Dandy Warhols: (soon-to-be) superstars

New York Post
by Ray Rogers
August 10, 1997


Portland, Oregon’s the Dandy Warhols have clearly studied up on the musical lexicon of the Velvet Underground, the New Wave era and most heavily, the narcotic haze of My Bloody Valentine.
The distillation of these influences with the band’s own pop smarts and charisma make for a potent combination on their major label debut, “The Dandy Warhols Come Down,” one of this season’s must-buy CD’s.
Frontman Courtney Taylor has “pop star” in his genes: a great pout, a cunning sense of humor, and a compelling stage presence,, which you can check out for yourself when the Dandys play Mercury Lounge on August 18 and Coney Island High on August 19.
Or you could try MTV, which is currently airing the band’s genius video, “Not If You Were The Last Junkie On Earth” – photographer David LaChapelle’s directorial debut.
In typical LaChapelle fashion, he paints a vibrant candy coating – complete with choreographed human-syringe rickettes, swirling stretchers and mourning widow – on the rather sobering matter of heroin addiction, as the band pipe away with the refrain, “Heroin is so passé.” It’s a fresh injection of deadpan humor on and old rock-and-roll cliché.