Radiant Child

My lady friend and I went to see the movie, Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child, at the Montreal Museum of Fine Art this week and it was fantastic.

Having the title sequence of the film set to 'Salt Peanuts', by Dizzy Gillespie, is appropriate on many levels. Bebop broke new ground in Jazz music, moving beyond the popular songs of the 20s and 30s into something more intellectually and musically challenging. The creators of this music where men of supreme talent (Dizzy, Bird, Monk, Powell...etc), but some could not overcome their self-destructive behaviour. I can't help but think that the director of this film, Tamara Davis, had this in mind when she choose the music for the film.

Look out for GQ's Glenn O'Brien (a.k.a. The Style Guy), who features prominently throughout the film.