Familiar: Emily & Christy

Q&A by Emily Giffin | Photos by Christy Bush

Header portrait by Jason Thrasher

Helena Christensen, Ralu, Scarlett, & Frankie, Athens, Georgia, 2019

Emily Giffin: I’ve been a big fan of your work for some time now and absolutely love this gorgeous book. What inspired you to create Familiar?

Christy Bush: Thank you, Emily. This means so much to me. Like so many people, I spent a lot of time in my boxes of pictures and archives during the lockdown. I knew there was a book in there somehow but couldn’t quite figure out what shape it should take. I would send pictures and memories to friends. They would all reply, “Make a book! When are you going to make a book?”

Later that year, in early fall, I was introduced to Kyle from The Bitter Southerner. After a coffee date, she asked me what my dream was in terms of my work. I told her my dream was to publish a book. Kyle said, “Christy, this is easy, I want to publish your book.” It was as simple as that. Kyle brought the idea to the rest of the crew at The Bitter Southerner, and the next thing I knew, we were looking at a lifetime of work spread out on my kitchen table. Familiar is a home for some of my favorite pictures and the memories that go with them.

David Lynch & Sam Fogarino, Paris, 2010

EG: How did you come up with the title?

CB: I used to call my subjects “my Familiars” because I spent so much time and so many years photographing them. Apparently, the word familiars plural is a bit culty. But, familiar singular was perfect for what we hoped to accomplish. We hope that the pictures and experience of the subjects in them will feel familiar to the viewer, as well as to me.

Meta & Nyala, Athens, Georgia, 2021

EG: What is your relationship with The Bitter Southerner? 

CB: My relationship with The Bitter Southerner is a literal dream come true. I have so much respect for the work they do, the stories they tell, their passion, and their fearlessness in doing the right thing and speaking up. Like you do.

EG: What about the South shaped you as an artist? 

CB: Visually, I can’t begin to list them all: Bags of boiled peanuts, red dirt roads, the color of the sky in the fall, hand-painted signs on the low roads, the ease of a teenager's personal style.

Memories: shelling peas with my grandmother while watching all of the CBS soaps, Friday night football games, Saturday night punk shows in downtown Atlanta, drenched in sweat while dancing late night at the 40 Watt Club in Athens and then hunting a pool or pond for night swimming. … And, the people. I was fortunate to have such an inspiring family and cast of friends growing up.

Mariah Parker, Athens, Georgia, 2020

Libby Hatmaker, Athens, Georgia, 2018

EG: You moved from Atlanta to Athens at such a wild and magical time. Tell us about that era. Who were your friends?

CB: Athens really was magical. I lived in the suburbs of Atlanta and craved a place like Athens. There was always something visually creative or musical going on, always a cool show to go to.

I fell in with a bunch of punk kids in bands and the art school kids, of course. Dave Schools from Widespread Panic dated my roommate. He was such a hippie but with a total punk rock spirit. We would have long conversations about the band Sonic Youth. He taught me how to play the theme song to “Barney Miller” on the bass. The late Laura Carter, from the band The Bar-B-Q Killers, taught me how to cook.

EG: You have quite a tribe, but your early friendship with Michael Stipe seems to have been the most pivotal of your life. He even writes the foreword in Familiar. What drew you to one another?

CB:  This friendship is indeed one of the biggest blessings in my life, for certain. I was a little punk when we first met. He thought I was cute and had good style. I tried to be way cooler than I was. I ran with kind of a dark crowd that I needed a break from. He came into my life around that time. 

I was also trying to get serious about photography and school. He, being a photographer himself, was such a great person to talk to about work. Some of my sweetest and most vulnerable moments were showing my prints straight out of the darkroom. He also taught me about photographers that were working in the world that I wasn't learning about in school. 

He collected Sally Mann. She would send him these big, beautiful test prints for consideration. She would scrawl the words “NOT FIXED” across the prints. They were from Immediate Family. My mind was blown. Michael was and continues to be generous with knowledge, art, introductions to incredible people — everything. So many of my close friends and opportunities have come as a result of his generosity.

Michael Stipe, Miami Beach, Florida, 1994

EG: Speaking of Athens music, I hear you were in an Athens band called FUR. What instrument did you play? Were you any good?

CB: Oh my gosh. FUR. That was such an art-rock band. My art school friends Lance Williams and Alex White started that project. Alex’s inspiration was Ann-Margret. I think all of the songs were about her movies, if memory serves — which these days it doesn't always. We played three shows together. I’m not sure if we were any good or just a spectacle. We had a lot of outfit changes onstage, with a strobe light. I played the double-decker organ (like a church organ) and a few bass lines until the boys found a real bass player. Alex wanted us to go on tour in a van, but I just wanted to stay home and be an art student.

Eddie Vedder & Sam Fogarino, Dusseldorf, Germany, 2007

Amy Winehouse, Coachella, California, 2007

EG: Tell us about your move to New York City. Where did you live? Who were you shooting during those years? How did that time in your life impact your work? 

CB:  I moved to NYC in 1993. Straight to the East Village. 7th Street between B and C. That was a rough neighborhood then. The summer before I moved, I had hosted Spike Jonze and some guys that he was doing a magazine with in Athens. They were doing a road trip issue. Michael had just met Spike and the guys in L.A. and said they had to go through Athens and had to crash with me. I was still in photo school, and Spike was doing photos and just starting music videos. He loved my work and invited me to come to NYC to meet some people and show my work around. I really hadn’t thought of moving to NYC at that point, but a month later, my dad and I packed a truck, and I moved in with some artist skateboard guys that I had met only once before. My parents were so freaked out. 

I didn't have any work, and I was only shooting my friends at that point. We were all young and getting started in our careers. I met a bunch of actors through Michael: Samantha Mathis, Jeremy Davies, Stephen Dorff, Tristine Skylar. They would pose for me on the roof of my East Village apartment in clothes [made] by my friend, Built by Wendy. We all helped each other out. The energy of that time in my early New York days was a natural extension of the energy in Athens. It was really, really amazing.

Spike Jonze, Athens, Georgia, 1993

EG: How did you meet your husband? Is he an artist, too? 

CB: You are probably thinking of my ex-husband, who is a musician. He appears quite frequently in the book. He plays drums for the band Interpol. He is an incredible drummer and musician. And, [he] was my photo muse for many years.

Daniel Kessler, Brussels, 2007

Sam Fogarino, St. Petersburg, Florida, 2003

EG: What was it like to work for the legendary Interview magazine?

CB: Interview magazine was like getting a graduate degree in fashion, art, pop culture, and photography for free. I owe Spike Jonze the biggest thank you for that introduction. I was an intern but worked directly with Richard Pandiscio, the magazine’s creative director. Richard did a page in the magazine called “Richard Pandiscio’s Ones to Watch.” That page was where I had my first published work. We put a lot of my friends on that page. Richard had complete faith in me and in helping develop my talent. I really wasn’t technically very good back then. He liked that about me and my work. He preferred to have the high energy of my pictures rather than a perfectly polished image.

Asta, Vienna, Georgia, 2001

Stella Demer, Athens, Georgia, 2013

EG: Which images in Familiar are your favorites? Is there one that you are the most proud of? 

CB: My favorites change every time I look at them. I always love the pictures of my daughter and her friends. The process of choosing pictures of my ex-husband and his band was emotionally hard on me. But now, I really love seeing them. Tia Jackson in the Chanel dress on the back cover is a favorite. And the one of her in Mr. Wilson’s chair is always close to my heart. 

I am very proud of the cover image. It evokes a lot of visual memory and feeling for me. It makes me think of night swimming after those sweaty late-night discos and the freedom that comes with youth. My favorite teen and muse, Bird Smith, is modeling. And, it was styled by one of my closest friends, Heathermary Jackson. It was made with people that I really love.

Tia Jackson, Athens, Georgia, 2018

Bird Smith, Athens, Georgia, 2018

EG: As a novelist, I often think of my friends as protagonists — and you are one of my favorites. My husband adores you, too. How would you describe yourself if you were a character in one of my books?

CB: OK, first, wow and thank you. This is a huge compliment and I will take it because I love your characters. In the ’90s I would have been Darcy from Something Borrowed, for sure — without the expensive clothes and handbags. Darcy and I have similar energy and spirits. I really love her layers. These days, [I’m] still Darcy — the grown-up version, the one who has learned from her many mistakes … a lot of mistakes!

EG: I heard that a certain acclaimed writer based a character on you. Is that true?

CB: Apparently, I inspired the character Kristy in the short story “1,000 Years (Life After God)” by Douglas Coupland.

EG: Many people do not like being photographed. Your subjects in Familiar all seem so at ease and free. How do you do that?

CB: I think it's a mix of relatability and being a Southerner. As Southerners, it’s in our DNA to make people feel at ease. I am also a total spaz, which I totally embrace. I think it lightens the mood.

Self-portrait, Death Valley, California, 2003

EG: Any new projects? Tell us about the next chapter of your life. What do you envision? 

CB: I will keep doing this work that I am doing and enjoy the evolution. It’s fun to watch my subjects grow up, to age, and to change. I hope that I can always find the beauty around me and feel inspired to continue to photograph the beauty that surrounds me daily. I hope to stay as present as possible. And I hope to remain fortunate enough to have viewers enjoy these moments preserved.