Chuck Wein(1939-2008)

Wein attended Taylor Allderdice High School in Pittsburgh, PA, graduating in 1957. At Harvard in the early 1960s, he met a young Radcliffe heiress named Edie Sedgwick, reportedly in their psychiatrist's office. When Chuck decided to move to New York, Edie went with him. With fair skin, natural blond hair, and blue eyes, Chuck was convinced that he and Edie could become society darlings. Recognizing that Edie had great social potential but was too disorganized to promote herself, he took over her life. Acting as her promoter, he introduced Edie to Andy Warhol in January 1965, and began taking her regularly to Warhol's Factory. According to friends, Chuck plotted their every move - whom he was going to introduce to Edie that night, what they could do for her. Chuck called himself and Edie "mock elitists in fellowship... I was her roommate, shrink, astrologer, and Tarot instructor." He was a product of the Timothy Leary acid-experiment days. He was largely responsible for several Factory films, including 'Poor Little Rich Girl' and 'Beauty #2,' as well as conceiving 'My Hustler' and 'Ciao Manhattan.' After becoming disillusioned with Factory life, he spent the rest of the 60s adventuring in the Far East, managing bizarre nightclub acts, and focusing on the occult.