RudeE Warhol
Like many children I remember getting up early and watching Saturday morning cartoons. Lying in front of the TV wearing my pajamas, I laughed at Roadrunner & Wile E. Coyote, Bugs Bunny, The Jetsons, Speedy Gonzalez and his cousin, Slow-Poke Rodríguez to name a few. However, I was a bit confused because the way Speedy and Slow-Poke talked didn’t sound like my Mexican-American family. I also remember watching Romper Room and being mesmerized by Miss Nancy “looking” at us through her magic mirror. Could she really see me?
It was 1964 when my sisters and I spun Meet the Beatles non-stop on a friend’s portable record player. That same year I saw Andy Warhol on TV for the first time. He simultaneously frightened and fascinated me. His one-word responses seemed to be pre-planned in order to not break character in a performance.
Then in 1967, the Beatles released Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Who were these black and white, wax figures on the cover? Who were the “real” Beatles? I was trying to make sense of it but again, I was confused. My freshman year in high school I signed up for an acting class and the first time I took the stage to deliver a soliloquy, I was hooked. I was not confused. I realized I wanted to perform.
Today images are more ubiquitous than ever from children’s animated films to live-action figures to international series on multiple platforms. Additionally, we seem to have become addicted to this never-ending infotainment. Have we lost the ability to see where this barrage ends and our everyday lives begin? Are we simply consuming images without understanding their effect on us? What types of stories are being told and what new perspectives are being left out? Eduardo Galeano, the Uruguayan journalist/writer, once called this contemporary juncture Patas arriba, the Upside Down. In the spirit of Sgt. Pepper, Miss Nancy, and Warhol, I invite you to take a kaleidoscopic tour with RudeE Warhol, the brown doppelganger of Andy, as he investigates our fractured moment and shares his findings.
BaD BuRrO
Oye. Soy Bad Burro and welcome to my studio.
When I was in the tenth-grade I badly wanted a pair of high waisted trousers with three-inch cuffs. Another requirement for the trousers was that they be wide enough to cover my three-inch heel platform shoes and touch the floor. These trousers were not to be found anywhere in the stores in my hometown. However, I had seen my mother for years sew beautiful suits for her PTA conventions and I thought, I’ll make the trousers myself. It was not long before I enrolled in design school to become a fashion designer. I remember I the hand-sewn suit I took to the entry interview. It was a replica of Bowie’s blue suit from his Diamond Dogs Tour. To my amazement and joy, I was accepted and I have been designing clothes and costumes ever since. When mi primo, RudeE Warhol, asked me to design the costumes for his band’s upcoming tour, I immediately said yes.
RudeE’s Velvet Notes: The Series
"Hola. Bienvenides. Welcome.
I"m RudeE, Warhol and This is, Velvet Notes.
This is a space/place, a magic window really, that is about our NOW.
Postings, comentarios y opiniones sobre art, politics and culture.
De hecho, in fact, that's the name of my new magazine, Velvet Notes: arte, politica y cultura. More about that later.
I'm also working with a new band, The Cracked Velvets.
They're working on new songs and preparing for their first tour.
I think it's going to be ... ¡ay qué muy chido!
Pero sabes qué, I'll let you decide.
Here's a peek with what's coming.
Hasta la próxima vez - Until next time.
Te veo .. pronto.
RudeE's Velvet Notes: The Magazine
Here’s what you can expect from Velvet Notes: arte, política y cultura. It’s a magazine, published twice a year, that speaks to the place that Eduardo Galeano, the Uruguayan journalist/writer, called Patas arribas, Upside Down. Thoughtful and engaging writings and reflections regarding our fractured moment is what you’re in for. Artists and writers such as, Sara V. Cole, Juan Francisco Herrerías, Lyn McCracken, and Richard T. Rodríguez highlight the debut issue. I’ve heard it said that you shouldn’t talk politics or religion at a party. What fun is that? I think now is the time to talk about everything because it’s all connected. Everything informs everything.
Wherever you are, the playa, your favorite recliner in your bunker, Zooming and Booming, or maybe you’re lounging on your yacht, I think there’s no time to waste. We are living through a sea change. Gotta read more not less. As Sly Stone said, “Push a little harder, think a little deeper, don’t let the plastic bring you down.” And then he said, “STAND, for the things you know are right!” ¡Disfruten!
