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OTL 45: Michael Holman Excerpt #2 - Downtown 81 Lyrics by Outside the Lines With Rap Genius

OTL 45: Michael Holman

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SameOldShawn: Downtown 81.
Michael Holman: So Downtown 81 was being shot at the height of Gray performing all over the downtown scene. We were already by this point at CBGBs and the Mudd Club and really great, name places -- Pier 3, Hurrah's. Glenn O'Brien and Mary Paul and Edo, who were all downtown royalty on the scene -- Glenn O'Brien had already been working with Warhol and Edo was a Swiss/Italian photographer and Mary Paul was a downtown scenester who I'd even met years before. I tried to pick her up when she was a customer of mine when I was working at the bank
The three of them got together to make this film. Danny Rosen was going to be the star of the film, and he didn't want to be the star. The story was about a downtown artist who was on the verge of blowing up and making it into the gallery scene. They first wanted Danny Rosen, and for whatever reason, Danny refused to do it, it didn't work out on some level, and the next choice was Basquiat
So Jean was cool about it. You have to understand, Jean -- and I was F.O.B., friends of Basquiat, we always called him Jean -- Jean's singular focus, because he always had the chops to be a great painter, and he always was a great artist. So his next singular focus was to become a famous artist. Anything he could do that would facilitate that, he did. And so being the star of a downtown film sounded like a pretty good idea
But he was almost impossible. Jean was impossible to work with at times. They'd show up at wherever he was staying, and he'd be asleep. Five in the morning, and they'd start shooting early on, and they'd have to wake him up. He was hard to work with on that shoot
But the amazing thing about Jean, it just showed what a genius he was, what a realized being he was. He was just great at anything and everything he did. He was a great actor in that film! I mean, imagine if the film had a stronger storyline. With Jean, his acting, it could have been even a greater film. But it is a great document of that time, and I'm really proud to have been part of it
Credits
Outside the Lines With Rap Genius

Outside the Lines With Rap Genius

About “OTL 45: Michael Holman Excerpt #2 - Downtown 81” by Outside the Lines With Rap Genius

Read the complete lyrics to "OTL 45: Michael Holman Excerpt #2 - Downtown 81" by Outside the Lines With Rap Genius from the album "OTL 45: Michael Holman". On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Rap.

"OTL 45: Michael Holman Excerpt #2 - Downtown 81" is performed by Outside the Lines With Rap Genius. from the album "OTL 45: Michael Holman" This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "OTL 45: Michael Holman Excerpt #2 - Downtown 81", explore more songs by Outside the Lines With Rap Genius using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

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"OTL 45: Michael Holman Excerpt #2 - Downtown 81" is credited to Outside the Lines With Rap Genius. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"OTL 45: Michael Holman Excerpt #2 - Downtown 81" appears on "OTL 45: Michael Holman".

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