The name of a
dance/
film/
pop-art/
music roadshow sponsored by
Andy Warhol in the late 60's/early 70's. Warhol used his
fame and
fortune to sponsor and promote cutting edge artists and collect them into a single,
creative troupe, shielding them from the
commercial film and
music industry and allowing them to create
raw art free from commercial constraints.
The most famous members were Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground; it was Warhol who convinced Reed to let Nico join the band, and many V.U. and Lou Reed songs (Candy Says, Walk on the Wild Side) are about fellow members of the E.P.I.