Deceased S.F. Rock Photographer Jim Marshall: A Great F**king Interview

As All Shook Down reported yesterday, legendary San Francisco photographer Jim Marshall died on Tuesday at age 74. Your humble narrator spoke to Marshall several times last year regarding a lawsuit he filed against the owner of the Bill Graham Archive. As we put it then, "Marshall broke the lawsuit down into terms so simple even Keith Richards on his 14th beer could get it: They've got my stuff and I want it back." The photographer eventually settled his suit, allowing the Archive's owner to select his 100 favorite prints and return the 500 or so remaining ones to Marshall.

Calling Marshall "plain-spoken" would be like calling Kareem Abdul-Jabbar "tall." He was one of the most profane -- and entertaining -- interviews we ever conducted: 

"We filed in state and federal court, but I just wanted it fucking done. I wanted it out of my fucking life -- give him the fucking prints and be finished with it," the septuagenarian photographer said with a laugh.

"There was no legal reason for me to give him the prints," the photographer continued. "But I just wanted the whole fucking thing to be over with."

He grumbles about the archives' "fucking lawyers playing games" and accuses them of "nitpicking" and "asking chickenshit questions."

We'll give the last words to Marshall, culled from the introduction to Not Fade Away, a collection of his work: 

"Too much bullshit is written about photographs and music. Let the music move you, whether to a frenzy or a peaceful place. Let it be what you want to hear -- not what others say is popular. Let the photograph be one you remember -- not for its technique but for its soul. Let it become a part of your life -- a part of your past to help shape your future. But most of all, let the music and the photograph be something you love and will always enjoy."