What Did I Do?: The Unauthorized Autobiography of Larry Rivers

by Larry Rivers, Arnold Weinstein

What Did I Do? is the testimony of one of America's finest artists and includes memorable perceptions [and gossip] of friends, lovers, rivals, and the jazz and art worlds: Frank O'Hara, Terry Southern, Leo Castelli, Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, John Ashbery, Clement Greenberg, Tibor de Nagy, Jackson Pollock, Delmore Schwartz, Rudy Burckhardt, Hans Hofmann, W.H. Auden, Miles Davis, Andy Warhol. Born Larry Grossberg in 1923 in the Bronx, NY, Rivers began his career in 1940 as a jazz saxophonist and composer, changed his name and became an American icon to artists everywhere. A great figurative painter, Rivers is also acclaimed as a precursor of pop art; an artist with an unashamed interest in sexuality and the private moment, he is also celebrated for bringing history back into contemporary painting. Candid, thoughtful, and funny, this book is among the finest of artists' memoirs. This edition includes 16 pages of color and 130 black-and-white illustrations. "What Did I Do? is the harrowingly true tale of a man whose early years were, by his own accounting, governed by often brutal instincts. He responds crazily, rashly to jazz and sex and drugs, and finally to paint, becoming Larry Rivers, one of the most humane and interesting and idiosyncratic visual artists of our time."—Kurt Vonnegut

Genres: Art, Biography, Autobiography

512 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

Reviews

[Gabriel Thy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A romping disclosure of the wild and rapacious life of painter and jazz musician named Larry Rivers. No secrets kept, Rivers seemed incapable of knowing where all the lines of society were drawn. That he survived to tell us about it is a remarkable feat. That he told us about it with such flair and honesty is a stroke of genius.

[Tuck · Rating 5 out of 5]

a fantastic autobiography detailing the art, music, homelife, not-so-straight-life, and philosophies of larry rivers. wonderful stories of ohara and gang in nyc from pre- wwII till 1980's. really, this could have been twice as long, his story telling and antics are that good. i rank this one of the better chronicles of art/music/drugs/literature/revolutions of the 20th cent usa/uk/paris ; to go alongside pepper's Straight Life n coyote's tales Sleeping Where I Fall: A Chronicle

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is pretty awesome. I'm sort of into autobiographies of 20th century artist's right now, and I like this one because it reads as ridiculously candid, and he actually writes about making pictures along with everything else. Interesting perspective on the jazz scene in New York as well, and a fairly realistic take on the "bohemian" and "promiscuous" stereotypes of artists. Interesting anecdotes on the critics, art writers, gallery owners, and other artists of the time too.

[Vaughnda Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

what didn't Larry do? Entertaining and enlightening as Larry evolves and yet stays the same. Kind of a jerk, very lovable and infectious in his enthusiasm for life in general and sex, friends and art in particular.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

started off well, but then it bored me in the middle and I couldn't finish. maybe it was me?...

[Nora Novak · Rating 4 out of 5]

Larry Rivers is a wild man!! Great stuff,recommend this to other artists

[Anton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for any Rivers fan, myself included. Not for the prudish.