Early Life
He was born in Long Island as John McLaughlin. He was given the last name of Sex soon after moving to New York City. He attended the School of Visual Arts in New York City where he knew Keith Haring, and Jean-Michel Basquiat. He often used the print studio there to create punk-style posters for downtown bands, and later for himself. He exhibited some of his word-based art at the "Beyond Words" show at the Mudd Club (alongside artists such as Keith Haring, Kenny Scharf and Futura 2000; and performers Iggy Pop, Fab Five Freddy and Alan Vega), and at the "New York / New Wave" exhibition at P.S.1, both in 1981. He soon met Klaus Nomi and Joey Arias in the downtown New York scene and gave up painting, finding he could better express himself in performance.
Read more about this topic: John Sex
Famous quotes containing the words early and/or life:
“I believe that if we are to survive as a planet, we must teach this next generation to handle their own conflicts assertively and nonviolently. If in their early years our children learn to listen to all sides of the story, use their heads and then their mouths, and come up with a plan and share, then, when they become our leaders, and some of them will, they will have the tools to handle global problems and conflict.”
—Barbara Coloroso (20th century)
“Thy fate is the common fate of all;
Into each life some rain must fall.”
—Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807–1882)