joe dallesandro

 

one of the most overlooked and surely classic images of the 1970’s was the kid in a duffle coat walking home from school with a long player gramophone record tucked firmly under one arm.

i too would often carry a record to school ,even though i had no reason, other than making some sort of wilful statement to the world.

it was tricky….the delicate record sleeves were subjected to school bus rides…rain…or even confiscation.

one time a teacher took away my copy of sticky fingers, and i couldn’t understand why,

but of course now it all seems so obvious.

luckily it was given back to me at the end of the day,with a warning to never bring it into school again…

it didn’t occur to me the artwork was loaded with subversive homoerotic imagery.

i just liked the record, and loved the way his tight jeans fitted so much better than my grey flannel trousers…

i was twelve going on thirteen.

 

much to my delight a few years ago,the very man on the cover of that record contacted me through youtube.

his name is joe dallesandro.

he’d watched and liked this little homemade video i’d done around 2001, and asked if i was influenced by the andy warhol films.

i told him i’d not seen much,but i knew a certain amount about them.

however…that sticky fingers album cover was seared into my mind.

when i edited this little video clip,i laughed at how badly shot it was,

but was also fascinated how my emotional investment in sticky fingers had subconsciously risen to the surface without me ever planning it.

i also knew the myth around joe from the lyrics in lou reeds walk on the wild side,

and now joe himself had sweetly sent me a private message through the ether.

i love how homemade videos have got so much better than the haphazard things i post.

i’d be wise learning to shoot things better,or get involved with someone hip and kind who can,

but i will say this…

i have also seen a lot of slick videos,and heard a lot of expensively recorded music that say nothing.

my attitude is, a clear idea executed shabbily is a lot less of a crime,than a slick piece of nonsense that says fuck all.

i watched a thing on an arts channel the other night where they interviewed a great character called leee black childers.

he recounts a fun story of when he first let andy warhol see his photographs..

andy rushed them over to his own business manager and gleefully moaned,

“gee ,look at leees photos..they’re all over the place and out focus…aren’t they great?!”

so i’m happy that even my song on this…recorded live and simply in one take, onto a cheap digital dictaphone,is at least the truth for sure.

 

stay warm dear reader…

always..

mary of the wilderness.