Basquiat Page #4

RENE:

To Paris. Bernard Picasso –

(to Mary)

You know Bernard –

MARY BOONE:

(wincing)

Be my guest.

Jean watches the group talking.

GREG:

Jean? Hold this, please.

(beat – he sees why Jean's

so distracted)

You'll get there. But it's good to have

something to fall back on. That's why I

became an electrician. It pays the rent.

Y'know, I'm an artist, too.

BASQUIAT:

I didn't know.

GREG:

I sculpt. I'm really just starting to find

myself. How old are you? Twenty? You're

just like I used to be. I'm forty-one. And

I'm glad I haven't gotten any recognition.

It gave me time to develop.

Jean watches Mary and Milo talking.

MARY BOONE:

(to Milo)

I can't tell you how happy I am with this

show.

Mary yells across the room to Jean.

MARY BOONE (CONT'D)

(her tone impersonal)

Excuse me – you – what's your name? Would

you move those tools there and put them

somewhere else?

He looks at her.

Milo watches to see what he's going to do.

BASQUIAT:

(to Milo)

My name is Jean Michel Basquiat. Have you

heard of me?

ALBERT MILO:

(amused)

No. Should I have?

BASQUIAT:

I'm a painter, too.

ALBERT MILO:

Really. Huh. Too bad.

MARY BOONE:

Excuse me, would you please move those

tools?

Jean looks at Milo. Milo looks back at him.

Jean walks past the tools and continues toward the door. He walks

out without turning around.

Milo smiles to himself.

EXT. BOONE GALLERY – ALBERT MILO OPENING – DUSK

The ART WORLD CROWD fills the gallery. Jean lurks across the

street, watching through the window.

Cabs and limousines line the block. A crowd outside blocks the

street.

Jean's obviously impressed, jealous and estranged – he feels

entitled to all this.

He crosses the street to get a closer look.

THROUGH THE WINDOW

He sees Albert Milo talking with ANDY WARHOL and BRUNO

BISCHOFBERGER. Andy, of course, is thin, silver-haired, and nearly

albino. Bruno is a Swiss art dealer in his 40's. He exudes money –

a pillar of security.

On the other side of the room, Rene Ricard is surrounded by a

coterie of young, mostly BLACK AND HISPANIC MALES. Rene looks

drunk, enjoying the moment, holding court.

Rene crosses to Albert and Andy.

People pass by.

Jean starts to walk.

About half a block away, he sprays on a wall:

"THE WHOLE LIVERY LINE BOW LIKE THIS WITH THE BIG MONEY ALL

CRUSHED INTO THESE FEET"

He looks pleased. He turns and looks up West Broadway beyond the

buildings at the sky:

SUPERIMPOSED IN THE SKY

We see a surfer emerging from a HUGE WAVE. He looks powerful and

exalted.

CUT TO:

EXT. BASKETBALL COURT – DAY

ANGLE ON:
A wall. We see the following graffity:

"JIMMY BEST ON HIS BACK TO THE SUCKERPUNCH OF HIS CHILDHOOD YEARS"

A basketball bounces against a wall.

Jean and Benny amble onto a basketball court. Jean's changed his

hairstyle. Now the dreadlocks stand straight up from his head.

Benny dribbles with skill while Jean puffs furiously on a

cigarette. He doesn't look like he's slept, but he's happy.

Benny throws the ball to Jean. It bounces off a puddle and

splashes Jean.

BENNY:

Come on, Jean. Get rid of your cigarette.

Concentrate.

BASQUIAT:

I am... On Gina.

(beat)

F*** – I didn't think we were actually

gonna do this.

BENNY:

Concentrate on the ball. Shoot.

Jean shoots. It flies up, up, up – and over the backboard.

He runs after the ball, gets it, and dribbles clumsily.

BENNY:

You're shattering all my myths.

BASQUIAT:

About what?

BENNY:

Your people.

BASQUIAT:

Oh – you mean black people!

He shoots and misses again. He throws it to Benny, who does a

picture-perfect lay-up.

BASQUIAT (CONT'D)

(changing the subject)

How long do you think it takes to get

really famous?

During the following, Benny performs a series of amazing shots

while Jean looks on admiringly.

BENNY:

For a musician or a painter?

Jean shrugs.

BASQUIAT:

Whatever. Famous. To where you can do your

stuff all day without thinking about

anything else.

BENNY:

Ummm... Four years. Six to get rich.

He shoots. Swish.

BENNY (CONT'D)

First, you have to dress right.

He shoots again. Swish.

BENNY (CONT'D)

Then, you have to hang out all the time –

with famous people – the right people, the

right chicks, the right parties.

He shoots again. Swish.

BENNY (CONT'D)

And you gotta do your work all the time

when you're not doing that. The same kinda

work, the same style – over and over

again, so people recognize it and don't

get confused. Then, once you're famous,

you have to keep doing it the same way,

even after it's boring – unless you want

people to really get mad at you – which

they will anyway.

Benny tosses Jean the ball. Jean walks off the court.

BASQUIAT:

Come on. I hate this. I'm no good at it.

Jean shoots the ball and keeps walking. The ball goes in. He

doesn't notice. Benny runs after it.

EXT. HOUSTON ST. – DUSK

Benny and Jean walk along. Benny dribbles.

BENNY:

Famous people are usually pretty stupid.

You're too smart. You'd get bored to

death. You don't wanna be like John Henry

– fighting the machine. Just do what you

do. It's about integrity. Follow your

heart.

BASQUIAT:

Who's John Henry?

BENNY:

Oh man! Folklore guy – worked on the

railroad. Y'know, pounding in spikes and

laying down track. Then one day they

invented a machine to do it. And he says

"F*** that, I'm a MAN" and he challenges

the machine to a race to lay down a mile

of track. It takes two days. Neck and neck

the whole time. They get right to the end,

and he beats it by one spike.

(pause)

Got a cigarette?

BASQUIAT:

So then what?

BENNY:

He drops dead! See? Just do your sh*t like

you do it! Your friends like you, you get

laid, everyone walks by, sees your stuff

everywhere. It's good. What else do you

want?

They watch a long stretch limo cruises up across the street.

BASQUIAT:

Like I said – my liquid hijack Marlboros.

(indicates limo)

Check it out.

The LIMO DRIVER opens the back door. Andy Warhol and Bruno

Bischofberger step out.

BASQUIAT (CONT'D)

Andy Warhol. He's famous and he's not

boring.

INSERT:
AN IMAGE OF ANDY'S PAINTINGS AT THE WHITNEY MUSEUM

(FOOTAGE FROM JONAS MEKAS FILM)

Jean scrounges in his pockets, pulls out his Xerox cards, and

readies himself as Bruno and Andy enter BALLATO'S RESTAURANT.

BENNY:

What're you doing? You're doing something.

BASQUIAT:

He's the best painter in the world. I'm

gonna give him one of these.

BENNY:

Don't give him anything, man. Your art's

worth a lot. Trade. That's what real

artists do with each other. Besides, he'll

just use you. He's famous for that.

Benny watches Jean crosses the street. Jean passes the limousine.

Inside, the driver (a 24-year old Rasta) takes a hit from a joint

and watches Jean.

CLOSE ON:

The driver's eyes.

CUT TO:

DRIVER'S POV:

He watches Jean cross the street.

Jean enters the restaurant.

INT. BALLATO'S – DAY

Jean enters. Andy and Bruno spot him. The Maitre'd becomes

alarmed. but it's too late – he's at their table.

He spreads his cards on the table. The topmost card reads

"REDEEMABLE BECAUSE OF HIS YOUTH."

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