Andy Warhol & Rock music?

Andy Warhol is actually neither a rock artist nor a musician. However his name is one of the top names in rock music or film industry. Andy Warhol has always been known as a ‘pop artist’. His main job was painting (and designing) but he also took an active part in any media field such as music, film, performance art etc- any media field that he thought he could outstretch his artistic presentation. He painted things that we can see easily around us (eg. in supermarket) such as can of Cambell soup or bottle of Coca-cola, or faces of well known stars like Marlin Monroe. He called his workshop as ‘factory’, and here he stayed not only with some artists like him but also the hippies, beatniks, rock musicians etc. Andy taught them drugs and pushed them to join in the new artistic trend. At that time there was an odd rock band called “The Velvet Underground”, who was much influenced by New York style avant-garde music. This group was also influenced by Andy Warhol, spending much of their times in Andy’s ‘factory ’. Later, they were introduced a woman named Nico, and she joined their band to make a new album called “The Velvet Underground & Nico”. This album is the one with the famous Andy’s banana painting drawn on its jacket. Andy took the charge of this album as a producer, as well as the jacket designer. This album tells much about Andy’s world of artistic work. Just to have a quick look at this album, the first song “Sunday Morning” gives lazy and peaceful feelings. But the lyrics are quite different from the song title, as it talks about a life addicted in drugs and days that have gone by meaninglessly. Likewise, Andy’s paintings give familiar and comfortable feelings when you see them, but in reality for those who accept them as a piece of art work but not as a section of life, his works are shocking and unfamiliar. In this song, such unfamiliarity is concentrated in it beyond the comfort feeling that it gives. There are many simple songs make you to think they are not really like avant-garde music. But the anxious words or dangerous contents in the songs, and repetition of the unfamiliar tunes which might sounds like psychedelic show such characteristics. The huge influence of Andy Warhol on New York still appears in contemporary rock music in many formats. The honest and humane artistic view of Andy would be continued in any format in popular music in the future.