= SOLDFiled under: Politics, Ramblings | Tags: 2013, Brooklyn, courtesy card, Family Ties, Get Out Of Jail Free, It's Not WHAT you Know It's WHO You Know, New York, New York City, NY, NYC, NYPD, Patrolmen's Benevolent Association, PBA, Politics
“It’s Not WHAT you Know…”
Filed under: Art, Inspiration, Ramblings | Tags: Alone, Alone One, Alone1, Art, Inspiration, Letter To Ex
“Letter To Ex”
pen on paper
2012
Filed under: Politics, Ramblings | Tags: Fuck You, New York, New York City, NYPD, Politics, Stop and Frisk
Old news if you live in New York City’s hoods…
“I wanted to help people. But civililian Population are being hunted. Instead of being protected by us, they are being hunted, and we are being hated” – honest NYPD cop (11:29)…
Out of 684,330 stops in 2011, roughly 1% are caught carrying weapons.
Filed under: Art, Photography, Politics, Ramblings | Tags: -Fuck, Alone, Alone One, Alone1, AloneOne, Art, Free Drawing Paper
…more free drawing paper.
Filed under: Politics, Ramblings, YouTube | Tags: FIGHT BACK, police brutality
Pretty cool that we now have all these fancy video camera/cell phones to capture a fraction of the oppression served to us from our authorities. But what I like to see more than the video “evidence” is people just FIGHTING BACK…
Filed under: Art, Graffiti, Inspiration, Photography, Ramblings | Tags: 2009, Aakash Nihalani, Bushwick, Graffiti, Graffiti vs. Street Art, New York, New York City, NYC, Photography, Poster Boy, Posterboy, Street Art, Streets
If street artists want to co-exist and be accepted by the graffiti world, there’s an old graffiti rule that they should understand. “DO NOT GO OVER OTHER PEOPLE.” ESPECIALLY if it’s bigger, better, or old. Sure those tags and those filled in “throw up” letters DO make a nice looking background to your street art. But that graffiti was there FIRST. It might not seem like much, but those letters were done on the spot with risk of arrest, possibly by someone from another city/country , a king, or even a RIPed writer’s last artifact. Undoubtedly potential historic pieces in the graffiti world. You CAN NOT go over them. Go BEHIND them? Hmm.. Maaaybe? ..If it’s done respectfully. This is a pic I took in Bushwick back in 2009..
Posterboy and Aakash Nihalani playin by the rules.
“Give respect, Get respect.”
Filed under: Graffiti, Politics, Ramblings | Tags: A.W.R, Art in The Streets, AWR, Ayer, Deitch, Fuck Authority, Fuck You, Graffiti, LAPD, Los Angeles, M.S.K., MOCA, MSK, Museum of Contemporary Art, Police State, Ramblings, Revok, The Seventh Letter
“Revok”
$320,000 Bail for Graffiti? Is that a misprint? ..Nope, it’s true.. just double checked. They grabbed up REVOK at LAX boarding a flight to Ireland on Sunday. A real FBI style (and QUITE costly) takedown.
from the LA Times:
“Revok, one of Los Angeles’ best known graffiti writers, was arrested as he prepared to board a plane to Ireland at Los Angeles International Airport, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department reported.
Jason Williams, a.k.a. Revok, was taken into custody Thursday for an outstanding arrest warrant for failing to pay restitution, according to sheriff’s Capt. Mike Parker.
Authorities claim Revok is a member of the graffiti crew Mad Society Kings, or MSK. Officials from the sheriff’s department were notified that there was an outstanding warrant against Revok for failure to repay victims of previous vandalism incidents.
That led to his arrest, officials said.
Revok is being held in the Los Angeles County Jail in lieu of $320,000 bail.
– Richard Winton”
Here’s some other bails set IN the past 2 months, and also IN Los Angeles County (taken from Logan Hicks)…
San Gabriel Valley man arrested for allegedly molesting teenage boy he met online. Bail… $25,000
OC hospital worker is charged with raping sedated patient. Bail… $100,000
Man pleads not guilty to offering ‘dead or alive’ bounty on daughter’s boyfriend. Bail… $250,000
(more here)
and now……
“Artist charged with not repaying (in full) restitution for victims of graffiti.”… Bail… $320,000.
DAMN! Almost 1/3 of a MILLION $s bail for failure to repay “victims” of graffiti? ”Victims”? Aren’t the “victims” of this graffiti the walls that had their COLOR CHANGED? Along with being an obvious counter strike against the rising graffiti art world and MOCA’s “Art in the Streets” exhibit, I’m sure Revok’s blog posts on the police don’t help. (MUST READS, if you can stomach them).
Revok’s very honorable dedication to AYER (R.I.P.) in the MOCA show
FREE REVOK.
*** UPDATE: Revok Gets Sentenced 180 Days (from the LA Times)…
Filed under: Art, Graffiti, Politics, Ramblings | Tags: Fine Art, Graffiti, L.A., Los Angeles, M.T.A., Politics, RTH, Smear
From the LA Times (thanks MAC)…
“Graffiti Artist’s Past is Tagging Behind Him
Cristian Gheorghiu scrawled ragged images and his nickname, ‘Smear,’ on L.A.’s lampposts, walls and riverbeds. Now that his gallery career is taking off, an injunction is threatening to bar him from profiting from art bearing his telltale ‘tag.’
In 2007, Gheorghiu’s problems came to a head with his first adult felony arrest. Responding to Smear’s graffiti on buses, L.A. County sheriff’s deputies raided his home. A graffiti vandalism conviction resulted in a 40-month suspended prison sentence, three years’ probation and about $28,000 in restitution for scrawling on buses.
Gheorghiu remains on probation because he has paid off only about $5,000 of his fines.
He says he stopped vandalizing property after his conviction. Today, he insists, his only artwork is created in a studio, with larger pieces fetching $2,000 to $2,500. Art “is my way of making amends,” he said.
But his trouble with the law didn’t end. When his old tagging crew was suspected of creating a quarter-mile-long MTA tag in the Los Angeles River, Gheorghiu was caught in the ensuing police sweep.
He spent three days in jail in 2009. Charges were never filed.
But in 2010, the city attorney sued him and nine others. The suit seeks at least $1 million in penalties and a civil injunction that would forbid many activities, including making money from work emblazoned with their street names.”
Read the whole story here.
“SMEAR”
photo: LA Times
Hmmm… tags no longer allowed in fine art? Wow. That’s pretty fucked up. What about signed pieces by other graffiti and street artists? Are those just criminal evidence now?
If you read a little further the real motive against graffiti/ graffiti art reveals itself (again)..
“Their suit also argues that Gheorghiu’s graffiti served as free publicity, giving him an unfair advantage over legitimate artists — a violation of state laws governing fair competition.”
…..Exactly. All about the $$$$s.
Filed under: Inspiration, Music, Politics, Ramblings, Uncategorized | Tags: "My timbs start feelin like they Nike Airs on me", BPD, Ghostface, LAPD, NYPD, Really Getting Sick Of Talkin To You Pigs Don't Be suprised If I Bounce On Yall One O These Times
Oh wait, this one needs a soundtrack…
* Pic obviously stolen.
Filed under: Ramblings, Uncategorized | Tags: Alone, Alone One, Alone1, Blogging
So the blog has been going slow. My bad. Just cause the blog posts are infrequent, doesn’t mean I haven’t been busy. It’s just that..
somethings are in the works and I can’t show them yet…
something’s I just shouldn’t be sharing online at all…
… and sometimes I just don’t want to talk.
Filed under: Graffiti, Politics, Ramblings, Uncategorized | Tags: Fuckin Wack Ass Graffiti Laws, Graffiti, Texas
Corpus Christi Judge gives an 18 year old an 8 year sentence. But this is different than the 8 year sentence handed to another graffiti artist in August. This is 8 FULL years. NO chance of parole. 8 Years. $140.000 in taxpayer money to jail this “criminal”. The next 8 years of an 18 year olds life. For spraypainting. This is the same Corpus Christi that gave a paint SUPPLIER 2 years a few months back. Fuck Texas.
Filed under: Ramblings | Tags: 50mmLosAngeles.com, Advertising, Augor, Augor MSK, Culture Jamming, Graffiti, Illegal Advertising, MSK, Too Tall Jahmal
Although I don’t think Augor MSK is intentionally involved in a sort of “Anti-Advertising Movement”, this little video on him makes the connection. I saw him up a bit in Los Angeles last year and he is definately doing his thing. Some good commentary from Too Tall Jahmal (founder of 50mmLosAngeles.com), check it out..
RELATED POSTS:
Graffiti/Street Art vs. Advertising (part 1) – Illegal Advertising
Graffiti/Street Art vs. Advertising (part 2) – Ron English
Graffiti/Street Art vs. Advertising (part 3) – the Graffiti Research Lab vs. Advertising
Filed under: Ramblings | Tags: Advertising, Fuck You, G.R.L., Graffiti, Graffiti Research Lab, Graffiti vs. Advertising, Illegal Advertising, New York, NY, NYC, NYC's True Problem
“NYC’S True Graffiti Problem” by the Graffiti Research Lab
Simple.. “Advertising = Graffiti”.
RELATED POSTS:
Graffiti/Street Art vs. Advertising (part 1) – Illegal Advertising
Graffiti/Street Art vs. Advertising (part 2) – Ron English
Graffiti/Street Art vs. Advertising (part 4) – Augor
Filed under: Ramblings | Tags: Add new tag, Advertising, Agit-Pop, Billboards, Budweiser, Camel, Cigarettes, Culture Jamming, Fuck You, Illegal Advertising, Kool, McDonald's, Read/Write Cities, Ron English, Smoking, Subvertising
We have messages flashed at us everywhere. “Buy this.” “Watch this.” “Drive This.” “Drink This.” This is in our so-called “public spaces”. But if you want to say something in these public spaces, it isn’t that easy. Write it on the wall or paint or hang your art outside and you are a “vandal”. If you think money can buy the rights to say what you want.. wrong! Artist Ron English has tried renting a billboard for a piece, and got turned down.
“Legally, I don’t have a right to do this, but I do as a proponent of free speech, I have an obligation to do this” - Ron English
“Corporations don’t deserve free speech.. PEOPLE deserve free speech.” - Ron English
POPaganda: The Art and Subversion of Ron English..
photos: Graffiti.Org
Our laws say that we can be subjected to their corporate messages with their words and images, but putting out your own words or images and you are a criminal. Basically “Read, Don’t Write.” Read more on “Read/Write Cities” on AntiAdvertisingAgency.com
RELATED POSTS:
Graffiti/Street Art vs. Advertising (part 1) – Illegal Advertising
Graffiti/Street Art vs. Advertising (part 3) – the Graffiti Research Lab vs. Advertising
Graffiti/Street Art vs. Advertising (part 4) – Augor
Filed under: Ramblings, Travel | Tags: -Fuck, Cars, Driving, Fuck You, Gas, Los Angeles, Mr. Brainwash, Obey, Ramblings, Shepard Fairey, Sheppard Fairey, Sun, Sunsets, Travel, Weather
I’ve had enough of L.A.. Time to be out.
Shit is mad fake. The L.A. river is a fake river. Silver Lake is a fake lake. The plastic surgery. The girls. So many of the people. The wack LA hipsters and the corny Hollywack scene. I’d rather just read The Arab Parrot, and look at his pic of all the clowns I missed from the night before. And even he did the right thing and flew the coop a few weeks back. Good move.
Sick of the L.A. art scene. Sick of Shepard Fairey and his Fuct-up plagiaristic art. Sick of Mr. Brainwash and his mockery of the art world (first art show grossing over 1/2 million$!). If that’s what it takes to make it, I’m all set.
Sick of cars and driving. The city is designed wrong and public transportation here is so useless, that you really have to drive. Driving everywhere. Tickets. Tickets, and more tickets. Car towings. Random car repair bills. Traffic here can make a 15 minute drive turn into 2 hours. Cars are wack. And the gas prices (insane skyrocketing from $3 to $5.15 in the spring)! Fuckin gas. Aren’t people dying over this shit?!
Sick of the segregation. It’s ridiculous. All of the black people are in South Central, Compton or Watts unless they are even less fortunate than that and are on Skid Row. Mexicans live in central (excluding Skid Row) and East LA. Asians live in their retrospective neighborhoods (Chinatown, Koreatown, Little Tokyo). The white people live on the West Side (Beverly Hills, Hollywood, Los Feliz, Silver Lake), on the top of all the hills, and anywhere near the ocean. There’s not much interaction between races here. No getting on the subway and seeing 12 ethnicities and hearing 6 languages being spoken on the same train. Most of the conversations between races here are actually people yelling at each other while driving. Maybe I’m weird, but I like diversity.
The economy in LA is severely unbalanced. There’s alot of money here, but it doesn’t seem to get around very well. No wonder there’s been some frustration here before (and before that). It seems that you are not making $30+ an hour, you are basically a “Mexican” (meaning everyone else) getting minimum wage. That is, IF you can get work.
Sick of jobs falling through, people wanting art but then “We really want your art, but we don’t quite have the budget. But if you wanna do it for free, it would surely help your portfolio”. ..Um yeah.. charity usually involves helping someone that needs it, not helping your store look better so you can sell more cupcakes. I have to eat. So if I work for you, then “Fuck you. Pay me.” If I just wanted to paint a wall.. I can find walls to paint.
Sick of the best time to get something done out here always being “tomorrow”. Let’s just get shit done!
Sick of the weather. “But it’s ‘perfect’”. Bullshit. It’s the same everyday, and it is borrrring. I can get into a cloudy day, fall foliage, painting in the snow, spring rain and rebirth. Bad weather makes me appreciate the “nicer days”. Sick of the sun. The sun is over-rated, and causes skin cancer, heat stroke, squinting, and exhaustion. Sunsets are ok.. because it’s leaving. Like me.
(*All this ranting aside, thanks and big ups to my all my friends still in Los Angeles. Now I just gotta get y’all out!)
