Remember when you were a kid and everybody was spooked by the curmudgeonly old goat who lived by himself down the street? Well, we're all grown up and we're still spooked by a curmudgeonly old goat - only he's one of the most talented and accomplished photographers in the city.
Jon Randolph has been snapping pix for longer than he'd care to remember. His work will appear in The Third City starting today. Here's his first contribution:
Maxwell Street was the old flea market in Chicago. No way I can say for sure when this picture was taken but it was around 1970 or '71. I remember there was a fire. I was taking pictures of people looking at the fire. People are rapt by fires. The thing is, the boy wasn't looking at the fire. I just saw him while I was making other pictures.
- Jon Randolph, photojournalist
Jon's really not that old but he's had a headful of prematurely gray hair since we've known him and he used to chomp on cheap cigars, so the image fits. He is a curmudgeon though. As evidence, read the following snippets from an email exchange between him and us.
Us: Would you mind answering some questions for your bio?
Jon Randolph: "Yikes. I never expected the Spanish Inquisition."
Us: How old are you?
JR: "Well, how old would you be if you didn't know how old you were?"
Us: Where did you grow up and where did you go to school?
JR: "Grew up in Hyde Park and Evanston. Went to Evanston (Township High School) and Central YMCA (High School) downtown. Then Blackburn College."
Us: Where have you worked?
JR: "Channel 11 (WTTW-TV) until 1982. Freelance since."
Us: What was the highlight of your career?
JR: "When I was seven or eight, I went up to (White Sox second baseman) Nellie Fox for an autograph and he cursed me."
Us: What are you trying to do when you're shooting?
JR: "Mostly, I take the "Seinfeld" approach to photography and don't try to shoot anything special, just stuff. Unless, of course, I'm being paid."
See? Glib, he's not. But he speaks with his camera and now we've got him. We like to think of him as Chicago's Weegee. And our friend.
Enjoy.
