Mick Rock and Miley Cyrus Get It Together!
“Miley Cyrus, Plastic Hearts,” New York City, 2020. Photograph by Mick Rock.
Mick Rock is not only one of the finest photographers to exhibit at Govinda Gallery, he is also a terrific friend for over 30 years. So it was a great pleasure to see he created the photo art for the cover of Miley Cyrus’s new album, Plastic Hearts. That recording is a Rock & Roll album, and was released on Jimi Hendrix’s birthday, November 27th, 2020.
Miley performed last week before the start of the Final Four contest between Gonzaga and UCLA in Indianapolis. That game was one of the greatest college basketball games of all time. It makes me wonder if Miley got both teams pumped up with her medley of Queen songs and Blondie’s “Heart of Glass”. Mick did cover art for both of those bands.
Mick Rock’s cover art for Queen II and Cover Girl. Photographs by Mick Rock.
Mick started exhibiting his photographs in 1999, the ‘turn of the century,’ at Govinda Gallery. Since then his work has been featured in legendary exhibitions at Govinda as well as our traveling museum exhibition Sound and Vision: Monumental Rock & Roll Photography, organized in association with The Columbus Museum. At the Columbus Museum show which launched the exhibition, they used Mick’s “Saxaphone Sessions” image of his dear friend and collaborator David Bowie, as the signature image on its posters, invitation, and billboard in front of the museum. We also were the US distributors for Mick’s amazing limited edition books on David Bowie, Queen and Syd Barrett, all from Genesis Publications in England.
Here is a terrific ‘out-take’ from Mick Rock’s photo shoot of Miley and Mick, from the session that produced the cover image for new album.
When I spoke with Mick Rock last week he told me, “Miley was a lot of fun to shoot. She has a beautiful raw energy, allied to endless charm and intelligence. I’d certainly be happy to shoot her again, any time, anywhere! Miley Cyrus is the real deal.”
Mick Rock’s photograph Miley Cyrus, Plastic Hearts is available from Govinda Gallery at popart@govindagallery.com.
I would also like to acknowledge the great work of my Back Room ‘aide de camp’ Wilde Davis.