The Susan Pile Letters

to OCTOBER 29, 1966. THE EPI GOES TO BOSTON

Susan Pile to Edward K. Walsh:

November 1, 1966

Boston: The Institute of Contemporary Art features a retrospective of Andy Warhol...In conjunction with the exhibition, they brought the EPI to Boston for a total picture of Andy Warhol’s 3 different worlds, sometimes overlapping (as in the show: artistic-painting, not really incorporated except the slides; the movies, and the Velvet Underground and Nico). I went with Gerard, Benedetta Barzini, Rene Ricard and some helpless French reporter from Realites...

Arrival was a mass exodus from apartment to apartment. The Boston people I met I liked very much - Ed Hood, an alcoholic endomorph in slow motion, and Gordon Baldwin. Both are connected in some way with Harvard...perhaps similar to the way Rene lived at Harvard until discovered. Rene is wanted by Cambridge Police for that incident and numerous flower thefts - from gardens, flower shops and particularly an alleged heist of one of Andy’s flower paintings.

Boston’s reaction was an incredible rejection. The thing is, those who do not get involved with the show tend to react in loud objection; those who do get involved are too overcome with the experience (capital E) to do much of anything. And the show in Boston was beautiful--it was a stage show in the auditorium - no dancing by scum on the floor.

Back to the apartments for a totally paranoid party - millions of people at Ed Hood’s in total isolation, everyone stoned beyond belief and uncommunicating.

Next day, performance arranged by some friend of Andy’s in the Leicester airplane hangar, Worcester, Mass.--'Hallowe’en Mod Happening.' ...the Velvets are getting so much better--their album is done, but everyone is becoming disenchanted with the idea of touring...Benedetta, Rene and I left after the 1st show Sunday.... (S)

to OCTOBER 29, 1966. THE EPI GOES TO BOSTON