Dead rock stars resurrected in coffee-table tribute

LOS ANGELES -- Deborah Chesher was culling through her old boxes of negatives one day when a random thought crossed the photographer's mind about how young and alive all of the guitar gods of her youth had been.

It was quickly followed by the realization that many of those rockers were also dead, and most had died young.

She has now brought those synaptic occurrences into focus in the coffee table book "Everybody I Shot Is Dead." The 208-page volume, with photos ranging from black-and-white to color, celebrates the joyous, often unguarded, moments of some of rock music's biggest stars.

By its theme, the book chronicles some of the excesses that led such stars as Harry Nilsson, the Beach Boys' Dennis Wilson, T Rex's Marc Bolan and scores of others to their early exits. Chesher, however, chooses to downplay that element.

"It's truly not about dead people as much as it is about how amazing these musicians were," Chesher said.

"The theme is resurrection. I'm bringing them back to life with pictures that have never been seen before and that were taken at a time when they were all extremely vibrant and productive -- which is how I like to remember them."

Although some typical "rock star as deity" poses make it into "Everybody I Shot," most of the 48 people profiled in its pages are captured in a way that reflects more of a human side.

There is a joyous George Harrison on stage in embroidered jeans and bright yellow shirt, and a relaxed Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees visiting backstage with family and friends.

Little Feat's Lowell George playfully makes bunny ears behind record executive Mo Ostin's head as Ostin reviews a contract.

Some, such as Little Feat's Lowell George, who was 34 when he suffered a fatal heart attack, died young after years of hard living.

Still others, like Bolan, who was 29, perished in car crashes or, in the case of former teen idol Rick Nelson, plane crashes.

And, Chesher acknowledges, not everybody she shot is really dead.

"Maybe I'll do an 'Everybody I Shot Is Alive' book next," jokes the photographer.