BLOG.KOBEK.COM: the only performance that really makes it

the only performance that really makes it

May 25th, 2007 – by Jarett Kobek

The New York Times is running a review of the Whitney’s Summer of Love exhibit. I had considered a jaunt down to New York, partly to see old friends, partly to check out the new antiquities wing at the Met, and partly to remind myself why I live in California. Two days ago, I decided that I wouldn’t– but the lead image from the article almost makes me reconsider:

I’ve never seen this before, but it’s instantly recognizable as the work of Martin Sharp, for my money the best psychedelic artist of the 60s. Sharp was a co-founder & editor of OZ, the premiere London underground magazine. He personally handled the visual design and layout for the first 20 or so issues. It takes a few issues for OZ to hit its stride– but by, say, issue #8, the magazine becomes one of the most graphically inventive periodicals ever published. This was single-handedly the work of Sharp.

Issue 16, the wonderful & unbelievable OZ Presents the Magic Theatre, was designed and executed by Sharp alone. It stands as the best artefact of the whole psychedelic period. The visual and narrative complexity are astonishing. Also indescribable. It’s better to just go read it yourself. In fact, you can read the vast majority of issues of OZ here.

Look for the Lucifer ads, amongst other period hilarities.

Although I don’t think it’s mentioned in either of the two books (or are there three?) on the film, Sharp was clearly hired by Donald Cammell to do some, if not all, set design on Performance. Turner’s living room/performance space and Noel/Chaz’s basement flat both contain vintage Sharp, including a funny adaptation of the cover of OZ #15: