My ’15 Seconds’ with Andy Warhol

In my previous vocation as a London police officer and more recently as a member of a foreign Embassy, I have met all kinds of famous people and celebrities from royalty, politicians to film producers and music stars but the one meeting that sticks in my mind is that of meeting Andy Warhol one day in London……….

T’was 6 June 1971 & I was working in my teens selling hot dogs for pocket money outside The Roundhouse in Chalk Farm Road where I lived in North London, just up the road from Camden Town (check our ‘Les Paul’s’ (The Paul’s)  song ‘Camden Town Blues HERE.

The Roundhouse was and still is a mega artistic cultural center putting on concerts and shows (I first saw Ian Hunter, first heard Hawkwind & saw many others there) & on this night it was the grand opening of Andy Warhol’s controversial play called ‘PORK’, no-one knew if he would fly in from New York or not for the London opening of his show.

My grandmother and her sister, who was up visiting from Wales decided to protest against the reported sexual content and nudity in the play and were among a small crowd waiting outside.

Lo and behold but who should come skipping along the street but Andy Warhol himself on the arm of his boyfriend Jed Johnson. My grandmother and her sister went up to him and shouted at the top of their heavily accented Welsh voices ‘PIG, PIG”! to which Warhol, almost without blinking an eyelid, stopped, looked at them, put his hands on his hips and said ‘Oh no my dear, I think that you’ll find that it’s called ‘PORK’ as he minced away with a smirk on his face.

He then came towards me and I immediately spoke and apologized to him for my Grandmothers disrespect and rudeness to which he looked at me and smiled and said ‘Oh, I quite enjoyed it actually’ gave a little laugh and climbed up the stairs to The Roundhouse. Anyway, that was my little 15 second encounter with Andy Warhol:)!

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Watch our new promo video called, Andy Warhol – Room 222 from our new ‘Les Paul’s’ (The Paul’s) album The Chelsea Hotel#1 HERE

You can listen to our song I Met Andy Warhol HERE.
The track will appear on our ‘Les Paul’s’ (The Paul’s) forthcoming album England, Once My England that you can check out HERE.

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