The mysterious and reclusive Q Lazzarus will have her legacy cemented with the impending release of an album and documentary next year.
The musical moniker of Diane Luckey, Q Lazzarus rose to fame in 1991 when her song “Goodbye Horses” was prominent featured in Jonathan Demme‘s The Silence of the Lambs.
It was Demme, who initially discovered Luckey — a cab driver at the time — in the mid-’80s when she picked him up for a ride and played him her demo tape. Demme was entranced enough by Luckey’s enigmatic dance-pop as frontwoman of Q Lazzarus that he made her a fixture in his movies for most of the next decade. He included her “The Candle Goes Away” in 1986’s Something Wild, and then featured “Goodbye Horses” in a pair of his movies: 1988’s Married to the Mob and 1991’s The Silence of the Lambs.
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Following the dissolution of her band Q Lazzarus and the Resurrection, Luckey retreated from the public eye, with her whereabouts becoming the subject of a widespread search in 2017. Sadly, Luckey passed away in 2022 at the age of 61, with her obituary revealing a retrospective look back had been in the works.
“At the time of her death, Diane was finishing work on a feature documentary about her life and music with filmmaker and friend, Eva Aridjis,” the obituary wrote. “The film will be released in 2023, along with an album of songs spanning her entire musical career.”
Now, following screenings in New York City and Los Angeles this week, it has been revealed that Aridjis’ film – Goodbye Horses: The Many Lives of Q Lazzarus – will hit streaming services in early 2025.
“An intimate journey through the life of singer Diane Luckey also known as Q Lazzarus, narrated through her own words, lyrics and music,” the film’s description reads. “The exceptionally talented but vastly under-appreciated Q, who sang the cult hit song ‘Goodbye Horses,’ reveals the reason behind her mysterious 25-year-long disappearance and paves the way towards her re-emergence, with stories heartbreaking, hilarious and moving.”
Alongside this news, Sacred Bones Records has announced the release of a 21-song compilation of unreleased music. The songs, which have all been recorded between 1985 and 1995, will also be released as a 10-track vinyl edition. The collection features the original single edit of “Goodbye Horses” alongside a “New Wave” version of the song, and a cover of Talking Heads’ “Heaven”, which had been performed in Demme’s 1993 film, Philadelphia.
Pre-orders for Goodbye Horses: The Many Lives of Q Lazzarus (Music From the Motion Picture) are live ahead of its Feb. 21 release date.