Los Angeles, CA – 
(NewMediaWire) – December 14, 2021 – Ohio-born American Actress and performer, Patti Astor, popular for her roles in the ‘80s Underground New York City films, is set to begin the release of several short documentary videos. This series is inspired by her real-life experiences growing up in suburban Cincinnati, her exploits as Queen of the ultra-low-budget No Wave Cinema, and her incredible work with Fun Gallery, the instrumental contemporary art gallery she launched in the early ’80s.
The first of such series is an 18-minute video that tells the story of Patti’s years as a “glitter hippie” living in San Francisco around 1973. That first episode will be released live on Zoom from Shockboxx Gallery in Hermosa Beach, CA, and on Patti’s YouTube Channel on Thursday, December 16 at 5:30 pm Pacific/8:30 pm Eastern. “I sold windowpane acid on the honor system, 50¢ a hit, and left it in the eggcups in the refrigerator,” Patti remarked in the heart-wrenching episode that revisits the early days of her struggle.
Patti Astor’s True Story – The Movie
Episode 1 will be followed by a second episode that beams the light on Patti’s close relationship with Jean-Michel Basquiat, a Fun Gallery artist. “Jean-Michel (and a lot of these artists) were treated horribly by the Soho art world. It’s time for the truth to be told,” Astor says. “If not for anything, I owe it to my artists.”
Patti’s life has been a rollercoaster of emotions to a large extent. This series will draw viewers close to the spirit of childhood in suburban Cincinnati and living through the ‘60s civil rights and “Stop the War!” battles in the NYC rock-n-roll streets. These episodes will detail, among other things, how the “Queen of the Downtown Scene” tasted success in the NYC Underground scene with at least 10 films archived in the Museum of Modern Art NYC Film Collection, as well as her eventual takeover of the East Village Art Scene with gritty tenement storefront Fun Gallery. Only operating for a short five-year period from 1981 to 1985, Fun Gallery featured artists such as Futura, Fab 5 Freddy, Lee Quinones, Kenny Scharf, Keith Haring, and Jean-Michel Basquiat, among others. That iconic period was pivotal to the integration of graffiti into the art world.
About Patti Astor
Patti Astor is an American actress and performer popular for starring in some of the best-performing Underground New York City films of the ‘80s. Born in Ohio, Patti grew up in Cincinnati in the ‘60s, eventually moving to New York to pursue a career in art and films.
Alongside her success as an actress, she’s credited with her involvement in the early popularization of hip hop music as well as her role and exploits with Fun Gallery, a contemporary art gallery she co-founded as the first art gallery in Manhattan’s East Village.
Fun Gallery closed in 1985. The art gallery continues to receive credits for showcasing the talents of street artists and introducing graffiti into the art world.
Patti Astor will make her production debut with the release of the upcoming series “Patti Astor’s True Story,” a film based on her true-life story as published in her memoir. Every episode is shot indie style by her company “Pink Poodle Productions” with music from CBGB’s bands Mumps and Contortions spiced with Old School Hip Hop vinyl 45s. “Patti Astor’s True Story” will be released live on Zoom from Shockboxx Gallery in Hermosa Beach, CA, and will premiere on Patti’s YouTube channel at exactly 5:30 pm Pacific/8:30 pm Eastern, Thursday, December 16.
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