Warhol’s Muses

I listened to this and loved every minute. It was so interesting. Lawrence Leamer is a favorite of mine (Capote’s Women is another must-read!) and this is the account of Andy Warhol and the women he deemed his “Superstars.” Over the course of the book, we meet Baby Jane Holzer, Edie Sedgwick, Nico, Ultra Violet, Viva, Brigid Berlin, Ingrid Superstar, International Velvet, Mary Woronov, and Candy Darling. We learn how Warhol manipulated them, took advantage of their beauty, and used them to build his own empire and social status with (frankly!) no concern over their well-being. This made it hard to listen to at times, especially as a fan of his art. But I learned a lot about both Warhol and these women, and of course, life in the Factory and sixties New York. Sex, drugs, wild parties, and a world where (to Warhol at least), everyone and everything was replaceable.