Hozac Books 2nd edition of 400. Perfect. Distant. Untouchable. Divine.Forced to choose one word, and only one, to describe the work of my friend Marty Perez, it’s the opposite of those: human. Weaned on classic rock on the South Side of Chicago, the punk scene of the mid-to-late-’70s did more to shape Marty’s musical tastes and view of the world, while the indie-rock that followed in the ’80s honed them. Celebrating music as community, he’s D.I.Y. because ain’t nobody else gonna to do it for him What to say about this beautiful tome, given that the pictures eloquently speak for themselves? I love that it spans five decades, with the most recent shots showing as much energy and signature flair as the earliest work. I love that Marty captures the essential core of stadium-rockers as thoroughly, lovingly, and accurately (no myth-making!) as the bands playing shit-hole dives, and that he doesn’t see—or hear—a distinction. I love that there’s as much soul and honesty in the live shots as there is in the profiles/portraits (and damn, I miss his loft-space studio in Pilsen, from which the forces of gentrification eventually drove him, just as they’ve shuttered a fair number of the venues seen in these pages). I love that there’s a half-dozen bands here that I’ve never heard of, but the photos—and, no doubt, the sounds—are as cool as those of the rock superstars and blues legends. And I especially love the photos of fans and security personnel—damn, that celebrated shot on the cover!—because they underscore his aesthetic, that punk/D.I.Y. thing I mentioned earlier. In Marty’s viewfinder, everybody is a regular Joe, and everybody is a star. The irony, of course, is that one star in this book shines brighter than all the others, though he’d be the last to say that, which I suppose is why I’m here. It’s an honor to know you, Marty, and long may our lives be richer from seeing the world the way you do. – Jim DeRogatis