Photographer Tells Story Behind Iconic Deftones Album Cover

You might not have heard the album Around the Fur by 1990s alternative metal band Deftones, but there is a good chance you’ve seen the photo on the cover.

Released back in 1997, NME calls it “one of the most iconic album covers of the 90s.” It features hits including My Own Summer (Shove It) and Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away).

Music by the Deftones is both aggressive and sensual; heavy riffs collide with the lead singer’s breathy vocals. In some ways, the photo on Around the Fur communicates the same thing; it is a little eerie, a little dark, a little uncomfortable.

Despite the apparent jovial setting of the woman in a bikini in a jacuzzi, the extreme angle and difficult-to-read expression on the woman’s face do raise questions of intimacy, exploitation, and excess.

Nevertheless, it perfectly encapsulates the band’s music.

The Story Behind the Photo

In a recent video by Jenkem Magazine, photographer Rick Kosick of Jackass fame, who shot the album cover, reveals he became friends with the Deftones because of his work for Big Brother magazine.

“They invited me to come to shoot photos during the recording of Around the Fur, and it was in Seattle, Washington,” Kosick tells Jenkem.

Kosick had no idea that the photo shoot would make it to the album cover and was just there to hang out and have fun; there was no pressure.

“We went back to the condo they had rented and there was this girl hanging out in the jacuzzi, and I went up and took two photos, that’s it, and walked away,” says Kosick.

But a few weeks later, he got a call from the studio and the art director showed Kosick what he had done with his photo. He, of course, loved it.

“I wasn’t even looking at the lens [when I shot it],” says Kosick. “I hung over the jacuzzi and doing my bulb technique and… it’s lightning in the bottle.”

Remarkably, it is the only album cover Kosick ever shot, and not only that, he’s also on the album cover — it’s his feet in the bottom right corner.

Who is the Woman on the Deftones Album Cover?

Jenkem Magazine tracked down Lisa Hughes, who still lives in Seattle, and had a chat with her at her local skatepark.

Hughes, who is still extremely cool, says she did get some nice perks from appearing on the album cover, including free show tickets and entry into clubs. After finding some speculation on the internet that she was a “groupie,” Hughes decided to set up her own webpage to explain that she is just someone who likes to have a “kick-ass” time.

“It’s a pretty cool-looking shot,” says Hughes. “With the fisheye lens looking down. You know, it’s risque, a little bit.”

At the end of the video, Jenkem Magazine and Hughes track down the exact spot in Seattle where the photo was taken. The jacuzzi is still there.