A neat feel of the late sixties early seventies. Guy is cool in an outsider naive stunted unformed self view kinda way. Hard to figure; sometimes profound sometimes banal. Sort of stream of consciousness much of the time. But how much is the persona he has created? Is he the master manipulator or the shell washed around by the waves? Almost zen in his apparent non thinking reactions. I recommend reading about him on wiki. He was very religious but doesn’t mention it. He wore a wig to cover male pattern baldness. He self admits to be an Americafile, loving to see the customs upon arrival after Europe. Who feels that way??? An interesting view of the meaning and total lack of meaning of the Pope of Pop.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
From the first page I knew Andy Warhol would become one of my favorite artists. The first conversation barely made sense, but I still loved it. The jumbled thoughts and dialogue between characters A and B parallel the inner dialogue we all have, but Andy wrote it all in his book. In this fascinating book, "The Philosophy of Andy Warhol (From A to B and Back Again)", he takes readers into his mind so they can better relate to him and understand him. The first chapter, "Love (Puberty)", is an autobiography starting in the late 50's and going back to his childhood. Andy devoted most of the next chapter, "Love (Prime)", to a girl, Taxi, who, as I took it, was his only "love" or infatuation. By the third chapter, "Love (Senility)", Andy begins getting into his philosophy. He separates ideas in short paragraphs. Some of his philosophy is reasoning, for example, "When you want to be like something, it means you really love it. When you want to be like a rock, you really love that rock. I love plastic dolls" (53). Other times he simply wonders or poses questions, for example, "People with pretty smiles fascinate me. You have to wonder what makes them smile so pretty" (54). Andy Warhol threads anecdotes, biographical information, and his philosophy throughout the book. Andy tells about how even he deviates from his own style, about experiences with other "superstars", and about his own "aura". Being a celebrity himself, he devotes a whole chapter to fame. The anecdote he uses to describe his "aura" is when he goes to dinner with kids from his office. One brings a friend who is completely surprised at having dinner with Andy, "Everybody else was seeing me (Andy), but he was seeing my `aura'." (77). He explains how he's deviated from his own lifestyle. He stated in chapter 6, "Work", "I know I should have gone to the pound for a pet, but instead I bought one. It just happened. I saw him and I fell in love with him and I bought him, so there my emotions made me abandon my style" (94). Often in the book he describes an event and tells the philosophy and reasoning of it. A particular incident that stands out is described in chapter 7, "Time". Andy was filming in Rome with Elizabeth Taylor. She was always hours late, so one day the rest of the crew decided to be late too, but that one day Elizabeth Taylor was on time. He compares this to having his hair gray. He said, "when I do something with a normal amount of energy it seems `young.' Liz Taylor when she's on time seems `early'. It's like you get a new talent all of a sudden..." (115). Although it takes some getting used to, the almost journal style this book is written in lets readers step in Andy's shoes, almost becoming him. "The Philosophy of Andy Warhol (From A to B and Back Again)" can be described as magnetic, spellbinding, and mesmerizing. From the events he describes and the philosophical ideas he outlines, readers begin to understand Andy Warhol. At first, I thought considering Campbell's soup cans fine art was strange, but by reading this book I am more willing to accept that. I'd recommend this book to anyone, artist or not.Read full review
pretty good if you happen to be interested in warhol. i would not go out of my way to recommend it to others
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
If you are an Andy Warhol fan, then you would like this book
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Very good condition according to price
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
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