He began his artistic career as a kid in New Jersey with a Super 8 camera and a cassette recorder. When Bangs was still a teenager, Michael Stipe asked him to create visuals for R.E.M. Soon he began documenting the burgeoning Athens, Ga. music scene, and his subjects expanded exponentially. Over the last 20 years Bangs’ projects have taken him from rock clubs to comedy stages, from private celebrity enclaves to third world villages as countless notable artists and activists have entrusted him with telling their stories. He’s created music videos and documentary footage for a daunting list of indie rock luminaries, including Sonic Youth, Sleater-Kinney, Pavement and The White Stripes. He’s followed notable directors such as Spike Jonze and Michel Gondry as they tackle their films, and he launched a cultural phenomenon by capturing the masochistic stunts of Jackass.