Sunday, March 23, 2008

Dylan, Warhol, Elvis, Smells

Andy Warhol and Bob Dylan stand before a silkscreen of Elvis. "Intellectuals are a bore." ~ Andy Warhol

No doubt they discussed Elvis at length, and possibly, Dylan got to experience some of odors in Andy's weird and vast "smell collection." Warhol believed he could "twist memories" making them happier or sadder by sniffing mixtures he'd made before meditating on a certain moment from the past. Warhol would carefully select a scent bottle and then deliberately recall a pleasant or unpleasant memory to make notes on before and after sniffing.
His perfume recipes ranged from the very simple to the grandiose.

Bond No. 9 named one of their scents for Warhol. "Silver factory" is a cold metallic iris and jasmine scent with a very large sweet dose of cedarwood and lots of incense besides. "Because incense was the scent of the sixties." It definitely smells like an old room where hipsters once dwelt.

In the 1990s several Warhol perfumes were released. They were described as spicy/herby musk scents. (Tarragon, a favorite scent of Warhol's was a major note.)


"I think pot should be legal. I don't smoke it, but I like the smell of it." ~Andy Warhol