Downtown 81 Soundtrack

The life of Jean-Michel Basquiat, darling of New York's downtown art scene of the early 1980s, was the stuff of legend. In the nearly two decades since his death, he's been immortalized in print, on museum walls, and on film-- but Basquiat's light burned so brightly in his time, he all but starred in his own quasi-biopic back in 1981.

Downtown 81, a film loosely based on the Lower East Side art movement in which Basquiat loomed so large, stars Jean-Michel amidst a cast of characters plucked from the scene the film depicts. The film also featured quite a few bands and figures from the period, including Deborah Harry, James Chance, DNA, and Tuxedomoon. The latter three join Suicide, Liquid Liquid, Lydia Lunch, Blondie's Chris Stein, and Basquiat's own musical project Gray (which also included a young Vincent Gallo) on the soundtrack, due November 6 from Recall Records.

Credit | Fark This