Billy Name

{{Short description|American filmmaker (1940–2016)}} {{Use American English|date=March 2026}} {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2022}} {{Infobox artist | name = Billy Name | image = Billy Name (Greenman) by David Shankbone.jpg | caption = Billy Name in 2007 | birth_name = William George Linich | birth_date = {{birth date|1940|2|22}} | birth_place = Poughkeepsie, New York, U.S. | death_date = {{death date and age|2016|7|18|1940|2|22}} | death_place = Poughkeepsie, New York, U.S. | field = {{hlist|Photographer|filmmaker|lighting designer|archivist}} | training = | movement = | works = | patrons = | influenced by = | influenced = | awards = }}

'''William George Linich''' (February 22, 1940 – July 18, 2016), known professionally as '''Billy Name''', was an American photographer, filmmaker, and lighting designer.

Billy Name was the archivist of The Factory from 1964 to 1970.<ref>{{cite news |last=Kennedy |first=Randy |date=January 8, 2010 |title=In Search of an Archive of Warhol's Era |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/09/arts/design/09billy.html |accessdate=January 10, 2010 |newspaper=The New York Times}}</ref><ref>[http://www.irvinecontemporary.com/otherExhibitions.php?eventID=44 Celebrity Portraits from the Warhol Factory Years] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090201171722/http://www.irvinecontemporary.com/otherExhibitions.php?eventID=44|date=February 1, 2009}}, exhibition and catalog from the Irvine Contemporary gallery, Washington, DC.</ref> His collaboration with pop artist Andy Warhol included films, paintings, and sculptures. Linich became Billy Name among the clique known as the Warhol superstars. He was responsible for "silverizing" Warhol's New York studio, the Factory, where he also resided. His photographs of the scene at the Factory and Warhol are important documents of the pop art era.<ref name="newyorker.com3">[http://www.newyorker.com/culture/photo-booth/billy-names-factory-photographs ''BILLY NAME'S FACTORY PHOTOGRAPHS'' by Jessie Wender from the August 3, 2012 issue of ''The New Yorker'' Magazine, accessed 2017-06-06]</ref>

In 2001, the United States Postal Service used one of Name's portraits of Warhol when it issued a commemorative stamp of the artist.<ref name="Thewaverlypress.com">{{cite web |title=Billy Name's portrait of Warhol as US postage stamp |url=http://thewaverlypress.com/product/andy-warhol-signed-u-s-postage-stamps |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304001535/http://thewaverlypress.com/product/andy-warhol-signed-u-s-postage-stamps |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |accessdate=June 27, 2015 |publisher=Thewaverlypress.com}}</ref> Name was awarded the Dutchess County Executive's Individual Artist Award in 2012.<ref name=":02"/>

== Biography ==

=== Early life and education === William George Linich was born on February 22, 1940, in Poughkeepsie, New York. His mother was a telephone operator and his father was a welder before becoming a barber.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Steven Watson |url=http://archive.org/details/factorymadewarho00wats |title=Factory Made |date=2003-10-21 |publisher=Pantheon |others= |isbn=978-0-679-42372-0 |pages=13–14}}</ref>

Linich graduated from Arlington High School in LaGrange, New York, as an honors student.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=Billy Name – From Life in the Warhol Factory and Beyond |url=https://poklib.org/billy-name-from-life-in-the-warhol-factory-and-beyond/ |access-date=2025-08-18 |website=poklib.org}}</ref><ref name=":2" /> Without a clear strategy, he set out for New York.<ref name=":2" /> His aptitude test indicated that he may succeed in business, but despite his inability to draw, he was pulled to the arts.<ref name=":2" /> Andy Gusmano, his great-uncle who owned a barbershop in Poughkeepsie, gave him a three-piece barbering kit, which he brought to New York.<ref name=":2" />

=== Career in theater === His first apprenticeship was with Nick Cernovich, part of the Black Mountain College contingency in New York in the 1950s, who had won an Obie Award for best lighting.{{Citation needed|date=August 2025}} "It was the end of the period of the romantic avant-garde bohemia, when artists kept younger artists and a male artist would always have a young man around."{{Citation needed|date=August 2025}}

In 1960. Linich began his career as a lighting designer at New York Poets Theatre, American Poets Theater, and the Judson Dance Company in New York City.<ref name=":02">{{Cite web |last=Purcell |first=Amanda J. |date=July 20, 2016 |title=Poughkeepsie artist, icon Billy Name dies |url=https://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/story/news/2016/07/20/poughkeepsie-artist-icon-billy-name-dies/87355672/ |access-date=2025-08-18 |website=Poughkeepsie Journal |language=en-US}}</ref> Under the tutelage of Cernovich, he co-designed the lighting for the Spoleto Festival of Two Worlds in 1960.{{Citation needed|date=August 2025}}

He also played music in the group Theatre of Eternal Music under the direction of La Monte Young.<ref>Scherman, Tony & Dalton, David, ''POP: The Genius of Andy Warhol'', HarperCollins, New York, N.Y. 2009, p. 188</ref>

=== The Factory years === Linich had first met pop artist Andy Warhol fleetingly when he was a waiter at Serendipity 3. In 1963, artist Ray Johnson brought Warhol and art critic David Bourdon to one of Linich's haircutting parties in his East Village apartment.<ref name=":02"/><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=O’Brien |first=Glenn |date=2016-08-24 |title=Billy Name (1940–2016) |url=https://www.artforum.com/columns/glenn-obrien-on-billy-name-1940-2016-230533/ |access-date=2025-08-18 |website=Artforum |language=en-US}}</ref> Name later recalled his interaction with Warhol:<blockquote>I was famous for giving haircuts, so he said, "Would you let me do a film of you doing haircuts?" [''Haircut'', 1963] I had covered my entire apartment in silver foil and painted everything silver. Andy said "Well, I just got a new loft [the Factory]; would you do to it what you've done to your apartment?" I said "Oh, sure, let's do it." So, I started doing it. I was a technician— I'd been a light designer for [Manhattan dance theatre] the Judson Church. I also worked for some off-Broadway theater and avant-garde dance companies. I installed all the lighting at the Factory, all the sound systems.<ref>{{Cite web |title=When Billy Name turned Warhol's Factory silver {{!}} photography {{!}} Agenda {{!}} Phaidon |url=https://www.phaidon.com/agenda/photography/articles/2016/july/19/when-billy-name-turned-warhols-factory-silver/ |access-date=2025-08-13 |website=www.phaidon.com}}</ref></blockquote>In return for making over his loft, Warhol gave him a new role within the Factory. "I was into light and sound before, but not photography", he said. "Andy had a still camera, but he had gotten the Bolex. He was going to start to do films, and he gave me the Pentax and said 'Here, Billy, you do the still photography; I'm going to start making films.' I became the in-house photographer and was sort of like the foreman. Eventually I moved in."<ref>{{Cite web |title=When Billy Name turned Warhol's Factory silver {{!}} photography {{!}} Agenda {{!}} Phaidon |url=https://www.phaidon.com/agenda/photography/articles/2016/july/19/when-billy-name-turned-warhols-factory-silver/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CAndy%20had%20a%20still%20camera,Eventually%20I%20moved%20in.%E2%80%9D |access-date=2024-03-21 |website=www.phaidon.com}}</ref>

His presence evoked an atmosphere that led to the development of new techniques and a new kind of art studio where Warhol began making films and creating Warhol superstars. One day, while completing a form, Linich noticed the blank "Name:" field, he entered Name and thus became Billy Name.<ref name=":1" /><ref name="Haden-Guest2">{{cite news |last1=Haden-Guest |first1=Anthony |date=July 30, 2016 |title=MAGIC TOUCH The Last Days of Billy Name... |url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/07/30/the-last-days-of-billy-name-the-man-who-turned-andy-warhol-s-factory-silver.html |accessdate=September 5, 2016 |newspaper=The Daily Beast |publisher=The Daily Beast Company LLC}}</ref>

Name lived and worked at the Factory, having taken residence in a closet at the back of the studio at 231 East 47th Street. Name taught himself the technical aspects of photography. He converted one of the Factory bathrooms into a darkroom, where he learned to process film. This, combined with his background in lighting and experimental approach to his work, resulted in a body of work that captured the "silver years" at the Factory.<ref name="newyorker.com2">[http://www.newyorker.com/culture/photo-booth/billy-names-factory-photographs ''BILLY NAME'S FACTORY PHOTOGRAPHS'' by Jessie Wender from the August 3, 2012 issue of ''The New Yorker'', accessed 2017-06-06]</ref>

Name and Warhol were briefly lovers in 1964, but the romantic aspect of their relationship dissolved into mutual loyalty and admiration.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Needham |first=Alex |date=2016-07-18 |title=Billy Name, photographer at Andy Warhol's Factory, dies aged 76 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2016/jul/18/billy-name-andy-warhol-factory-photographer-dies-76 |access-date=2024-03-21 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> Name later recalled, "He was an essential sexual entity. He was the essence of sexuality. It permeated everything. Andy exuded it, along with his great artistic creativity. Sexuality was part of the glamour—we expressed it like teenagers."<ref>{{Cite web |last=London |first=Civilian |date=2013-10-28 |title=Billy Name {{!}} The man who silvered The Factory |url=https://civilianglobal.com/arts/the-man-who-silvered-the-andy-warhol-factory-billy-name-lou-reed-ondine-1960s-new-york/ |access-date=2025-08-13 |website=CIVILIAN |language=en}}</ref> His close friendship with Warhol—and his role in creating Warhol's artistic environment—provided him with a unique perspective of the Factory, with a particular focus on a core group of superstars who largely improvised before the camera.

In 1967, ''Andy Warhol's Index (Book)'', published by Random House, was produced under Name's direction.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Goldsmith |first=Kenneth |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/I_ll_Be_Your_Mirror/KwVaB0AeYNcC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=andy+warhol+index+book+1967&pg=PA118&printsec=frontcover |title=I'll Be Your Mirror: The Selected Andy Warhol Interviews |date=2004-07-07 |publisher=Hachette Books |isbn=978-0-7867-1364-6 |pages=118 |language=en}}</ref> He was also responsible for choosing the book's texts.<ref name=":0" /> In addition to Nat Finkelstein, Warhol stated that some of Name's photographs are included in the book.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Schaap |first=Dick |date=1967-12-10 |title=Index to the World of Andy Warhol |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-san-francisco-examiner-andy-warhol-i/182881327/ |access-date=2025-10-13 |work=The San Francisco Examiner |pages=54}}</ref>

Name collaborated with Shepard Fairey on his photograph of Nico, singer with the Velvet Underground and part of the social circle of Warhol's Factory. His photographs appear in the gatefold sleeve for the 1967 album ''The Velvet Underground and Nico'' (in collaboration Nat Finkelstein). He also designed the cover for the Velvet Underground's 1968 album ''White Light/White Heat'' and his photograph was used for their 1969 eponymous third album.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wolk |first=Douglas |title=The Velvet Underground: White Light/White Heat |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/18770-the-velvet-underground-white-lightwhite-heat/ |access-date=2025-10-13 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Malanga |first=Gerard |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Uptight_The_Velvet_Underground_Story/C-Ne8rSuNRoC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=velvet+underground+billy+name+1969+cover&pg=PT167&printsec=frontcover |title=Uptight: The Velvet Underground Story: The Velvet Underground Story |date=2009-10-28 |publisher=Omnibus Press |isbn=978-0-85712-003-8 |language=en}}</ref>

In 1970, Name moved out of the Factory. He left a sign on the door that read "Andy, I am not here anymore but I am fine. Love, Billy."<ref name=":1" />

=== Later life === Name continued his photography and filmmaking endeavors at his Poughkeepsie home.<ref name=":02"/>

In 1988, he became the associate director of the Mid-Hudson Arts and Science Center in Poughkeepsie.<ref name=":3" />

In 1989, Vassar College in Poughkeepsie hosted the exhibition "The Billy Name Collection from the Warhol Factory: The Silver Era."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Pennella |first=Florence |date=1989-01-27 |title=Celebrities gather to launch Billy Name's 'Silver Era' show |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/poughkeepsie-journal-billy-name-exhibiti/179151889/ |access-date=2025-08-18 |work=Poughkeepsie Journal |pages=12D}}</ref>

In 1994, he produced a short-lived (5-8 episodes) cable television series ''The Bunka Krunka Show'' on TCI Cable Channel 32. He worked with Emmy Award-winning video editor Nicholas Apuzzo as well as film and video editor Nick Stamper. No known archive recordings exist.<ref>Statement from Executive Producer, Mark Meyers</ref>

In 1997, ''Billy Name: Factory Fotos 1963–1968'' was exhibited at London's Institute of Contemporary Arts before traveling to The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Young |first=Elizabeth |date=1997-04-13 |title=Now Even His Loo Is Famous |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-independent-now-even-his-loo-is-famo/188429864/ |access-date=2026-01-08 |work=The Independent on Sunday |pages=40}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite news |last=McCoy |first=Adrian |date=1997-07-25 |title=Factory output |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/pittsburgh-post-gazette-billy-name-exhib/179152173/ |access-date=2025-08-18 |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Weekend |pages=6}}</ref> To coincide with the show, ''All Tomorrow's Parties: Billy Name's Photographs of Andy Warhol's Factory'' was published.<ref name=":4" />

In 2014, the Milk Gallery in New York hosted the photography exhibition "Billy Name: The Silver Age."<ref>{{Cite web |last=McVey |first=Kurt |date=2014-11-06 |title=The Warhol Collaborator Billy Name on Andy, Photography and the Afterlife |url=https://archive.nytimes.com/tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/11/06/billy-name-andy-warhol-silver-age-milk/ |access-date=2025-08-18 |website=T Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Death === Name died of heart failure on July 18, 2016, in Poughkeepsie, New York.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kennedy |first=Randy |date=July 22, 2016 |title=Billy Name, Who Glazed Warhol’s Factory in Silver, Dies at 76 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/22/arts/design/billy-name-dead.html |work=The New York Times}}</ref>

== Awards and honors == In 2001, one of Name's portraits of Warhol was utilized by the United States Postal Service when they released a commemorative stamp of the artist.<ref name="Thewaverlypress.com"/>

In 2012, Name was awarded the Dutchess County Executive's Individual Artist Award.<ref name=":02"/>

== In pop culture == Name is mentioned in the Velvet Underground's song "The Story of My Life", in Lloyd Cole's song "Cut Me Down," and in the songs "Hello It's Me" and "Slip Away (A Warning)" by Lou Reed & John Cale.<ref name=":02" />

== Bibliography == * {{cite book |first1=Billy |last1=Name |first2=John |last2=Cale |first3=Glenn |last3=O'Brien |title=Billy Name: The Silver Age: Black and White Photographs from Andy Warhol's Factory |isbn=978-1-909526-17-4 |publisher=Reel Art Press |location=London |year=2014}} *''All Tomorrow's Parties: Billy Name's Photographs of Andy Warhol's Factory'', by Billy Name, Dave Hickey, and Collier Schorr; {{ISBN|1-881616-84-3}} Distributed Art Publishers (DAP) (August 1997) *''Billy Name: Stills from the Warhol Films'' by Debra Miller; {{ISBN|3-7913-1367-3}} Prestel Pub (March 1994) * Scherman, Tony & Dalton, David, ''POP: The Genius of Andy Warhol'', HarperCollins, New York, N.Y. 2009 * Steven Watson, ''Factory Made: Warhol and the Sixties'' (2003) Pantheon, New York

== References == {{Reflist}}

== External links == {{Commons category}} *[http://www.warholstars.org/indfoto/ibilly.html Warholstars.com profile of Billy Name]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Name, Billy}} Category:1940 births Category:2016 deaths Category:American album-cover and concert-poster artists Category:American LGBTQ photographers Category:American lighting designers Category:American photographers Category:Filmmakers from New York (state) Category:LGBTQ people from New York (state) Category:Place of death missing Category:People associated with The Factory Category:People from Poughkeepsie, New York Category:The Velvet Underground Category:People from the East Village, Manhattan