Customer Reviews

Archiving Warhol: Writings & Photographs

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This fails as a Warhol bio and as a photographic essay. Malanga was one of the Factory's major identities (and Art scene pin up boy) of the time, ideally placed to give a terrific insider's view of the Factory and it's assorted eccentric denizens. What we get is a some nice B&W photos coupled with a collection of wafer thin, often narcssistic ramblings that barely qualifies as a book. No dish on art, filmmaking, drugs, rivalries or even humorous anecdotes here. Malanga often talks about anything but Warhol, and then only in self aggrandizing terms. And he presents the barest of mentions of Factory prime movers like Paul Morrissey, Fred Hughes, Billy Name, Superstars Edie Sedgewick, Taylor Mead or even the Velvet Underground & Nico. What was Malanga's relationship and feelings towards these folks and the many others in Warhol's orbit? I guess we'll never know. Much better is Bob Colacello's seminal 'Holy Terror', a sensational book about the Warhol empire, or 'All Tomorrow's Parties' featuring the photographs of another major Warhol alumni, Billy Name.