Andy Warhol's trash is everyone's treasure
This week on Everyone & Their Mom, we talked to comedian Hari Kondabolu about how the citizens of Sheldon, Iowa ran into a little conundrum when they couldn't find the time capsule that they buried 50 years ago. This got us thinking about who else has some, maybe even 600, time capsules worth finding...
Enter pop culture icon Andy Warhol. Patrick Moore, director of the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, joined us to share about Andy's life and love of collecting. Moore explained the unique way the artist handled all the clutter in his studio by cataloging it in boxes that instantly became works of art.
"They relate to his love of collecting, in some circles one might say hoarding. They really started as an attempt by his studio assistants to make sense of what to do with all of his stuff," said Moore. "But if you were Andy Warhol, what was in effect trash on your desk might include an original Basquiat drawing."
But even Warhol had some gross stuff left behind, including a mummified foot (we wish we knew whose it was), an old slice of pizza and an exploded Coca Cola bottle. There are also some very personal belongings, like his wigs.
"He was almost never seen without his wig, and he looks so frail and vulnerable without the wig. And that's how he must have felt without it. It was a little bit like armor for him."
Moore also shared that the artist "had a lot of doctor's bills and it doesn't seem like Andy was very prompt in paying those bills. So we do have a fabulous bill from a doctor. And on the outside of the envelope the doctor has written, 'Pay up, you cheapskate.'"
This is an excerpt from the latest episode of Everyone & Their Mom, a new show from Wait Wait ... Don't Tell Me! Follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or listen on NPR One, and you can find us on Instagram.