Eric Emerson
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Career
His film debut, in 1967, was in Chelsea Girls. He is first seen with Nico and her son Ari in a black and white sequence; he appears again later in the film in a colour sequence delivering a monologue to an off-screen presence and performng various ballet routines. Eric had trained as a ballet dancer when he was younger and he talks about his dancing career in this film as well as in the movie Lonesome Cowboys, made in 1968 and released a year later. He became a regular, along with the other 'Superstars', at Max's Kansas City where he earned the nickname 'The Patron Saint of Max's Kansas City'. His bisexuality was well-known within Warhol's circle; he had relationships with many of the regulars. One such relationship resulted in the birth of his first son.
In 1971, Eric appeared in the Jackie Curtis play Vain Victory: Vicissitudes of the Damned costarring with Ondine, Holly Woodlawn and Candy Darling, with music by Lou Reed. After this, he began his musical career, first performing solo and then forming the band Eric Emerson and the Magic Tramps, one of the early Glitter rock groups, along with The New York Dolls, to emerge from New York City. In 1972 he filmed his last movie for Warhol, the Paul Morrissey-directed Heat. At this time he began a relationship with model and actress Jane Forth, who had appeared in Warhol's Trash. Together, the two had one child which they named Emerson Forth.
He died of a drug overdose at the age of 30.
Trivia
The song "Eric's Trip" by the band Sonic Youth was inspired by Emerson's LSD-fueled monologue in The Chelsea Girls.
Filmography
- Chelsea Girls, directed by Andy Warhol(1967)
- **** aka FourStars, directed by Andy Warhol (1968)
- Andy Makes A Movie, directed by Robert Emmet Smith (1968)
- The Mindblowers, directed by Harlan Renvok (1968)
- Lonesome Cowboys, directed by Andy Warhol(1967)
- Heat, directed by Paul Morrissey (1972)
