Why Live’s Ed Kowalczyk Posed Naked For Kerrang! In 1999

In its long and storied history, Kerrang! has had an incredible number of talented artists appear on its cover. But while rock and metal stars are known for their decadent and offensive antics, only a handful of them have posed on the cover of K! In the nude. Among the ranks have been Tommy Lee, the aptly named Skin...and, somewhat surprisingly, Ed Kowalczyk of American alternative rockers Live.

“I wasn’t entirely naked,” clarifies Ed during a chat about Live’s upcoming tour with Bush to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their groundbreaking album Throwing Copper. “I had this little flesh-colored Speedo on. I know, the magic’s all gone! Sorry to kill the buzz!”

One might not immediately think of taking all their clothes off when listening to Lightning Crashes, and whether one would think about the band getting naked says a lot about what Live means to you. But the way Ed tells it, he came into the photo shoot ready for anything, and when the idea of nudity came his way, he didn’t shirk from the challenge.

“It was Jimmy Page’s daughter [Scarlet] who took the photos,” says Ed, “which I thought was super cool -- one degree away from Jimmy. I walked in, and she said, ‘Hey, I have this little flesh-colored nylon Speedo thing -- would you mind being naked for this?’ I said, ‘Sure! That’s a first!’”

“But in those days, looking back at all those performances, the I Alone video and stuff, my clothes were always half-off anyway,” he adds. “I really just had jeans on. So it really didn’t feel like that big a deal. I was just taking one little page out of the Chili Peppers book right there!”

That said, photographers in 2019 shouldn’t get their hopes up -- apparently, Kerrang! got a unique exclusive with his nude photoshoot.

“One time,” laughs Ed. “One and done!”

Catch Live on their upcoming tour with Bush at one of the following dates:

JUNE

6 – Mashantucket, CT @ Foxwoods Resort Casino – The Grand Theater
7 – Atlantic City, NJ @Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena
8 – Burlington, Ontario, Canada @ Spencer Smith Park – Sound of Music Festival
11 – Boston, MA @ Rockland Trust Bank Pavilion
13 – Gilford, NH @ Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion
14 – Canandaigua, NY @ Constellation Brands- Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center: CMAC
15 – Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center

JULY

26 – Appleton, WI @ Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium
27 – Council Bluffs, IA @ Stir Cove at Harrah’s Casino
28 – Kansas City, MO @Starlight Theatre
30 – New Orleans, LA @ Bold Sphere Music at Champions Square

AUGUST

2 – Wichita, KS @Hartman Arena
3 – Denver, CO @ Fillmore Auditorium
6 – Los Angeles, CA @ Greek Theatre
7 – Concord, CA @ Concord Pavilion
9 – Tuolumne, CA @ Black Oak Casino – West Side Pavilion
10 – Costa Mesa, CA @ OC Fair
11 – Tucson, AZ @ AVA Casino
14 – Rogers, AR @ Walmart AMP
16 – Tampa, FL @ MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
17 – Miami, FL @ Bayfront Park Amphitheater
18 – Jacksonville, FL @ Daily’s Place
20 – Atlanta, GA @ Cadence Bank Amphitheatre at Chastain Park
23 – Essex Junction, VT @ Champlain Valley Expo
24 – Baltimore, MD @ MECU Pavilion
25 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE
27 – Allentown, PA @ The Great Allentown Fair
29 – Wantagh, NY @ Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater
30 – Bethel, NY @ Bethel Woods Center for the Arts

SEPTEMBER

4 – Dayton, OH @ The Rose Music Center at The Heights
6 – Tinley Park, IL @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
7 – Allegan, MI @ Allegan County Fair
8 – Rochester, MI @ Meadow Brook Amphitheatre