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‘It was like she was possessed’: how Q Lazzarus made Silence of the Lambs’ most bewitching song – and then vanished

Her track Goodbye Horses soundtracked one of the 90s thriller’s most memorable scenes, but the singer ended up driving cabs and dying in obscurity. Now a new documentary lets her tell her story

A couple of people made the mistake of trying to rob her when she driving her taxi, and she beat the crap out of them.” One night, the director Jonathan Demme hailed Q’s cab; after hearing her sing at the wheel, he handed her his card. But, says Aridjis Fuentes, “the record labels told her they couldn’t market a black woman singing rock.” So Q bolted for London, where she recruited local musicians for her new, heavy metal direction, met boyfriend-manager Richard, and began dabbling in drugs. Photograph: Images courtesy of Sacred Bones RecordsFor the documentary’s climax, Q and Aridjis Fuentes planned a New York concert, with Q performing material from throughout her career; her London bandmates were to back her, reuniting for the first time since her disappearance.

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