RSS FEED

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

On Warhol

Andy Warhol just told us to make money. 

It is a hard concept to understand but it worked for that time. 
Now we have to move on, and be ourselves once again.

When Warhol started his career as an "Artist", coming from a commercial illustrator, he did not make any money. 
In fact, all the money he made was spent completely for Art. 
What he was doing was, to let the street kids, which Reed and Cale referred to as "stars lying on the streets" in a song impersonating Warhol, make his Art. 
Stars starred in his movies which he let anyone do anything, and to be themselves. Books were made from conversations between his stars. The Velvet was produced. 
These were all stars "lying on the streets" of New York, be them rich or not. 

A man who speaks of life being almost a prison being sent to jail as soon as you are born, then life as itself being an art, must know what Art is. He understood the harsh reality of survival, perhaps after the Asia trip, where he left his heart. 

He made Art that sold, caught instant attention and put to debate whether or not of its worth. 
The 60's was his time he used all his money he made as the richest illustrator in the world, to create Art. 
He evaded every questions by bringing tape-recorder of his own and giving "uhmms" and "uhhs" followed by simples answers as "Yea" or "No."

When the new decade came along, he had changed his style. 

This was after he got shot three times. 
Andy was scared shit to go out. Ever since, his "underground" Cool was gone. 
His factory changed and his business changed. 

He was already a star. 

A star shining freely, but scared of what the world was made of. 
Every Sunday, he would go to church. 

Interview magazine was going on, but it wasn't really-really his toy. 
He was creating jobs and "things to do" for his crew. 
What more in life?

He was more than just aware of being a Zeitgeist. 
He reflected everyone to the point Reed made a song for him. "I'll be your mirror". 
A true reflection, an artform of life. 
What he did was to reflect the time. 

That time, in the 60's, it was those 'kids' on the street he used to call all of them kids and boys. 
"To Andy, everyone was a kid."
So he reflected them. 
A man full of love cannot live life in peace. 

Drugs, Obetrol, Acid, LSD. All the uppers around, making Art while high. 
There was one moment when everyone was sleeping with anyone they want. 
Then Sedgwick gone, Warhol shot, Girls and Boys aiming all at him. 
Starlette jumping off the window on his theatre opening night.
"You used me" "you're just making money off of me" and he defends "it's not my fault" for their own act. 


America all diseased, Rock-stars sang while Wars made bucks. 
The world was not for looking for new talents. 
America was not for the new rebellious. 
It was power, invention, money and class. 

Warhol had all before asking. He achieved it. 
The legitimization of gays and lesbian through Art, Music and Fashion owed a lot to Warhol. 
And that was all what he was doing in the 60s as the Zeitgeist of the social delinquents. 

So when the 70's came, People had turned their backs to the glam. 
So when the 3 shots came, Warhol himself too, had sunk into the world of glam. 

America was all about making money. 
America was all about being beyond big. 

And so the 70's went, and 80's came. 
Warhol was steady. 

He had known that money cannot change the world. 
His works being too influential and confidential, the world did not let Warhol show more. 
Despite the occultish feavor towards his commercial film, theaters often prohibited his film screening. 
He even depicted what "bad" really meant in a film he produced called "BAD."

So in the 80's, he went back to Fine Art. 
There were less pissing and orgies in studio. 
But more of Basquiat and still the old Capote. 

So make money, not Art, because if you are an Artist in your life, and if working is as hard as living to be yourself, 
Then make money as an Artist as yourself. 
That's what he meant by meaning to die as a "Business Artist."



No comments:

Post a Comment