I drove a cab in New York for three decades. Riding around, I would meet poets, drag queens and other people who were inspiring. It made me feel good. I started taking their portraits, sometimes with me in the picture. I had several cameras and would often have my strobe hooked on to my visor with a rubber band.
This particular evening, in 1990, I had been informed by a friend that there was a book event going on so I went to take a look. It was jam-packed inside. I spotted Allen Ginsberg, so I went over and talked to him a little. He was pretty intense, kind of stressed, so I had to lay back a little but I asked him if he could write an introduction to my book In My Taxi. But he had too much going on.
I went out, got in my cab and started driving off, but then I thought: “Hey, I think I’ll cruise back.” People were coming out of the building and I spotted Allen. I guess he recognised me. I was a pain in the ass to him, probably. Anyway he came over and got into my cab – a great, real, joyful moment.
I photographed him alone too, but the idea was for me to be there as well. I wanted to really romance that picture
I stopped at the Bowery to let him out and he was looking at the meter where I have this tape coming out of it, for receipts. He said: “Hand me that tape.” So I tore it off and handed it to him. He’s looking down. I don’t know what he’s doing, but I’m not gonna rush him. A little more time with Allen. Turns out he was writing this poem about me, which I still have.
I don’t call myself an artist, I leave that up to the audience. I went to college in southern California, and then Berkeley, for graduate work, and I was doing lithographs and photography. I got to New York in 1980. The rent was unaffordable but nothing was going to deter me from going to the city. I saw some crazy places – one guy was showering in the kitchen sink – but finally I found an ad in the New York Times for a place for $250 a month. I went to see it and was met by this real jovial, heavy-set man. The floor was dirt and it was 250 sq ft. Oh my God, I’d never seen anything like that in my life – but it was manifest destiny, because my dark room fitted into its east corner and right up to the window, so I had fresh air whenever I opened it.
Another manifest destiny was that I had a neighbour who drove a cab. When he would hear me opening the door, he’d open his and we’d have a friendly conversation. One day, he says to me: “Do you want to go out with me tonight in the cab?” I said: “Oh my God, yeah, yeah.” So I went out and the rest is history, man. I applied for a hack license.
My taxi portraits started with a Latino guy wearing a black kind of derby hat. He had a nice presence about him. I looked at him and said hey. I was nervous. This was my first time I’d taken my camera and equipment with me and he let me photograph him. That was the beginning and it just went crazy, man. I was constantly bombarded with opportunities. I would pick up a fare or maybe something was happening and I’d notice it and take a shot or two, then I’m gone. Or I would drop someone off and there would be something there, some sort of a billboard, a picture of a lady or whatever and the composition all came together. Sometimes, if my equipment wasn’t working properly, I would give the strobe to the passengers and say: “Hey, when you hear the click of my camera, hit the strobe.” So we’d have a dual thing going on.
When I had Ginsberg in my cab, I photographed him alone too, but the idea was mainly for me to be there as well. I wanted to really romance that picture, put my feelings there. I called it Allen Ginsberg, offering me up a fortune cookie.
Ryan Weideman’s work is at Paris Photo, 13-16 November, with the Bruce Silverstein gallery.
Ryan Weideman’s CV
Born: Oklahoma, 1941
Trained: California College of Arts & Crafts
Influences: “William Klein and Ansel Adams.”
High point: “Getting my first review – a really fantastic one – in the New York Times.”
Low point: “I don’t know how to answer this. I spent 10 to 12 hours a day out there. So I always seem to run into people that I wanted photographs of.”
Top tip: “Expose yourself to galleries and museum shows big time. Take some classes. Get a degree in fine arts. Pursue different mediums, like painting. I did lithographs.”
