Photos and reporting by Daniel Efram
Yesterday, filming began for the new Jean-Michel Basquiat biopic, with sightings in Tompkins Square Park of Kelvin Harrison Jr. in the title role alongside an actor playing Andy Warhol.
Meanwhile, Brooklyn resident Al Diaz was back in his old East Village stomping grounds. This time, he was walking back from a visit to the set of "Samo Lives," written, directed, and produced by Julius Onah.
As many in the neighborhood know, Diaz grew up in the Jacob Riis Houses on Avenue D and collaborated with Basquiat on a series of cryptic messages around the city signed "SAMO©."
Given that history, it might seem natural for Diaz to have some consulting role on the project.
As Diaz tells it, he only learned of the film when Onah, whose credits include "Captain America: Brave New World" and" Luce," posted on social media about the project.
"He had more than a working title," Diaz recounts. "He was fixated with that ['Samo Lives'] title. So it was that, the use of "Samo" that alerted me, that made me reach out."
"I told him what my concerns were, which was really that the story [Diaz's] be told responsibly. And I'm here, I'm alive… you have to tell the story correctly.
"I don't like that [the use of Samo in this way] because if you're talking about 'Samo Lives,' you're talking about me as well. You're not going to isolate Jean-Michel. It's just disrespectful."
He continued: "This is part of what I've been doing for the last 20 years, trying to clarify that story, and you're not going to go ahead and fuck that up, and put me back where I started from."
Ramirez contacted Diaz a few months later and wanted to shadow Diaz for a day to get his vibe. But once payment was mentioned, nothing became of it.
In his conversations with Diaz, Onah spoke of his deep respect for the story. Still, it's hard to square that with using the "Samo" name while leaving Diaz out of the process in any formal way.
For now, Diaz, who was featured in Sara Driver's acclaimed 2017 documentary, "Boom for Real: The Late Teenage Years of Jean-Michel Basquiat," continues his push to make sure his history isn't erased.
For now, filming will carry on around NYC in the weeks ahead with "Samo," but not Diaz.
Previously on EV Grieve:
