Book Spotlight: Untouched

Untouched by Johnny Rozsa, © 2014, 
published by Glitterati Incorporated www.GlitteratiIncorporated.com

When many of us think of the 1980s, we think of a time of excess and thrills...the dawn of MTV, Michael Jackson in his Thriller era, the era of shows like Dynasty, and many other popular culture milestones. I remember all of those things fondly and when I think of them they almost seem quaint in comparison to now and are truly of another time. I know that it's easy to look back nostalgically with rose-colored glasses so I try to look back with a bit of perspective. Still, it's interesting to take a look back and examine popular culture and how celebrity culture has changed over time.

Author & photographer: Johnny Rozsa

In Untouched by Johnny Rozsa, published by Glitterati Incorporated, the celebrity photographer presents readers with an intriguing opportunity to see celebrities as they were during the 1980s. We get to see various celebrities in the era before Photoshop and the act of smoothing away the uniqueness that they possessed. Readers get to see these stars during a time before publicists were orchestrating every little detail at photo shoots.

Above: Grace Jones - From Untouched by Johnny Rozsa, © 2014, 
published by Glitterati Incorporated www.GlitteratiIncorporated.com

This book is a very interesting window into the world of celebrity and Rozsa captures images of many iconic stars in a less guarded state. There are photos of people such as: Hugh Grant, Halle Berry, Janet Jackson, Nicholas Cage, Rick James, Molly Ringwald, Farrah Fawcett, Grace Jones, and many, many others. There is a foreword by Susan Sarandon and it's interesting to get her perspective on working with Johnny Rozsa.

Above: Debbie Harry - From Untouched by Johnny Rozsa, © 2014, 
published by Glitterati Incorporated www.GlitteratiIncorporated.com

One of many things that I found so interesting about the book was to think of how much the various celebrities have changed over the years. We all change and it's intriguing to think of how much each star may have changed on the inside as well as how they've changed on the inside. I think that it would be fascinating to be able to go back and somehow ask some of these celebrities what they wished for at the very beginning of their careers and contrast that with what they think about how their lives have turned out. Some of these stars are no longer with us, but it's still interesting to see a less manufactured view of the celebrities that we remember.

Above: Rick James - From Untouched by Johnny Rozsa, © 2014, 
published by Glitterati Incorporated www.GlitteratiIncorporated.com

Above: Billy Idol - From Untouched by Johnny Rozsa, © 2014, 
published by Glitterati Incorporated www.GlitteratiIncorporated.com

It's refreshing to see each person before photo retouching became the absolute norm. The book shows the younger faces of these various stars presented without the filter of the modern day photographs that we see in magazines and on billboards today.

Above: Jackson Five - From Untouched by Johnny Rozsa, © 2014, 
published by Glitterati Incorporated www.GlitteratiIncorporated.com

 

Above: Robert Mitchum - From Untouched by Johnny Rozsa, © 2014, 
published by Glitterati Incorporated www.GlitteratiIncorporated.com

This is not some heavily-nostalgic book that glosses over the fact that fame has always been a big thing, however, we get to see fame in a way that pays tribute to old school Hollywood glamour in a way. There of course was glitz and glamour during the 80s, but there seemed to be a bit more of a balance between those who were just coming up alongside those who were veterans of celebrity.

In Rozsa's book, there are pictures of Robert Mitchum and Eva Gabor alongside those of Christian Slater and Snoop Dogg. This is a really interesting book that gives you a chance to really study the faces of some of the people that we feel we know because of their widespread fame. We don't know them, but their faces are so familiar to us and in Rozsa's book we get to see them in a more unfiltered, organic way.

 Untouched by Johnny Rozsa can be purchased here.


*Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book for review. All opinions are mine.