Far Out 40: The sounds of Andy Warhol’s factory
Andy Warhol was always more than an artist. He was an art sensation, a true leader of a brand-new world. Warhol’s art extended beyond canvases and brushes and the isolated realm of gallerists and dealers. Instead, his pop art opened its doors to creatives, socialites, and exciting figures from all realms and backgrounds. It also opened its doors to musicians, as the world of Warhol is inseparable from the scene he was embedded in.
On the simplest level, Warhol had his fingers in musical pies as a manager. For a while, he was the man behind The Velvet Underground, dictating their moves as he made them a New York staple. He organised shows for them and combined their left-field sonics with visuals to create a gripping reputation that spread far and wide. He also introduced them to Nico and played a significant role in gifting the world one of the most iconic rock albums ever made with its iconic banana cover.
But long before and long after his managing days, Warhol was a music fan. As suggested by his artwork, he grew up worshipping idols. He was obsessed with the likes of Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe as these larger than life figures that established a new kind of celebrity. He loved the high glamour of the 1950s and ‘60s girlgroups and crooners, spending his life infatuated by people with that level of style and suave.
Later in his life, his studio, known as The Factory, became a cultural hot spot in the 1960s and ‘70s. Along with the Hotel Chelsea and Max’s Kansas City, the Factory made up the third point of what was called the “Bermuda Triangle”, where artists and musicians went and never left. All within walking distance, this area of the city became the ultimate hangout for musicians, artists, and models where everyone who was anyone wanted to mix and meet. The likes of Mick Jagger, David Bowie, Debbie Harry and Iggy Pop found their way there, as did Patti Smith as she and Robert Maplethorpe watched from the outer edges of the crowd.
Even those who didn’t get on with that crowd couldn’t help but be inspired by it. Warhol and Bob Dylan famously didn’t see eye to eye, but still folk star wrote about the artist. Similarly, nights spent partying at the Factory supposedly inspired Jim Morrison to write ‘People Are Strange’.
One thing that is clear is that Warhol loved music. He dedicated plenty of time in his career to creating album covers for artists he liked, from the Stones to Beethoven. He painted musical icons in his work or studied new stars with his screen tests or polaroids. He even wandered out into New York to see what was new and happening, often spotted at the back of the crowd for emerging bands like Talking Heads, who he thought were “really terrific”.
No doubt the sounds playing out in the Factory while the artist was at work would have been great. With an eclectic mix of rock, pop, classical and beyond, Warhol’s tastes were just as enigmatic as the man himself.
The sounds of Andy Warhol’s Factory:
- ‘Femme Fatale’ – The Velvet Underground and Nico
- ‘Chelsea Girls’ – Nico
- ‘Andy’s Chest’ – Lou Reed
- ‘Andy Warhol’ – David Bowie
- ‘Can’t You Hear Me Knocking’ – The Rolling Stones
- ‘Muscles’ – Diana Ross
- ‘Nobody Love You (When You’re Down And Out)’ – John Lennon
- ‘Maybe This Time’ – Liza Minnelli
- ‘Burning Love’ – Elvis Presley
- ‘Hello Again’ – The Cars
- ‘Style It Takes’ – Lou Reed and John Cale
- ‘Walk On The Wild Side’ – Lou Reed
- ‘Like A Rolling Stone’ – Bob Dylan
- ‘These Days’ – Jackson Browne
- ‘Max’s’ – Magic Tramps
- ‘Sonata No.14’ – Ludwig Van Beethoven
- ‘Nightclubbing’ – Grace Jones
- ‘White Light/White Heat’ – The Velvet Underground
- ‘I Want You’ – Debbie Harry
- ‘Dancing Barefoot’ – Patti Smith
- ‘9 To 5’ – Dolly Parton
- ‘Hard Woman’ – Mick Jagger
- ‘Call Me’ – Blondie
- ‘Lust For Life’ – Iggy Pop
- ‘Borderline’ – Madonna
- ‘People Are Strange’ – The Doors
- ‘Diamonds Are A Girls Best Friend’ – Marilyn Monroe
- ‘America’ – Allen Ginsberg
- ‘Kiss Kiss Kiss’ – Yoko Ono
- ‘Make Your Own Kind Of Music’ – Cass Elliot
- ‘Heaven’ – Talking Heads
- ‘Personality Crisis’ – New York Dolls
- ‘Pretty Vacant’ – Sex Pistols
- ‘Let’s Dance’ – David Bowie
- ‘I’m Coming Out’ – Diana Ross
- ‘Love Is The Drug’ – Roxy Music
- ‘Sister Morphine’ – The Rolling Stones
- ‘Take Good Care Of My Baby’ – Bobby Vee
- ‘Venus In Furs’ – The Velvet Underground
- ‘Nowhere To Run’ – Martha Reeves and The Vandellas
