In my 20’s, my friends Craig S. and Tony S. kindly let me be their roommate in a great place on Walter Street in San Francisco where my bedroom was the wood-paneled dining room off the kitchen.  It had a fireplace, mantle wit mirror, bay windows overlooking the yard, a waterbed (yes, no joke) and even a platform where I could put my Soloflex.  Craig S. has always been generous, a mentor and a loving man with a great sense of humor and unique chuckle.  He is one of the three most influential people in my life, and I wouldn’t be where I am today without him being such an integral thread in the tapestry of my world. Thank you, Craig – from the bottom of my heart for helping me on my life path.  I remember once you said to me “You’ll be fine; you’re a survivor”. You were right.

When Craig and Tony came back from a trip to New York and Tony came into my bedroom and tossed this magazine on my bed. "I had Andy Warhol sign this for you".  Whaaaaat?!?!?  He had seen Andy Warhol walking down the street and immediately grabbed an Interview magazine and pen from a nearby newsstand and got Andy's autograph. 

Here I am shouting unnecessarily about my Andy Warhol autograph … I don’t know why I thought I had to shout when filming IG videos back in the day. Shrug.  What’s done is done.

So yeah, I was aware of the name Andy Warhol but at that time it really was primarily because of Interview magazine.  Not because I knew much about his contribution to pop culture or his artwork or movies or The Factory. But Tony and Craig had Andy’s books (I remember The Diaries for sure) and we would watch “Ciao Manhattan” on BETA – I think with Mary E. – and that crazy large grey African toucan (or whatever the eff it was) In a cage in the front room on Walter.  Oh, the Glory Days.  (That toucan bit me – or somebody – or many of us - by the way)

I celebrated gaily with my friends, drinking champagne, and watching the beautiful waif, Edie Sedgwick and we would comment throughout.  Seeing this beautiful, doomed, and troubled individual from a rich family in the bottom of an empty swimming pool was just too bizarre.  Edie Sedgwick was Andy's first Superstar, and I don't think that there's been anybody quite like her. And yes, I do love her cousin, Kyra Sedgwick.  If you don’t have the book “Girl on Fire” and/or haven’ seen “Ciao Manhattan!” – you should! This short doc is intense; good vintage footage and a nice condensed version of a tough life.

It wasn't until years later when I voraciously read through the “Andy Warhol Diaries” that I became much more interested in this odd person who became a world-renowned artist.  The Diaries are so deliciously detailed, gossipy, insightful into Andy's behavior even down to his obsessive logging of taxi fare each night.  I became obsessed and bought almost any Andy Warhol book I came across.  I found that this introverted voyeur extraordinaire was a benign yet compelling individual who triggered my interest even more because of his deep interest in acquiring and collecting - furniture, jewelry, art, tchotchkes, and people.  Virtually nothing was safe from Andy's hoarding closets. Wait… am I related?  23 and me stat.

Over the years I became much more familiar with people from The Factory and within the Warhol orbit. So many documentaries, books, and movies!  

My friend Tony, who got me the Andy Warhol autograph, was also an agent at a talent company called Stars in San Francisco.  Another gift that I got from him was the signed (paper) photo of Susan Bottomly, also known as International Velvet, who was trying to get work through his agency. RIP Tony S. – we had some high times and adventures together for sure!  We’ll talk later about when Jimmy K., Tony S. and I won contests, were on the news (albeit Channel 20), on the cover of the SF Bay Area Reporter AND appeared “The Gong Show” as the “Super-Reems” (Supremes) … in blackface.  You heard me.  No wonder we were gonged by Marla Gibbs.

Back to the World of Warhol …

Another friend of mine (Kenny M.?) met Lou Reed and got the autograph pictured here for me - and at first, I didn't believe that it was Lou Reed's signature because it was so tiny.  I also didn't know the connection at the time of Lou Reed and Andy Warhol.  I've had the Rolling Stones “Sticky Fingers “zipper album and the Velvet Underground bana album in my collection for a long time but also didn't know about the Andy Warhol connections until much later. When I finally pulled out the Velvet Underground LP and listened to it and then to Nico solo, I was like...ummmm?  All I have to say about Nico's vocals is… She sure was pretty.  

Onto Holly Woodlawn and Candy Darling.  All those years of hearing “Walk on the Wild Side” and never putting two and two together about the members of the factory Lou was singing about. 

“Holly came from Miami, F-L-A 

Hitch-hiked her way across the USA 

Plucked her eyebrows along the way S

haved her legs and then he was a she” 

I've had an autograph of Holly Woodlawn in my collection for years but had never read her book or knew that she was the one Lou was singing about in “Walk on the Wild Side”. 

“Candy came from out on the Island 

In the backroom she was everybody's darling 

but she never lost her head 

Even when she was giving head” 

The documentary on Candy Darling is a must-see - and her Diary book (oddly sharing the same title as Liz Renay's autobiography, "My Face for the World to See" is super collectible and expensive.  Watch the sweetness of Candy talking candidly about happiness:

BTW - Autographs of Candy Darling, Edie Sedgwick and Nico are super rare, highly sought after, often forgeries (if you ever see them on eBay), and truly pricey for an authentic piece.  This trio of tragic pretty girls are each uniquely Warholian and fascinating. You can swim in their sad stories... it's like I can hear Marianne Faithfull singing "As Tears Go By" about all three of them. 

Ultra Violet was a factory survivor who lived to tell about it in her fun autobiography, "Famous For 15 Minutes" which I have signed in purple (violet, of course) ink. 

When I was digging deeper into my collection finding Andy Warhol connections, I was surprised that some of these people were on the list as being part of his inner circle or the factory. But then again, I wasn't surprised about others. 

For example, two of Mick Jagger's wives, Bianca Jagger and Jerry Hall were part of Andy's Inner Circle at certain times. And this makes perfect since they were beautiful outgoing butterflies that would obviously attract Andy and his people-collecting net. 

Joe D'allesandro and his male beauty and physique is another obvious one. Sylvia Miles and Joe in “Heat” is a WTF “Baby Jane”ish quasi-porn-only-in-Warhol-world movie. Joe is covered elsewhere on this site.  However, shown here is another Warhol star of “Heat”, Pat Ast. Pat was quite the unique character (duh … Warhol connected).  Sad death: she was found by concerned neighbors after seeing piled up newspapers at her door.  And thank you to my friend Michael Augustine-Reeed @HollywoodBoy63 for letting me add this Pat Ast autograph to my collection. McGarbo will let me know if it’s a forgery. 

The first "Warhol" movie that I saw was "Bad" starring Carrol Baker (met her in person and I'll talk about her separately) I remember a baby being thrown out of a window and this incredibly quirky actress named Susan Tyrell, who yes, I do happen to have in my collection. And didn't realize until just recently that Susan won a Saturn Award for that performance?!? Other than that, the movie lived up to its title.  Just wanna say that this is exactly how I feel when there's babies in First Class ... Andy knows.

The people in his circle that surprised me a bit were Sally Kirkland and Patti D'arbanville.  Truthfully, I only know Sally Kirkland from magazine appearances and being in a truly awful movie called "Forever" with Keith Coogan supposedly based on Mary Miles Minter and William Desmond Taylor. A ghost story that’s simply ghastly.  No really, it was. Finding out that she was part of the factory and looking at pictures from her factory screen test was newfound territory for me.  

And as for Patti D’arbanville, yes, I did remember that she had a small role in "Flesh", but I mostly associate her as being Don Johnson's girlfriend in the 80's.  As I was writing this article and I found that she was on the cover of Interview magazine in 1973, I immediately connected why Andy would be drawn to her. Eyes and face like an androgynous kitten. Bam! Oh – and I’m recently going through my vast collection of original photos and under “unknown naked women” I realize it’s Patti AND Mary in this photo … right? 

Bob Colacello was a more functional part of Andy's team being Editor in Chief of interview magazine and generally running interference for Andy during their time together.  The autograph I have, shown here, is from Bob's biography of Ron and Nancy Reagan. However, his biography of Andy, "Holy Terror" combined with his co-authored "Philosophy of Andy Warhol" and the Pat Hackett-edited “Warhol Diaries” make the Holy Trinity of books for deeply knowing and understanding Andy. 

Another part of Andy’s team was Gerard Malanga.  Andy always like to have pretty people around and artistic Gerard was put to work in many ways: silk-screening, filmmaking, editing, choreographing, a founding editor of Interview, etc. Gerard also introduced his girlfriend, Susan to Andy.  That’s the Susan who became “superstar” International Velvet. Gerard is a poet, and you’ll see some of his signed poetry here.  I absolutely LOVE his beautiful, artistic, and careful autograph.  Unlike Warhol’s seismograph or Lou Reed’s ant-writing. 

As for bad Warhol-related autographs, I will wrap up with the actress who played Valerie Solanas, the disgruntled wannabe that famously shot Andy Warhol in 1968.  Lili Taylor played Valerie in the oh-so-imaginatively titled "I Shot Andy Warhol".  Lili Taylor is a seriously gifted actress. The movie was pretty good. The movie poster was great. And Lili Taylor's autograph is one of the worst on the planet.  I love you Lili, but cursive is not your skill. 

Mary Woronov – on the other hand – has a very distinctive and interesting autograph.  Also a member of The Factory, she wrote a book about it “Swimming in the Underground” (which I have signed).  But TBH she will always be a standout to me for “Eating Raoul” (more on that whole cast separately)

Lastly, as a fellow collector, I know Andy would probably say to me "Gee... if you really cared about my autograph, you would have kept it a nicer condition." In my naivete, I had been thoughtless with putting it on display in a cheap frame, letting it get sun damaged, and then carelessly moving it from household to household without bothering to put it in plastic or with backing. Collectors, slap me now!!! 

Andy Warhol was a soothsayer. The internet and social media have proven that anybody CAN be famous for 15 minutes.  Or less. I'm pretty sure he would be addicted to TikTok. 

But I still had to look up Clio Goldsmith. 

Candy Darling documentary ... heart, heart, heart