Drawing Study for Velvet Underground-inspired painting

The Velvet Underground & Nico, NYC in the 80s

I was still living in New York city when Andy Warhol passed away. I had not yet started probing art, but I remember the profound impact his passing had on the city.

Andy was a NYC fixture. He was a celebrity. Everyone was talking about his unexpected death, from truck drivers to coffee shop workers.

I think only Andy Warhol could have produced this album. The songs, the band, Nico, all seem a natural extension of Andy’s body of work. And his practice extended into film making as well.

I had seen Lou Reed perform at the Pyramid Club in the East Village. It was one of my favorite nightclubs, a place where locals hang out, instead of the mega clubs that catered to the tourists primarily. He is the author of all of the songs in this record.

This particular record is a masterpiece. It never gets old. And it is still ahead of our times even today.