Rachel Maddow Pwns "Formerly" Gay Author Who "Cures" Gays
Teacher Hot For Teacher In Brooklyn High School
MTV Staffers Receiving Threats Over Jersey Shore
Bouncers Accused of Beating Gay Man for Dancing with Man
Oh D'Oh They Didn't! TSA Posts Airport Screening Manual On Web
Graffiti legend Iz the Wiz (real name Michael Martin) died at age 50 on June 17th, and has finally received an obituary from the Paper of Record. The artist tagged subway cars in the 1970s and 80s with his signature in "fat capital letters spray-painted on a door, below a window, across an entire car or even along the full length of a train." Throughout his career as a graffiti artist, he got his tag on every line in the subway system more times than any other, which means if you didn't ride in a car with his name, you probably saw one in a movie. He even did a two-car homage to John Lennon after he was killed in 1980, and was one of the first to work on the Phun Phactory building (now 5 Pointz).
On his Myspace page he wrote: "I started writing graffiti in 1972 and have been active ever since!!! Although I have slowed down quite a bit since 1996 when I was diagnosed with kidney failure, I still paint any chance I get whether it's the occasional Fr8 or a canvas or just drawing in a black book, I try to keep active as much as possible!!!! I miss the subway trains, it was such a beautiful time when they were running." After the jump there's video of him bombing his last train.
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
tweet this
post to facebook
If 1 is the loneliest number, then 50 has got to be the most dangerous.
Yea, I think 50 is the new age limit for when you have to report to the carousel, else Logan 5 will be up on your ass.
headline should read:
Legendary Criminal and Destroyer of Other People's Property, Michael Martin, Dies
you should really stop glorifying vandals unless, of course, you have no issue with me coming over and "bombing" your car.
I concur. This guy probably did millions of dollars worth of damage WRITING HIS FAKE NAME ON THINGS. Not art. Not art. Not art. Not art.
giving this guy the benefit of the doubt, i'm not going as far as saying what qualifies as art - you want to paint in that style? be my guest... but just buy a fucking canvas.
if, on the other hand, the fact that he's painting it on a train is what makes it art to him, well, then we have a problem.
MTA hiked the fares because they are still paying for the decades of vandalism by this idiot. Please stop glorifying vandals.
yeah blame it on graffiti writers 'cause the MTA board has done such a good job for decades right??
Jeezz what a bunch of party poopers... relax
Are you smoking crack or were you dropped as a baby ?
Are you smoking crack or were you dropped as a baby ?
and your point is?
Most people who lived through the 70's are not real big fans of subway graffiti.
Of course, it is not Gothamist so much as the NYTimes that is drawing attention to this great "artist."
It's appalling and condescending when people who didn't have to grow up in neighborhoods and cities blighted by the abandoned buildings and poor infrastructure that gave rise to graffiti glorify it as "public art." Anyone can afford a blank piece of paper.
well said.
You guys should watch the Style Wars dvd when you go back to the midwest.
meaning?
If you mean that only bumpkins are glad this douhcebag is dead, guess again asshole. I was born and raised in NYC and lived through the hell of the 70's.
Maybe you should go back to the garbage can you crawled from, "Hugo".
beware of anyone who uses the term "not art." some of history's legendary criminals often used this phrase.
Maybe, but most folks who speak that way are just ignorant cranks. Viz gothamist posters.
It's art. Just get it off the subway car, OK?
With rswoboda's logic everything is art because no one can say that something is not art. What legendary criminals did you have in mind?
Good riddance.
Bag em and tag em.
someone go spray paint his grave and then i'll call it "art"
I believe his family has a right to sue the companies that made the spray paint he used. They should have told him that excess breathing of the fumes will cause brain rot and premature death.
First Michael Jackson now the "King of Graffitists."
He was nothing but an attention whore, and we're all playing into his hands by commenting about him. He doesn't care if you like his work or hate it, as long as you talk about it.
Hitler claimed he wae an artist.
Hey Gothamist, you're usually pretty okay but the constant "street art" fetish has got to go. You are way out of touch with the vast majority of your readership constantly glorifying this stuff.
Even if he was the greatest tag artist and his work is qualified as art because it was tagged on subway cars, it stands to follow the majority of subway taggers were just average or worse. And we got stuck with seeing mostly crap in a violent, decaying subway system.
I've spent a bunch of time with IZ over the years, and he was an amazing, very smart, very cool gentleman. Quite the opposite of a vandal. Maybe he started out that way as a teenager, but everyone did stupid things as a teen. His influence is everywhere as you can tell by the hundreds of commercials, video games, billboards and all of Madison Ave that have been stealing his art to market to kids for the last 30 years.
Stay up IZ.
Yes, and if his stuff becomes valuable, the fare-paying public can then file suit for recovery of damages and maybe lower the fare. As I keep saying, love "art", but paint on your own stuff. If it's not personally yours, leave it alone. Iffin it's yours, feel free.
Art is what you can get away with.
- Warhol
Rest In Power IZ
Shoutout to emilydickinson and rebelbelle.
Wow! Graffiti you can actually read. I wiz therefore i iz. deep.
I wanna tag his tombstone.
What the fuck is wrong with all of you?
Graffiti is apart of the urban landscape and personally I feel it's something better to look at than just a shitty building. How does it affect you if someone gets up on a train? Does it ruin your day or something?
All of you need to go back to Michigan, or where ever it is that you're from.
Dog shit is "a part of the urban landscape" too and you probably "feel it is something better to look at than just s 'shitty' building".
Btw, what part of the city were you born in or you too a newbie transplant? A tag like "L train" makes one believe you are a recent Noo Yawker.
I was born and raised in Harlem, and ides of march, you're welcome to come by my apartment any time and contribute to my wall (I've been looking for someone to do a graf piece on the wall opposite my bed for a while now, what did you have in mind?)
What time can I come over to your house and spray paint illiterate nonsense on your living room walls?
I am so selfish. I didn't realize that every morning I wake up and have to power wash my side wall, I was actually removing "a part of the urban landscape." Sorry theLtrain, next time some asshole wants to violate my property, I'll try to have more consideration. And for the record, looking at graffiti does ruin my day; it makes me less proud to live in my community, which is full of jerkoffs like yourself that condone this shit.
Graffiti vandals should be flogged in public.
First off, how about a little respect for someone who has died. I hope none of you do anything that would warrant getting written up on this site or you'll get ripped by all your fellow Gothamist vultures.
Secondly, I'd rather see work from Iz or any other writer on trains or buildings in lieu of invasive Apple ads or self serving MTA propaganda. One is a true expression of someone who has spent their life in NY and one is someone trying to exploit people from NY. Guess which one is which.
To get respect you must show/earn respect. This dead wanker disrespected tens of thousands of people. He is getting the respect/disrespect he deserves.
At least subway ads subsidize the cost of the fares that you and I pay. This dead wanker by his vandalism and its subsequent cleanup required added to the MTA's expenses and a concomitant increase in fares.
Personally I find the ever increasing advertising of every usable surface in the city more offensive and annoying than graffiti.
At least you know the money paid by advertising will pay some of the MTA costs. The graffiti was always going to take money away from some part of the system or add to the debt.
Wow, I didn't realize there were so many lame old ass motherfuckers commenting on this site.
I, personally, didn't think he was one of the better writers to happen, but you can't deny the man's staying power.
Herpes has staying power too. So does AIDS (the good kind). Iz never paid for part of my fare. Apple does. So does Dr. Zizmor.
"lame old ass motherfuckers"?
Tell me what dick head, where do you park your car and give me the plate number so I can do a paint spray orgasm on it proclaiming I'm KOOL. And since your at it, all the cars that your relatives own and their place of residence. Also show your face so someone can strap you down and put facial tatts for free proclaiming their artistic talent.
I understand your loss to someone that the people can connect too. I come from Michigan where I am open minded, and understand the people's request of their property being graffitti. When one works hard for something that holds dear to their pocket, or their heart they will be protecting their goods. When I first met Michael, when he told me what he did up in New York where first, I found it offensive due to where I came from, and how I lived my life, by not destroying property. Then later as a Hemodialysis patient Michael became a dear friend of mind who both of us have Kidney failure. I am glad that he had something to help him distracts his pain from all the needles, and surgeries that we must undergo just to be alive. How dare you be so judging as the Reeper may be after you! I will miss my friend who was indifferent to the regular folks. We all take different paths throughout life. RIP IS THE WIZ