It’s been 13 years since they uttered, “You got it, dude,” but the Olsen twins have certainly come a long way from their thumb-sucking days on “Full House.” After the cinematic brilliance of “New York Minute” and a stint in rehab for Mary-Kate, the princesses seemed likely to disappear from Hollywood. Now they make sporadic appearances in the tabloids, angering PETA with their fur garments and bewildering all with their fashion choices. Other than that, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen have successfully vanished. One might wonder what two obnoxiously wealthy 22-year-old girls would be doing with their time?
Surprisingly, the answer is writing a book. And not an autobiography but an actual piece of prose. This endeavor hints at disaster and embarrassment, but the art and layout of their book, “Influence,” create an unexpectedly original book.
“Influence” is a compilation of 22 interviews of creative visionaries conducted by the twins. Basically, they realized their lives were not interesting enough for a novel and recruited personalities with true influence to legitimize the book. With this said, “Influence” is intriguing for fine art enthusiasts. The book features artist Peter Beard, journalist Bob Colacello, fashion designer John Galliano and photographer Terry Richardson along with several other prestigious names in the creative world.
By far, the most enlightening and impressive interview profiled Bob Colacello, experienced the creative genius of Andy Warhol when he was editor of the magazine Interview, a product of Warhol’s third Factory. His interview highlights the evolution of art, film and journalism since the ’70s, and his words are reflective and his advice profound. When discussing Warhol, Colacello offers the insight: “Part of being a genius is taking everything from everyone around you.” His knowledge and experience reflects the title perfectly — he has known and influenced many.
On the other hand, some interviewees were disappointing and boring. Karl Lagerfeld drones on about his diet and how he “hates short people” (notice the coincidence that the twins are a mere five feet tall). David Collins, a fabulous interior designer for stars like Madonna and Tom Ford, discusses the color blue — a strange and inane fixation. In some cases, Mary-Kate and Ashley themselves even seem dreary and insignificant compared to the accomplishment and intellect of the artists.
Although the majority of the book focuses on the undeniable influence of the inspired mind, two sections are dedicated to Mary-Kate and Ashley. The scrapbook-like biography includes photo spreads, personal collages and filled-in questionnaires. Their personal responses, Polaroids and keepsakes from their childhood give an insider’s view of the life of a child star. The separate profiles are used as a tactic to enforce the image that Mary-Kate and Ashley are no longer the Olsen twins but two individual women.
They are also serious businesswomen (they own two clothing lines: The Row and Elizabeth and James) and influential people. This comes off as forced, awkwardly unnatural and rather smug. Nevertheless, the book itself is innovative and aesthetically appealing, a nice addition to the coffee table of an art devotee. “Influence” is an optimistic career move for Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen, but its underlying attempt to distinguish them as inspirational artists falls short.
2 1/2 stars out of 5
