Credo: Bibbe Hansen

I wasn't a typical 14-year-old. I was what you'd politely call a problem child. I met Andy Warhol and began working with him the day after I got out of juvenile prison.

Andy Warhol was a working-class artist at a time when most artists were elite. He also came from commercial art – you couldn't be a fine artist if you did commercial art. He did a whole turnaround by celebrating this low art form – and with it, the everyday person. I think that's one of the reasons why he's so loved today.

Warhol was endlessly curious and fascinated by everything around him. That's such a wonderful quality not only for an artist, but for a human being.

The things that were going on in the New York underground at that time were very dark. By comparison, the Factory was a safe place for me. You went there every day and you would see work being done. Well, late at night, things got strange.

I've got a pretty good memory. The problem is all the drug use. The film's all there, but it's like someone took it off the reel and dumped it on the floor. It's a little tangled up.

Children should be safe and nurtured, but that was never what I had. My dad was an artist and my mother was a heroin addict. But she took me to the opera and imparted a great love of literature and theatre. My dad introduced me to art and Andy Warhol.

My children are pretty impressed with my connection to Warhol, because they're artists themselves [her eldest son is the musician Beck]. For a lot of young people, the Factory still resonates.

The nice thing about being an adult is having more control over your environment. I had a brief romance with being ultra-stable and then realised it was kind of boring. I'm back to leading an artist's life.

Andy Warhol: Other Voices, Other Rooms is at the Hayward, London until 18 January, www.southbankcentre.co.uk

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