#double elvis

[kdo-three]

"Double Elvis" Andy Warhol 1963

[michaelwwaah]

Double Elvis 4 (Ferus type)

[alienelvisobsession]

The Andy Warhol - Bob Dylan Connection

Saying that Andy Warhol was infatuated with Elvis Presley is an understatement. Not only was he reported to have Elvis records laying around everywhere in his studio, but he also featured Elvis in his art several times.

In late 1956, when Elvis was a 21-year-old hip-swiveling rock ‘n’ roll star at the height of his fame, a semi-unknown Andy Warhol featured him in one of his “golden shoe drawings”, where he assigned shoes to celebrities. Elvis’ shoe was a golden buccaneer type of boot with a dandyish quality. LIFE magazine made an article about the exhibition called “Crazy Golden Slippers”, which served as Warhol’s breakthrough in the art world.

In 1962 he also created the “Red Elvis”, a red canvas where Elvis’ close-up image is repeated 36 times. It was in this period that Warhol perfected his “Pop Art” aesthetic. The following year, he created his famous Elvis series, portraying overlapping or side by side Elvises pointing a gun at the camera. He used a publicity still from Elvis’ western movie “Flaming Star”, a phallic image with Elvis’ crotch and double belt in the forefront. Only superficially a celebration of Elvis Presley as an eminent rock star and cultural icon, it is arguably a subtle dig at how Hollywood made him somehow fall from grace, like the shooting star of his movie. Once an original, he was now commodified for the audience on the silver screen, which is cleverly duplicated in the metallic background. Initially Warhol even wanted to incorporate recordings of gunshots in the exhibition to emphasize the themes of “death and disaster” he had been working on.

In 1965 Warhol, captivated by celebrities as ever, invited Bob Dylan to visit his Silver Factory for one of his silent “screen tests”. Depending on the accounts, Dylan either appropriated or was gifted with one of his Double Elvis paintings. There are pictures of Dylan mounting this invaluable piece of art on top of his station wagon and driving off from the studio like a thief.

Later on, Warhol heard troubling accounts of Dylan using the Elvis as a dartboard in his country house, hanging the painting upside down or worse. This is not because Bob Dylan disliked Elvis (more on that another time maybe!), but because it was being rumored that Dylan had taken a dislike to Warhol (and vice versa). In reality, Dylan did not damage or misuse the painting, but had traded it for a couch, which he later regretted, given its considerable value.

You can see this same Double Elvis, passed on from Bob Dylan to his manager Albert Grossman, at the MoMA museum in New York City.

Other connections:

The Jimi Hendrix Connection

[kirbykendrick]

“Double Elvis (Ferus Type)” (1963) is a breath-taking moment in Art History. Painted by Andy Warhol, superstar artist, the work is a silkscreen...simply a blown up photograph glued on silk and painted with ink.

What do you think?

[pingame]

"Double Elvis" by Andy Warhol Pin by Pin Museum

[thomdunn]

My new BADLANDS podcast about Robins Williams is now out everywhere!

I’ve been doing some freelance writing work lately for Double Elvis Productions, the company behind the popular true crime music podcast Disgraceland (which also just aired its 100th episode). The first of my scripts to go live is the ✨season finale✨ to the latest season of Badlands: Hollywoodland, which goes deep on the dark side of Robin Williams’ life, leading up to this tragically complicated death.

I’m really, really effing proud of the work I did on this one. It’s obviously a sensitive subject, and one that really affected me personally on a lot of levels, and I think I did a damn good job of handling it with care, without losing the delight and humanity of the story. Also, it was just a cool experience scripting within an established episode format, with a pre-existing structure and stuff.

You can check out the episode below, or on whatever podcast platform you prefer:

…Also did I mention that, right after my episode premiered, we shot to #1 (!!) on the Apple Podcast History charts?! I GOT A #1 HIT, BABY! (in the same sort of technicality way like how I sort-of kind-of have a Tony Award, but still)

[kirbykendrick]

“Double Elvis" (1963) is a breath-taking moment in Art History. Painted by Andy Warhol, superstar artist, the work is a silkscreen..simply a blown up photograph glued on silk and painted with ink.

Elvis, the man and the legend, stares at us down the barrel of a gun; the lone cowboy confronting the great American frontier. 

[kaboommagazine]

Double Elvis & Def Jam Presents "Here Comes The Break" [Podcast]

Double Elvis & Def Jam Presents “Here Comes The Break” [Podcast]

Double Elvis Productions, iHeartmedia, and Def Jam Recordings present “Here Comes the Break”  a serialized storytelling and Hip-Hop music podcast. This uniquely formatted podcast stars Emmy nominated actor Asante Blackk, known for his roles in When They See Us [Netflix], This is Us [NBC], Social Distance [Netflix] who is the executive producer on the show, with rising star Daniella Perkins.…

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