Columbia Center for Oral History Portal > Oral history interview with Mayo Thompson, 2015Biographical NoteBorn in Houston in 1944, Mayo Thompson is an avant-garde musician and visual artist. In 1966 Thompson started the experimental rock band Red Crayola (now Red Krayola). After touring for several years, Thompson became a studio assistant to Rauschenberg after meeting him in Paris. With artist Christine Kozlov and Rauschenberg, Thompson resumed a documentary film project titled Mostly About Rauschenberg (1975), which was never officially released. Thompson later moved to London to collaborate with the conceptual art collective Art and Language, producing five albums under the name Red Crayola
Scope and ContentsMayo Thompson is the front man of avant-garde band Red Krayola and former studio assistant to Robert Rauschenberg. He speaks to the importance of Rauschenberg's friendship and artistic influence on the evolution of his band. He speaks about incorporating contemporary art theory into his music and distinguishes between Rauschenberg, Warhol, and Jasper Johns in terms of their work and sexual self-expression. He also theorizes the impact of art patrons, like the de Menils, on Houston, on the art world, and on his own professional trajectory. He recalls meeting Rauschenberg for the first time in Paris at Sonnabend Gallery. He discusses how assisting Sonnabend in organizing a show led to a position as Rauschenberg's studio assistant. He speaks about the economy of Rauschenberg’s entourage, the New York art community, and the essence of art production between the 1960s and 1970s. He discusses his radicalization in the 1970s and his subsequent skepticism regarding art's social purpose. He speaks to his own disillusionment and Rauschenberg's belief in art's redemptive quality. Divergent belief systems led to his falling out with Rauschenberg after the trip to Israel in 1974
SubjectsAccess ConditionsCopyright by the Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York and Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, 2015
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