The Decade That Rocked

Mark “Weissguy” Weiss set an unmatched standard for rock photography. Starting out as a teenager by sneaking into concerts with a neighbor’s 35mm camera, he embarked on a legendary career that took him around the globe and onto some of the most memorable album and magazine covers in rock history– featuring the likes of Van Halen, Ozzy Osbourne, Aerosmith, and Mötley Crüe to Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Bon Jovi, and KISS, and so many more.

With 700+ photos, brand new interviews, and stories from Mark himself, Decade that Rocked is a monument to the photography, friendships, and legacy of an artist that helped define one of rock’s most iconic eras.

This career-spanning collection features:

• A unique lens on the golden age of rock: Never-before or rarely seen photos of legends like Van Halen, Ozzy Osbourne, Aerosmith, and Mötley Crüe to Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Bon Jovi, and KISS, as well as countless others whose sound and image defined the era.

• Exclusive interviews: Ozzy Osbourne, Dee Snider, Nikki Sixx, Joe Perry, Rob Halford, and many more recall their memories of this era-defining decade.

• Untold Stories: Relive Mark’s unbelievable journey through rock history, from getting arrested for selling photos outside of Kiss concert to touring with legends like Van Halen, to photographing Bon Jovi’s infamous “Slippery When Wet” shoot, shooting backstage at Live Aid with Black Sabbath, and so many more.

• Definitive Lens: Creem magazine readers ranked Mark Weiss as rock’s top photographer of the 80s. His work has appeared on some of the most iconic album and magazine covers of all time.

Captured from the unique vantage point of a photographer who lived and breathed the ’80s in all its grit and glory, The Decade That Rocked brings to life the no-holds-barred sounds and sights that changed the world of hard rock and metal forever.

About the Author

Richard Bienstock is a journalist and musician whose writing has appeared in numerous U.S. and international outlets, including Rolling Stone, Billboard, Guitar Player, and Classic Rock. He is a former senior editor of Guitar World and executive editor of Guitar Aficionado magazines, and has authored several books, among them Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck, the official companion to the 2015 film of the same name. He is also the author of an upcoming oral history on the 1980s hard rock industry, to be released by St. Martin’s Press.

About the Photographer

Mark "Weissguy" Weiss's credits include Mötley Crüe's first appearance in a national publication, Oui Magazine in 1982, countless magazine covers and spreads worldwide, and the iconic imagery for many multiplatinum albums including Bon Jovi's Slippery When Wet and Twisted Sister's Stay Hungry.