A cold and dreary, rainy day here in Philly, made me think about how just a little precipitation could provoke such passion and emotion from artists. We’re all beholden to the rain, it’s one of life’s great equalizers. Bumbershoots UP, people. It’s only for a little while. Anyway, here’s just a collection of videos… It’s been a minute since I’ve done this on this site. And if you can make it to the bottom you’ll find a nice treat. Enjoy!
And for those that made it this far, and for those that enjoy some Led Zep and in particular the thunder of Bonzo (even though he played quite the jerk in last night’s edition of “Mom’s True Life Stories”) here are some insane goodies for you. You don’t have to be a producer or a DJ or even remotely involved with music to enjoy these. Such power, such timing. The man was a machine…
My homeboy King Solomon does things. Like he plays records. He ruins Eames chairs. He scoffs at transplants who call it “their New York.” And he also knows more about graffiti than most people. I’m not talking “street art” which is a cringe-worthy term in itself and should be strictly be relegated to describing nothing but Toynbee Tiles. I’m talking about graffiti – the kind that your mother doesn’t like and the kind that Madison Avenue isn’t so keen to put on the front of an energy drink can.
So it’s usually someone that has a particular type of insiders perspective that makes me take note of things that are graffiti oriented in both documentation and dissemination. I am the worlds biggest sceptic when it comes to the selling of an art form that can never truly be owned because that runs counter to the base incentive as to why writers bomb. People who write graffiti don’t do it so it can be owned they do it to own, territorial pissings aside. But every once in a while something comes around and makes me say “Yeah, they got that one right.” For instance, the “Art In The Streets” show at MOCA, they got that one right…
Jean Michel Basquiat “St. Joe Louis Surrounded By Snakes”
Chosen Few Motorcycle Gang clubhouse initiation signs (Artist unknown)
Cornbread (Philadelphia, PA)
IRAK Wall with Earsnot & Sace (RIP)
Roa wall panel (detail)
C.R. Stecyk posters wall
Mode 2
Keith Haring
Espo “Street Market” (Detail)
Cost & Revs
(As an aside, a big big shame on you to The Brooklyn Museum for caving to public pressure and to the myopic views and reporting of such “esteemed” publications like The New York Post and The Daily News. Brooklyn Museum, I love you like no other, but you know that Art In The Streets belongs here in New York, it deserves to be shown here.)
This was a well thought out and executed show, but it doesn’t surprise me since Jeffrey Deitch decided to bring in Roger Gastman into the mix to help curate the show. Which just goes to show that there has been a decidedly interesting shift of power whereas the old guard now looks to the youth to find ways to make themselves relevant. A recent article in Billboard illustrates the point just so. In business, in music, in art, in order to stay relevant one must trust in the youth. It has always been that way, but the stakes and the numbers are just a lot higher these days. But also understand that this “youth” now are the ones that are holding the reigns. One may have scoffed at the usage of Iggy Pop “Lust For Life” to peddle Carnival Cruises but let’s not forget that campaign was probably put together by someone whom had an intrinsic connection to that song and thought it conveyed a certain energy (It does have a banging beat, so why not use it to endorse family fun instead of nihilistic heroin abuse.)
But I digress – enough tangents for today. Let me get back to the crux of this post – I am off to Miami this Sunday to do a show that just happens to coincide with Art Basel and the show itself is in the Wynwood area of Downtown Miami. I’ve been frequenting Wynwood for years now and have watched it grow from a really grimy, shady, almost scary section of town where it’s easy to throw warehouse parties and a place which is definitely rip for graffiti writers to get busy, to a neighborhood with posh lounges, art galleries, and foot traffic with money to burn. And of course, The Wynwood Walls. My man King Solomon’s new film series Here Comes The Neighborhood documents the taking over of the Wynwood district and creating what is possibly the worlds biggest outdoor graffiti installation. Each episode will showcase a different artist that participated (Futura, Shepard Fairey, Kenny Scharf…) and documents the transition of this community through this public art project. Or maybe this “street art” project. Fuck it – let’s just call it like it is. It was GRAFFITI created and beautified a neighborhood, not destroyed it. So you should just mosey over to HCTN and check out all the episodes. Respek
Our friends over at Scion A/V have teamed with the legendary Prince Paul for his new series “Musician Impossible: Prince Paul’s Adventurous Musical Journey.” The show follows Paul and his cohorts Mr. Dead and Soce on a cross-country quest for new musical inspiration. On this debut episode, the gang hit Paul’s home – Money Making Manhattan – to link up with some of my good buddies, Win Win, Boston’s Soul Clap and the one and only Style Of Eye. Paul gets a crash course on the new wave of dance music. Fresh to death…
The good folks over at Scion A/V have teamed with the legendary Prince Paul for his new series “Musician Impossible: Prince Paul’s Adventurous Musical Journey.” The show follows Paul and his cohorts Mr. Dead and Soce on a cross-country quest for new musical inspiration. On this episode, the crew travel to Lawrence, Kansas to witness first-hand some of the countries best garage rock bands from the legendary to the unheralded, including but not limited to some of my favorites The Spits, The Gories, and many more. Definitely more bang for your buck when it comes to energy and aggression on this episode. Off the chain…
Wednesday December 18 – High & Rising Book Release – Philadelphia, PA 
