Editing Jean-Michel Basquiat (section)

===Street art and Gray: 1978–1980===
{{quote box |width=20em |quote =  SAMO (for "same old") marked the witty sayings of a precocious and worldly teenage mind that, even at that early juncture, saw the world in shades of gray, fearlessly juxtaposing corporate [[Commodity (Marxism)|commodity structures]] with the [[Social environment|social milieu]] he wished to enter: the predominantly white art world.|source= —Franklin Sirmans, ''In the Cipher: Basquiat and Hip Hop Culture''<ref name = "Sirmans" />}} In May 1978, Basquiat and Diaz began spray painting [[graffiti]] on buildings in [[Lower Manhattan]].<ref name="Faflick-2019" /><ref>{{Cite web|last=Goldstein|first=Caroline|date=June 1, 2017|title=Basquiat, the Teenage Years? A Trove of Unpublished Photos and Prints Is Released|url=https://news.artnet.com/art-world/basquiat-samo-al-diaz-977438|access-date=October 3, 2020|website=artnet News|language=en-US}}</ref> Working under the pseudonym SAMO, they inscribed poetic and satirical advertising slogans such as "SAMO© AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO GOD."<ref name="Faflick-2019" /> In June 1978, Basquiat was expelled from City-As-School for [[pieing]] the principal.<ref name="Haden-Guest-1988">{{Cite magazine|last=Haden-Guest|first=Anthony|date=November 1988|title=Burning Out|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/news/1988/11/jean-michel-basquiat|access-date=November 16, 2017|magazine=Vanity Fair}}</ref> At 17, his father kicked him out of the house when he decided to drop out of school.<ref name="Sotheby's-2019" /> He worked for the Unique Clothing Warehouse in [[NoHo, Manhattan|NoHo]] while continuing to create graffiti at night.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Lim|first=Robert|date=October 15, 2015|title=From Unique to Uniqlo: The Malling of Soho NYC|url=https://www.heddels.com/2015/10/from-unique-to-uniqlo-the-malling-of-soho-nyc-beneath-the-surface/|access-date=October 5, 2020|website=Heddels}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Beyer|first=Gregory|date=September 30, 2007|title=$12,000 Postcards by Some Guy Named Basquiat|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/30/nyregion/thecity/30basq.html|access-date=October 5, 2020|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> On December 11, 1978, ''[[The Village Voice]]'' published an article about the SAMO graffiti.<ref name="Faflick-2019">{{Cite web|last=Faflick|first=Philip|date=March 20, 2019|title=Jean-Michel Basquiat and the Birth of SAMO|url=https://www.villagevoice.com/2019/03/20/jean-michel-basquiat-and-the-birth-of-samo/|access-date=December 26, 2020|website=The Village Voice}}</ref>

In 1979, Basquiat appeared on the live [[public-access television]] show ''[[TV Party]]'' hosted by [[Glenn O'Brien]].<ref name="Harris-2018">{{Cite news|last=Harris|first=Kelly|date=April 24, 2018|title=The Enduring Style of an Underground '80s TV Show|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/24/t-magazine/fashion/tv-party-1980s-style-glenn-obrien.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220103/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/24/t-magazine/fashion/tv-party-1980s-style-glenn-obrien.html |archive-date=January 3, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=October 5, 2020|issn=0362-4331}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Basquiat and O'Brien formed a friendship and he made regular appearances on the show over the next few years.<ref name="Harris-2018" /> Eventually, he began spending time writing graffiti around the [[School of Visual Arts]], where he befriended students [[John Sex]], [[Kenny Scharf]], and [[Keith Haring]].{{Sfn|Fretz|2010|p=43}}

In April 1979, Basquiat met [[Michael Holman (filmmaker)|Michael Holman]] at the Canal Zone Party and they founded the [[noise rock]] band Test Pattern, which was later renamed [[Gray (band)|Gray]].<ref name="Afropunk-2016">{{Cite web|date=October 7, 2016|title=Jean-Michel Basquiat's prolific artwork extended well past the canvas as noise-rock band Gray|url=https://afropunk.com/2016/10/jean-michel-basquiats-prolific-artwork-extended-well-past-the-canvas-as-noise-rock-band-gray/|access-date=August 9, 2020|website=AFROPUNK|language=en-US}}</ref> Other members of Gray included Shannon Dawson, Nick Taylor, Wayne Clifford and [[Vincent Gallo]]. They performed at nightclubs such as [[Max's Kansas City]], [[CBGB]], [[Hurrah (nightclub)|Hurrah]] and the [[Mudd Club]].<ref name="Afropunk-2016" />

Around this time, Basquiat lived in the [[East Village, Manhattan|East Village]] with his girlfriend Alexis Adler, a [[Barnard College|Barnard]] biology graduate.<ref name="Straaten-2017">{{Cite news|last=Straaten|first=Laura van|date=February 13, 2017|title=The Jean-Michel Basquiat You Haven't Seen|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/13/arts/design/jean-michel-basquiat-artwork.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220103/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/13/arts/design/jean-michel-basquiat-artwork.html |archive-date=January 3, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=October 3, 2020|issn=0362-4331}}{{cbignore}}</ref> He often copied diagrams of [[chemical compound]]s borrowed from Adler's science textbooks. She documented Basquiat's creative explorations as he transformed the floors, walls, doors and furniture into his artworks.<ref name="MCAD">{{Cite web|title=Basquiat Before Basquiat: East 12th Street, 1979–1980|url=https://mcadenver.org/exhibitions/basquiat-basquiat|access-date=October 3, 2020|website=Museum of Contemporary Art Denver|language=en}}</ref> He also made postcards with his friend Jennifer Stein.<ref name="Dowd-2017">{{Cite news|last=Dowd|first=Vincent|date=September 25, 2017|title=Jean-Michel Basquiat: The neglected genius|language=en-GB|publisher=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-41359913|access-date=October 3, 2020}}</ref> While selling postcards in SoHo, Basquiat spotted [[Andy Warhol]] at W.P.A. restaurant with art critic [[Henry Geldzahler]].<ref name="Hoban1988" /> He sold Warhol a postcard titled ''Stupid Games, Bad Ideas''.<ref name="Brumfitt-2017">{{Cite web|last=Brumfitt|first=Stuart|date=September 19, 2017|title=New York Inspiration {{!}} Tales from Teen Basquiat's Best Friend|url=https://amuse.vice.com/en_us/article/qv9q87/basquiats-best-friend|access-date=October 3, 2020|website=Amuse|language=en|archive-date=October 22, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201022034128/https://amuse.vice.com/en_us/article/qv9q87/basquiats-best-friend|url-status=dead}}</ref>
[[File:AsPoster-SAMO-Mania-D.-363x500.jpg|thumb|upright|SAMO Xerox poster (1979)]]
In October 1979, at [[Arleen Schloss]]'s open space called A's, Basquiat showed his SAMO montages using color [[Xerox copy|Xerox copies]] of his works.<ref>{{Cite web|last=de la Haba|first=Gregory|title=December 2012: In Conversation with Arlene Schloss|url=https://whitehotmagazine.com/articles/in-conversation-with-arlene-schloss/2682|access-date=October 3, 2020|website=Whitehot Magazine of Contemporary Art|language=en}}</ref> Schloss allowed Basquiat to use the space to create his "MAN MADE" clothing, which were painted [[Upcycling|upcycled]] garments.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Mugrabi|first=Colby|date=May 21, 2019|title=Exploring Jean-Michel Basquiat's 1970's Clothing Collection, 'Man Made.'|url=https://garage.vice.com/en_us/article/paj34g/exploring-jean-michel-basquiats-1970s-clothing-collection-man-made|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190524180848/https://garage.vice.com/en_us/article/paj34g/exploring-jean-michel-basquiats-1970s-clothing-collection-man-made|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 24, 2019|access-date=October 3, 2020|website=Garage|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Fretz|2010|p=40}}</ref> In November 1979, costume designer [[Patricia Field]] carried his clothing line in her upscale boutique on [[8th Street and St. Mark's Place|8th Street]] in [[Greenwich Village]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-10-25 |title=Patricia Field's Village Shops – Village Preservation |url=https://www.villagepreservation.org/2023/10/25/patricia-fields-village-shops/,%20https://www.villagepreservation.org/2023/10/25/patricia-fields-village-shops/ |access-date=2024-03-13 |website=www.villagepreservation.org |language=en-US}}</ref> Field also displayed his sculptures in the store window.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Man Made by Basquiat |url=https://www.minniemuse.com/articles/musings/basquiat-man-made |access-date=August 9, 2020 |website=Minnie Muse |language=en}}</ref>

When Basquiat and Diaz had a falling out, he inscribed "SAMO IS DEAD" on the walls of [[SoHo, Manhattan|SoHo]] buildings in 1980.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Haden-Guest|first=Anthony|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ACMbY9yahNsC&q=samo|title=True Colors: The Real Life of the Art World|date=1998|publisher=Atlantic Monthly Press|isbn=978-0-87113-725-8|pages=128|language=en}}</ref> In June 1980, he appeared in ''[[High Times]]'' magazine, his first national publication, as part of an article titled "Graffiti '80: The State of the Outlaw Art" by Glenn O'Brien.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=O'Brien|first=Glenn|date=June 1980|title=Graffiti '80: The State of the Outlaw Art|journal=High Times|pages=53–54}}</ref> Later that year, he began filming O'Brien's [[independent film]] ''[[Downtown 81]]'' (2000), originally titled ''New York Beat,'' which featured some of Gray's recordings on its soundtrack.<ref>[{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r551298|pure_url=yes}} Andy Kellman. ''Downtown 81 Original Soundtrack'']. Retrieved January 16, 2008.</ref>