Jon Waine

Over his four-decade career, William Pope.L has mixed object-making with performances—most notably “crawling” pieces like “The Great White Way, 22 Miles, 9 Years, 1 Street” (2001–2009). Left out of most biographies is the fact that he cut his teeth as the lead singer in a rock band, Jon Waine, formed while he was still an art student. With songs by Pope.L and guitarist Brian McCormack, the band stayed together from 1976 to 1983, playing the top venues in New York and New Jersey.

Gallery 98 has acquired a small collection of Jon Waine ephemera that includes photos, posters, and a Xerox copy of a band bio sheet written and lettered by (Bill) Pope.L. Consisting of about 15 items, the collection is being sold as a whole, in a single lot. A few copies of a rare flexi disc recorded by the band in 1982 are available individually.

A YouTube video combines audio from Jon Waine’s 1982 flexi disc with silent footage of the band performing (taken by Sue Swakenhammer) and footage of William Pope.L pushing a lawnmower (taken by Brian McCormack).