bread 'n butter

First and foremost, happy holidays!
Secondly, yesterday, on a whim, I bought the DVD 13 Most Beautiful...Songs for Andy Warhol's Screen Tests, and honestly, it has been in my player looping ever since. In conjunction with The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 13 Most Beautiful showcases 13 of the 500 "screen tests" that Warhol captured during his time at The Factory from 1964 to 1966. Never before pressed for the mass, ironically enough, these intimate portraits breath life into and expose the inspiration for Warhol's famous print portraits of celebrities such as Jackie O, Marilyn Monroe and Elvis. Although each screen test standardly lasted for approximately 4 minutes and was shot on Warhol's stationary 16mm Bolex silently in black and white the subjects themselves were much less standardized.
Consisting of the likes such as, Nico, Lou Reed, Edie Sedgwick, and Dennis Hopper, Warhol captured not just their physical appearances with the mysterious films but their essence which makes them who they are. Since originally these films had no sound, for the DVD Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips, formely known as Luna and the brains behind the soundtrack of The Squid & the Whale, were commissioned to create an orignial score consisting of thirteen tracks, one per subject. Their dreamy pop sound and languid rhythms and often disconsolated lyrics creates an aura that evokes the underlying emotions of not only the subject but the viewer. I can't stop talking about it and highly suggest the film to anyone interested in Warhol, the era, or ethos in general.