A simple idea for people talking: Andy Warhol’s editorial legacy bound in one tome thanks to Assouline
There is a new book on the shelves of Assouline’s publishing maison on Piccadilly in London – it weighs over 5kg, it takes up more than a shelf, its hardcover is awash in acrid green and it rests in a metallic pink protective jacket. Bold, bright, brassy, beautiful: 50 years of Andy Warhol’s Interview magazine has been collated, curated and bound into a vibrant dazzle.
Assouline’s mighty tome on this dazzling riot that was Interview Magazine lets you eavesdrop in on the romance, the righteousness, the unrest and the regalia that made and still makes Interview one of the most infamous magazines to this day.
Initially contrived as a cross between the youth culture-led Rolling Stone and the nudity of Screw, Interview was due to be a riot of a success according to Andy Warhol, as it was going to be a film review magazine that was comprised of decent and relevant journalism, and sex. Having resulted instead in a zeitgeist of exceptional journalism, outrageous interviews and total creative freedom across fashion, art, music and culture, Interview turned on its head what a magazine could encompass.
Speaking to Esther Kremer, Editor In Chief and Director of Publishing at Assouline, we discuss why the powerhouse of noble titles saw the legacy of Interview Magazine as a key opportunity to celebrate and support the reputation of what Richard Turley, Editorial Director of Interview, labelled “a mess, a big beautiful mess.”
Glenn Steigelman, November 1969
How did this retrospective of Interview Magazine come about?
On the occasion of Interview’s 50th anniversary, it seemed opportune to curate their history in a book.
Why did you feel this was a valid retrospective that needed to be published under Assouline?
Assouline is a curator of culture, we educate with strong imagery and constantly refer back to the creative leaders of the past in all our works. Interview: 50 Years is a visual text book to decades of history of film, fashion and art.
How did Interview change the publishing landscape?
In an age when magazines were all about carefully composed shoots in exotic locations by leading photographers, Andy turned publishing on its head with a real and unedited interview format for his magazine. Because he could not afford to pay writers, he just published the interviews verbatim. He took chances by featuring young stars like Jodie Foster, the only talent he could afford at the time, and at 18 she ended up working as a staff writer for him as well. He was innovative and ahead of his time in that regard. He was an entertainer, not just an artist, and dreamed up ways of captivating his audience within his small operating budget.
Do you think Interview is still a relevant publication?
Yes, because it focuses on emerging talent, like Nick Braun (Succession) and has an edgy vibe which is presented for a sophisticated audience who understands good design. It’s different than what else is out there and many of their competitors.
What did your involvement in the creation of this title teach you about the magazine and Andy Warhol’s lateral creative vision?
Andy’s Interview shows that Innovators take risks. He had a “go big or go home” attitude that we see today in the startup community. Andy was that kind of visionary and his creativity extended way beyond art.
Glenn Steigelman October 2002
The book is published as a mighty tome: why did you feel this was the right format for a retrospective on Interview?
The contents of the book are epic. They take readers through what many consider the heyday of NYC. It deserves to be XXL.
Can you summarise what Interview meant to you in three words when you started work on this project ?
ANDY, NYC, INNOVATION
Can you summarise Interview in three words after creating this tome?
ANDY, NYC, INNOVATION
Interview 50 Years – 3D Cover
What would you like readers to take away from this book?
An understanding of a time where creative energy exuded from the streets of NYC and how that magic happened.
Interview is available to purchase by Assouline here.
Today The Photographers’ Gallery opens its doors to three seperate exhibitions that look at the work of three very different artists, all influencial in their own ways. The first exhibition, Taking Shots, coincides with the centenary of William Burroughs’ birth and features over 100 works by the beatnik writer, most of which are never seen before. Featuring vintage photographs, collages and assemblages alongside postcards, magazine and book covers in the first worldwide exhibition to focus on his photographic collections. The name of the show itself, Taking Shots, refers, obviously to photography, but also to Burroughs’ well-known heroin addiction and his obsession with firearms. The second show, running alongside Taking Shots, is the European debut of David Lynch’s The Factory Photographs. The series explores derelict factories from Germany, Poland, New York and England, depicted in his usual cinematic style to capture a bygone industrial era. “I just like going into strange worlds,” said David Lynch. “A lot more happens when you open yourself up to the work and let yourself act and react to it. Every work ‘talks’ to you, and if you listen to it, it will take you places you never dreamed of.”
The third exhibition, Photographs 1976 – 1987, focuses on the last decade of Andy Warhol’s life, featuring over fifty vintage black and white prints alongside a small number of Warhol’s Stitched Works. The show will give a glipse into the daily life of the well-known pop artist as people in the streets, parties, uninhabited interiors, cityscapes, signage, still life, consumer products and miscellaneous objects that surrounded him all come to life in the gallery.
The three exhibitions run from the 17th January – 30th March.
Don’t think the collaborations were just left to the fashion industry — collections between beauty brands and creative visionaries are now popping up left, right and centre. Twin rounds up our favourite new arrivals in the cosmetics world…
M.A.C Illustrated
These days, the exterior appearance of your bag is just as, if not more important, than what’s inside. So why resort to flinging your favourite lipstick, mascara and eyeshadow into a dingy, dirty and outdated old case? In a bid to rescue us from boring cosmetics carriers, M.A.C teamed up with illustrators Julie Verhoeven, Francois Berthoud and Nikki Farquharsson for a range of bags bearing each artist’s signature stylings, be it art deco, graphic or abstract. Mission accomplished.
In the past, Lagerfeld has been known to use Shu Uemura’s eyeshadows to colour in his fashion sketches. Now, unstoppable Karl teamed up with the Japanese brand for a 17-piece collection of make-up, false eylashes and of course, the brand’s trademark, an eyelash curler. All emblazoned with the Karl-ified mascot donning a Rei Kawakubo-esque haircut and the Uncle’s signature high collar and tie, its a kooky take on Uemura’s high-quality products.
NARS took Warhol’s love of glitz, glamour and decadence as a starting point for a Swinging Sixties bright cosmetics collection. The brand even extended their love for all things Andy to a recreation of his self-portraits and flower paintings in their eyeshadow palettes. Instead of simply slapping a name onto their products, NARS clearly made a genuine dedication to the artist with this project. The ode may solely consist of shimmer sparkles and neon brights, but Warhol wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.
narscosmetics.com
M.A.C X Carine Roitfeld
The former editor of Vogue always had her laid-in smokey eye makeup down to pat, so a collaboration between the stylish image maker and a company renowned for their high-quality eye shadows was only a stone’s throw away anyhow. Expect shadow and blush palettes to recreate smouldering Roitfeld eyes and defined cheekbones, vampy red nail varnishes and to top it all off with a seductive French pout, barely-there nude lipsticks.
The brainchild of singer Francesca Ross and instrumentalist Ian Watt, electronic pop duo I AM A CAMERA is responsible for infectiously catchy songs such as Commuter Love and their most recent single Factory Boys, set for release on May 27.
The duo met by chance in a club in Manchester, shortly before starting the band in October 2010. “We ended up chatting late into the night about everything from our favourite lyrics to Coronation Street to drum machines. We started writing together shortly after and that”s how it began. We knew straight away we were onto something,” recalls Ross.
Influenced by the likes of Astrid Kirchherr, Paisley Park and Arthur C. Clarke, I AM A CAMERA underpins their hypnotic beats with dreamy yet dark lyrics, visually captured in their atmospheric music videos.
Twin spoke to Ross about the inspirational appeal of the everyday mundane and her nine favourite tunes of the moment…
Describe your music in three words.
Beats, Drama, Strings.
What inspires you?
We”re inspired by everyday life. The most mundane things can be made in to a sinister subject. It can be a photo we”ve seen or a story on the news, even a sinister-looking woman on 60 Minute Makeover. We like to find the stories behind things.
Do you ever find that the city of London feeds into your work?
We live, eat, sleep & dream in London. We are inspired by the things that go on in everyday life so it inevitably feeds through into our work. The people around us become the subject of songs without even knowing it. It’s a huge city with so many individual stories and events. We”re always pondering over what goes on behind closed doors, what people are really thinking about and their darkest secrets.
How would you describe the creative collaborative process?
It differs with each song. Sometimes it will be one of these stories that sparks an idea. Otherwise, when I get to the studio and Ian will have stacks of chords & beats to work on and we just go from there.
What is the story behind the song Factory Boys and its music video? Factory Boys is inspired by the true story of The Dupont Twins, two teenage boys who made their way from living on a gas station in a small town to the legendary New York club Studio 54. They went from being penniless one day to being paid by Warhol in Screen Prints to hang out with him the next. Amazing. We made the video ourselves by filming on our iPhones & iPads. We set it up like our own home studio. It”s inspired by the pop art and fabulous imagery that surrounds that time in New York and the glamorous debauchery of Studio 54.
How do you perceive positive and negative aspects of producing music in this digital age?
It”s positive because you can access so much and interact with so many people. We can upload a video in our studio in London, then within five minutes someone has blogged about it in Russia. We love that. The negative side is scary hackers stealing what’s not theirs.
What does the future hold for I AM A CAMERA?
The immediate future holds us making an amazing first album, lots of touring, new material and great hair.
1/ La Femme – Sur La Planche This band is from France, in case the name didn”t give it away. It sounds like the B-52″s on a night out with Bis. In France.
2/ Morrissey – Suedehead I have a slight fascination with redundant sea side towns. This song sums this up entirely for me whilst bringing some Manchester vibes at the same time.
3/ Canyons – When I See You Again (Nick Zinner Remix) This is a beautiful song from The Canyons, made even better by Nick Zinner”s remix. He”s really turned it around and made it in to a danceable track with shakers & electronic claps. The perfect track to get you ready for summer.
4/ Kleenex – Ain”t You Swiss post punk, best filed between The Raincoats & The Bush Tetras. I love how the sections are so different and how they stumble into each other.
5/ Bananarama – Aie A Mwana Loving this extended version. Bananarama”s first single in the pre SAW days, a cover of a song by Black Blood. The released version was actually a demo, & apparently this song also inspired the band’s name.
6/ Friends – I”m His Girl It”s all about the bassline in this song. That and the old school vibes in the video. Makes me want to get back to New York asap!
7/ Bronski Beat – Smalltown Boy This was their debut single, it”s got such memorable riff which set the precedent for future dance music.
8/ Seasfire – Falling I went to see them play in London recently. This song really stood out, it”s full of raw emotion, contrasted only by its clean instrumentation.
9/ Donna Summer ft. Giorgio Moroder – I Feel Love One of the greatest songs ever recorded! The sounds and production are so ahead of their time. I recently watched a programme on the origins of disco, and it made me realise how much music owes to this genre and this man.
Where can you see Margot Bowman, Andy Warhol, Sarah Mower, Cecil Beaton and Gary Card jostling alongside illustrators such as David Downton,René Gruau and François Berthoud? The answer is Rupert Sanderson’s Upstairs studio.
On Saturday 17th December the studio has invited the Fashion Illustration Galleryto put on a one-day-only Christmas art fair. Prints, original illustrations, books, magazines, t-shirts and badges by some of illustration’s greats are sure to make as much a stunning makeshift exhibition as spectacular Christmas presents for loved ones with a discerning eye.
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