Andy Warhol's screen tests are, of course, not real screen tests in that they were the ends in and of themselves. Warhol trained a 16mm lens on the likes of Bob Dylan, Lou Reed, Nico, Dennis Hopper and Edie Sedwick, as well as scores of unknowns and wanna-be knowns. From 1964 to 1966 he shot 500 of the four-minute silent shorts, which can lay bare their subjects.
This Saturday the avant-pop duo (formerly of Luna) Dean & Britta provide a dreamy soundtrack for a selection of the shorts in the suitably dramatic setting of Lincoln Center's Rose Hall on the fifth floor of the Time Warner Center. The glass wall behind the stage of the Allen Room in Rose Hall provides a sweeping view of Columbus Circle and Central Park, so as cars streak past far below the stage, Warhol's footage will unreel above and Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips will accompany it all with live music.
The indie royalty are currently touring with the project, called "13 Most Beautiful ... Songs for Andy Warhol's Screen Tests," made in conjunction with the Andy Warhol Museum. The accompanying DVD is the first such authorized release.
