Roger Steffens

Sunset StripOctober 1978I shot this on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood as it curves past the infamous Chateau Marmont Hotel. I loved the juxtaposition of its billboards. The ever-present Marlboro sign touting cancer-inducing tobacco addiction hovering ominously over an ad for Warren Beatty's "Heaven Can Wait" film, while Cheryl Ladd smiles at oncoming traffic. I often visited the Chateau in the 70s as a guest of the screenwriter Waldo Salt, who appreciated the hotel's exemplary attention to detail. One afternoon Waldo detailed his love for the hotel to me by describing how instead of throwing them away, the maid who cleaned his room left all of his cannabis roaches lined up perfectly in a row according to size. Print Details9 x 12 in (22.86 x 30.48 cm)Digital chromogenic archival print on matte paperHand stamped for authenticationPrints will be safely shipped, adhered to board and protected with vellum