Karlheinz Weinberger’s book Photographs 1954-1995 is something of a favourite around these parts

If I had to pick just one Afterhours releated book to rescue from a burning pile, well that would be a somewhat difficult task but I expect this would be quite near the top.

Why? Well, the best parts of the book are a document of Swiss rock’n’roll rebels who became folk devils and got their societies knickers all in a twist back in the fifties.

But these weren’t any ordinary fifty rockabilly types; to paraphrase the introduction, they had created their own version of rock’n’roll that made you think they had only ever experienced the original source via an out of tune radio; a reimagining all of their own rather than a recreation.

Mr Weinberger’s work was in part founded in a homo-erotic interest and these photographs look a touch as though their inhabitants created Kenneth Anger’s Scorpio Rising before it happened.

But to my mind they’re more fascinating and intriguing as these are real life, self-created cartoon characters, ones who could have fallen through a time warp from a hair salon run by the dreams you could imagine The Cramps might have had.

The book is now rare as hen’s teeth and just as pricey (thanks to my sister for tracking down a copy for me when it was still in print).

There is another more easily available, more recent book, Rebel Youth, with a foreword by Mr John Waters, published by Rizzoli, peruse that one here and the various book/s here.

Further background on the gent and Photographs 1954-1995 here.