One of the most famous photographers of the 20th Century is Billy Name.  As the live-in photographer at Andy Warhol’s Factory from 1963 through 1970, many iconic images of Warhol, Edie Sedgwick and the Factory crowd during those years were shot by Billy Name; he was responsible for “silverizing” the Factory; he was the one who found the famous sofa seen in Warhol’s films; and he was the one who cradled Andy as he lay bleeding after Valerie Solanas shot him.  The Velvet Underground’s eponymous album’s cover was taken by Billy Name.

I have collaborated with Billy a couple of times, and I shot photos of him for Wikipedia, found on his article, Warhol Superstar, The Factory and one on Poughkeepsie Bridge.  Here are my five questions for a friend and mentor:

Q: What is one thing you think every American should know?

A:  america is an italian word, not english, and we should all be speaking italian.

Q: If you had the option to have been born another nationality other than your current one, which nationality would you choose?

A:  francais.

Q: What is one misconception people have about you?

A:  that i’m still young.

Q: Is there anyone’s death, either in your life or in popular culture, whose passing you were surprised by how profoundly it affected you?

A:  i guess i’d say andy w, since he died on my birthday.

Q: In life we often have goals that we feel as if would just die if we don’t reach them. Sometimes we reach them, sometimes we don’t. The question is, have you ever worked to fulfill a goal, only to find that once you achieved it, the experience was a let down? It meant something to you when you did not have it. Then you obtained it and, after the initial excitement, you thought to yourself, “Is that all there is?” Have you ever had an experience like that?

A:  no, all fullfilments for me have been fullfulling as per recipe.

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