Bash Compactor: That’s Him in the Corner

  “Hey! That’s Patti Smith!” one of my friends whispered. Who? Huh? I didn’t see her anywhere, but was told she was wearing a blue cap with granny glasses. “There’s Debbie Harry!” I didn’t spot either of them, but then things have changed since the ’70s. We all look a little different. Michael Stipe was easier to spot with his thick black glasses, standing at the door greeting everyone who entered the gallery.  

Thomas Dozol is a talented photographer and a heckuva nice guy. I can tell because he replied cheerfully, “Nice to meet you!” when I introduced myself. His eyes didn’t dart around desperately. That’s warm for a New York minute.The fact he’s Stipe’s boyfriend is coincidental, but it didn’t hurt one bit in terms of attracting droves of movers-and-shakers to that scrappy sexy gallery, Envoy Enterprises (where I myself have performed) down on Chrystie Street.We’re talking sardine can for the entire two hours of the show.

Voyeurism and intimacy is what this show is all about, actually, which was apt, given the fishbowl nature of the exhibit, with the voyeur attendees circling around Entre Temps, the series of 16-inch-square photos of Dozol’s “inner circle”—including Gwyneth Paltrow, Scissor Sister Jake Shears and REM’s Mike Mills. It always helps to have the crème-de-la-crème to shoot—there’s a lot less Photoshop and airbrushing.

The photographs were taken within 15 minutes of the subjects stepping out of the shower, still dewy from the droplets. Shower shots aren’t such a novel idea, but it certainly imparts freshness to the subjects. Maybe if he’d been in the shower with them it would have been even better, but Stipe and Dozol did that already last July in a series of iPhonesnaps along with a cute shirtless dude, and then posted them on guyswithiphones.com. The photos are actually quite eye-catching and technically well-executed, even commercial. Dozol, born in Martinique, uses a palette from nature and the sea, and the gallery notes refer to his inspiration from the

Nabis painters—an 1800s fin de siècle movement rejecting illusions of depth and using bold colors and patterns.

“Patti, could I take your photo?” I asked Smith. After removing her glasses, she gave me a winsome smile. Gingerly, I asked, “Debbie, can I take your picture?” No! The Divine Ms. Harry replied, turning back to her lady posse. I took a few side-shots.The diva needed a haircut anyway, so I don’t blame her.