#243: Photographer Clay Patrick McBride

This week on A Waste of Time with ItsTheReal, we welcome acclaimed photographer, visionary and professor Clay Patrick McBride to the Upper West Side! Clay breaks down the stories behind his brilliant images of Jay-Z, Kanye West, Allen Iverson, LeBron James, The LOX, Lil Kim, Fat Joe, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Green Day, Metallica, Nas, Juelz Santana, Indian Larry, Norah Jones, among others. Clay discusses growing up two hours north of New York City in Sullivan County a metalhead prone to vices, living in the shadow of his brother, long in search of himself, getting clean, the support of his father, and the fateful day he picked up a camera and looked through its lens. We talk about his time in France studying impressionist painting, his return to New York City, where he spent a year taking self-portraits and ultimately saw into his subjects' eyes, and how he proved to Vibe Magazine, The Source and XXL that his work could live in their pages. Clay shares incredible tales about his legendary SLAM cover with AI, building the Oval Office for XXL's President Carter cover, putting the Red Hot Chili Peppers into the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band uniforms, and a light almost electrocuting Lil Kim while she bathed in a hot tub. We get into his philosophy behind the lens, on set, in the classroom, regarding legacy, editing, being present, digital vs. film, picture takers vs. picture makers, the imagery he has on his walls at home, and much, much more!