In 1980s America the art scene fawned over the infamous "Brat Pack" group of writers that included Bret Easton Ellis, Jay McInerney, Donna Tartt and Tama Janowitz. They portrayed American (privileged) youth in that decade like it was — with all their nitty gritty drug taking, vodka swilling and New York club excess. In the mid to late '90s a new crew emerged: not writers per se, but photographers and artists, such as the late Dash Snow and photographer Ryan McGinley. Handed the mantle by filmmakers such as Larry Clark and Gus Van Sant, they set about documenting — and kill me for saying this — "the cultural zeitgeist" of that time.
McGinley, a New Jersey native and the youngest child of eight, set the art scene alight in 1999 with his handmade photo-book from his first public show, "The Kids Are Alright," a brilliant portrayal of his own set of friends in New York at that particular time. He quickly emerged as the voice of a generation and worked on high-profile projects for several fashion brands and other commercial outfits. His work, which documented the likes of Snow and Dan Colen, was provocative and daring, and according to the men's lifestyle magazine GQ, McGinley became "the most important photographer in America."
McGinley's creativity progressed and amid other work, he shot a series of Morrissey concerts in the mid-noughties. The resulting photographs, however, pale in comparison to other live-music photographers such as Kevin Cummings or even lauded fashion designer Hedi Slimane, who documented up-and-coming bands such as These New Puritans and The Drums. McGinley later shifted from working with film photography to digital.