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It began with a call from Steve McCracken ‘Geezer!’
‘Is that you Lloyd?’ I said.
‘No, it's Steve.’
‘Why are you impersonating Lloyd?’
‘I'm not.’
‘What can I do for you?’
‘You and I are off to the Barbican to peruse the Basquiat exhibition, followed by a lecture in the evening on Basquiat and Hip Hop culture.’
‘You don't say!’
‘I just did.’
‘You don't say!’
‘Er..!’
‘I'm in,’ I say, ‘however what are we doing for rest of the day?’
‘We'll be in the Barbican bar drinking London Pride and talking arty bollocks.’
And it came to pass. Two hours later…
‘Another three pints each Lloyd, we have to go in five minutes,’ says Steve.
How's your day been so far Lloyd?’
‘SAMO, SAMO, Mr Boulevardier.’
‘Brrrrrr! Says Steve, ‘That's spooky.’
‘It is indeed Steve,’ I say, ‘It is indeed.’
‘You shine Steve,’ says Lloyd.
‘It's sweat, the tube was crowded,’ Steve replies wiping his forehead on a doughnut. ‘What can you say about Basquiat, 30 years after his death?’
‘What indeed Steve, what indeed. Well, let me answer, one could say that Basquiat, classically, lived fast, died young and left some beautiful self-portraits, at the age of 27, which added his name to the mythos of tragic doomed creative geniuses (See for example; Brian Jones, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain, Richie Edwards, Amy Winehouse). His early death renders him ageless.
This is Basquiat’s first retrospective in the UK, and provides a chronicle of the creative 80s, from the ubiquitous Andy WarhoI to Keith Haring, Studio 54 disco to Hip-Hop, and from coke to cocaine. Actually, that's not true, there's little mention of the drugs that ultimately killed him, albeit they too were part of who he was.
‘There is a feeling of immediacy about the work,’ I say, as we work our way through the galleries.
‘As you would expect,’ says Steve, when the Old Bill are breathing down your neck, or in Basquiat's case, New York’s Finest, you've got to be on your toes at a moments notice.’
‘Maybe,’ I say, ‘the move from street to studio during ‘82 enabled Basquiat to paint, what are now described as his iconic canvases, without the pressure of paint + go, these were the works he felt compelled to paint!’
‘Yes indeed,’ says Steve, ‘time for a London Pride?’
‘You've read the writing on the wall,’ I say.
‘I wrote it! Says Steve, 'I wrote it!"
Francis Charlton
‘Is that you Lloyd?’ I said.
‘No, it's Steve.’
‘Why are you impersonating Lloyd?’
‘I'm not.’
‘What can I do for you?’
‘You and I are off to the Barbican to peruse the Basquiat exhibition, followed by a lecture in the evening on Basquiat and Hip Hop culture.’
‘You don't say!’
‘I just did.’
‘You don't say!’
‘Er..!’
‘I'm in,’ I say, ‘however what are we doing for rest of the day?’
‘We'll be in the Barbican bar drinking London Pride and talking arty bollocks.’
And it came to pass. Two hours later…
‘Another three pints each Lloyd, we have to go in five minutes,’ says Steve.
How's your day been so far Lloyd?’
‘SAMO, SAMO, Mr Boulevardier.’
‘Brrrrrr! Says Steve, ‘That's spooky.’
‘It is indeed Steve,’ I say, ‘It is indeed.’
‘You shine Steve,’ says Lloyd.
‘It's sweat, the tube was crowded,’ Steve replies wiping his forehead on a doughnut. ‘What can you say about Basquiat, 30 years after his death?’
‘What indeed Steve, what indeed. Well, let me answer, one could say that Basquiat, classically, lived fast, died young and left some beautiful self-portraits, at the age of 27, which added his name to the mythos of tragic doomed creative geniuses (See for example; Brian Jones, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain, Richie Edwards, Amy Winehouse). His early death renders him ageless.
This is Basquiat’s first retrospective in the UK, and provides a chronicle of the creative 80s, from the ubiquitous Andy WarhoI to Keith Haring, Studio 54 disco to Hip-Hop, and from coke to cocaine. Actually, that's not true, there's little mention of the drugs that ultimately killed him, albeit they too were part of who he was.
‘There is a feeling of immediacy about the work,’ I say, as we work our way through the galleries.
‘As you would expect,’ says Steve, when the Old Bill are breathing down your neck, or in Basquiat's case, New York’s Finest, you've got to be on your toes at a moments notice.’
‘Maybe,’ I say, ‘the move from street to studio during ‘82 enabled Basquiat to paint, what are now described as his iconic canvases, without the pressure of paint + go, these were the works he felt compelled to paint!’
‘Yes indeed,’ says Steve, ‘time for a London Pride?’
‘You've read the writing on the wall,’ I say.
‘I wrote it! Says Steve, 'I wrote it!"
Francis Charlton
Illustration by: Dominique Marchi