PHOTO ESSAY

Buck Shot

The portrait photography of Chris Buck

By Matthew McKinnon

March 21, 2006

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Russ Meyer, Los Angeles, 2000.

In 2000, Los Angeles magazine hired Buck to photograph Russ Meyer, director of Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! and other adventures in cleavage. Buck wanted a portrait that referenced Meyer’s films, but knew that he needed to keep it clean.

“Los Angeles is a typical city magazine. It’s seen by all ages and all different types of people. The cake is something that lets you get the breasts in there, but the cakes are funny in and of themselves. They get you just far enough away from the real thing that it no longer feels private.”

Buck will occasionally warn his subjects about some of his plans; he never shares all of them. He (barely) cleared the idea with the magazine (the editors were skeptical, but trusted his instincts). But he didn’t tell Meyer or his handlers about it. “People will find a reason to say no if they can. For their own sake, I’m helping them out. I’m not letting them think about it too much,” he says.

Meyer died of complications from pneumonia and dementia in 2004. He was already losing his faculties when he sat for Buck. “While we were shooting, I had to talk to him a little bit to keep him positive.... I asked him for stories about his experiences, what kind of women he likes, things like that. I asked if he ever had any interest in Asian women. He said no, because they usually don’t have big breasts.” When the time came, Meyer sank his face into the cake without complaint.