Thursday, February 01, 2007

An American Idol of the 1960s


Factory Girl (2006), the Edie Sedgwick (4/20/1943-11/15/1971) biopic directed by George Hickenlooper and starring Sienna Miller, opens in New York City and Hollywood on February 2, 2006 (tomorrow). Though the idea of this film has pissed off both Lou Reed and Bob Dylan, I'm still intrigued enough to check it out whenever it arrives in Metro Detroit or Windsor. The Hotel Chelsea connections and Edie's story are compelling enough for me. More will be revealed.



Partly because of this movie, a lot of interest has been stirred up in Edie, Andy Warhol and The Factory of late. Edie Factory Girl (VH1 Press, 2006), David Dalton and Nat Finklestein, includes photos and text and is one of three new books involving images of Ms. Sedgwick.



The second one to check out is Edie: Girl on Fire (Chronicle, 2006) by David Weisman and Melissa Painter. Of course, one can see Weisman's film Ciao! Manhattan (1972) and watch her steal every scene she's in. Even on the verge of death, her presence is startlingly engaging.



The third recent addition to the milieu is Andy Warhol Screen Tests. . ., Callie Angell (Harry N. Abram, Inc., 2006).

The original shot at a Sedgwick biography is Edie: American Girl (originally published in 1982 but since reprinted) by Jean Stein, edited with George Plimpton.

Today's Rune: Partnership.

Happy Birthday to my Dad and Langston Hughes!

And -- Viva Edie Sedgwick!

4 comments:

Danny Tagalog said...

Factory Girl sounds a treat. In fact so do all three. I've read a little about Nico of late and her final years in Manchester, home of Factory Records, with her being backed by thre underrated Blue Orchids in the early 80s and shacking up with punk poet John Cooper Clarke...

Happy Birthday Mr Le Rouge.

Johnny Yen said...

In the liner notes of Biograph, the terrific Bob Dylan box set, they quote Dylan, denying that "Just Like a Woman" was about Sedgewick. He said something like "I don't remember being with her. I think I'd remember being with her."

Anonymous said...

She's gorgeous!

Erik Donald France said...

Thanks y'all for the comments (and thank God it's Friday)

Danny, Nico was "friends" with Iggy Pop and Jim Morrison, as well. Interesting she ended up in Manchester with Clarke.

Johnny, I think there's still confusion, especially since Edie was so drugged up much of the time. Bob Neuwirth did hook up with her, and Bob Dylan's cat was killed in a fire inadvertently set by Edie in the Hotel Chelsea, where they all lived for a while.

"Like a Rolling Stone" has been parsed for Edie references, too (Napoleon being Warhol, supposedly).

Cheers Gloria and all!