Warhol was the backbone of the group, and he became their manager in 1965. The chapter titled “ANDY” delves into Warhol’s role as producer of “The Velvet Underground & Nico” album and creator of the famous banana cover for the project. It focuses on the roots of their love in music: Cale’s upbringing as an avant-garde viola composer, and Sterling Morrison and Maureen “Moe” Tucker’s childhood friendship that ultimately glued the band into its final form.
Narrated mostly by multi-instrumentalist and band member John Cale, it feels authentic and close-to-home. “The Velvet Underground” is told entirely in a split-screen/multi-framed format in an ode to Warhol’s 1966 experimental classic “Chelsea Girls.” The film is played off in different chapters, some of them being solely about the important figures from the band’s span of life.Įach chapter of the film is a dense, explorative piece on the evolution of each bandmate. As much as it’s a look at one of the more impactful musicians in rock and roll history, it’s also a historical essay and love letter to New York City’s melting pot of artistic expression. His previous work consisted of various musical themes like his meta Bob Dylan tale, “I’m Not There,” and British glam rock films like “Velvet Goldmine.” The theme and backdrop of “The Velvet Underground” are the explosive newcomings New York City’s art scene brought out in the 1960s, when poet Allen Ginsberg, filmmaker Jonas Mekas and painter Andy Warhol fueled a storm of immense cultural change.
Their new documentary, titled under the same name as the group, is made in honor of their spiritual and artistic connections, and is perhaps a perfect treatment for fans.ĭirector Todd Haynes’ filmography does not go musically unnoticed. The collective was known as The Velvet Underground, and over the course of nine years, five records, lineup changes and immense artistic differences, the musical project was the start of something new in music history: a forefront towards a more experimental, contemporary and undiscovered form of rock and roll. Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox.
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