Growing up as a rebellious teenager in the suburbs of Los Angeles, hanging out at gigs and gaining access to the now-legendary bands of the era, Marla Watson is now unleashing her rarely seen hardcore punk photography from the early 1980's in this new book entitled 'My Punk Rock Life'.
"I never considered myself to be a professional photographer but more of a historian. Regardless, I took some pretty great photos right alongside some of the greats like Edward Colver, Alison Braun, and Glen E. Friedman. In late 1983 I travelled to London for two months and took pictures of all my favorite punk bands of that era. Life is a lot of fun when you are young and unencumbered. My negatives have been safely stored in my attic until the Covid years when I had extra time on my hands to scan them and create a book."
Marla's book emphasizes the fans point of view. Reaching out to both friends and strangers to write short pieces about what it felt like to be a punk back then, including personal stories and experiences. The feedback so far has been massively positive from the likes of Ian Mackaye, Jello Biafra, Keith Morris, Mike Burkett, Jeff Nelson, and others, many of whom are featured in the book.
