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Review: 'Exposed: Songs For Unseen Warhol Films'   

Director: 'Andy Warhol' Writen By: 'Andy Warhol'
-  Starring: 'Nico, Jack Smith, Edie Sedgwick, Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsburg, Andy Warhol, Benedetta Barzini, Marcel Duchamp, Mary Woronov, Gerard Malanga, Mario Montez, Marisol,'

-  Genre: 'Drama' -  Release Date: '16.5.16.'


Our Rating:
Live at the Barbican With Live soundtracks by Tom Verlaine, Martin Rev, Eleanor Freidburger, Dean Wareham. And pre-recorded by Bradford Cox.



This show at the Barbican was a rare chance to see some rare and unseen for a very long time Andy Warhol Films on the big screen and with a live soundtrack all introduced by Dean Wareham of Galaxie 500, Luna and Dean and Britta fame. I haven't seen Dean play since about the third time Luna played in London whenever that would have been. It also pretty much kept to the Warholian Dictum of everyone will be famous for 15 minutes which is approximately the length of each musicians set.



The first musician introduced was Tom Verlaine who played to the first film, John Washes Up it was a black and white film of Andy's Friend John washing up after a party in the nude. The film concentrates on John as he slowly chooses what to wash up in the crowded Kitchen as Tom pretty much Noodles in the background in a similar way to the duo show he did with Jimmy Rip a few years ago at the 100 Club. I found myself studying the different glasses and plates we see as well as the naked man slowly carrying out his task.



The second film was shot on November 23 1963 and is of Warhol's friend Jill out in the woods dancing with a rifle, obviously being filmed the day after JFK's assassination makes the subject matter more poignant and the way she dances with that rifle as if part of a Ballet as Tom's Guitar Noodles away is pretty moving as it becomes a meditation on guns and the destructive power they have.



The third and final film Tom Verlaine soundtracks is a colour party film of various Warhol folk having a good time in real bright sharp colours they are enjoying a drink and Smoking endless cigarettes while they look knowingly at the camera as Tom's noodles turn from the earlier Vermicelli into more of a Fettucine but still pretty cool noodles. He should have played All tomorrows Parties it would have fit perfectly.



Dean then came out to introduce the next films that Martin Rev was going to Soundtrack. The first of which was Superboy a black and white close up film of a young man of about 16 or so drinking endless bottles of Coca Cola in a rather sexually suggestive way as Martin chooses to soundtrack it with a monster groove on his keyboards that is funky and upbeat and makes the film into something like a banned late night ad for Coca Cola that makes drinking a coke seem so seductive.



The second Film Martin plays along to is shot at the factory the day Allen Ginsburg, Jack Kerouac, Peter Orlovsky and Gregory Corso turn up and hang out with Gerard Malanga and other men on a cramped sofa as Martin plays this immensely funky jazz infused dance music to make it look like they are hanging out in the chill out space at a club and fooling around deciding who is going into the Dark room they are sitting outside of. Who's chatting with who as they push Jack off the sofa so Gerard can dive right in. The music is perfect for the scene we are watching.



Martin's third film is of Jack Smith and a woman whose name I didn't catch chain smoking in stop motion and close-up damn Jack was one good looking man who looks like an early 80's goth or as if he has just stepped out of a sword and sandals epic. The pair of them smoke in the sexiest ways they can imagine the woman is at times doleful and looks on the verge of crying but they are always seductive as Martin's music rampages around them and pretty much stealing the evenings show. I didn't get any of his lyrics when he sang but this film felt totally transgressive these days as we are banned from smoking in doors in public places, so to watch two people so clearly enjoying a ciggie in a no smoking environment almost seemed dangerous.



Dean then introduces Eleanor Freidburger who I have to admit I'd never heard of but apparently she was in the Fiery Furnaces and she has a band with her. The first film she soundtracks is Donovan's screen Test from 1966 he sits and fidgets and looks around and gazes back at us while Eleanor sings her rather muted song about the Sunshine Superman it's played ok but coming after Martin Rev is a serious comedown.



Her second Film is another Screen test this time one of Edie Sedgwicks many screen tests for Warhol all close up and personal I was focussing a lot on her jewellery and the slight movements she made of her eyes and mouth and of course how she smokes a cigarette and the music was just background.



Eleanor's final song was of Marisol shot in her studio with her artworks and accompanied with a song whose lyrics are Marisol's own words taken from an Interview and it was easily the best song Eleanor played as we gazed at the really cool art made with stuff found in skips and on the streets of New York it was a great advert for Marisol's work as if the Ad Man in Warhol was making a filmic calling card for her it was extremely cool.



Dean then came back onstage to introduce himself playing with most of the same band as Eleanor his first song was a soundtrack to a film of a party at Betsey Johnson's Paraphernalia shop that worked in the same way as the Marisol film as a calling card for the shop but with Warhol Superstars playing around with the whips and chains on display it looked like a real cool shop as they of course smoked more ciggies and we all took in the view as Dean played what I think was an old Luna song about New York.



Dean's second film was of French "protest singer" Antoine and Nico at the factory eating bananas while Dean played one of Antoine's right on protest songs "Where did everyone go to" Umm far away from you and you're issues with cleanliness I'd Guess. Either way Nico looks incredible sitting underneath a Warhol Banana eating her bananas while wearing a really nice Purple outfit and laughing and joking with Antoine as they eat away.



Dean's third film was originally filmed to be played behind the Velvet Underground and was of Mary Woronov and Gerard Malanga and was called Kiss The Boot and does exactly what it says in the title we spend 5 minutes watching Gerard worshipping Mary's boot while she plays the disaffected Dominatrix to perfection barely moving as she eyes Gerard with something approaching disgust while Dean sings a song about the Factory that works well but not as well as a good atonal Velvets song would have worked.



Dean then introduces the final 3 films that are soundtracked in advance by Bradford Cox who couldn't make it to play live. The first film is of Marcel Duchamp with Benedetta Barzini at a multi- media event Marcel is smoking a big cigar in a vaguely pervy way as he fools around with the Benedetta and she takes a drag or two. Marcel is very Dapper and seems to be in charge of what's going on the soundtrack was to me just incidental music but the film was totally captivating.



The second film soundtracked by Bradford Cox is Hamburger starring Mario Montez and her boyfriend eating a hamburger in a way that made it into a new sexual fetish as they sit wrapped in each other's arms as first they add Ketchup to the burger and then proceed to eat it together as one both taking bites at the same time like a really perverted kiss and as the Burger is consumed to the minimalist noise backing music they become more entwined and it becomes more sexual as they are closer and closer until the last few mouthfuls look like a large tongue connecting them to each other until they are kissing with mouths full of hamburger. This film is in turns very very funny and slightly icky and yet also very very sexual it was one of the best films on the night as it turns a very mundane act into something totally transgressive.



The final film Bradford Cox sound tracked is of Warhol in 1963 and is called Talk And Walk as does exactly that as we see Warhol walking about and hanging out with one of his male superstars, but to be honest after the Hamburger film nothing could possibly have topped that and it becomes a bit forgettable as does Bradford Cox's soundtrack it was a slightly downbeat ending to a very cool night all that was left was for all the musicians apart from Tom Verlaine to come back on to take a bow.

  author: simonovitch

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READERS COMMENTS    9 comments still available (max 10)    [Click here to add your own comments]

Great review Simon told you you should write for a music paper sounds like a brilliant night
------------- Author: Chriscross   21 May 2016