I've Seen the Future and I'm Not Going

The Art Scene and Downtown New York in the 1980s

By: Peter McGough

Narrated by: Peter McGough

Brilliantly funny, frank, and shattering, this is the bittersweet memoir by Peter McGough of his life with artist David McDermott. Set in New York’s Lower East Side of the 1980s and mid-1990s, it is also a devastatingly candid look at the extreme naiveté and dysfunction that would destroy both their lives.

Escaping the trauma of growing up gay in Syracuse and being bullied at school, McGough attended art school in New York, dropped out, and took out jobs in clubs, where he met McDermott. Dazzled by McDermott, whom he found fascinating and worldly, McGough agreed to collaborate with him not only on their art but also in McDermott’s very entertaining Victorian lifestyle. McGough evokes the rank and seedy East Village of that time, where he encountered Keith Haring, Rene Ricard, Kenny Scharf, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Andy Warhol, and Jacqueline and Julian Schnabel, among many others. Nights were spent at the Ninth Circle, Danceteria, and Studio 54; going to openings at the FUN Gallery; or visiting friends in the Chelsea Hotel. By the mid-1980s, McDermott & McGough were hugely successful, showing at three Whitney Biennials, represented by the best galleries here and abroad, and known for their painting, photography and “time experiment” interiors. Then, overnight, it was all gone. And one day in the mid-1990s, McGough would find that he, like so many of his friends, had been diagnosed with AIDS.

I’ve Seen the Future and I’m Not Going is a compelling memoir for our time, told with humor and compassion, about how lives can become completely entwined even in failure and what it costs to reemerge, phoenix-like, and carry on.

©2019 Peter McGough (P)2019 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Peter McGough has written the most authentic, tragic, and inspiring memoir of the 1980s at scene ever: a tale not merely of death and rebirth but of re-death and re-rebirth. It’s beautifully wrought with amazing detail, names named, twists and turns, and recollections of twentieth-century New York City, worthy of a nineteenth-century novelist.” (Isaac Mizrahi, author of I.M.: A Memoir)

“A Manhattan feast of artists, eccentrics, oddballs, users, queens, collectors, grifters, and saints. The witty, wily McGough captures the highs and lows of New York City in its gritty, everything-goes prime while painting the story of a young misfit artist in search of himself.” (Christopher Bollen, author of The Destroyers)

“A rags-to-riches story of some of the most uncompromising artists you’ve ever encountered - a gay couple full of charm and heroism. This is essential reading for every aspiring creative nonconformist.” (Edmund White, author of City Boy: My Life in New York During the 1960s and ‘70s)

Funny, endearing, and soul-baringly frank

As an artist, working in a reclusive studio where I spend most of my waking hours, I'm always on the lookout for artist autobiographies/biographies. It's a solace to me to hear how other artist's get through life. One of my favorites, in this genre, was Ninth Street Women by Mary Gabriel. A lot of the contemporary art scene, in the U.S. seems to have emerged from hole-in-the-wall studios on the streets of New York. I find it interesting to hear about these emerging art scenes through different perspectives and in different eras. McGough's is an intriguing story-- told (and read by him) with humor and directness, and includes accounts of not only McGough's personal experiences, but also of what was happening in the larger world (and art scene), at the time. McGough comes across as very endearing and brave, despite his self-professed lack of confidence. I listened to it while painting, and it flew by with rarely a dull moment.

A vivid story of life in downtown NY in the 1980s — and a remarkable account of the author’s journey as an artist.

An inspiring account for all those who were too young to to have been there.

It was a good time…

It was a party, just to be near you
It was a good time, it was the best time
And we believed that it would last forever.

A must for art lovers!

McGough’s touching and hilarious memoir is a must read. I found myself in tears at the end. Tears I shed because I simply didn’t want it to end.

Brilliant, honest and moving recollections.

The range of this memoir is something to behold. It is a precious time capsule from the voice of someone who has transcended the darkness of extreme loss and extreme gain. The absolute truth of the true artist’s life.

Story time at its finest

Enjoyed very much the Audio Book version whereby the author reads his memoir of a fascinating life, illustrating a special time in a bygone era. Appreciated how candidly McGough relayed everything- the good, bad and ugly. Absolutely loved his reading as he did not hold back on his emotional connection to his words.

Fantastic!

I read the book a few years ago and really enjoyed it. I saw this was on audible so I decided to give it a listen. The author did such a great job preforming it that I like the audio version even more than the print!

Best narration!

At first I didn’t know if I was going to like Peter McGough’s narration style – – but it quickly grew on me. I loved the way he affected the voices of all the kooky characters in the book. I had studied McDermott and in graduate school, but I never knew anything about their personal lives and all of the different political and cultural milestones they lived through. For me, the story was over way too soon and I hope he writes more in the future.

Beautiful and extraordinary.

This audio has so much personality. It is a great feat of telling stories of the art community in the 1980’s. This is history and, as the book says, “art is history “

Fantastic

Interesting and entertaining. The author reads his book and does a great job, he colored even the most disturbing parts of the book with humor. I highly recommend this book.