Fleshing out her previously unseen 1985 interview with Basquiat for her documentary (out on DVD), Tamara Davis adds archival footage of late ‘70s/early ‘80s NYC and fresh interviews with the era’s scenemakers. The Radiant Child is a portrait of the artist as half naif/half sophisticated conceptualist. His tags on the streets of Soho were closer to cryptic verse than the usual graffiti and his dense, childlike scrawl appealed to the Downtown punk-art crowd and the Warhol set. The Radiant Child is a reminder of a time when the romance of decay clung to New York and Manhattan was a rotting, inexpensive mecca for artists who could live cheaply and turn the city into their canvas and their stage.
