I must live in LA too long. When you mention paps, I think of them hanging out at the Ivy over on Robertson or lounging in their SUVs. A few years ago I assisted a photographer who was hired by a magazine to do some portraits of paps and we went over to two picture agencies to photograph the people behind the scenes. I was standing in the garage looking at their Hummer and SUV they use to track down celebrities....it was eerie.
Ron Galella was one of east coast originals. He's a native New Yorker (though he studied Art Center in Pasadena) and he's been doing it so long that both Time & Vanity Fair dubbed him “the Godfather of the U.S. paparazzi culture”. Well, now he's made it to the big time with a HBO documentary that premiered yesterday but as with cable, you can catch it all month. Check HBO's listing here.
Galella is willing to take great risks to get the perfect shot. Over his nearly fifty-year career, Galella has been famously punched in the jaw by Marlon Brando in Chinatown, beaten up by Richard Burton's bodyguards in Mexico, hosed down by friends of Brigitte Bardot in Saint Tropez, had his tires slashed by Elvis Presley's security in Queens and was sued twice by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.
Oh, and the title "Smash His Camera" ? Uttered by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.
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