Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Scary Poet Rene Ricard
ThereclusivepoetReneRicardisanothermemberofChelsearoyaltybyvirtueofbeingpart
of the Warhol scene. Ricard had radar for being in the right scenes at the right time. In the
'80s, he was instrumental in launching painters Julian Schnabel and Jean-Michel Basquiat
intofame.WhenRicard'sessayaboutBasquiat,“TheRadiantChild,”appearedin
ArtForum
magazine, the young artists' career skyrocketed.
TIM SULLIVAN
WhenImovedin,thepoetReneRicardhadbeenhereforawhile,buthe'skindof
scary,soIkeptmydistance.Renewouldpassthroughthelobby,andDavidLinter
and I would be sitting there, and we would say something to Rene, or he would
say some--thing to us, a little back and forth and joking here and there. As we got
to know him—and Dave's a big reader and writer—he'd be reading a book and
Rene would take interest. They'd start a conversation, and as it turned out, Rene
isthis
heavy
intellectual,atrulyknowledgeableguyaboutjustabouteverythingin
the arts, from literature to painting to music. He's truly a genius. So, knowing that
we all had interests in common, he gradually sat down more often with us in the
lobby, conversing about ideas. That's how I became friends with him.
My girlfriend Hillary, also, at first thought Rene was kind of scary. He's high
sometimes, andyou'renotquitesurewhathe'shighon.Soyouwanttogivethese
kindsofpeopletheirspace.Youdon'twanttogetpulledintotheircircle,thatedge
of the abyss. Luckily, he doesn't have the abyss that sucks people down and des-
troys them. If you leave him alone, and he does what he needs to do to maintain
his thing every day, he's fine. He's not out to hustle anybody. As long as he keeps
creating, he's okay. And once you get beyond that scary facade, you get to know
him.
If you're intellectual, Rene Ricard is a blast. It's like sitting with someone like
ShelleyorMilton.He'sthatbrilliant.Iwouldn'tsayhe'sshy,buthe'skindofvain
and self-conscious, so he can be, “Well, I'm going to get out of here,” and then he
pops off somewhere. But now he and Dave have become very good friends. He'll
sit and talk sometimes for hours, which he enjoys. Other people will chime in and
sit down, even Stanley Bard.
JAMES RASIN
Rene Ricard could turn a very interesting, witty phrase quickly. He incorporates
them into his paintings now, paintings with words.
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