Saturday, November 8, 2008
Ok, I didn't really meet Andy Warhol.
I just saw him hanging around NYC a couple of times.
Warhol's recognition guaranteed an iconic place in the context of popular culture. His ability to deconstruct familiar images using commercial graphics just hit me.
Perhaps it was because for as long as I could remember, I worked in our family's small print shop doing graphics, operating different printing presses, making rubber stamps, and setting type. Having Warhol in my life helped me feel that the work that
I did in our family business was somehow artful.
The first time I saw him was at "Max's Kansas City. Max's was a club off of Union Square in lower Manhattan, one of the few reasons to go north of 14th Street (but not very far north). It was a very hip hang out. Lou Reed used to play upstairs at Max's. Matter of fact, the first time that I saw Warhol, Lou Reed was playing. I was in high school then, technically underage, but in those days anyone to walk into almost any hip club in the City.
In those days, nobody cared.
Warhol would hang out at a table somewhere in the corner. There were always people hanging around with him. I could swear that Keith Richards was with him once. I'm really not sure. When you saw a so-called "celebrity" at Max's, you weren't supposed to notice. That why the celebrities went there. And even today I feel odd about referring to them as celebrities.
Sounds like people who would appear on the "Lawrence Welk Show."
No, they weren't celebrities, they were "artists."
I once saw Warhol walking down Madison Avenue.It was near Bloomingdales.
He was walking with a couple of beautiful model-like women.
He wore a wool sports jacket and a long scarf.
He looked at me and smiled.
I don't think he recognized me from Max's.
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4 comments:
Another totally awesome effort. Man, you are frickin' incredible with a camera.
By the way, if I had written this post, based upon the facts you gave, I totally would have said I dated Andy Warhol.
Well, he wanted me too . . . .
(http://prolixfrolicks.blogspot.com/2008/11/propositions.html)
My first "color" print I turned in in my photography class ages ago was an image I had taken of my sister (like a thin Marilyn Monroe), converted to black and white, and then added back in color in 4 different prints Andy Warhol style. It was so fun. And made me excited about color. Go Andy.
Love your photos. I am an artist ---enjoy great photography. Most people don't realize how incredibly difficult it is to catch that perfect shot.
Ah! Andy Warhol, one of my favorites. Luckily I live about 35 miles from Pittsburgh's Andy Warhol Museum and visit often. Despite being a night owl, I got up at 4 am to attend the free 24-hour opening (can't remember the year---sometime in the 90's.) I figured it would be packed at midnight (it was ---lines around the block) and busy during daylight hours. Before dawn was a great time, because all the freaky night people were still there, and as the morning broke, the crowd gradually changed.
I once bought a friend a book of recipes submitted by favorite artists. Andy's entry was for Campbell's Cream of Tomato Soup ---Open a can, stir in milk....... He was an original.
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