Taylor Mead (December 31, 1924 – May 8, 2013) was an American

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, p ...

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

and performer. Mead appeared in several of

Andy Warhol Andy Warhol (; born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director, and producer who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art. His works explore the relationsh ...

's underground films filmed at Warhol's

Factory A factory, manufacturing plant or a production plant is an industrial facility, often a complex consisting of several buildings filled with machinery, where workers manufacture items or operate machines which process each item into another. T ...

, including ''Tarzan and Jane Regained... Sort of'' (1963) and '' Taylor Mead's Ass'' (1964).

Career

Born in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

and raised by divorced parents mostly in the wealthy suburb of Grosse Pointe, he appeared in

Ron Rice Ron Rice (born Charles Ronald Rice; 1935 in New York City – 1964 in Acapulco, Mexico) was an American experimental filmmaker, whose free-form style influenced experimental filmmakers in New York and California during the early 1960s. Caree ...

beat Beat, beats or beating may refer to: Common uses * Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area ** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols ** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men * Battery ( ...

classic ''

The Flower Thief ''The Flower Thief'' is a 1960 underground film directed by Ron Rice. Production Shot in 1959 in San Francisco's North Beach neighborhood and using surplus 16mm film, the film features non-professional actors like Taylor Mead and Eric "Big Daddy ...

'' (1960), in which he "traipses with elfin glee through a lost

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

of smoke-stuffed North Beach cafés ..." Film critic

P. Adams Sitney P. Adams Sitney (born August 9, 1944 in New Haven, Connecticut), is a historian of American avant-garde cinema. He is known as the author of ''Visionary Film'', one of the first books on the history of experimental film in the United States. Life ...

called ''The Flower Thief'' "the purest expression of the Beat sensibility in cinema."

Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the creat ...

film critic

J. Hoberman James Lewis Hoberman (born March 14, 1949) is an American film critic, journalist, author and academic. He began working at ''The Village Voice'' in the 1970s, became a full-time staff writer in 1983, and was the newspaper's senior film critic ...

called Mead "the first underground movie star." In 1967, Taylor Mead played a part in the

surrealistic Surrealism is a cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists depicted unnerving, illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself. Its aim was, according to l ...

play '' Desire Caught by the Tail'' by

Pablo Picasso Pablo Ruiz Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and Scenic design, theatre designer who spent most of his adult life in France. One of the most influential artists of the 20th ce ...

when it was set for the first time in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

at a festival in

Saint-Tropez , INSEE = 83119 , postal code = 83990 , image coat of arms = Blason ville fr Saint-Tropez-A (Var).svg , image flag=Flag of Saint-Tropez.svg Saint-Tropez (; oc, Sant Tropetz, ; ) is a commune in the Var department and the region of Provence-Al ...

, among others with

Ultra Violet Ultraviolet (UV) is a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelength from 10 nm (with a corresponding frequency around 30 PHz) to 400 nm (750 THz), shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays. UV radiation i ...

. In the mid-1970s,

Gary Weis Gary Weis (c. 1943) is an American filmmaker. He is known for creating multiple short films that aired on ''Saturday Night Live'' in the late 1970s. He co-produced and provided visual effects for the documentary ''Jimi Hendrix'' (1973); he co- ...

made some short films of Mead talking to his cat in the kitchen of his

Ludlow Street Ludlow Street runs between Houston and Division Streets on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City. Vehicular traffic runs south on this one-way street. Name Ludlow Street was named after Lieutenant Augustus Ludlow, the naval of ...

apartment on

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

Lower East Side The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets. Traditionally an im ...

called ''Taylor Mead's Cat''. One film of Mead extemporizing on the virtues of constant television watching aired during the first season of ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...

''. He also appeared in films by

Rosa von Praunheim Holger Bernhard Bruno Mischwitzky (born Holger Radtke; 25 November 1942), known professionally as Rosa von Praunheim, is a German film director, author, painter and one of the most famous gay rights activists in the German-speaking world. In ov ...

, for example in 1979 in ''

Tally Brown, New York '' Tally Brown, New York '' is a 1979 documentary film directed, written and produced by Rosa von Praunheim. The film received international attention and was shown, for example, at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City in 1979. Plot The fi ...

''. Mead was friend with both (the director and

Tally Brown Tally Brown (August 1, 1924 – May 6, 1989) was a singer and actress who was part of the New York underground performance scene, particularly Andy Warhol's "Factory" and who appeared in or was the subject of films by Andy Warhol and Rosa von P ...

). In 1995, Mead spent eight hours a day for a week at the Bon Temps bar,

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

, being documented in the photobooth costumed as a series of Warholian characters for Blake Nelson Boyd's documentary ''Photobooth Trilogy''. Characters included Superman and Mickey Mouse from

Warhol Andy Warhol (; born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director, and producer who was a leading figure in the Art movement, visual art movement known as pop art. His works explore th ...

Myth Myth is a folklore genre consisting of Narrative, narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or Origin myth, origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not Objectivity (philosophy), ...

series and references to Mead's performances in

Lonesome Cowboys ''Lonesome Cowboys'' is a 1968 American Western film directed by Andy Warhol and written and produced by Paul Morrissey. The film is a satire of Hollywood Westerns, and was initially screened in November 1968 at the San Francisco International ...

and Nude Restaurant. While living on Ludlow Street, Mead read his poetry regularly at The

Bowery Poetry Club The Bowery Poetry Club is a New York City poetry performance space founded by Bob Holman in 2002.Aptowicz, Cristin O'Keefe. (2008). ''Words in Your Face: A Guided Tour Through Twenty Years of the New York City Poetry Slam.'' Chapter 26: What the ...

. His first book of poems, "Taylor Mead on Amphetamines and in Europe", was written in 1968 (Republished by the Taylor Mead Estate, September 2015) His last book of poems (published by Bowery Poetry Books) is called ''A Simple Country Girl.'' He was the subject of William A. Kirkley's documentary ''Excavating Taylor Mead'', which debuted at the

Tribeca Film Festival The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by TriBeCa Productions, Tribeca Productions. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive progra ...

in 2005. The film shows him engaging in his nightly habit of feeding stray cats in an East Village cemetery after bar-hopping, and features a cameo by

Jim Jarmusch James Robert Jarmusch (; born January 22, 1953) is an American film director and screenwriter. He has been a major proponent of independent cinema since the 1980s, directing films including '' Stranger Than Paradise'' (1984), '' Down by Law'' ( ...

, in which Jarmusch explains that once, when Mead went to Europe, he enlisted Jarmusch's brother to feed the cemetery cats in Mead's absence. Mead appeared in the final segment of Jarmusch's 2003 film ''

Coffee and Cigarettes ''Coffee and Cigarettes'' is the title of three short films and a 2003 feature-length anthology film by independent film director Jim Jarmusch. The feature film consists of 11 short stories which share coffee and cigarettes as a common thread ...

.'' He has been "a beloved icon of the downtown New York art scene since the 60s." Mead appeared at the

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA) is a multi-disciplinary contemporary arts center in San Francisco, California, United States. Located in Yerba Buena Gardens, YBCA features visual art, performance, and film/video that celebrates local, natio ...

in San Francisco, from September 18 to 21, 2008, for a series of three films (''The Flower Thief'', ''Lonesome Cowboys'', and ''Excavating Taylor Mead'') .

Death

Mead was displaced from Ludlow Street in April 2013, receiving a settlement to move out, after many years of a dispute with his landlord. He lived with his niece, Priscilla Mead, in

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

and was planning to return to

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

on May 21 to prepare for the opening of his exhibition at the

Boyd Satellite Gallery Boyd Satellite is a contemporary art gallery in New Orleans, Louisiana founded by architect Ginette Bone and artist Blake Boyd in December 2012. The gallery opened its doors to the public at 440 Julia Street in the Warehouse District on January ...

on Julia Street in that city, but he died on May 8, 2013 in Denver. He was 88.

Filmography

*''

'' (1960, directed by

) - Flower Thief *''Lemon Hearts'' (1962, Short, directed by

Vernon Zimmerman Vernon Zimmerman is an American writer and director who made his debut as director with the 1962 short ''Lemon Hearts'' starring Taylor Mead. He collaborated with Terrence Malick on the script to his directorial debut, the road movie, ''Deadhead M ...

) *''Too Young, Too Immoral'' (1962, directed by Raymond Phelan) - Scribbles *''Hallelujah the Hills'' (1963, directed by

Adolfas Mekas Adolfas Mekas (30 September 1925 – 31 May 2011) was a Lithuanian-born American filmmaker, writer, director, editor, actor and educator. With his brother Jonas Mekas, he founded the magazine ''Film Culture'', as well as the Film-Makers' Coope ...

) - Convict II *''Tarzan and Jane Regained...Sort Of'' (1963, directed by

) - Tarzan *''Babo 73'' (1964, directed by

Robert Downey, Sr. Robert John Downey ( Elias Jr.; June 24, 1936 – July 7, 2021) was an American filmmaker and actor. He was known for writing and directing the underground film ''Putney Swope'', a satire on the New York Madison Avenue (Manhattan)#Advertising in ...

) - President Sandy Studsbury *''

Couch A couch, also known as a sofa, settee, or chesterfield, is a cushioned item of furniture for seating multiple people (although it is not uncommon for a single person to use a couch alone). It is commonly found in the form of a bench with uph ...

'' (1964, directed by Andy Warhol) - Himself *'' Taylor Mead's Ass'' (1964, directed by Andy Warhol) - Himself *''Le Désir attrapé par la queue'' (1964, directed by Jean-Jacques Lebel) *''

The Nude Restaurant ''The Nude Restaurant'', also billed as ''Nude Restaurant'', is a 1967 feature-length underground film directed by Andy Warhol, and starring Viva, Louis Waldon, Taylor Mead, Billy Name, Allen Midgette, and Rolando Peña. Different versions of the ...

'' (1967, directed by Andy Warhol) - Harmonica Player *''

Imitation of Christ In Christian theology, the imitation of Christ is the practice of following the example of Jesus.''A concise dictionary of theology'' by Gerald O'Collins, Edward G. Farrugia 2004 page 115''Imitating Jesus: an inclusive approach to New Testament ...

'' (1967, directed by Andy Warhol) - Hobo *''****'' (1967, directed by Andy Warhol) *''European Diary'' (1967, director) *''The Illiac Passion'' (1967, directed by

Gregory Markopoulos Gregory J. Markopoulos (March 12, 1928 – November 12, 1992) was an American experimental filmmaker. Biography Born in Toledo, Ohio in 1928 to Greek immigrant parents, Markopoulos began making 8 mm films at an early age. He attended USC Film Sc ...

) - The Demon or Sprite *''Dialogue with Che'' (1968, directed by José Rodriguez-Soltero) - CIA Agent *''The Bizarre Ones'' (1968, directed by Henri Pachard) *''

'' (1967, directed by Andy Warhol) - Nurse *''

San Diego Surf San Diego Surf may refer to: * San Diego Surf SC, a youth soccer club * Oceanside Surf, a basketball team formerly known as San Diego Surf * ''San Diego Surf'' (film), a 1968 film by Andy Warhol {{disambiguation ...

'' (1968, directed by Andy Warhol) - Mr. Mead *''

Midnight Cowboy ''Midnight Cowboy'' is a 1969 American drama (film and television), drama film, based on the 1965 Midnight Cowboy (novel), novel of the same name by James Leo Herlihy. The film was written by Waldo Salt, directed by John Schlesinger, and stars ...

'' (1969, directed by John Schlesinger) - The Party #5 *''The Secret Life of Hernando Cortez'' (1969, directed by John Chamberlain) -

Hernán Cortés Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro Altamirano, 1st Marquess of the Valley of Oaxaca (; ; 1485 – December 2, 1547) was a Spanish ''conquistador'' who led an expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire and brought large portions of w ...

*''Brand X'' (1970, directed by

Wynn Chamberlain Elwyn Moody "Wynn" Chamberlain, (19 May 1927 – 27 November 2014), was an American artist , film maker and author. Described by ''The New York Times'' as a "pioneer realist painter", Chamberlain has two works, ''Interior: Late August'' (1955) a ...

) - Viewer / President / Minster / Nurse *''Cleopatra'' (1970, directed by Michel Auder) *''

Up Your Legs Forever ''Up Your Legs Forever'' is a 1971 film by John Lennon and Yoko Ono. The film was made on 14 December 1970 on West 61st Street in Manhattan, New York City, though the couple did not have permits to work in the United States at that time. The fi ...

'' (1971, directed by

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

and

Yoko Ono Yoko Ono ( ; ja, 小野洋子, Ono Yōko, usually spelled in katakana ; born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, and peace activist. Her work also encompasses performance art and filmmaking. Ono grew up i ...

) - Himself *''

Hit Squad The Hit Squad is an American hip hop collective of East coast hip hop artists. Originally formed in the 1990s by Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith of the rap group EPMD, the group included rap artists such as K-Solo, Redman, Das EFX, Top Quality, ...

'' (1976, directed by

Bruno Corbucci Bruno Corbucci (23 October 1931 – 7 September 1996) was an Italian screenwriter and film director. He was the younger brother of Sergio Corbucci, and wrote many of his films. He was born in Rome, where he also died. The vast majority o ...

) - Matto a New York (uncredited) *''

Messalina, Messalina! ''Messalina, Messalina!'', also known as ''Caligula II: Messalina, Messalina'' and ''Caligula:sins of Rome'', is a 1977 Italian sex comedy and sword-and-sandal spoof. Background The film is not in fact a sequel nor a prequel to Tinto Brass' 1979 ...

'' (1977, directed by Bruno Corbucci) - (uncredited) *''

Brothers Till We Die ''Brothers Till We Die'' ( it, La banda del gobbo) is a 1977 Italian poliziottesco-action film by Umberto Lenzi and fifth and final entry into the Tanzi/Moretto/Monnezza shared universe. This film is the last collaboration among Lenzi and Tom ...

'' (1978, directed by Umberto Lenzi) - Mentally ill Man (uncredited) *''Feedback'' (1978, directed by Bill Doukas) *''

'' (1979, documentary, directed by

) - Himself *'' Union City'' (1980, directed by

Marcus Reichert Marcus Reichert (19 June 1948 - 19 January 2022) was an American painter, poet, author, photographer, and film writer/director. He was given his first exhibition of paintings at the age of twenty-one at the Gotham Book Mart, Gotham Book Mart and ...

) - Mentally ill Man (uncredited) *''

Underground U.S.A. ''Underground U.S.A.'' is a 1980 feature-length underground film directed by Eric Mitchell and starring Patti Astor, Rene Ricard, Jackie Curtis, Cookie Mueller, Tom Wright, John Lurie, and Taylor Mead. Future director Jim Jarmusch was the sound ...

'' (1980, directed by Eric Mitchell) - The uncle *''No Such Thing As Gravity'' (1989, directed by Alyce Wittenstein) *''C'est vrai! (One Hour)'' (1990, directed by

Robert Frank Robert Frank (November 9, 1924 – September 9, 2019) was a Swiss photographer and documentary filmmaker, who became an American binational. His most notable work, the 1958 book titled ''The Americans'', earned Frank comparisons to a modern-da ...

) *''

Buster's Bedroom ''Buster's Bedroom'' is a 1990 independent German comedy film directed by Rebecca Horn. The film follows a young woman with an infatuation for Buster Keaton. The film was shown at the Marché du Film of the Cannes Film Festival in May 1990. Later t ...

'' (1991, directed by Rebecca Horn) - James *''Shadows in the City'' (1991, directed by Ari M. Roussimoff) - Father *''Last Supper'' (1992, directed by

) *''Natural Born Crazies'' (1994, directed by George Baluzy) *''Taylor Mead Unleashed'' (1996, directed by Sebastian Piras) *''Ecstasy In Entropy'' (1999, Short, directed by

Nick Zedd Nick may refer to: * Nick (given name) * A cricket term for a slight deviation of the ball off the edge of the bat * British slang for being arrested * British slang for a police station * British slang for stealing * Short for nickname Place ...

) *'' Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV'' (2000, directed by Lloyd Kaufman) *''

'' (2003, directed by

) - Taylor (segment "Champagne") (voice) *''Excavating Taylor Mead'' (2005, Short, directed by William A. Kirkley) - Himself *''Electra Elf: The Beginning'' (2005, directed by Nick Zedd) *''Man Under Wire'' (2005, directed by Josh Bishop) *''Nubile Nuisance'' (2006, directed by David B. Wilson) - Father Jocasta *''The Party in Taylor Mead's Kitchen'' (2011, directed by Jeffrey Wengrofsky)§ *''Toilet Gator'' (2017, directed by Jonathan M. Parisen) - Bar act *''

Queen of Sheba Meets the Atom Man ''The Queen of Sheba Meets the Atom Man'' is a 1963 American experimental film directed by Ron Rice. It stars Winifred Bryan as the Queen of Sheba and Taylor Mead as the Atom Man. Featured players are Ron Rice, Julian Beck, Judith Malina, Jack Sm ...

'' (2018, directed by Ron Rice) - The Atom Man (final film role)

Footnotes

References

* Mead, Taylor (1961). ''excerpts from the anonymous diary of a new york youth''. (Self-published, 41pp) * ''Excavating Taylor Mead,'' 2005, William A. Kirkley
Artist bio from the Whitney Museum 2006 Biennial, "Day for Night."

External links

*
Reginald Gay collection of Taylor Mead and related materials, 1941-1991 (bulk 1960-1990)
held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division,

New York Public Library for the Performing Arts The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center, at 40 Lincoln Center Plaza, is located in Manhattan, New York City, at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts on the Upper West Side, between the Metro ...