How to produce fine art, and produce a great artist …
Here again we have the voice of Andy Warhol, presented through Lou’s poetry. For the supreme pop artist, what is necessary is style. Andy had the style it takes to not only produce great art, but also to make himself into a great artist.
As Lou once said about his mentor in this interesting and relevant quote, Andy was “a balding commercial artist who took himself off to God-knows-where and he re-invented himself as this guy in a leather jacket and a wig.”
… at an art-making factory
Apart from needing style, Andy also realized that money was necessary. He did not want to live the life of a starving artist. If he could latch onto someone that had the money to support his artistic ventures, that would give him the freedom to create art. That’s a simple fact of life.
He even named his NYC studio “The Factory” – that is, a place to manufacture saleable goods. Well, actually … saleable "art".
Oh, and speaking of “style,” this song is truly a stylistically beautiful piece, both lyrically and musically. Well worth a listen or two.
“Style It Takes,” Lou Reed and John Cale …
Lou Reed, Anthology of Memorable Lyrics.
Images sourced from Google Images