THE ANDY WARHOL'S DIARIES

The most obvious precursor of our present hypochondriac culture was Andy Warhol, who lived most of his life in a state of anxiety regarding the ailments and imperfections of his "bad body." The artist's diaries record an array of obsessions, including acne, baldness, weight loss, weight gain, aging, cancer, AIDS and brain tumors.Warhol seems to predict the fate of the figure that best exemplifies the hypochondria at the heart of contemporary celebrity.

-Wall Street Journal
Jan 15 2009