Warhol Here For Mod Wedding

Title: Warhol Here For Mod Wedding

Author: Fifth Estate Collective

Date: 1966

Source: https://www.fifthestate.org/archive/18-november-15-30-1966/warhol-here-for-mod-wedding

Notes: Fifth Estate #18, November 15–30, 1966

Part of: Fifth Estate 18, November 15-30, 1966

The nation’s first Mod Wedding will be held at the Michigan State Fairgrounds on Sunday, November 20^th, 1966. Pop-artist Andy Warhol will take the traditional role of father, and give the bride away.

Warhol, The Velvet Underground along with Nico (girl of the year) and Gerard Malanga, “the superstar” will be making their first appearance in Detroit to attend and film the wedding as part of the three day Carnaby Street Fun Festival which opens at the Fairgrounds on Friday, November 18^th, 1966 at 12:00 p.m.

The outdoor wedding ceremony, to be performed by the Honorable George D. Kent, Wayne County Common Pleas Judge, is also the first wedding to be held at the Fairgrounds. The bride will be wearing a specially designed “thigh-high wedding mini-gown” while the groom will be attired in the latest in Carnaby Street gear. Scott Regen, WKNR disc jockey will be the couples best man.

The Velvet Underground, a four piece instrumental group (the drummer is a girl!) will play the traditional wedding songs which will be sung by Nico. Super-Star Gerard Malanga will-then dance as the Velvet Underground improvises a “happening” comprised of instrumental sound effects and psychedelic music. the exploding plastic inevitable! After the ceremony, Warhol will present the newlyweds with a 5 foot inflated Baby Ruth candy bar—a Warhol original.

Film-maker Warhol (of the eight-hour epic “Sleep” fame) will bring his movie camera to Detroit to film the wedding. The newlywed mod couple will also receive a screen test for Underground Movies from Warhol during their honeymoon trip to New York City.

The Carnaby Street Fun Festival also features an entertainment line-up of top recording artists who will be performing two shows each day at the fair from noon to ten p.m. The show will be headlined by Dick Clark and includes Gary Lewis (in his farewell Detroit appearance prior to entering the Army), The Yardbirds, Sam the Sham, Bobby Hebb, The Distant Cousins, Brian Hyland and Jimmy Clanton. There will also be numerous exhibits of the latest in custom cars and motorcycles.

Special advance tickets to the Carnaby Street Fun Festival priced at $1.10 are available at all Food Fair Markets. Admission at the fairgrounds gate will be $2.10.