March Fog

03/19/2022

March Fog

Given that we live in a metaphorical fog that never seems to lift, the arrival of the real thing delivered a sense of validation. 'You see?' I said to the cats. 'I wasn't kidding about the fog.'

I walked to the High Bridge and admired Sauron's Tower, which is not far from Mount Doom.

I thought about Andy Warhol. There's a new documentary on Netflix about him that corresponds to the period of his diaries, so roughly from around the time he was shot until his death.

I've always loved Andy Warhol and thought I knew a lot about him, but there was a lot of new information in the documentary. I didn't know that 1) Andy did a guest spot on 'The Love Boat,' 2) he had a successful modeling career in the 80s, and 3) he interviewed Nancy Reagan at the White House (and hated her). There are six or seven episodes, and the first one is a bit rocky; at first I was dismayed to see soft-focus reenactments of his life (with Bill Irwin playing Andy), but gradually they became a bit less stilted and provided good breaks to check Twitter or -- my latest obsession -- the Sudoku puzzle (NYT medium-level difficulty) on my phone. Much of the show is narrated by a computer-generated AI voice reading Andy's diary entries, which again is a bit jarring at first, but is something that I suspect Andy would have loved. For that matter, he probably would have loved the soft-focus reenactments starring Bill Irwin.

If there's a theme to the show, it's probably the idea that Andy, despite his incredible artistic output and fame, was often lonely, insecure, and lovelorn. It was a little painful watching Andy chase after Jon Gould. The series went to great lengths to portray this relationship as serious and important to both men, but I never quite believed that Jon Gould took Andy that seriously. But it was still interesting to watch.

Another (related) theme of the show is that much of Andy's work can and should be understood through a gay lens, in terms of gay desire and also in terms of hiding gay desire. His deadpan, unemotional public demeanor, for example, and much of his dry wit only make sense with the understanding that he's gay, not to mention his understanding and manipulation of fame.

It was nice to watch a documentary about someone I already loved and after it was done to feel like I loved him even more. I remembered visiting his tombstone, which is not far from where I grew up in Pittsburgh. I'm pretty sure I posted photographs to this blog, but I can't find them.

Another reminder that while the fog descends and the fog lifts, it's always there.

Posted at 10:33 AM in Expression, Science Projects | Permalink

Comments

I love the atmosphere in those photos! I love any documentary on artists (former art history major) so I am looking forward to checking out the Warhol show.

Posted by: Sarah | 03/19/2022 at 05:08 PM

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The Metropolis Case

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Music: Death Culture at Sea and Saturnine

Listen or download songs and records from my indie-rock past with Saturnine here and Death Culture at Sea here.

Music Video: Remembrance of Things Past

Watch the rock opera Remembrance of Things Past written and performed by Saturnine and Frances Gibson, starring Bennett Madison and Sheila McClear.

Video: The Chaos Detective

The Chaos Detective is a series about a man searching for 'identity' as he completes assignments from a mysterious organization. Watch the first episode (five parts) on YouTube.

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Expression//Reaction//ScienceProjects

03/19/2022

March Fog

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