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Yesterday's gorgeous day was the perfect setting for Marc Ecko's graffiti street party to celebrate the release of his video game, Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure. However, the party became a minor First Amendment cause celebre as City Councilman Peter Vallone successfully started a wave to get the party permit revoked, only to have a judge rule the party must go on. Newsday called it a throwback to the '80s with boomboxes, breakdancing and graffiti, and Ecko told reporters, "It's about art but they used an old tool of fear-mongering, a political thing, trying to lean on family values, using graffiti as a negative when it's really just a bunch of young people getting together to express themselves."
Lady Pink decorating her car; click here to see the finished car
Vallone, however, issued a statement saying, "This is about multimillion-dollar corporations fraudulently obtaining a permit to use our streets to promote a video game which teaches kids how to commit crimes." The Post said the crowd was in the thousands, and indeed, it seems like many onlookers were there to see their tagging heroes in person, as they asked artists for autographs. As for making the graffiti party an annual event, Ecko told Newsday, "It'll be interesting when we apply for a permit next year."
Photo at top by Jake Dobkin; photos of Lady Pink, Lady Pink's train and Cycle's Pig Train by Bucky Turco
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Which way to Ecko's HQ? I'd like to tag the side of the building. Hey, it's art, right? He can't object to free speech.
clearly, some of these guys are artists - I just resent that anyone still desires to do ugly "scratch grafitti" into so many subway windows....although, i must say, i have never spotted much of anything (scratch or paint-wise) on the brand new L-trains and 4-5-6 trains. then there's the grafitti in stations. where i live, there's one guy "DEPS" who has defaced the entire station. I have been thinking about producing counter-grafitti stickers that Giuliani himself mock-endorsed on SNL a few years back....think about it.....DEPS "SUCKS THE BIG ONE"......DEPS "IS AN UGLY MOMMA'S BOY"....DEPS "PEES SITTING DOWN"....if this happens, i take responsibility.
Why all the hatred? Isn't the 1st Amendment pretty goddamned clear?
I just hate pointless put your name there stuff, that's all. childish. i'm sure that's how ecko's crew may have gotten their start, but i am sure they've moved on.
Yes, the First Ammendment is pretty clear. However, while scratching subway car windows and tagging other's property can be considered free expression, both cross the boundary into destruction of property. Just because there's blank space on the side of a building, a subway car, whatever, does not give you the right to permanently deface it.
Dear Brightliner,
quit talking and do it pussy. "mr. ecko" wouldn't give a fuk. You're assuming we're all as hypocritially retarded as you.
knob.
dear Michael Foley,
if you wind up burried, you will receive no sympathy from me. If you going to start beef, be ready to back that up. Some of these cats don't play, don't get in too deep on some community hero type $hit.
what i don't get is why a party with LEGAL graffitimaking, essentially a *representation* of something illegal, should be supressed.
there are hundreds of representational murders on TV every single damn day.
If Mr. Ecko lives in jersey, why didn't he set up his plywood subway in his own neighborhood? I'm quite sure that Mr. Ecko would give a fuck if jerseyans spray painted his trouser empire bought mansion. pugsley personally invites all jersey residents to grab a paint can and tag Mr. Ecko's estate. Otherwise this loser should stay in jersey.
^^^PUGSLEY
"If Mr. Ecko lives in jersey, why didn't he set up his plywood subway in his own neighborhood?"
It was an event to get people out to celebrate a culture. Woudn't it make sense to celebrate it in the city it had it's inception. this wan't about invading a neighborhood. Would you demand Puerto Ricans take their parade back to PR as opposed to doing it on the streets of NYC since the whole reason for the parade is to celebrate the presence of Puerto Ricans in America.
if anyone spraypainted your house I'd say you had a case. $hit if the event had anything to do with spraypainting property in that west Chelsea neighborhood (other than the fabricated train panels that ecko brought themselves) I'd even say you had something worth a piss to say. But I'm pretty certain neither of those things happend.
But again, if you still feel complelled to spray paint his property...maybe you should stop gathering fake threats about it whilst hiding behind the safe glow of a computer screen, get out there, jump some fences and do it.
brian - people spray paint my building probably once a week. I actually enjoy the few talented graffiti artists in the neighborhood, but these aren't the guys that paint my building, no, the guys that paint my building are retards that paint some scrawled signature in black. There is no point or content. I'm baffled by your Puerto Rico arguments and don't know what your problem is with Puerto Ricans. To be honest, I don't care if you set up a plywood subway in front of your building. My point is that Ecko is some jersey loser ponytail man trying to market his pants and videogames in my city. If you want to help give Ecko free publicity that's your business, but you probably should think it through more.
By that logic we should also ban Bruce Springsteen concerts at Madison Square Garden because he's a New Jersey guy who's trying to market his music in our city...
Is product pormotion actually protected uner free speech? It's not like they are practicing journalism or anything. They want to sell a video game.
straight up...the whole purpose was to celebrate graffiti of a past era (the salad days if you will) and get some cats together to paint that haven't seen eachother in some time now. It was perceived that there would be a large quantity of people that would appreciate that. (and there were) So the event was planned. Thats' it. There wasn't even an ecko tent sent up. Nor do I recal getting "shop ecko" flyers handed to me as I entered the area. And oh wait...you didn't even have to open your wallet to get in. They just did the event because Marc appreciates the culture and thought it would be a fun thing for the past, current and next generation of graff kids.
If you hate dood from being from Jersey, cool, that's on you. I'm from Chicago and I live in "your" city. Hate me too. Hate half the population of NYC because they aint "from" here.
For the record, some of my best frineds are Puerto Rican. I was saying it would be rediculous to say that the only place Puerto Ricans can hold their Parade every year is IN Puerto Rico because many of them are transplants to NYC. get it.
Why are you implying that I said Ecko should be banned. You completely misrepresent what I said and it's certainly not "by my logic."
I love it, joe fabricates an argument that I'm calling for a ban on Ecko's plywood subway, now b. Mackin claims that I hate half the population of NYC. Ecko is not a "transplant." He's a ponytail jersey man that drove to town with his plywood subway. He got some foolish politicians angry and got free advertising - that was the point for him. Like I say, I actually like the work done by the artists. I'm just saying I would prefer it if joe and b. Mackin had set up the plywood themselves, without a trouser marketing plan instead of Ecko.
Do these shows glorify murder? Do they present murder as a wonderful act that should be copied? Do they say there are no consequences if you're caught? Maybe we should have a carjacking party on the street when they launch the next version of Grand Theft Auto, complete with fake cops getting beaten, stabbed and shot.
Hey Jersey bashers, the Jen Chung is a Jersey girl.
DOOD...ECKO IS RUN OUT OF NYC. 23rd STREET LOOK IT UP. If dood is from Jersey initially, what's it matter? Again, I'm from Chicago, If I were to open up a business in Brooklyn, which I may do someday. are you planning on calling me names because I haven't passed your random litmus test? you said "now b. Mackin claims that I hate half the population of NYC" like it's the most rediculous deduction anyone could've made form your post. then you follow that right up with hating on a man becasue he drives across a river. My wife works in jersey city and we stay in brooklyn, is she not allowed to make moves for herself there because the "true school" jersey city residents might get salty. i think this is more about some kind of bull$hit egotistical romanticized idea of "where you from" disease.
It's even more hilarious that in your world, graffiti must live in this anorexic space between rawness and legality. If I and my people were to try and get a permit to do something like thie event, we woudn't have had the money to take it to court to over rule the city. So it woud've never happened. Dood had the money so he put it to a use for something that he believed was to address the greater issue; protection of the 1st amendment. don't get it twisted.
I agree with your last post, however. BUT, the Judge said it best with the West Side Story example. that certainly doesn't discourage gang life, only dcuments it a way, but no one's trying to tie up people who make movies or shows that don't show cops as good guys and robbers as bad guys. Why? becasue that's not in line with the constitution. You can't really argue this. the judicial branch spoke.
pugsley, I misread your post. Sorry about attributing the "banning" remark to you!
is it uncool to pee sitting down?
"Dood had the money so he put it to a use for something that he believed was to address the greater issue; protection of the 1st amendment. don't get it twisted."
No, he put up the money to address the greater issue; the marketing of pants and video games. don't get it twisted. He actually did a good job in fabricating a false controversy for his own benefit and the politicians took the bait, among other people.
pugsley, what mark did was not illegal. what the politicians tried to do was illegal.
it's not about how uncool or how much of a capitalist sellout mr. ecko is because that is definitely not illegal.
puglsey is just a hater, and a hypocrite to boot. disregard his rants as you would any other troll's. B., you have proven your point abundantly, dont let this ruin your day. smugsley, go find a bridge to jump off of. please.
Thanks Joe. hijiki - I agree that the politicians are A-holes for forcing the guy into court, but I also think Ecko is an A-hole for bringing his plywood to town and creating a controversy so he can sell more pants. I don't have much else to say about it. For me generally, the only thing I care about is if graffiti artists have something they want to paint, go ahead and paint on my apartment building or wherever, but don't paint those retarded black signature scrawls that have no point or even have any attempt at aesthetics and don't help pants salesmen market themselves.
we obviously were not at the same event.
you want to break down the sequence of events and point out a spicific example of how you felt compelled to buy more ecko clothing as a result of yesterday's event. The man threw an event to show love for graffiti. Just to be sure, that's only cool if you're broke?
For the record, why are you so down to protect the legitemacy of something you clearly aren't even that fond of?
ps. he didn't tell Vallone to raise a fuss, this $hit would've been way under the radar had he kept his mouth shut. So how again did Marc "fabricate" a controversey?
solidarity sP.
bump.
b.Mackin, while i agree with your stance, you surely realize that even if he wasn't pushing products at this particular event, people will associate his brand (and his name) with the good times he provided and the way he stood up to the man for them. it's definitely lucrative as far as branding goes... not that there's anything wrong with that. i don't think there's much doubt that it will help his sales.
Yeah. graffitti on privately sanctioned canvases is like having sex with your clothes on. It doesn't make sense. The whole point of graffitti is sticking it to the MAN! I personally would love it if someone graffittis all over these street rat's graffitti. Imagine after a hard days work of spraypainting a mural someone comes along and sprays, Oh let's see, what's really uncool? umm... the backstreet boys all over the graffitti guy's work. give them a taste of their own medicine.
I know this will be unpopular but here goes it. There is bad graffiti and there is good graffiti, whether it is legal or illegal is irrelevant. Just because you do art on the street that doesn't make your art not art and all of a sudden it is vandalism. It may be illegal but god it would be shallow to just say its not art cause its illegal. THere is plenty of street art that is witty, smart, and compliments the environment. Almost all art was illegal at some point or another. So this idea that it is graffiti art if its legal and graffiti vandalism if its the same graffiti but done outside is absurd. You're either good or not. Some public art looks great, some doesn't. But I don't mind putting up with the ugly shit to get the gems. Face it people, it's part of being in a free and democratic society. Graffiti, the illegal kind, if it needs a defense is this: It is the ultimate form of free expression. It is not bought, censored or subject to review. I have to say that most graffiti writers write on shit that is already derelect or destroyed.
as an art critic and a skateboarder I can honestly say that the graffiti in marc ecko's show is moronic and stupid. San Francisco kicks your ass in graffitti
West Side Story didn't "document" gangs in any way, shape or form. It was a work of fiction. And its characters paid dearly for that "gang life," with one death and several lives destroyed by the end. Hardly a glamorous depiction.
The "judicial branch" didn't speak. One judge spoke. Judges aren't always right and often disagree with each other. Or don't you notice that the Supreme Court almost never makes unanimous decisions and that we have a multi-tiered system where decisions are often reversed by higher courts. Even former Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens today said he disagrees with many of the Court's recent decisions and even some of the decisions he made when he was on the court.
"Imagine after a hard days work of spraypainting a mural someone comes along and sprays, Oh let's see, what's really uncool? umm... the backstreet boys all over the graffitti guy's work. give them a taste of their own medicine."
all I can say to this is that they may get a taste of their own medicine this way, but I guaruntee it won't stop there; chalking it up to a lesson learned. That $hit will get sorted. weather someone gets taken out or the beef gets squashed, but nobody's going home to get mom to call the mean kid's parents.
hijiki...I digress. i do infact understand the event may shed a positive light on ecko as a brand to their demographic, whcih may infact mean a few more hoodies sold this fall. i don't what to tell you other than that we're all trying to eat. And if i get succcessfull at something I love to do, I'm sure as hell not going to stop doing something I feel strongly about just to save face for a few haters. I think it would be a different story if dood wasn't giving any love to the creators/legends or trying to put them in the spotlight and lift them up along the way, but that's what the event was really about. Some may disagree with that interpretation, but the artists who should be the most offended if their culture were being exploited, were emphatically down for this event.
But since this has gotten so far away from the original debate. I'm done. I really can't state my arguemnet any more clearly. It's been fun.
ps, no hard feelings towards anyone. And sorry for the time warp lingustics.
ok one more.
Brightliner: understood. Maybe bad examples, pick one that will work. KKK maybe. All I know is that I'm very much not down with racism nor are many people but that didn't change the fact that they got to march in Chicago when I was 13. I dealt with it, understanding that it would hurt the country more to restrict free speech more than letting some red neck crackers have their garbage out in the open for 2 hours, only to go back to being marginalized the next day. But, in this specific scenario, if you can't see that the city had no case after brushing up on the 1st amendment, I can't help you. Judges DO disagree, that's why it's such a big deal with these Supreme Court nominations, however, the rules are rules, and the man who ruled on the case said the city had NO case. The city tried to appeal, to no avail, so I'm assuming they either figred it out on their own or another judge asked them if they were nuts..again.
waitaminute. In Marc Ecko's new videogame does the player have to apply for a permit to spray on a legally sanctioned canvas everytime the videogame character sprays stuff? Then when the player gets rejected do you have to press up down left right to initiate legal proceedinggs to uphold your first amendment rights to spraypaint on private party murals? cause that would be a pretty fucking boring game.
Bunch of wanna-be gangsters who liked (but probably failed) art class. Wanna be a real artist, make something that will sell. Wanna do some self-expression, do it on your on time, in your own house.