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).
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October 9, 2019
A Performance Artist in the Making: William Pope.L & the band Jon Waine
Newsletter
You will rarely, if ever, see a reference to the rock band Jon Waine in bios of William Pope.L, the celebrated artist who this month has simultaneous exhibitions opening at the Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum. But it was during his six years (1976-83) as the group’s lead singer and co-composer…