I went by CBGB’s on a Saturday in ’83, and all those skinhead kids were out during the middle of the day. It turns out that CB’s was having these hardcore matinees in the afternoons.

I said, “Oh man, this is how I’m going to do this. I’m going to go across the street on Bleecker, set up a studio, and intercept these kids on the way to the shows.” Seemed perfect.

I had gone to CB’s back in like ’75, ’76, and I’d gone to high school a couple blocks away. I knew the area, I was comfortable there. I was one of those kids, you know what I mean?

Utilizing what I learned from Richard Avedon while working on his seminal book, In The American West, I stood on the eastern end of Bleecker Street, where it empties into what was the most famous street for the downtrodden, disenfranchised and destitute – the Bowery. CBGB’s was the perfect place for young outcasts, free thinkers and activists to gather under one roof.

Where are they now? Who have they become? With the advent of the Internet, reproducing these images and contacting people became simple. The third dimension presented itself – the history of these individuals and the true meaning of their existence.