10-05-2025 MY FAVES: art in pop and the battle of the fandoms

 books of the week

finished the book on the controversial artist andy warhol - on&by andy warhol. who was he - the peter pan of art, the demon of quaker america, hipster snob, or slavic businessman? all andy wanted to be - was a machine.

you can't be too weird if you want to be on the cover of time, or if you are, you have to be weird in the way they want you to be weird, like a murderer, a cult leader, a communist rebel, or someone like that, which isn't really weird because anyone can see any of those characters on tv any night of the week.

saul anton, warhol's dream, 2007

warhol would have settled right into the 21st century, with its ubiquitous cctv cameras - perpetually pointed and rolling, just like andy's - and time and space collapsing across razor-thin computer screens and skinny iphones. we can imagine his monosyllabic twitter feeds of 'wow', 'gee' and 'great' #nothingspecial; his all-night binges on youtube and instagram; or his open-invitation facebook page with streams of 'friends' ranging from a-listers to misfits, rich kids, street kids, hipsters, distant cousins still named Warhol, fading royals, has-been tv personalities, wannabe pornstars and world-class tyrants. 

gilda williams, silver sliver: warhol's infinitesimal time and space, 2014

is liking something less valuable than knowing something?

in art-historical terms, raid the icebox should not be filed under what would later be called 'institutional critique' because it didn't criticize what a museum does and how it works, but happily celebrated it for what it is: a great place for great stuff, just like (and truly no different from) the thrift shop, the suburban garage or the corner deli.

anthony huberman, the artist as curator: 'raid the icebox i, with andy warhol (1969), 2015

after reading on & by, i went onto fall/winter fashion reports in l'official usa (september 2025). their l'news report, sharing trends off the runway, had a segment spots and dots: "fall's hottest collaborations are with artist estates".

l'officiel reports how fashion houses tapped into modern art as inspiration, such as man ray, and our one and only: andy warhol. at vaquera, one found "screen-printed pop artist andy warhol’s ghostly photo negative “four marilyns (reversal)” on carpenter jeans, a workwear jacket, and a denim maxi skirt". 

music of the week

the first week in october, and everyone is yapping about taylor swift, and louis tomlinson and zayn... i think i've seen this film before?! the confusing love-hate relationship (anti)fans have toward t-swift (once upon a time out of jealousy for dating harry styles, now for being a money hungry businesswoman with yet another mediocre album), fan feuds on twitter (nicki vs cardi b), an unlikely reunion of two once feuding 1d members and potential collaboration (louis and zayn), and louis announcing a tour - with a stop in cleveland (i'll be in the queue for presale if you need me next week). and most recent news on the superbowl headlining: bad bunny. it's a rich week in the music industry. 

let's dive into this crash course.

i listened to the new album, the life of a showgirl, and i can only identify elizabeth taylor as a single i found worthy of saving into my playlist. the sabrina collaboration was just okay. perhaps i could use a second listen. but i kind of don't feel like it. the whole re-releasing of all those albums and constant saturation of her is just blah for me. now - hating her back in the day was fun, because her red era was the best, her twee fashion inspired me to buy a ton of cardigans and oxford shoes, and wear my hair in a braid. it wasn't much of hating - i was a teen in a fandom. this new showgirl era just isn't screaming authenticity. or perhaps - she is a showgirl, with sold out concerts and top chart listings, i can only judge from the sidelines. while watching tiktok with boyfriend before bed, he stated "all we can hear is just taytay this - taytay that. it's boring and too much". boyfriend is very much correct.

cardi b has been proving her fashion icon status effortlessly - whether it's court or the met - she doesn't miss. i listened to her new album - am i the drama? containing many a feature (selena gomez, kehlani, tyla...) and some classics (up, wap). killin you hoes was a song that stood out for me. sultry and fierce lyrics - a big fuck you to all the haters. 

louis tomlinson released his single lemonade, and the internet has been hinting at potential collaborations with former bandmate zayn. a big day for directioners - two of my faves reconnecting after years of feuding. i hate to see tragedy reconnecting them but... who cares? you love who you love (for this reference, look up psychic sylvia brown). 

he also posted his tour dates for 2026, including a stop in the land and i will do everything in my power to be in town because i need to be there. for my younger self and every insane romantic fantasy i had during the one direction era. i truly shouldn't be spending more money, but this is self care, therapy!

and on the topic of other recent releases: tame impala's deadbeat is coming out in less than two weeks, and his singles dracula and end of summer are already saved. and tyler, the creator's song sugar on my tongue made rounds on my tiktok feed and also ended up saved. 

movies of the week

 aka - what i'm watching (since it's not technically a movie) - the newest season of dancing with the stars. it's been years since we've watched a season of it, but we religiously binged both american and the croatian versions. it might be the influence of wanting to get back on salsa, especially the latest mix, and because bestie vic recently shared about it in our group chat. that theme song is forever engraved in my head.