Edo Bertoglio
Encyclopedia
Edo Bertoglio is a Swiss
photographer and film director. He is the director of Downtown 81
.
, and Andy Warhol’s Interview
, and other magazines. He became involved in the downtown art and music scenes of the late 70s and early 80s. During this time he was married to fashion designer Maripol
, whom he has since divorced. He also took his photography experience and familiarity the rock music to do photographic work for the covers of LPs, completing many assignments for Atlantic, Arista, and Warner Brothers Records. He also worked on Glenn O'Brien's late night countercultural talk show TV Party
.
In 1980, Bertoglio and Maripol secured backing from Rizzoli, through Fiorucci, to produce a film (with rock critic Glenn O'Brien
) about the No Wave
music scene and the general Lower East Side
milieu. The film, titled New York Beat, was directed by Bertoglio, and young graffiti writer and future artist Jean-Michel Basquiat
played the lead role, which was written by O’Brien to mirror his real life. The no-wave bands DNA
, Tuxedo Moon, The Plastics, James Chance and the Contortions
, and others appear in the movie, as well as Kid Creole and the Coconuts
. Fab Five Freddy
, Deborah Harry
and others play bit parts. After shooting finished in January 1981 Rizzoli pulled out of funding the project, and footage lay unedited for almost 20 years until released it under the title Downtown 81 in 2000.
Bertoglio left New York for his hometown of Lugano, Switzerland, in 1990. He later returned to the world of Downtown 81, writing and directing the film Face Addict, released in 2005. He also plays a main part in the film, along with artist and musician Walter Steding, as the pair walk through memories of New York in the punk era, talking to such figures as Deborah Harry
, Maripol, John Lurie
, Glenn O’Brien, etc. about the time. A poetic pseudo-documentary mixing original footage with retrospective commentary, the film was less critically or commercially successful than Downtown 81. Edo Bertoglio currently lives in Lugano producing and directing television commercials and programs for Swiss TV.
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
photographer and film director. He is the director of Downtown 81
Downtown 81
Downtown 81 is a film that was shot in 1980-1981.This film, directed by Edo Bertoglio, written and produced by Glenn O'Brien with post-production in 1999-2000 by Maripol, is a rare real-life snapshot of ultra-hip subculture of post-punk era Manhattan...
.
Life and work
Edo Bertoglio received his degree in film directing and editing at the Conservatoire Libre du Cinema Francais in Paris in 1975. He moved to New York in 1976, where he found work as a photographer for Italian VogueVogue (magazine)
Vogue is a fashion and lifestyle magazine that is published monthly in 18 national and one regional edition by Condé Nast.-History:In 1892 Arthur Turnure founded Vogue as a weekly publication in the United States. When he died in 1909, Condé Montrose Nast picked up the magazine and slowly began...
, and Andy Warhol’s Interview
Interview (magazine)
Interview is an American magazine which has the nickname The Crystal Ball Of Pop. It was founded in late 1969 by artist Andy Warhol. The magazine features intimate conversations between some of the world's biggest celebrities, artists, musicians, and creative thinkers...
, and other magazines. He became involved in the downtown art and music scenes of the late 70s and early 80s. During this time he was married to fashion designer Maripol
Maripol
Maripol was brought up in France before moving to New York, USA in 1976. She is an artist, film producer, fashion designer and stylist who has had an influence on the looks of many influential artists, including Grace Jones, Deborah Harry, and Madonna. Maripol is also a Polaroid artist...
, whom he has since divorced. He also took his photography experience and familiarity the rock music to do photographic work for the covers of LPs, completing many assignments for Atlantic, Arista, and Warner Brothers Records. He also worked on Glenn O'Brien's late night countercultural talk show TV Party
TV Party
TV Party was a Public-access television cable TV show in New York City that ran from 1978 to 1982. Glenn O'Brien was the host. Chris Stein, co-founder of the pop band Blondie, was the co-host and Walter "Doc" Steding was the leader of the TV Party orchestra. Amos Poe was the director...
.
In 1980, Bertoglio and Maripol secured backing from Rizzoli, through Fiorucci, to produce a film (with rock critic Glenn O'Brien
Glenn O'Brien
Glenn O'Brien is primarily a writer, largely on the subjects of art, music and fashion. He's featured as "The Style Guy" at GQ magazine, and has published a book with that title....
) about the No Wave
No Wave
No Wave was a short-lived but influential underground music, film, performance art, video, and contemporary art scene that had its beginnings during the mid-1970s in New York City. The term No Wave is in part satirical word play rejecting the commercial elements of the then-popular New Wave genre...
music scene and the general Lower East Side
Lower East Side
The Lower East Side, LES, is a neighborhood in the southeastern part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is roughly bounded by Allen Street, East Houston Street, Essex Street, Canal Street, Eldridge Street, East Broadway, and Grand Street....
milieu. The film, titled New York Beat, was directed by Bertoglio, and young graffiti writer and future artist Jean-Michel Basquiat
Jean-Michel Basquiat
Jean-Michel Basquiat was an American artist. His career in art began as a graffiti artist in New York City in the late 1970s, and in the 1980s produced Neo-expressionist painting.-Early life:...
played the lead role, which was written by O’Brien to mirror his real life. The no-wave bands DNA
DNA (band)
DNA was a No Wave band formed in 1978 by guitarist Arto Lindsay and keyboardist Robin Crutchfield. Rather than playing their instruments in a traditional manner, they instead focused on making unique and unusual sounds...
, Tuxedo Moon, The Plastics, James Chance and the Contortions
James Chance and the Contortions
James Chance and the Contortions, led by saxophonist and vocalist James Chance, were one of the original punk jazz groups of the New York No Wave music scene. Their first recording, credited solely as Contortions, was on the 1978 compilation, No New York, produced by Brain Eno...
, and others appear in the movie, as well as Kid Creole and the Coconuts
Kid Creole and the Coconuts
Kid Creole and the Coconuts is an American musical group created and led by August Darnell. Its music incorporates a variety of styles and influences, in particular "American and Latin American, South American, Caribbean, Trinidadian, Calloway" and conceptually inspired by the big band era...
. Fab Five Freddy
Fab Five Freddy
Fred Brathwaite , more popularly known as Fab 5 Freddy, is an American Hip hop historian, Hip hop pioneer and former graffiti artist...
, Deborah Harry
Debbie Harry
Deborah Ann "Debbie" Harry is an American singer-songwriter and actress, best known for being the lead singer of the punk rock and new wave band Blondie. She has also had success as a solo artist, and in the mid-1990s she performed and recorded as part of The Jazz Passengers...
and others play bit parts. After shooting finished in January 1981 Rizzoli pulled out of funding the project, and footage lay unedited for almost 20 years until released it under the title Downtown 81 in 2000.
Bertoglio left New York for his hometown of Lugano, Switzerland, in 1990. He later returned to the world of Downtown 81, writing and directing the film Face Addict, released in 2005. He also plays a main part in the film, along with artist and musician Walter Steding, as the pair walk through memories of New York in the punk era, talking to such figures as Deborah Harry
Debbie Harry
Deborah Ann "Debbie" Harry is an American singer-songwriter and actress, best known for being the lead singer of the punk rock and new wave band Blondie. She has also had success as a solo artist, and in the mid-1990s she performed and recorded as part of The Jazz Passengers...
, Maripol, John Lurie
John Lurie
John Lurie is an American actor, musician, painter and producer. He is co-founder of The Lounge Lizards, a jazz ensemble. Lurie has acted in 19 films including Stranger than Paradise and Down by Law, composed and performed music for 20 television and film works, and he produced and starred in...
, Glenn O’Brien, etc. about the time. A poetic pseudo-documentary mixing original footage with retrospective commentary, the film was less critically or commercially successful than Downtown 81. Edo Bertoglio currently lives in Lugano producing and directing television commercials and programs for Swiss TV.