“The Velvet Underground and Nico officially debuted on January 10, 1966, in an unlikely setting. Dr. Robert Campbell had invited Warhol to speak to the New York Society for Clinical Psychiatry at its annual black-tie banquet at Delmonico's. When asked about his odd choice, Dr. Campbell rhetorically asked, 'How can you be immune to art and the creative process? Surely you're aware of the barely visible line between genius and madness.' Warhol decided that his 'lecture,' 'The Chic Mystique of Andy Warhol,' would consist of films for visuals and the Velvet Underground for sound. That way Andy wouldn't have to talk.
“When the guests arrived in the gold-and-white grand ballroom at six-thirty, they found the Warhol entourage... As soon as the group of three hundred doctors and spouses started their roast beef entree, bedlam broke out. The Velvet Underground played full volume as Nico began singing in her unearthly voice. Gerard Melanga started his whip dance.”
From FACTORY MADE by Steven Watson.
Realized I've only mentioned this in my newsletter, but not yet here or the main dot com (another thing I ought to tend to this weekend), so here it is:
Forthcoming from MIT press and currently available for preorder, DEEP DREAM presents new science fiction stories about the future of art. Contributors include Samit Basu, Vajra Chandrasekera, Neil Clarke, Aliette de Bodard, Cassandra Khaw, Lavanya Lakshminarayan, Archita Mittra, Sloane Leong, Bruce Sterling, Wole Talabi, Lavie Tidhar and myself.
From the intro by Indrapramit Das:
“Renowned Egyptian artist Ganzeer gives us a vision of a USA where the production of art is forbidden in 'Unauthorized (Or, the Liberated Collectors Commune),' bringing his vibrantly playful countercultural sensibilities to the beloved science-fictional story of robots given to identity crises by the existence of their human creators.”
Pretty much sums it up. I recall writing it between Texas and Mexico shortly after separating from my now ex-wife, all of which seeps into the story somewhat. I've also come to notice that artists seem to make an appearance in most everything I write. Granted, this particular anthology's theme is the future of art. But still, I've got an artist in CRISPR THAN YOU (the story that appeared in THE BIG BOOK OF CYBERPUNK) and another in CHARLIE AND THE ALIENS which appears in WHO WILL SPEAK FOR AMERICA?. I've also got more than one in THE SOLAR GRID.
Oops.
Illustrated/designed a cover for a thing and inked in a page of TSG. Also made a post office run and picked up groceries, only to realize upon my return that I'm out of frozen fruit (essential for my daily smoothies). Combined inboxes at 155 and RSS catcher at 387! Looks like I have my weekend cut out for me.
Cannot unsee the sight of my baby boy's little hands flapping through water's surface trying to grab hold of a kickboard shortly after his swimming class. Not sure how long his head was under for, but the fright on his face when I pulled him out was like nothing I'd ever seen before. No crying, just terrible fear. You compare that to the unspeakable atrocities lived by the children of Gaza and their parents, and you can't help but feel a real hard pang in your chest.
Scanned in all the original art from TSG01 which forced me to look at it for the first time in a long time, realizing how drastically my line art has changed since I first started this ill-conceived project some nine years ago. Looking at those ancient pages, you can almost feel the weight of the world on my shoulders, stiff controlled lines, terrible worry. Not sure that comes across on the printed page necessarily, but certainly palpable on the original boards.
Lines loosen and glide a bit more on my latter pages, even in those scenes where I attempt to replicate the lineart from earlier pages.
Inking a couple pages today. A few orders need to be fulfilled, and a grocery run is in order, but dark windy skies threaten with hard rain.
Photo app is reminding me that it was this time last year that I was in Berlin. Such a great time connecting with friends old and new. This year, I have decided to stay put and go nowhere in the hopes of finally bringing TSG to completion. I find that every time I travel (or move studios/residences) I lose momentum, which takes time to regain before hitting my stride. Want to avoid any of that this year.
Everyone I know is leaving for the summer though. Understandable; the Houston heat can become a bit much, even for me. This however has put me in the position of caring for small furry creature this summer, belonging to the friend of a friend of a friend. After hiding for a few hours, I think she's finally starting to warm up to the place.
Awoke the other night at 3am for no apparent reason and started watching BECOMING KARL LAGERFELD on Hulu. Two episodes in and I'm into it. They've dubbed it in English though, with no option to view it otherwise, and I loathe dubbing. Would've much preferred to watch it in its original language (part French part German, I imagine?) and read subtitles instead.
I have come to realize however that I know nothing of Karl Lagerfeld other than the iconic look he has come to adopt later in life. A look that has pushed me to wonder such things as: What does Karl Lagerfeld wear to bed? Has Karl Lagerfeld ever gone for a swim? Has he ever indulged in street-food?
I may be inclined to pick up a book or two on the man, perhaps after I'm done reading FACTORY MADE.
“Their marathon rehearsal sessions began on Friday nights. The next morning each of them ingested a blue tranquilizer and four quarts of beer and smoked a joint, and they then practiced until eleven at night. 'Our music evolved collectively,' Sterling Morrison recalled, and it combined rock and roll with the consciousness-altering musical discipline learned from La Monte Young. The group added guitar feedback and an electric viola that sounded like a jet engine. [Lou] Reed was inspired by now forgotten songs of the time: 'Smoke from a Cigarette,' 'I Need a Sunday Kind of Love,' 'Wind' by the Chesters, 'Later for You Baby' by the Solitaires. 'All those really ferocious records that no one seemed to listen to anymore were underneath everything we were playing,' said Reed.”
More from FACTORY MADE which I am thoroughly enjoying.
“The next problem was where they would play. The band didn't consider themselves to be entertainers, and there were few models on the music scene. 'Rock and Roll consisted of Joey Dee and the Starlighters, guys who played the uptown clubs and had matching suits,' Sterling Morrison said. They didn't want to be cute, like the Monkees, or sincere, like folk singers. Their image was aloof and nasty and urban. As Cale summed it up, 'Our aim was to upset people, make them feel uncomfortable, make them vomit.'
“They found a suitable venue for performing when another neighbor in their Ludlow Street building, underground filmmaker Piero Heliczer, invited them to play at the Filmmakers' Cinematheque on Lafayette Street for two events. Angus MacLise and Piero Heliczer described them as 'ritual happenings.' They featured Piero's films projected through veils hung between the audience and the screen. Multicolored lights and slides were superimposed on the veils, and on the stage were dancers. The strange and overwhelming sound that overlaid this intermedia action issued from behind the screen, where the band improvised their music. In its multimedia overwhelming of the senses and in the band's invisibility, this performance reflected the group's evolution and quickly defined a place for them in the avante-garde.”
Piero Heliczer reportedly struggled with schizophrenia throughout his life but was nonetheless productive.
Father's day be like:
