Andy Warhol's Exploding Plastic Inevitable

APRIL 1966: THE EXPLODING PLASTIC INEVITABLE PREMIERES AT THE "OPEN STAGE."

Left: "Erupting" Village Voice ad March 31/Right "Exploding" Village Voice ad April 7
(courtesy of Thomas Kiedrowski - click on image to enlarge)

Originally advertised as the Erupting Plastic Inevitable in the March 31st issue of the Village Voice, the E.P.I. became the Exploding Plastic Inevitable by the April 7th issue. The E.P.I. was similar to ANDY WARHOL, UP-TIGHT (see February above), featuring The Velvet Underground, Nico, Warhol's films, and various Factoryites dancing onstage. Although people referred to it as happening at thethe Dom, it actually took place at the "Open Stage" in the hall above the Dom Bar. "Bob" John Liikala ran the Open Stage. He had previously shown some of Warhol's films at the Bridge Theater across the street from the Dom where he managed an underground film program.

"Bob" John Liikala [October, 22/26, 2008]:

I had the "lease" arrangement with Stanley, who ran the Bar at the Dom and managed affairs for the entire Polish Hall. I guess collectively the building was owned by the Polish cultural organization and used to use it for weddings etc., Stanley, I assume, was Polish origin and as a result had the bar, although back in 1962 or so I only went to his bar on Ave.B, an artists hangout - we weren't even aware of the Dom then.

At that time I was managing the underground film program across the street at the Bridge Theater as well as a variety of experimental stage intermedia productions plus the art gallery at the Bridge. I knew Paul Morrisey and showed some of Warhol's films.

Empire helped kill film censorship in NYC. When I took it down [to the censors] to set their required "seal" of approval, their eyes were spinning after watching it in shifts - sending out for coffee - they shouted 'never...never...bring us another thing like that!' A few months later film censorship went out!

My only association with Warhol at the Bridge was to show Empire, The Bridge was self contained, not an extension of the Film-makers Cinematheque during my period, although a year prior to my arrival Jonas Mekas had a hand in running film there as an extension of the Film-maker's Co-op.

In addition to running the underground film program and art gallery at the Bridge theater on St. Mark's Place I concurrently ran the "Open Stage" across the street in the hall above the Dom Bar, no one referred to my site as the Dom, it was the "Open Stage."

Just to set history straight, "Dom Inc." did not premiere the [E.P.I.] event, it didn't even exist. Probably Stanley's name is in the fine print on "Dom Inc." He gave me a personal hint a week or so before that 'business shouldn't get in the way of our 4 year friendship!' I also was friends with Rudi Stern and Jacki Cassin, who did light shows for my Open Stage events. Rudi eventually had the Neon Forever Galleries in NYC and L.A. and just died a few years ago.

Rudi Stern and Jacki Cassin were collaborating with me on "light shows" at Open Stage with various bands I'd invite personally after seeing them in local cafe gigs. One did Indian Raga's mixed with R&R which I loved, since I dug Ravi Shankar and many other forms. Open Stage was a very open and available venue for experiments, as was the Bridge and later Group 212 in Woodstock.

Anyway, Warhol may have paid someone $ for a month's lease, not me, I ran a box office on a % basis for a month or so, until Warhol's tricky business managers got the "lease" out from under me.

Look at the premiere poster, top line "OPEN STAGE', That's my operation and my quick and dirty poster, same as the spray-painted banner that I rushed together to hang on short notice."

According to Sterling Morrison, it was while the Velvets were playing the Dom that they started wearing dark glasses onstage - "not through trying to be cool but because the light-show could be blinding at times." (UT54) Danny Williams, a Factory regular who did the lights for the E.P.I. shows and who had a brief affair with Warhol, would mysteriously disappear later in the year. He was presumed drowned off the coast of Cape Cod. His clothes were found by the side of his parked car near the coast. Although his body was never found, it was thought to be a suicide. (GMW111)

Warhol's E.P.I. shows as the Dom turned out to be extremely popular - entry was $6 and they made $18,000 in the first week.

Sterling Morrison:

"But our actual salary from Paul Morrissey, who handled the business side for Andy, was five dollars a day, for cheese or beer at the Blarney Stone. He had a ledger that listed everything, including drug purchases - $5 for heroin. When the accountant saw it, he said 'What the hell is this?':" (LR122)

According to Gerard Malanga and Victor Bockris, all the people contributing to the show were paid the same amount - Lou Reed got the same for playing as Gerard did for dancing or Danny Williams for doing the lights: "On an average night at the Dom they would be paid a hundred dollars apiece". (UT52)

At the same time that the VELVETS were playing at the Dom, Andy’s film, MY HUSTLER was playing uptown at the Film-Makers’ Co-op and Warhol's silver helium-filled pillows and yellow and pink cow wallpaper was being shown at the Castelli Gallery. (POP162)

The final performance of The Exploding Plastic Inevitable at the Dom took place on April 30, 1966. (UT57) While performing at the Dom, Lou Reed's Gretch guitar and record collection was stolen.