Here’s the rewind and context if you’re unsure who John Lurie is (And you’ll only be mildly forgiven if you don’t). A cult musician, actor, director and in recent years, painter, Lurie started his career in the New York scene in the 1970s and ‘80s with the provocative punk/jazz/afrobeat band the Lounge Lizards. Lurie just seemed to be a magnet for stardom while seemingly missing most of it himself. He was a best friend and mentor to a young Jean Michel Basquiat, who saw the rise of New York artists first hand like Madonna, Julian Schnabel, knew Andy Warhol, etc. Simultaneously, he found a career in acting when Jim Jarmusch started casting him in his movies (“Stranger Than Paradise” and “Down By Law”). Lurie is also known for writing/directing and starring in the cult and much-beloved IFC show “Fishing With John” that was put out on the Criterion Channel years later. While an illness and bouts with cancer derailed him for several years, he took up painting again in the ’00s and 2010s and became an acclaimed artist. He’s also onto his third season of “Painting With John,” his HBO show produced by Adam McKay.
A kind of cousin to “Fishing With John,” the “Painting With John” show is similar in that it’s funny, droll, deep, poetic, mischievous, bizarre, absurd and meaningful ruminations on life, often cycling between those many moods in one sentence. Lurie is really a great raconteur and storyteller, so that’s much of what he does on “Painting With John,” reflecting on life, telling some of his wild stories, and pondering on where he is today (we named it one of the best shows of 2021).
In season three, he’s joined by old friend and Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist and musician Flea, who joins him in his Caribbean home. “Painting With John,” to hear it from Lurie, is a variety show, and it is, but it’s also just so much more.
READ MORE: John Lurie Talks ‘Painting with John’ Season 2 [Bingeworthy Podcast]
Here’s the season three synopsis:
Cult-favorite musician, actor, director, painter, and The Lounge Lizards founder John Lurie returns to HBO for a third season of PAINTING WITH JOHN. A fireside chat that seems to constantly plummet into delightful mayhem, each of the half-hour episodes finds the artist enhancing his intricate watercolor techniques while reflecting on life lessons big and small. The series combines Lurie’s irreverent point-of-view with dynamic captures of his paintings and original music, vivid retellings of his wildest memories, and even some of his luminary toast.
We were lucky enough to talk to Lurie for season two, and that was a fascinating conversation. He’s a wild, inventive artist, deep thinker, sensitive human, and all-around good (and fascinating) guy. Written, directed by, and starring John Lurie, “Painting With John” debuts its six-episode season three on Friday, June 2. The unscripted series will be available on HBO and to stream on Max. Watch the new trailer below.