Looking Back at the Formative Years of Jean-Michele Basquiat
WDCB's Gary Zidek talks to filmmaker Sara Driver about her new documentary BOOM FOR REAL: THE LATE TEENAGE YEARS OF JEAN-MICHELE BASQUIAT.
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"There are a few people who knew early on that he was someone special. I think we all knew it, just from his presence." - Sara Driver talking about the perceptions of young Jean-Michele Basquiat.
Filmmaker Sara Driver. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.
Basquiat’s meteoric rise has been covered in films before, both in documentary and scripted forms. Driver's new documentary focuses on the artist's formative years and the New York community that he came up in. BOOM FOR REAL: THE LATE TEENAGE YEARS OF JEAN-MICHELE BASQUIAT is an origin story of sorts.
Jean-Michel Basquiat in BOOM FOR REAL: THE LATE TEENAGE YEARS OF JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT, a Magnolia Pictures release. Photo Credit: © Alexis Adler. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.
As a teenager, Basquiat had a variety of interests including poetry and music. He formed a noise-rock band called Gray.
A scene from BOOM FOR REAL: THE LATE TEENAGE YEARS OF JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT. Photo Credit: © Nick Taylor Gray. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.
Using never-before-seen works, writings and photographs, Driver highlights some of Basquiat’s earliest work and the group of creative people that influenced him.
Jean-Michele Basquiat and friends. Photo Credit: © Alexis Adler. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.
Check out the trailer for BOOM FOR REAL
If you’re wondering about the film's title?
"Boom for real" was an expression Basquiat would use when he was excited about something.
Jean-Michele Basquiat
