Andy's Chest

As I fumbled around in the moonlit kitchen hunting for couple of Panadols to dull a dull toothache at 4:16am this morning, it made sense to do a post on Andy Warhol. I managed to type "Andy's chest. Abstract warhorse birthday" in the iPhone notes section before crashing for another hour. Those who know about these things tell me that it was the late artist's birthday yesterday.

Lou Reed put out an album called Transformer, so long ago that all I remember is that it was pretty controversial in our conservative 70's Catholic household with songs like "Walk on the Wild Side" and "Satellite of Love" blaring to the neighbourhood as my late brother drove my late Dad nuts playing the 33rpm vinyl over and over and over. "Andy's Chest" was another tune. And there would be Lou Reed being interviewed on the local TV current affairs show being deliberately provocative and evasive about his sexuality.

But as the crimson fingers of dawn sneak through the window and I down a coffee, some breakfast and my daily medication, I discover I don't even remember how "Andy's Chest" goes and it's not on the computer with the other songs from Transformer. Enter YouTube stage left. What a great tune! Way better than album producer Bowie's efforts a year earlier with his song "Andy Warhol" on Hunky Dory.

So Happy Birthday Andy. Long live aRt.

"If I could be anything in the world that flew

I would be a bat and come swooping after you

And if the last time you were here things were a bit askew

Well you know what happens after dark

When rattlesnakes lose their skins and their hearts"

from the song Andy's Chest by Lou Reed