As Germaine Greer writes, Solanas 'was too easily characterised as a neurotic, perverted exhibitionist, and the incident was too much a part of Warhol's three-ring circus of nuts for her message to come across unperverted.' (3) Overshadowed by Warhol's seductive public persona then, the unanimous conclusion of the media was that Solanas was mad, (4) and it is this one-dimensional image of the crazed Solanas that has left its (albeit faint) mark on modern American history. In popular accounts of the shooting, her guerrilla action was always already mediated by her victim's celebrity status as representative of the disreputable world of the 1960s New York avantgarde. It is this incident for which most people remember Solanas, if they remember her at all. Later that evening, having surrendered herself and the gun to a traffic policeman in Times Square, Solanas was taken to the 13th Precinct Booking Room where she openly confessed to the shooting of Warhol. Only one bullet hit her target, but it seriously wounded Warhol, 'entering through the left lung and hitting the spleen, stomach, liver and oesophagus before penetrating the right lung and exiting from the side.' (2) She then fired at a visiting art dealer, hitting him in the left buttock, before catching the elevator down to the ground floor. 32 calibre automatic pistol from the paper bag and fired three times at Warhol. After exchanging a few words with Solanas, Warhol and his entourage went about their business, ignoring her presence.
When Warhol and his assistant arrived in a taxi, Solanas rode with them in the elevator up to the gallery. It was a warm summer day but Solanas was heavily dressed and she had even applied a little makeup-from all accounts something she reserved for special occasions.
In the early afternoon of June 3rd, 1968, the summer of the student uprisings across the US, Valerie Solanas waited, clutching a paper bag, outside Andy Warhors new gallery and office space, the Factory, at 33 Union Square, New York. Valerie Solanas waved her gun pointing at the floor From inside her idiot madness spoke and bang Andy fell to the floor And I believe life's serious enough for some retribution I believe being sick is no excuse And I believe I would've pulled the switch on her myself -John Cale and Lou Reed, 'I Believe' (1) -Valerie Solanas commenting on her near-fatal shooting of Andy Warhol in 1968 Valerie Solanas took the elevator and got off at the fourth floor She pointed the gun at Andy saying you can't control me anymore.
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