Bruce says: "It is hard to believe that a simple kid from an ordinary all-American middle class family in Kutztown, PA could be considered one of the great artists of his time. Keith Haring visually defined his generation ,creating a style that has been copied and infused in millions of ways. Haring always knew he did not fit in. In a cultural that prizes conformity, he was nerdy, gay, and interested in art. He was driven to create and driven to become a success. Fortunately he hit New York at exactly the right time. The 80s were truly the “alternate decade” both musically and artistically. Haring’s rise was meteoric, reaching the top of his profession while still in this 20s. Sadly, he died of AIDS in 1990 at the unbelievable age of 31.

"Christina Clausen made a wise decision to let Haring tell his own story. Haring was quite talkative and Clausen was fortunate to find exhaustive archival footage of Haring explaining himself, his art and his experiences as an artist. Clausen intersperses many talking heads to help describe the New York scene and round out what is a very concise yet complete portrait of the artist. Haring's parents and siblings supported Clausen's efforts and all appear in the film.

"Art was always part of Haring’s life. His best childhood friend Kermit Oswald, now the director of the Keith Haring Foundation, describes their getting together to draw while other kids were getting together to play basketball or trade baseball cards. From his father, Haring claims to have learned the rhythm of the hand as he was schooled to draw with his eyes closed. With the proceeds from his paper route and a $100 prize in a senior high school art contest, Haring made a down payment for his tuition at a commercial art school in Pittsburgh. He did not find art school very satisfying and finally decided to drop out and move to New York City.

"In New York he attended the School of Visual Arts (SVA) where among other things he studied semiotics, learning not only about signs and symbolism but the importance of repetition. Again, he dropped out of school when a teacher suggested that he should be an artist, not an art student. While at school he held waiter jobs at Danceteria and Club 57 and did odd jobs for Tony Shafrazi (the Tony Shafrazi Gallery) who would ultimately represent his work. He organized shows at 57 St Mark’s Place, a gallery for alternative artists that took off like a house on fire. He palled around with Jean-Michel Basquiat, Kenny Scharf, Madonna and Yoko Ono.

"Haring was always openly gay. He made no secret about his fondness for the Club Baths and the St. Mark’s Baths. Haring was primarily attracted to black and Hispanic men and had at least two meaningful relationships. He became friends with graffiti artists and earned a worldwide reputation for his subway graffiti chalk paintings on the plain black sheets that the MTA placed over subway ads that had expired. He was arrested every so often and ticketed frequently. Expanding his motifs, he painted murals in many countries around the world.

"Haring had the shrewd sense to have good advisors and a good support system. Kenny Scarf suggests, however, that money changed everything. Hanging out with friends morphed into business meetings. Although his first show at Shafrazi was not initially a success, his reputation was established. He was a star within his first year. He became friends with Andy Warhol and took Andy as his date to Madonna and Sean Penn’s wedding. Andy, of course, opened many doors for him.

"There is a ton of information in this short film but then there was a ton of activity in Haring’s short life. One marvels at where he found the time to do it all. He was instrumental in the early years of ACT UP, remembered for his pictorial ignorance = fear and silence = death. He taught small children and was interested in the relationships between art and healing. He started his foundation and opened a retail store where he sold his art on clothing, making his art affordable to the masses. At one point Tony Shafrazi chided Haring for being too prolific. Now that is something for the record books - usually an art dealer begs for more, more, more. 4.5 cats

"THE UNIVERSE OF KEITH HARING screened at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival on what would have been Haring's 50th birthday."