My very first memory of “COOL” or “HIP” was the 60s/70s counter-culture television show The Mod Squad. To this day I still dig the hippie style, vernacular and all things Groovy.
And one very groovy thing I like about Macon, Georgia is my little band of brothers (and sisters) that like to create Far Out photo shoots.
Terrell Sandefur, Priscilla Esser, Harold Goodridge. photo: Maryann Bates
Priscilla Esser, Harold Goodridge and I have dubbed ourselves “The Mod Squad,” an homage to the 60s/70s cop drama. It’s a fun little reference. I have always wanted to do a Mod Squad photo shoot and if there is one great thing about being in Macon, it’s that if you can dream it, you can do it. I pitched the idea to the fab photographer Maryann Bates and she dug the idea too.
The Macon Mod Squad photo shoot was finally on the calendar…it was something Priscilla and I had talked about doing for years. The stars aligned, as did our schedules, and we were able to all get together and go for it.
Downtown Macon has tremendous locations not only for film, but for photo shoots. For the Mod Squad shoot we needed a tunnel to recreate the opening sequence from the TV show. Maryann suggested the Poplar Street tunnel which was perfect for our adventure. 
Maryann, Harold, Priscilla, Ned Esser (our lighting guy) and I met at The SoChi Gallery for a few preliminary shots (photos and MAGATINIS) and then it was off to the tunnel. This is what we were attempting to recreate:
5 crazy cats in a downtown tunnel after dark with the Mod Squad theme song on repeat playing on Harold’s car stereo. Running through the tunnel over and over again. Sometimes in slo-mo, other times at full speed. The amazing thing is that we were there for over an hour and The Heat never came by to see what was going on. This was Harold’s first time participating in one of our photo shoots and his comment, “Y’all are serious about this,” is all too true. Priscilla, Maryann and I are dead serious (think back to the DEXTER photo shoot.) We don’t mess around. We have a vision and we make it happen … and for The Mod Squad shoot, it was Tunnel Vision. 
The Mod Squad was an iconic counter-culture police series that aired on ABC for five years between 1968 and 1973. They were the first young undercover cops on TV. They were hipper-than-hip with a touch of menace and plenty of attitude. It starred Michael Cole as Pete Cochran, Peggy Lipton as Julie Barnes, Clarence Williams III as Linc Hayes, and Tige Andrews as Captain Adam Greer. Aaron Spelling was the executive producer. The series was cancelled after the 1972-73 season, once hippies and 60’s counter-culture were a thing of the past.
In 1999, Claire Danes, Omar Epps and Giovanni Ribisi starred in The Mod Squad feature film based on the television series.
Tweet-worthy quote:
“Some people never go crazy. What truly horrible lives they must lead.” – Charles Bukowski
YOUR COMMENTS ARE AMUSING & WELCOME!