shaevoyeur

Its okay to want to be on the L Word

 

On Andy Warhol’s Cult January 5, 2008

Filed under: Queer Films you gotta see. — admin @ 4:47 pm
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I recently had the pleasure to watch the documentary, A Walk into the Sea: Danny Williams and the Warhol Factory, about Director Esther Robinson’s personal inquiry into the truth behind her Uncle Danny Williams’ mysterious 1966 disappearance. It was an interesting, well crafted creepy depiction of another talented soul seemingly starved for love and attention who becomes a part of the factory, a Warhol filmmaker, and apparently one of his gay lovers. The film is traveling the festival circuit now-I saw it in Sao Paulo, Brazil in the queer festival there called MixBrasil(Started by Brazilians who worked at NYC Mix Festival.)

Last night I watched another new film called Factory Girl 2006 about the story of Edie Sedgwick. (This is the Hollywood movie version of Edie, but you can check out the 1972 Ciao Manhattan in which Edie actually stars in it.) Again, Warhol is depicted as the subtly evil, manipulative star maker/blood sucker.

Both are fascinating and depressing. Both Edie and Danny are shown as obsessions and love objects of Warhol, they get their artistic chance in NY, and it ends with Warhol discarding them both and eventually their lives ending in their mid 20’s. These depictions of the factory leave me with this empty, gross feeling and I would like to know why. Is it the glitz and glamour of art fame that seems to go hand in hand with hard core drug use in the factory? Or is it this perspective of Warhol the art monster having these manipulative social “skills,” leading talented people into doing all his work for him while he receives the credit and fame, and producing this iconographic American art that seems to become more and more famous (or infamous) as the years go on. The factory becomes the real factory. The corporations bloodsucking the life out of us. We are either in or out. Join a corporate cult and succeed-if you can get into one.
I think the latter is what leaves me with the gross feeling. It comes down to our own egos, our fears, and capitalism-strive to become the Andy Warhol of your life or accept to work in the factory. Warhol was right. His model is no different than most of the factories. Brilliant or psychotic?
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I’m opting for a myriad of alternatives. I’m starting with yoga and meditative compassion.

 

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