Despite having attended Coachella seven times since 2010, Jeffrey Deitch has kept no pictorial record of his visits to the annual music festival. Contrary to the popular tradition of mediating the experience through the screen, he takes zero selfies and posts nothing to social media. “I prefer direct experience at Coachella,” he recently told CULTURED, having snapped only a single photo during opening weekend. That’s behavior Green Day lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong would certainly approve of. Sensing he was losing the battle for attention Saturday night, he begged his audience to put their phones down for just one song: “People will believe you were at Coachella, I promise.”
We know Deitch was there because we saw him with our own two eyes, perfectly composed among the heaving crowds wearing a neat linen suit. On Sunday afternoon, I caught up with the New York and Los Angeles-based gallerist to recap this experience of Coachella Weekend One. He told us what he thinks Coachella has to tell us about culture, plus a few bonus tips on having a successful festival outing.
Janelle Zara: You've been coming to Coachella for a while, right?
Jeffrey Deitch: Oh yes, I started 15 years ago. When I was director at MOCA, I went every year and years after that. I find the curating really inspiring, and something else that I find remarkable is the excellence of the performances. I was glad that I was there for the epic Beyoncé performance a few years back—that was a new level of spectacle.
I'm very interested in creative convergence: I believe that you cannot fully understand what's going on in visual art without understanding the larger cultural context. There's often a link between the best visual art, the best music, and the best fashion that’s coming out, so I try to take it all in.
Zara: What was your big takeaway about where we are as a culture this year?
Deitch: In fashion, I think Charli XCX is the big influence right now. There were so many people dressed like her in short leather shorts, a black top, and lace. The joy that you see people sharing here is so inspiring. It's so different from these dark commentaries about American carnage. It's a truly dynamic and beautiful culture that we have here to celebrate.
Zara: That’s true. But since you mention American carnage, I did notice a lot of pyrotechnics and black and red on different stages. The art direction was very “we’re in hell right now.” Very Anne Imhof DOOM.
Deitch: [Laughs] Yes, there is a darker tone to some of the music, and some of the performances.
Zara: Do you have tips for Coachella first-timers? I think they would be surprised that Coachella is very hot and the day is very long.
Deitch: This is simple advice, but wear sunscreen. And a hat. I wear the old-school, straw Borsalino type.
Zara: What else do you pack in your suitcase?
Deitch: Lightweight tailored Italian suits. I very much appreciate people who put so much effort into their Coachella outfits, but I stay in character. I get many compliments! “You look sharp. Hey dude, you look sharp.”
Zara: What are your sunglasses?
Deitch: Some years ago, I switched to transition glasses so I don't have to switch between regular eyeglasses and sunglasses. It’s my own proprietary design. I designed these myself maybe 35 years ago. If you do something that is public-oriented, as I do with the gallery, it's very good to have an aspect of your dress that communicates a kind of brand.
Zara: How do you keep from losing your accessories?
Deitch: That's one of the reasons I wear a suit—it has lots of pockets. The other tip is to make sure your phone is fully charged before you get to the festival.
Zara: Has a lot changed at Coachella since you started going?
Deitch: The beginning was very much rock and roll, and there was not much of a visual component to most of the performances, so it's fascinating to see how the audience and the programming have become more diverse. There's a much bigger presence of hip hop.
And now with the use of video screens, costumes, and stage sets, the visual component is very exciting. Part of it is the new technology, the screens, but it's also a fluency with visual imagery that's just part of what musicians do now. For instance, Green Day; I thought the video display was just phenomenal.
Zara: They had pyrotechnics and fireworks! I thought Green Day’s performance stood out in terms of live viewing, while a lot of others felt designed to be viewed on screen. Billie Joe Armstrong was even begging the audience to put their phones down and be present for just one song. Did you get a sense that people are being distracted by their phones?
Deitch: I was sort of thinking of that, but I was totally present. Green Day was super effective in bringing you in. Even though we might have been way, way, way out on the festival grounds, it was an immersive performance.
Zara: What’s your strategy for the day?
Deitch: I like sampling the different performers. I like seeing something I don't know that really excites me, and to get a feel of the different genres. I do a lot of crisscrossing. While a lot of people just spend their time hanging out in the VIP area, I'm running around, rushing to experience as much as I can. There are only a few of the acts where I watch the entire thing and this year that was LA Phil, Weezer, and Green Day.
Zara: Do you look at the art? Every year, the festival commissions new large-scale sculptures.
Deitch: I was invited there by Raffi Lehrer, who runs the art installations. One of my missions has been, and this is going back to when I was director of MOCA, to work with Coachella's programming. There's a particularly great artist, who I won't mention, who I’ve been on a mission to introduce to them. Hopefully, something can happen, we've been in dialogue for a while.
Zara: Highlights?
Deitch: This year I thought Isabel + Helen’s Take Flight was a successful work of public art. It was animated by the wind. I particularly enjoy learning about performers who I haven't heard about yet. I really liked Glassbeams for the multicultural quality of their performance, and Yo Gabba Gabba was so ecstatic and so fun. The crowd was going crazy; it was like Pop art come to life. And I was thrilled by the performance of the LA Phil. I was right up front and could see the faces of the players.
Zara: The LA Philharmonic overlapped a bit with Charli XCX's set, right?
Deitch: It was very even. When we all went to Charli she was just starting.
Zara: Was that a smooth transition for you?
Deitch: Well, that's what Coachella is about. Being open to the different genres.
