|
BIOGRAPHIES - THE CAST
   JEAN MICHEL BASQUIAT was 19 years old when he was cast in
Downtown 81. His twentieth birthday came during the shooting of the film.
Basquiat was already a notorious member of the downtown art scene, known for
his witty, omnipresent "Samo" graffiti, his unique band Gray, and his general
creativity and stylishness. He was a painter without a studio, making art with
whatever was at hand, sweatshirts, refrigerators, doors and discarded wood.
Around this time he met Glenn O’Brien, who was working on an article about
graffiti. They became friends and Basquiat began collaborating on O’Brien’s
wild public access cable show, TV Party, the crew of which also included Maripol, Edo
Bertoglio and Fab Five Freddie. In 1980 Basquiat’s work was first exhibited in the
influential "Times Square Show." When Maripol, Edo and Glenn began this film project,
Glenn wrote the main part for Jean Michel. During filming, the young artist lived in
the production office, where he had his first real studio space. In 1981, Basquiat was
one of the art stars of the "New York New Wave Show" at P.S.1 Institute for Art, where
he exhibited several paintings. It was the beginning of a meteoric rise, and within a
year he was one of the hottest artists in the world. His work drew raves in Art in
America and Art Forum. In 1982 he had his first one-artist exhibition at the Annina
Nosei Gallery, followed by one-artist shows at Bruno Bischoffberger in Zurich and
Larry Gagosian in Los Angeles.
At 21 he was the youngest of the 176 artists included in
"Documenta 7" at Kassel, Germany. The next year, 1983, he was the youngest artist
included in the Whitney Biennial exhibition. By this time Basquiat had formed a strong
friendship with Andy Warhol, collaborating with him on paintings and renting a building
owned by Warhol for a studio. Between 1984 and 1986, his work was shown in major museums
and galleries around the world, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the
Hirschorn Museum in Washington, the Musee d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, the
Art Institute of Chicago and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. In February 1987,
Andy Warhol died, devastating Basquiat. For the remainder of his life he struggled with
drug use. In the spring of 1988 he held his first New York Show in one and a half years
and he traveled to Hawaii to kick drugs. He returned to New York clean, but on August 12,
1988 he died in his loft at the age of twenty seven. A memorial was held at
St.Peter’s, the jazz church, on November 5, 1988. A major retrospective of his work
opened at the Whitney Museum of American Art in October, 1992.
This film features music created by Jean Michel Basquiat with his band
Gray (‘Drum Mode’), and in collaboration with Andy "Coati Mundi" Hernandez
(‘Palabras con Ritmo’) and Rammellzee (‘Beat Bop’.)
KID CREOLE AND THE COCONUTS were one of the top international acts of
the eighties, and they have continued to make their exotic eclectic music on into the new
millennium. "Kid Creole" is August Darnell, who along with featured bandmate "Coati Mundi"
Andy Hernandez started out in the hit disco group Dr. Buzzard’s Original Savannah Band.
Their first album, "Off the Coast of Me," was released by Ze Records in 1980. Since then
they have gone on to make a total of twenty albums. Andy Hernandez also produced the track
"Palabras Con Ritmo" with vocals by Jean Michel Basquiat, which is heard at several points
in Downtown 81. August Darnell recently starred in one of England’s top musicals,
"Oh What a Night."
TUXEDOMOON came together in San Francisco in 1977, but they were one of
the most popular "new wave" bands on the New York scene. In 1982 they migrated to Belgium
where they continued to make music and began wandering through Europe. In Downtown 81,
Tuxedomoon appears as a trio: Steven Brown, Blaine Reininger and Peter Principle.
Performance artist Winston Tong was also a sometime member of the group. Tuxedomoon has
released ten albums, all of which are still available on Cramboy Records. Tuxedomoon still
exists; they played the Next Festival in Tel Aviv in 1997 and hope to begin rehearsing over
the Internet. Today, Steven Brown lives in Mexico City, where he has a band called Ninerain.
They have recorded a CD in Cuba, which will be released by Opcion Soncia. Blaine Reininger
lives in Athens, where he is active in composing and performing. He has scored and acted in
films by Nick Triandfyllidis, an award winning Greek director. Peter Principle lives in
New York City. He has three solo albums to his credit, "Sedimental,""Tone Poems," and
"Conjunction." He’s currently working with an improvisational ensemble, "Ecobravo."
JAMES WHITE AND THE BLACKS, in one form or another, was one of the most
notorious bands in New York for more than a decade. James White was first known as James
Chance, the saxophonist in Teenage Jesus and the Jerks, who achieved worldwide notice on
Brian Eno’s No New York compilation LP. Soon Chance formed his own group, the
Contortions, who pioneered "punk funk," with their breakthrough music that reflected such
disparate influences as Ornette Coleman, James Brown and Funkadelic. With the breakup of
the Contortions, Chance became White and founded an extraordinary band called James White
and the Blacks, featuring an all black except for "White" lineup of top musicians, including
the well known jazz players, trombonist Joe Bowie (who founded Defunkt) and guitarist Bern
Nix. The Contortions and James White and the Blacks released numerous albums on Ze Records.
James White is still active with a new band and a new album: James White and the Sardonic
Sinphonics.
DNA brought new meaning to the word "power trio" as one of the most
remarkable ensembles ever to come out of the New York music scene. Founded by guitarist
Arto Lindsay, the group included bassist Tim Wright, formerly of Pere Ubu, and drummer
Ikue Mori, who are also featured in control room "cameos" in Downtown 81. DNA issued a few
recordings including an EP, "A Taste of DNA," in 1981 (American Clave), and an LP, "DNA
Live at CBGBs" (Disk Union, Japan.) The members of DNA continue to work on their
individual musical projects. Arto Lindsay releases inventive new albums regularly and is
one of the most popular producers on the Brazilian music scene. His most recent release is
"Noon Chill" (Bar/None Records.)
THE PLASTICS were the first Japanese band to make a global impact as
part of the "new wave" scene. They released three albums between 1980 and 1981. "Welcome
Plastics," "Origato Plastico," and "Welcome back Plastics." In the late eighties some of
the members reformed as The Melons.
WALTER STEDING started out in the late seventies as a one-man band,
generally appearing as a favorite opening act at CBGBs for popular bands such as Blondie,
the Ramones and Suicide. When Blondie became a number one act, Walter continued his
opening as one-man band, but in arenas and stadiums. In 1980, Walter formed a group,
Walter Steding and the Dragon People. In Downtown 81, that band includes Lenny Ferrari,
Karen Geneice, Claudia Summers and Katherine Ruby (now Mrs. Mac Rebennack, "Dr. John.")
In the eighties, Walter’s day job was painting assistant to Andy Warhol, who
eventually became his manager. Steding released several albums on Red Star and Animal
Records, featuring such musicians as Robert Fripp, Television’s Richard Lloyd and
Blondie’s Chris Stein. Steding still makes music, mostly for films, and is a noted
painter whose work is in many important collections.
DEBBIE HARRY, who appears in a unique dual role in Downtown 81, was
then and is now again the star vocalist of Blondie. She has released numerous solo albums
and is also the featured vocalist of the Jazz Passengers. Harry is an accomplished actress,
with such credits as Union City, Video Drome, Hairspray, Heavy, Six Ways to Sunday, and
Intimate Strangers, as well as television shows such as Crime Story and Wise Guys. Also
appearing in the film are Blondie bandmates Chris Stein and Clem Burke as members of "The
Felons" and Jimmy Destri as the taxi driver.
     
WHO’S WHO in the rest of the cast? The love interest was Anna
Schroeder who was a fashion model. She is now a musician who lives in Germany. The
graffiti artists are Fab Five Freddie Brathwaite and Lee Quinones. Lee has had many
exhibitions of his art in galleries and museums around the world. He is also a noted
drag racer. Fred became known to the world when he was mentioned in Blondie’s
Rapture. Shortly after Downtown 81 was filmed, he collaborated with Charlie Ahearn on
"Wild Style," the first hip hop film. He went on to direct videos and host Yo MTV Rap.
After years as a hip hop exec, he is now involved in distributing urban music, film and
video on the Internet. "The landlord," Giorgio Giomelsky, once managed the Yardbirds
and the Rolling Stones. He continues to be involved with discovering new musicians in
New York. "The thief," Marshall Chess, was president of Rolling Stones Records. He is
now involved in the ARC Music Group. "Danny," Danny Rosen, is a fisherman who lives in
Ireland. The chauffeur was played by Compton Maddux, a musician who lives in New York.
His latest CD is "Feet of Clay" (Silver Disc.) "Mrs. Cavalcanti," Daniela Morera, is a
well known journalist who produces a line of exotic scarves. "The maid," Lisa Rosen, is
an art restorer. "The drunk" in the go-go bar was played by Steve Mass, proprietor of
the famous Mudd Club, who is now opening a Mudd Club in Berlin. The second go-go dancer
was played by the late Cookie Mueller, a legendary New York writer and star of John Waters
films. The go-go bar crowd includes the late Tom Baker, actor and Jim Morrison’s
best friend, artist and Warhol Factory figure Ronnie Cutrone, novelist John Browner, and
Larry Ratso Sloman, who has written books about Bob Dylan and with Howard Stern. "Michael,"
bound and gagged, was played by Michael Holman, Basquiat’s bandmate in Gray who
contributed two songs to the soundtrack. Mudd Club conversationalists include writer
Victor Bockris, Betsy Sussler, editor of Bomb Magazine, film director Amos Poe, musician
Tav Falco, and the late French guitarist Patrick Geoffrois. The fist fighter at the Mudd
Club was Diego Cortez, noted curator. The studio manager was played by the late Bradley
Field of Teenage Jesus and the Jerks and The Contortions. The record mogul was played by
Marty Thau, proprietor of Red Star Records.
BIOGRAPHIES - THE FILM MAKERS
Producer MARIPOL has worked as a fashion and jewelry designer,
stylist, and photographer. She was the art director of Fiorucci in the early
eighties. She has directed short documentary films for French television,
including one on the artist Keith Haring. Maripol has been involved in creating
looks for Madonna at various points in her career, including the "Boy Toy" and
"Like a Virgin" looks. She has styled music videos, for such artists as Madonna,
Cher and Elton John, as well as many television commercials. She has worked with
several musical acts, including the Gypsy Kings, as an image consultant. A book
of her photography "Mes Polas" was published in 1990 by Art Random. Her photos
have also been exhibited at the Earl McGrath Gallery and the Robert Miller Gallery.
She was the art director of Downtown 81 in which she also plays "the fashion designer."
Screenwriter and co-producer GLENN O’BRIEN began his career
working for Andy Warhol at Interview Magazine, serving as editor and art director
during the emergence of the magazine. He went on to work as New York bureau chief
of Rolling Stone. In the late seventies he returned to Interview as a columnist,
covering music and other cultural phenomena in "Glenn O’Brien’s BEAT"
which ran for 12 years. In 1981 he was also well known for his cable show "Glenn
O’Brien’s TV Party" which featured Jean Michel Basquiat, Debbie Harry,
Fab Five Freddie and many other cast members of Downtown 81. In the early eighties
he worked as a stand-up comedian, opening for Buster Poindexter. O’Brien is the
author of several books, including "Soapbox," (Imschoot, 1997) and "The Style Guy,"
(Ballantine, 2000.) A poet and essayist, he has contributed to numerous books and
catalogs on Basquiat. He has also worked as a creative director in advertising,
creating campaigns for clients including Barneys New York and Calvin Klein. A
collection of his poetry, with drawings by Richard Prince will be published in
the spring, 2001 by Greybull Press. He is currently working on a film about
Andy Warhol. In "Downtown 81" he plays rock critic Neil Barlowe of the Christian
Science Monitor.
Director EDO BERTOGLIO received his degree in film directing
and editing at the Conservatoire Libre du Cinema Francais in Paris in 1975. He
lived in New York from 1976 to 1990 where he worked as a photographer for such
magazines as Interview, Italian Vogue, Paper, GQ, Spin, Cult and Vanity. His
work was frequently published in Interview and other magazines. He shot many
record covers for Warner Brothers Records, Arista Records, Atlantic Records and
Chrysalis Records. He also worked as art director of Look Magazine. In 1990 he
returned to his hometown, Lugano, Switzerland, where he currently produces and
directs programs for Swiss TV, as well as television commercials.
Executive Producer MICHAEL ZILKHA was founder of Ze Records,
one of the most influential labels of the seventies and eighties. Ze, introduced and released records by many important musical artists including Was Not Was, Kid Creole and the Coconuts, the Contortions, James White and the Blacks, Lydia Lunch, Suicide, and Lizzy Mercier Descloux. Zilkha moved to Houston, Texas in 1986 to pursue a career in the energy business. He is an owner of the International Wind Company and is also involved in several other projects with a Green emphasis.
|
