David Weisman (1942–2019)

Forgot we had this till it somehow ended up in my room last night. Wonderfully stunning collection of photographs of Edie. More a coffee table book - plus a collection of quotes and thoughts about her by people that knew her. Not a biography although it attempts to be by photos and quotes being arranged in chronological order of her short sad but glittering life. The CD is quite short - some thoughts she apparently taped at some point. Her accent reminds me of Jane Fonda for some reason, although during the last track Edie sounds stoned, slurred words (to a point) and very depressing considering that she died not that long after it was made.

I was overwhelmed with melancholy reading some of the quotes. Pondering youth wasted vs youth lost. Why is it that so many who seem to have it all laid before them, beauty, talent, money, security and a fairly bright future somehow screw it up, not able to bear the world or the pain inside their heads. There's a very moving quote which I should have written down because I can't find it just now) about her being like a moth, a beautiful moth. (But it only implied the flame part) - corny & trite? yes but when I read it I just cried like a baby. Edie said she stepped off the edge and there was no one there. Even though she was surrounded by people, fame and excitement of New York, the Factory crowd & recently married - somehow it didn't calm her inner beasts and I can relate to that.. It makes you wonder if she'd not died what her future would have been if she'd just stepped off but outta that scene to an ordinary married life. You know that might have killed her anyway. Living that high and that bright then coming down to earth has killed many - scorched their souls and dried up the life slower. Painful to watch, painful to live.

"I tried to bake a sweet potato and the oven exploded"- Edie


Patti Smith said Edie was the real heroine of Blonde on Blonde. Now that is an interesting thought.


For fuller biography I also recommend Edie: An American Biography
by Jean Stein, George Plimpton
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1553228.Edie… (mehr)