Probably the best known pop art, and certainly one of the better known counterculture figures in the world. For his one and only silk-screens, beautiful album covers for the

VU (and Nico),

the Stones, ('Sticky Fingers' , 1971), 'Love You Live' (1976)

Aretha Franklin

and

the Smiths (Sally Take A Bow).

-repeated photographs (the famous images worth repeating), one fine example of which you can find in the gallery

and many many more other things (his wig, his Factory, his Interview magazine, etc.)

Born in Pennsylvania, USA, in 1928 (much older than Elvis, but a little younger than Chuck Berry, he was). Moved to New York early on, soon after he finished studying. There he got a job in advertising, and started painting boots and other objects for sale.

A film director, and a one freaky and moving... of
'Chelsea Girls', (starring: Pope Ondine, Gerard Malanga, Eric Emerson, Mary Woronov, Ingrid Superstar, Ultra Violet, Brigid Berlin, Rona Page and others; not about the London district but a hotel in NY, where for example Edie Sedgwick, Patti Smith, Iggy Pop and the Stooges, and Bob Dylan stayed)
'Couch', (the Factory one, with Allen Ginsberg and other beatniks, Taylor Mead, Billy Name, Gerard Malanga, Baby Jane Holzer and others starring)
'Vinyl',
'Lupe',
'Dracula',
'The Loves Of Ondine',
'Lonesome Cowboys',
'I, A Man',
'Kiss The Boot',
'Philadelphia Story',
'The VU and Nico - A Symphony Of Sound'

Of course these are only SOME, he made lotsa, most aren't widely known or let alone alone screened anywhere in the world today (except The Museum in Pittsburgh. Mostly short, filmed at the Factory and people's flats in NY. Experimental goes at how much the viewer can bear, like 'Empire', 'Eat' or 'The Nude Restaurant' have become synonymous with both ultimate boredom, lack of good taste and the beginnings of underground filmmaking.
You can read more on this on the web - at
Bright Lights Film Journal - or in books like 'Uptight' by V. Bockris and Gerard Malanga.

Of course one of his primal contributions to us rock-driven people is giving the Velvets a chance and engaging them in his, at first neglected, now world famous Exploding Plastic Inevitable.

His Silver Factory, from about 1964 until 68 (when he moved the studio to Union Square West), was the place to be while visiting New York. Various people became involved in what was going on there. Members of the 'entourage' were immortalized in Lou's 'Take A Walk On The Wild Side' of his Transformer in 1973. Some famous guests of the Factory included: Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, Bob Dylan, Jim Morrison and David Bowie (in 1971).

In that time groovy Englishmen were getting fascinated by what Andy was doing. Brian Jones was going out in NY as early as 1966, and Mick Jagger becoming someone of a friend to Andy later on. Then one David Bowie (or Ziggy Stardust, if you prefer) came to recognize him as a major influence on his attitude towards music and art.
He first flew to NY in 1971 and immediately paid a visit to Andy's theatre troupe. Since then, he never hesitated to put on red skin-tight costumes and all other kinds of outrageous outfits.
Of course he paid full tribute to the Velvets too, covering their early material live and even writing his own song based entirely on 'White Light/ White Heat' and putting a notice about it out on his third big album, 'Hunky Dory' (meaning 'OK' in London's slang).
Actually, the title of the page's as quoted from his 'Andy Warhol' song from this very record.

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