Above:
The Johnson Twins by Jack Mitchell
-See More Below-
Tuesday, May 5, 2020
Evil Under the Sun....
He's Will Kill Us all....
We all know imbecile in The White House isn't that bright, especially when it comes to science. His relationship with the sun isn't a close one, and with his effulgent skin hue mostly comes from make-up, not from soaking in the vitamin D. Between his staring directly at it during an eclipse, then suggesting it's going to vaporize the virus, his ignorant stupidity is tantamount to an accessory to murder.
Soaking up the sun social distance style
Even his lies and mixed messages can't excuse the thousands of people who headed out last weekend to soak up the sun in crowd filled spaces. I thought the physical isolation protesters were idiots, but these sun soakers are worse. Although the speedo clad sunbathers at The Christopher St. Pier got most of the on-line hate and attention, similar scenes were replicated pretty much everywhere. I get the want, the need, to be outside, but you have to wonder how many of the hot bodies below will be added to the virus case list two week from now...
Christopher Street Pier, May 2020
Factory Workers: Jay & Jed Johnson
'Jay was the bad boy and Jed was not.'
Cecil Beaton with Warhol, Jay and Jed
Tom Cashin would know, he and Jay met in the late 1960's, and have been together ever since. The Johnson twins, who dropped out of college at 19 in 1967 and hitchhiked with an AWOL soldier from Sacramento to New York. Soon after their arrival, they entered the orbit of Andy Warhol. Jed accepted a job offer to sweep floors in 'The Factory' and before long they began dating and remained Warhol's lover for 12 years.
Next two shots by Francesco Scavullo
Cashin, a former model, first encountered Warhol while on a trip to Paris with Jay, and like the twins, was soon was wrapped up in the artist's crazy life and lifestyle. The Factory was Andy Warhol's New York City studio and both Jay (above with curly hair) and Jed used their connections to further their passion for interior design. Jay recounts that Jed was the front person, the leader. Jay was always the more shy and private twin.
Jay (l) and Jed (r)
Jed was not only Jay's best friend but his public half. Sadly, Jay died suddenly in 1996, in the explosion of T.W.A. Flight 800. After Jed's death, Jay suddenly found himself the director of Jed Johnson & Associates, a multi- million dollar interior design firm whose clients included Mick Jagger, Jerry Hall, Barbra Streisand and Richard Gere.
Next set from Jack Mitchell
'Jed was the front person: he sort of took care of that side for me," Jay Johnson, a soft-spoken man, said several weeks ago, sitting in the living room of the apartment in the meatpacking district of Manhattan that he shares with his partner, Tom Cashin. "I didn't really realize that until he was gone.'
NYTimes
Last week, I found myself on Pinterest while researching a piece. As I was scrolling through images, I cam upon one of Jack Mitchell's shots of The Johnson Twins. I immediately stopped in my tracks. The brothers beautiful eyes and faces had me wondering who they were, and why I'd hadn't seen them before. I've always had a fascination with Andy Warhol, but have focused my attention on Studio 54 and individuals around him, (Joe Dallesandro) than the artist himself.
I saved the image, and after a quick Google search found myself wrapped up in reading about the two brothers. My siblings are all still alive, but I can only imagine the magnification of grief that must accompany the loss of a twin. All my friends who are twins, are so connected and identified in comparison with their twin, whether they want to, or whether they're close or not. I'm guessing we can thank Warhol for connecting the Johnson twins with so many great photographers to have their story, and their beauty, captured for those like me, decades int he future, to see, enjoy, and be moved by.
''We thought we were fabulously beautiful, and so masculine.''
Last two shots from Richard Avedon
The images above and below are part of Avedon's image of Warhol and members of the Factory.
David Corenswet: LuPoned!
'Who doesn't want a sex scene with David Corenswet? Who? Excuse me, who?'
Patti LuPone don't lie! We've been seeing a lot of Lupone recently, especially on-line. Anyone who followers her on social media knows she's been releasing some of her isolation energy with some hilarious and revealing videos. I also look forward to her, and her love scene with actor David Corenswet in the new Netflix mini-series Hollywood.
I first noticed Corenswet in the first episode of The Politician, but the show didn't pull me beyond watching just the first episode. I want to watch more, especially know season two is focused on Better Midler and Judith Light, but Ryan Murphy's work is hit and miss for me. It initially usually hits, then fades to a miss.
The Politician
The reviews for Hollywood have been up and down. I intended to binge it last weekend, but after turning on Netflix, I got caught up in reruns of Schitt's Creek, but have Hollywood scheduled for this weekend. David Corenswet is beautiful, and has all the qualities (at least in images and the clips I've seen) of old Hollywood, and seems perfect for the role of Jack Castello.
Hollywood 2020
Affairs of State 2018
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