On February 22, 1987, pop art pioneer and renowned kook Andy Warhol died, not with a bang but a whimper. Having succumbed to illness in his sleep, the world lost the mastermind behind many of the most iconic images of the twentieth century. With the release of his new cinematic project, ANDY X, director Jim Sharman (co-creator and director of cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show) hopes to inject life and exuberance into the twenty-fifth anniversary of the superstar artist’s death.

Touted as a “cinematic séance on the life and death of Andy Warhol,” ANDY X will be launched live on the internet at the precise moment of the celebrated creative’s demise: February 22 2012 at 10:21pm EST. On the eve of the film’s innovative release, we talked to the director about the genesis of the project, the importance of a good tune and whether Warhol would have been a Facebook fan.

pages: First off, what prompted your latest project ANDY X?

Jim Sharman: It was a logical development from a previous collaboration with writer Stephen Sewell and composer Basil Hogios—Three Furies — about the painter Francis Bacon. It was a provocative stage work that played arts festivals around Australia to critical and popular success. Around this time, GoMA (the Gallery of Modern Art) opened in Brisbane with an impressive Warhol retrospective and that exhibition further inspired what was our already considerable interest in Andy Warhol.

Why did a project about focusing on Andy Warhol appeal to you?

It opened a door to a work where the past, present and future coalesce. Of course, it’s a poetic exploration of Warhol, not a biopic. And it offered a way of introducing this most influential, eccentric and visionary artist to a new generation by creating ANDY X for an online audience.

Would you say you feel a personal affinity with Warhol in any way?

We share a desire to reveal the world in a new way, but I guess most artists do that. He was an influence on my generation and his influence continues today and it will continue, I believe, into the future. So there’s not necessarily an affinity, but there’s certainly an influence. Maybe this is a forty-minute thank you note.

ANDY X employs music, verse and prose to explore the Warhol enigma. You’re best known for your musical extravaganzas— why is music so central for you in telling a story?

I think the basis of all good communication is rhythm and music assists this process. I wouldn’t have used verse in a movie, but online it seemed right, as did direct address to the camera – so the experience of viewing ANDY X online is direct, rhythmic and intimate.

What reaction do you hope the film will prompt in your audience?

It’s playful, insightful and serious at the same time— I hope people enjoy that aspect of ANDY X.

Why did you choose to release Andy X online?

It’s part of a big evolution in our culture, it suited our subject, and it’s fun to be part of it. ANDY X is an online adventure and it would be great to create an online niche for more screen adventures like this one.

The method of release is extremely novel— it will launch on the Internet at the precise moment of Warhol’s death. What do you feel is the significance of this approach?

Warhol is famous as a pop artist but, in his last years, Andy Warhol painted over ninety giant canvasses based on Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper, the greatest religious artwork by any American artist. He then checked himself into hospital for routine surgery but died neglected because his nurse fell asleep reading her bible. For someone who began as a Byzantine catholic in Pittsburgh and was something of an iconographer of secular saints, that’s an eerie ending. It was the start-point of ANDY X and the date has some significance for us.

It is interesting that your audience are able to use their tally of Facebook friends as currency in renting Andy X. What do you think Warhol would have made of the internet and the social networking phenomenon?

When he wasn’t a being a great artist, Andy Warhol was a bargain-hunter I think he might have enjoyed this idea.

Do you think that Warhol would have used Facebook or Twitter?

Yes— or have someone else use it for him.

Tell us a bit about your relationship with the internet as an artist. Are there any exciting or inspirational sites that you could share with our readers?

Heaps! But that would be telling! Although there’s some listed on the ANDY X  Facebook page. Check it out!

ANDY X is released worldwide tomorrow, 22 February 2012 at 10:21pm EST. For further information and to view the film when it is launched, visit the website.