"Since I was seventeen I thought I might be a star. I'd think about all my heroes, Charlie Parker, Jimi Hendrix... I had a romantic feeling about how these people became famous"

In this quote, artist Jean-Michel Basquiat assesses his teenage years and the dreams he had of becoming a star. At the age of seventeen, he already had goals of fame and success, and he would frequently think of his idols such as Charlie Parker and Jimi Hendrix. These legendary figures in the music industry represented to Basquiat the epitome of fame and success. He had a glamorized view of their rise to stardom, perhaps imagining it as a glamorous and simple and easy journey. This quote exposes Basquiat's appreciation for these icons and his own desire to attain the same level of acknowledgment and honor.