Broadway Legend Joined: 5/20/03
I didn't know she joined LDS.
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I was at one of her recent gallery shows and she was pretty friendly. RIP
If she was able to survive until 78, she's certainly one of the lucky ones. Most of the people associated with the Factory died awful, tragic deaths while in their 20s and 30s, you can love him all you want, but he was an incredibly toxic presence for many of his so-called Superstars.
I never cared for Warhol. HIs art is one thing, but his attitude was another. But then, Warhol was all about attitude.
you can love him all you want, but he was an incredibly toxic presence for many of his so-called Superstars."
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I don' t know. What I think is that his superstars were pretty toxic themselves. You had to have that bent to even want to hang around there.
"Most of the people associated with the Factory died awful, tragic deaths while in their 20s and 30s, you can love him all you want, but he was an incredibly toxic presence for many of his so-called Superstars."
Ummm....slow down there, Ray. The Factory may have been an environment in which a certain number of damaged individuals were able to explore their self-destructive impulses, but for every Edie Sedgwick there was a Jed Johnson--people who went on to enormous success and professional achievement.
Plenty of those old Factory hands are living well into their sunset years, quietly selling the occasional Warhol painting or print to subsidize very conventional lives.
ETA: No--there wasn't a Jed for "every" Edie--Jed was extraordinarily talented, and an outlier. My point is just that the people around Andy brought their own strengths and weaknesses--and their own toxicity--with them.
As usual, Jane has said in 10 words what it took me 100 to say...
Oh, don't be silly Addison- I admire your expertise in expressing yourself through well composed comments.
A party I would have loved to attend.
I met Warhol a couple of times. Mainly at Jim Henson Partys. I had conversations with him. He was rather withdrawn and and aloof but would become quite animated and happy to hear of your stories if they interested him. Much like he was living vicariously through you. I can see where he could attract already destructive people. He made them feel validated.
One night I was having dinner at Mr. Chow, as part of David Hockney's party after a gallery opening. All of a sudden, we looked up to see that Mr. Warhol had arrived (uninvited) with his posse. They just stood there, waiting for the staff to scurry around to make room for them at our table. Didn't happen. No one at the table paid much attention to them either, so they left.
At night of 100 Stars at Radio City Music Hall, Jim Henson had a Gala at the Wldorf Astoria. It was a costume Ball. I went as Th Red Death from Phantom ( this was a few years before the ALW version) . Andy and his "date" a chubby little guy in his late 20's shared the elevator with me to the ballroom. "Hi! I'm Andy!". "No SH*T!" "Giggle, are you a boy or a girl?" "I am neither, I am DEATH!" "Giggle, giggle, I know you are a boy!" "I am coming for you Andy!" " Ohhh, hot!". That was my first meeting with him.
The second was at a private screening we at Muppets were invited to see of The Never Ending Story before it openened. He was there alone.
The third was at the Muppet Mansion at one of their galas... good times!
He really was so fey.
I saw him from behind in a movie theater in the 60's or 70's
It was in the old Demille/Mayfair theater. I believe the movie was The Man Who Wasn't There. He was sitting with another gentlemen. I did not bother them. As I remember, no one else ( of the 3 or 4 other people there), bothered him either.
They knew better.
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