukas found himself swept into the center of a cultural revolution.

Though shy by nature, he carried with him two things that would change his life: an uncanny stroke of luck and a camera. In 1963, he was sneaking into television studios to watch celebrities perform live. Just five years later, in 1968—while still in high school—he was slipping through the doors of the legendary Fillmore East, capturing extraordinary moments both onstage and backstage as some of the world’s greatest bands made history.

His journey only grew wilder from there. Imagine being mistaken for Mick Taylor, being pushed into an elevator, and finding the Rolling Stones beside you. Picture Jimi Hendrix himself stepping in to save you from the police. Envision hotel room gatherings with Pink Floyd or the Jeff Beck Group. It may sound like the plot of a Hollywood film, but every story is real.

In over 380 color and black-and-white images—most previously unpublished—Thom Lukas’s photographs are vivid proof of rock's unforgettable era from the late '60s into the '80s.

Size: 8.5in x 11.0in  |  Pages: 240  |  380 color and b/w photos