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Warhol, The Velvet Underground, The Electric Circus and More in this Historical Space on St Marks
& why it made the Carpe City list
Andy Warhol was born into the East Village’s “Little Ukraine” neighborhood, which probably explains why he kept The Dom’s Polish food menu. After working as an illustrator, Warhol catapulted himself into the art world with truly revolutionary ideas about what art was and what it could be. In this way, Warhol and 60s New York City go hand-in-hand like lava and a lamp. In fact, he helped found the New York Academy of Art in 1979. Warhol’s Union Square studio, The Factory, became the center of the scene, and was frequented by the likes of David Bowie, Mick Jagger, Madonna, Liza Minnelli, John Lennon, and Yoko Ono. The Factory and his art became a prominent and progressive spot for NYC drag culture. Warhol gained power and notoriety in the art scene to the point where no one could *not* have an opinion about him. He had the power to make and break careers so much so that radical feminist writer Valerie Solanas shot Warhol as a statement against the patriarchal art world. He was so influential that people would watch eight hours and five minutes of slow-motion single-shot footage of the Empire State Building because he made the film. Now, that’s some crazy influence right there.
It may come as no surprise that the Electric Circus and Exploding Plastic Inevitable were groovy spots to drop acid, experiment, and smoke grass. Designed to look like a surreal Moroccan tent, complete with large tubes and nooks to crawl through and hang out, the venue invited visitors to “play games, dress as you like, dance, sit, think, tune in and turn on.” In one bizarre show, an actor wearing a helium gas mask recited the Gettysburg Address with a helium-induced super-high-pitched voice. It was a place to be seen, a place to be outrageous, a place to network (even amidst the debauchery), and a place to find experimental and artistic inspiration. Far-out, man. It was even rendered for a wild, sceney bit in the classic show Mad Men.
The Velvet Underground
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNSH8OdHx2A
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