I’ve Seen The Future And I’m Not Going
Back of the Book
Brilliantly funny, frank, and shattering, this is the bittersweet memoir by Peter McGough of his life with artist David McDermott. Set in New York’s Lower East Side of the 1980s and mid-1990s, it is also a devastatingly candid look at the extreme naiveté and dysfunction that would destroy both their lives.
Escaping the trauma of growing up gay in Syracuse and being bullied at school, McGough attended art school in New York, dropped out, and took out jobs in clubs, where he met McDermott. Dazzled by McDermott, whom he found fascinating and worldly, McGough agreed to collaborate with him not only on their art but also in McDermott’s very entertaining Victorian lifestyle. McGough evokes the rank and seedy East Village of that time, where he encountered Keith Haring, Rene Ricard, Kenny Scharf, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Andy Warhol, and Jacqueline and Julian Schnabel, among many others. Nights were spent at the Ninth Circle, Danceteria, and Studio 54; going to openings at the FUN Gallery; or visiting friends in the Chelsea Hotel. By the mid-1980s, McDermott & McGough were hugely successful, showing at three Whitney Biennials, represented by the best galleries here and abroad, and known for their painting, photography and “time experiment” interiors. Then, overnight, it was all gone. And one day in the mid-1990s, McGough would find that he, like so many of his friends, had been diagnosed with AIDS.
I’ve Seen the Future and I’m Not Going is a compelling memoir for our time, told with humor and compassion, about how lives can become completely entwined even in failure and what it costs to reemerge, phoenix-like, and carry on.
We Love It Because
Tracing the eccentric lives and habits of himself and the many artists he encounters in the 80s art scene in New York, McGough is able to capture the voices and humor of these art monsters in a way that highlights their humanity - even if it is their utterly ridiculous follies in the real estate market, and the impact of the hedonism and rapid consumption and devaluation of the art scene on the young and creative artists’ psyche and their art. I’ve Seen The Future preserves perfectly a moment in time that was destined never to repeat itself.
Memorable Passage
I loved the West Village, especially in the summer. All the different types of gays would be out on the street. And there were many protests for gay rights. There was a character named Rollerena who was a slim older man in a 1950s party dress, a hat with a veil, lots of sparkling cheap jewelry, and cat eyeglasses. She spun around on roller skates as she held a glitter wand with a star on the end, and as she touched passerby on the head she’d squeeze an old brass horn, which made a loud honk. The neighborhood was full of characters, from the old cocktail queens to leathermen to bohemian artistic types from the past. It was when being a freak was chic."
About the Author
Peter McGough, born in 1958, is a British-American artist and writer who, along with collaborator David McDermott, played a pivotal role in the East Village art scene during the 1980s. McGough is known for his eclectic artistic practice, which spans painting, sculpture, and photography. His distinctive style often incorporates historical references, exploring themes of nostalgia, identity, and the passage of time. McGough and McDermott gained recognition for their dedication to a deliberately anachronistic lifestyle, dressing in Victorian-era clothing and eschewing modern conveniences. Their work challenges conventional notions of art and embraces a profound exploration of temporality and cultural history. Peter McGough is worth knowing for his innovative approach to art, his contribution to the dynamic New York art scene of the 1980s, and his ongoing impact as a cultural provocateur whose work continues to captivate audiences with its unique blend of the past and the present.
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