Karen Pollack, the girl with an LP and a record player - toiled in the pop culture trenches and walked the rock and roll landscape, not as a groupie, but as a cultural anthropologist, emerging as a keeper of these beautiful pictures (and more!).

Karen was born in Memphis Tennessee in 1950 and was originally entranced by the Beatles (her favorite is, was, and always will be Paul McCartney). This fascination with rock stars has kept Karen close to a turntable, hoisting vinyl in a motherly yet excitable pose that borders on the iconic. Note ZIggy Stardust LP in Karen's grasp.

Through Hermans Hermits, The Monkees, The Who, Bowie (in several incarnations) and up until her move to San Francisco and European travels in 1975, Karen had a strong connection to the Yellow Submarine record shop and contacted me initially to reach old friends of hers that worked there. One name that came up was "Murph" but I didn't know him. When I asked if she had photographs of Bowie in Memphis she shook her head "yes".

Karen Pollack was in the room at the Rivermont Hotel (downtown Memphis) when these pictures were taken (not by her) in 1973. She has kept them in an ornamental orange box for 36 years. Ronson appears to have changed clothes during the course of the picture taking. An almost obligatory shot of the other Spiders (Trevor and Woody) appear (with Mick oddly bent over in the foreground)
They appear dressed and near the point of leaving for that nights show: February 25th, 1973, Ziggy's second Memphis appearance (technically "Aladdin Sane").

Speaking of Bowie, Karen tells me he was not in the room, just as the Spiders are not in the Memphis Art Academy (Cherry Vanilla) photos (though Mick and Woody were indeed in attendance at the school that night).

Karen has entrusted these photographs to me. I hope that Susie Hussy enjoys seeing them. Please use by permission of guerrillamonsterfilms.com.