Interview with Ellsworth Taylor, January 9, 1982

Partial Transcript: I guess you, a series of stories that he's written, and I was reading in one book that he, uh became, uh, a homosexual because it allowed him to the freedom to, continue, you know, he could have his sex, or whatever they, I don't understand it, but, have their sexual involvements and kicks or jollies and not have any involvement, commitment--

Segment Synopsis: This interview contains strong language and discussions of a sexual nature. It may not be suitable for children. Taylor talks about Henry Faulkner’s sex life, including his rumored promiscuity and his life as a gay man. Taylor talks about Henry Faulkner’s love for animals, such as goats and doves. He then talks about helping Faulkner prepare for art shows in the mid-1960s. The two then talk about African Americans and racial slurs.

Keywords: African Americans; Alcoholism; Arlington Avenue; Art; Art shows; Artists; Bingham, Barry; Commitment; Cosindas, Marie; DeSoto (Automobile); Doves; Drake, Snooks; Eastern Kentucky University; Faulkner, Henry; Fraternity houses; Gay; Goats; Herndon, James; Homosexuality; Kentucky; Key West (Fla.); Louisville (Ky.); Manchester (Ky.); Masonite; Paintings; Picasso, Pablo; Psychiatrists; Racial slurs; Racism; Sailors; Sex; Shows; Sweet Evening Breeze; Teenagers; Wilson

Subjects: African American; Alcoholism; Art; Artists; Bingham, Barry, 1906-1988; Cosindas, Marie; DeSoto automobile; Doves in art.; Eastern Kentucky University; Faulkner, Henry; Faulkner, Henry, 1924-1981.; Fraternity Brothers; Goats; Homosexuality; Kentucky; Key West (Fla.); Lexington (Ky.); Louisville (Ky.); Manchester (Ky.); Picasso, Pablo, 1881-1973.; Psychiatrists.; Racism; Sailors; Sex; Teenagers

Partial Transcript: Have you met Wilson?

Segment Synopsis: Taylor talks about Faulkner’s family, including his alcoholic brother Wilson Faulkner. He then talks about Faulkner’s living conditions, which left much to be desired. They also discuss Faulkner’s speaking and singing voice.

Keywords: Alcoholism; Arlington Avenue; Artists; Aunts; Brothers; Cats; Country; Falsetto; Families; Fathers; Faulkner, Harvey; Faulkner, Henry; Faulkner, Laura; Faulkner, Wilson; Food; Furniture; Gratz Park (Lexington, Ky.); Guthrie, Woody; High lonesome sound; Kentucky; Legs; Lexington (Ky.); Limps; Lowell, James Russell; Monroe, Bill; Niles, John Jacob; Opera coats; Poetry; Sisters; St. Louie Woman (Song); Taylor, Nancy; Uncles; Voice

Subjects: Alcoholism; Artists; Aunts; Brothers; Cats; Country; Families; Faulkner, Henry; Faulkner, Henry, 1924-1981.; Food; Furniture; Guthrie, Woody, 1912-1967.; Kentucky; Leg; Lexington, (Ky.); Lowell, James Russell, 1819-1891.; Monroe, Bill, 1911-1996; Niles, John Jacob, 1892-1980; Poetry; Sisters; Taylor, Nancy; Uncles.; Voice.

Partial Transcript: What--your--how was Henry around women?

Segment Synopsis: Taylor talks about Faulkner’s penchant for acting as an entertainer unconsciously.

Keywords: Art shows; Artists; Cincinnati (Ohio); Faulkner, Henry; Freaks; Goats; Hallucinations; LSD (Drug); Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD); Painting; Performers; Poetry; Women

Subjects: Artists; Cincinnati (Ohio); Faulkner, Henry; Faulkner, Henry, 1924-1981.; Goats; LSD (Drug); Lexington (Ky.); Poetry; Women

Partial Transcript: I've got millions of things running through my mind, criss-crossing here.

Segment Synopsis: Taylor talks about whether or not Faulkner was influenced by the beat movement of the 1950s. They then talk about the extent to which Faulkner reflected eastern Kentucky.

Keywords: Beat; Beatniks; Capote, Truman; Faulkner, Henry; Ginsberg, Allen; Goats; Greenwich Village (New York, N.Y.); Howl (Poem); Kentucky; Kerouac, Jack; Key West (Fla.); Lexington (Ky.); Manchester (Ky.); May, Russell; Meadows, Nellie; Painting; Williams, Thomas Lanier “Tennessee”

Subjects: Artists; Capote, Truman, 1924-1984; Faulkner, Henry; Faulkner, Henry, 1924-1981.; Ford, Tennessee Ernie, 1919-1991; Ginsberg, Allen, 1926-1997.; Goats; Greenwich Village (New York, N.Y.); Kentucky; Kerouac, Jack, 1922-1969.; Key West (Fla.); Lexington (Ky.); Manchester (Ky.); May, Russell; Williams, Tennessee, 1911-1983.

Partial Transcript: Can, can I? Geez, I could, can talk all weekend.

Segment Synopsis: Taylor recalls how he met Henry Faulkner. He then talks about Faulkner’s painting style. They then address Faulkner’s use of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD). Taylor also discusses Faulkner’s frequent treks to Key West (Fla.).

Keywords: Abstract expressionism; Animals; Arlington Avenue; Art Institute of Chicago; Art schools; Art shows; Artists; Cubism; Faulkner, Henry; Faulkner, Wilson; Gary (Ind.); Georgetown (Ky.); Hunt Morgan House; Key West (Fla.); Lexington (Ky.); Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD); New Orleans (La.); Primitivism; Rebels; Reed, Deborah; Social realism

Subjects: Abstract expressionism.; Animals; Art Institute of Chicago.; Artists; Cubism.; Faulkner, Henry; Faulkner, Henry, 1924-1981.; Gary (Ind.); Georgetown (Ky.); Key West (Fla.); LSD (Drug); Lexington (Ky.); New Orleans (La.); Primitivism.; Social realism.

Partial Transcript: He did get in--arrested.

Segment Synopsis: Taylor discusses an incident in which Henry Faulkner was arrested for driving with a car full of animals. He then talks about another time that Faulkner was arrested for a performance art show that consisted of people having sex.

Keywords: 3rd Street; Animals; Arrests; Faulkner, Henry; Hyatt Regency; Jacksonville (Fla.); Lexington (Ky.); Performance art; Police; Schoolteachers; Sex; Teenagers; Third Street; Williams, Thomas Lanier “Tennessee”

Subjects: Animals; Artists; Faulkner, Henry; Faulkner, Henry, 1924-1981.; Jacksonville (Fla.); Lexington (Ky.); Performance art.; Police; Sex; Teachers; Teenagers; Williams, Tennessee, 1911-1983.

Partial Transcript: Did you ever hear him talk about any of the celebrity friends that he supposedly knew?

Segment Synopsis: Taylor talks about Faulkner’s celebrity friends and the extent to which he believes these relationships were “hype.”

Keywords: Brando, Marlon; Celebrities; Davis, Ruth Elizabeth “Betty”; Faulkner, Henry; Kennedy, Jacqueline; Lexington Herald; Lexington Leader; Price, Vincent; Suttle, Green; Williams, Thomas Lanier “Tennessee”

Subjects: Artists; Brando, Marlon.; Celebrities.; Davis, Betty; Faulkner, Henry; Faulkner, Henry, 1924-1981.; Lexington (Ky.); Onassis, Jacqueline Kennedy, 1929-1994.; Price, Vincent, 1911-1993.; Williams, Tennessee, 1911-1983.

Partial Transcript: I, I, I, as I say, was--am interested in and followed the career of Edgar Poulsen, when he came to Kentucky for quite awhile.

Segment Synopsis: Taylor tells a story about his friend Edgar and Henry Faulkner. He also talks about Faulkner holding up traffic to perform a burial service for his deceased pet owl. They also discuss Faulkner’s commitment to environmentalism.

Keywords: 3rd Street; Animals; Apartments; Campton (Ky.); Earth art; Environmentalism; Faulkner, Henry; Homes; Lexington (Ky.); Marion County (Ky.); Mess; Minimalism; Owls; Smells; Sticks; Third Street; University of Kentucky

Subjects: Animals; Apartments; Artists; Campton (Ky.); Environmentalism.; Faulkner, Henry; Faulkner, Henry, 1924-1981.; Houses and homes; Lexington (Ky.); Marion County (Ky.); Owls; University of Kentucky

Partial Transcript: Let me explain--

Segment Synopsis: This section begins with a discussion of the author’s work. They then talk about Faulkner’s family.

Keywords: Artists; Families; Faulkner, Henry; Parents; Poverty; Siblings; Sisters

Subjects: Artists; Families; Faulkner, Henry; Faulkner, Henry, 1924-1981.; Parents; Poverty; Siblings; Sisters

Partial Transcript: When did you see him last?

Segment Synopsis: Taylor talks about the last time he saw Faulkner, which occurred at a bank. He also talks about his interest in pseudoscience to cure his leg and back pain.

Keywords: Banks; Bone diseases; Doctors; Faulkner, Henry; Garlic; Legs; Magic; Natural foods; Owensboro (Ky.); Pyramids

Subjects: Artists; Doctors; Faulkner, Henry; Faulkner, Henry, 1924-1981.; Garlic; Leg; Lexington (Ky.); Magic.; Magick; Natural foods.; Owensboro (Ky.); Pyramids

Partial Transcript: Was he not very, uh, was he not intellectual then, at all?

Segment Synopsis: Taylor talks about his opinion regarding the extent to which Faulkner was an intellectual. Taylor also talks about Lexington’s tolerance for people who are eccentric. They then talk about Pat and Anita Madden, two eccentrics from Lexington (Ky.).

Keywords: Artists; Eccentricity; Faulkner, Henry; Headley, George; Headley-Whitney Museum; Herndon, James; Horses; Income taxes; Intellectualism; Intellectuals; Lexington (Ky.); Logic; Madden, Anita; Madden, Pat; Order; Sex; Sweet Evening Breeze; Tap dancing

Subjects: Artists; Eccentrics and eccentricities.; Faulkner, Henry; Faulkner, Henry, 1924-1981.; Headley, George, 1909-; Headley-Whitney Museum; Horses; Income tax.; Intellectuals.; Lexington (Ky.); Logic.; Madden, Pat; Order.; Sex; Tap dancing.

Partial Transcript: Because in the beginning, in '55, if you'd have asked me about, you know, Henry wasn't a well-known personality...

Segment Synopsis: Taylor talks about the start of Faulkner’s painting career, during which he frequently left town to promote himself. They then talk about Faulkner’s trip to Italy.

Keywords: Cincinnati (Ohio); Faulkner, Henry; Gratz Park (Lexington, Ky.); Guggenheim Fellowship; Lexington (Ky.); Miami (Fla.); New Orleans (La.); New York (N.Y.); Phelps, Daphne; Sicily (Italy); Suttles, Green; University of Kentucky; Williams, Thomas Lanier "Tennessee”

Subjects: Artists; Cincinnati (Ohio); Faulkner, Henry; Faulkner, Henry, 1924-1981.; Lexington (Ky.); Miami (Fla.); New Orleans (La.); New York (N.Y.); Sicily (Italy); University of Kentucky; Williams, Tennessee, 1911-1983.