POPism: The Warhol Sixties (2006) - Plot & Excerpts
This was a Munson Williams Proctor (MWP) book club book. As with many book club books it is probably not a book I would have read on my own. This book illustrates why I love book clubs. The book was difficult to read in that it was very disjointed. He (Andy Warhol) mentioned so many people and many people were in and out of his circle quickly that it was very confusing. Also, most of the people around Andy Warhol were talking drugs- a lot of drugs. Andy talked a bit about his art but mostly he described his movies, which I didn't think very highly of. There were a few words that I had to look up "Seconal"-Andy described a "seconal sleep". Seconal is a barbiturate. Catafalque-a wooden frame or ornamental structure used in funerals. I learned a lot. I learned that Jackson Pollack art is about movement. Instead of a painting being a still, stationary object, Jackson Pollack paintings capture that sense of movement and color. Andy also said that art is determined by who wants your work. If your art is desired by someone with money or in the art world, then its considered "art" Now, we get to the discussion. The museum had a facilitator who had a PowerPoint. I learned that the point of Andy Warhol's paintings were the repetition and the packaging of everyday things in our lives. He realized that people don't really want the real reality, which he tried to show, they want the sanitized, cleaned up and put in a neat package tied with a bow version. He was also fascinated by the mechanical reproduction of things. He love coke because coke is a great equalizer: it doesn't matter who you are-the pope, royalty, a artist, a factory worker, a kid-coke tastes the same to everybody. I also realized while we were talking that even though I didn't appreciate the movies he made, those movies had a big influence on film and maybe to a lesser extent but still very powerful to the evolving culture of the time. On an aside, Andy lived his life true to himself at a time when it was dangerous to be out. Even though I believe that the over-the-top behaviors of the extroverted "out" crowd he hung around with helped to give gay people a bad name.
I was fascinated while reading this book, front to back. In it, Warhol is very open about his standpoint on his involvement with all of the people who orbited the factory in the 60s, open about his insecurities, his love and jealousy of fame and his fear that without all of the colorful characters, he might lose inspiration. His openness and acceptance of changing morals and what art could be and be about made the factory a nexus for that change bleeding out into society. Should he have been responsible for those who were drawn into his circle? I don't know the answer, but I sure wouldn't want a totally self-centered asperger's sufferer (my theory) to be taking care of me. I do feel he gave people who didn't belong a place to belong. Favorite quote: "I've been quoted a lot as saying, 'I like boring things.' Well, I said it and I meant it. But that doesn't mean I'm not bored by them."Highly recommended to anyone who loves or hates Warhol, you'll both find enough in here to justify your love or hate. Those indifferent will probably be bored.
What do You think about POPism: The Warhol Sixties (2006)?
This is a good introduction to books produced by Andy Warhol because it's light tone and optimism, interesting details and how easy it is to read. My father had the first copy of this book that I read many times. An introduction to the strange world of the Factory from its earliest days, the people come and go, the music (including the Velvet Underground plays), the cameras film on and tinfoil and the 1960s are everywhere, in fashion, drugs, people and art. Beautiful and interesting to read. Recommended.
—7jane
Easy read but fascinating. Warhol's style is very conversational, very gossipy, and if it weren't for the tragic ends of so many of the individuals featured, Popism would be almost fluffy. The name dropping got to be a little much, as if he were trying to stuff as many big names as possible into the pages, and certain instances were quite clearly sugarcoated to downplay the drama and make himself look better by minimizing his involvement (example: Edie Sedgwick). Not much of a narrative, just vivid memories that Warhol does manage to interweave and bring together into an intriguing tale. I'm neither a Warhol nor New York in the 60s fanatic, but I still found myself interested. Popism definitely held my attention. Recommended.
—Cari
Let's start with the understanding that I am really intrigued by Mr. Warhol, that I used to watch his movies back in the day when you had to get video stores to order them on VHS tape, and that I have listened to far more than my fair share of the Velvet Underground. Does that make me an expert? No. Does it make me a fan? Undoubtedly. And yet, I both didn't expect a lot from this, and didn't quite know what to expect as well (which, not that I think of it, is probably the proper way to encounter any work by Warhol). Boy was I pleasantly surprised. "Popism" is well-written and tells a truly inside story of Warhol's rise, the factory, the people around both, and even makes some subtle observations about it all. Worth reading if you're interested in the sixties, the art world, or American culture. And it's a must-read if you're a fan of Andy.[you can also see a longer review of at http://theagencyreview.wordpress.com/...]
—Martin
