Michael Jackson, RIP

The news is reporting he died of a heart attack in Los Angeles, but it's still a bit early to be sure how and why he died so young.

Tragic in life, tragic in death, King of Pop, RIP.

IZ THE WIZ obituary

Thanks to Pink Smith for sending this in.

IZ THE WIZ candlelight memorial tonight in NYC

The flyer for the event reproduces a magazine article from 1998 in which IZ explains his illness and warns against the dangers of spray paint.

Thanks IZ.

Wear those respirators, kids.

Haven Arts Gallery, 7-10 pm ... bring a candle.

50 Bruckner Blvd, Bldg A
Bronx NY 10454
+1 718.585.5753

Susan

IZ photos by Steam

Steam156 has published some of his extensive photo collection, this time of IZ THE WIZ shots, in memory of the King.

Thanks, Steam!

RIP - IZ THE WIZ

IZ THE WIZ left this Earth June 17, 2009.

He will be missed forever, yet hIs legend lives on.

His work is still on view at Tuff City Tattoo in the Bronx, but it's no longer for sale.

Memorial activities will be private, for close friends and family.

Sincere condolences to those he leaves behind.

RIP Afroe 42 - Chicago

Afroe was killed in a freeway accident on April 10th
He was in a disabled car that was struck by another vehicle driven by an allegedly drunk off-duty cop.

Sincere condolences to his friends and family.

An investigation is underway.

Update: Kane is helping raise funds for Afroe's family.

Miami Graffiti Artist Falls From Highway Sign, Dies

The 28-year-old man fell from a catwalk on a road sign hanging over the Palmetto Expressway at about 1 a.m. Friday.
Troopers said a pickup truck hit and killed the man on the roadway. The driver of the pickup truck did stop.
FHP troopers found a can of spray paint near the man's body.

The picture in the article is not the sign in question, which was on the 826, according to TV news reports.

RIP Merk TK KC aka Enrique Olivera.

Our deepest condolences to his friends and family.

UK-Protesters denounce jail sentences for graffiti writers

Tragically, a young man hanged himself in jail after being sentenced to a cruel and unusual 30 months for writing on trains.

Saturday 14th February 2009

A PROTEST calling for an end to custodial sentencing for non-violent graffiti offenders took place outside the Royal Courts of Justice today.

Around 50 people turned out in central London to demonstrate against sending graffiti offenders to prison.

Last Saturday 23-year-old graffiti artist Tom Collister from Penge hanged himself in jail.

He had belonged to a gang which carried out a two-year campaign of vandalism on trains and stations around south London.

Collister was serving a 30-month sentence after admitting conspiracy to cause criminal damage.

Bster, RIP

Bster, from Chicago, was killed January 5 in a car accident. 

Our sincere condolences to his friends and family.

You can see some of his work on flickr.

[Almost 40% of accidental deaths in the US are due to car accidents, so everyone please be careful out there!]

DFW RIP

David Foster Wallace, college professor and author of the mindblowing book, Infinite Jest and many others, has apparently killed himself this weekend. Every newsthing is already covering the story of his life, but I have to say a few words because his work and his passing mean a lot to me, and to all of his readers.

His honesty was something I really appreciated ... and every word in that phrase is an extreme understatement. His candid point of view was a blue-white cutting torch with an escape plan. People compare him to Pynchon often, but in my heart he was closer to Vonnegut and Brautigan.

His work is so much fun to read because he invested all of himself in it, he expressed himself in an original way, and he was as hilarious as he was brilliant and insightful. For those lucky people who have not read him yet, please take the time to sample any page in Infinite Jest. I think you'll be very glad that it's a big book.

There's a little taste of him at the link above, a university commencement speech he made. I hope it inspires you too. I sure wish he had stayed a lot longer and said a lot more.

Satanic Plumber Archive

400+ news articles from over two decades on underground New York City subjects..... City Hall Station, graffiti writers busted, Hickey + Ski interview, the Ket saga, the High Line story, WTC diagrams, subway blacksmith, TATs profile, Freedom Tunnel, Caine RIP....... it's all there and more.

via SaneSmith

On Femicide: Swoon and Tennessee Jane

Chicago: Arrest Made in Murder of Artist SOLVE

www.solvesolvesolve.com

CHICAGO (WBBM/STNG) - Kirk Tobolski, 24, has been charged with first-degree murder in the stabbing of Brendan Scanlon, a well-known local graffiti artist in the Logan Square neighborhood early Saturday. Tobolski, of the 2600 block of West Iowa Street, was charged with one count of first-degree murder Sunday, according to police News Affairs.

Scanlon was found with multiple stab wounds to the chest at 3032 W. Palmer Blvd. about 2:40 a.m., police News Affair Officer Laura Kubiak said.

Scanlon was leaving a party when he got into a "verbal altercation" and was subsequently stabbed, police said.

Scanlon, of 2846 W. Palmer Blvd., died of a stab wound to the chest, an autopsy determined Saturday. His death was ruled a homicide by the Cook County Medical Examiner.

Scanlon graduated from the Illinois Institute of Art in 2007, and worked as a freelance artist and graphic designer, according to his Web site.

Scanlon is reportedly SOLVE, a local graffiti artist. Many people discussed his death on a Chicago Street Art online discussion forum Saturday.

"The Chicago street art and graffiti community has suffered another devastating blow to our family," one of the forum members posted Saturday. A memorial of Scanlon's work is reportedly in the works.

Scanlon wanted "to be a respected member of the international design community," and thought "art is one of the things that makes life worth it," according to his Myspace profile, where friends posted mournful comments Saturday.

SOLVE VIDEO
SOLVE LOGO
Kirk Tobolski

The word on the street is that the guy who stabbed him was known for carrying a knife and cutting himself ... clearly a nutcase!! Solve's work was always a treat to see - he always hit up smart spots and created a lot of thought provoking work. He will be missed.

[Info thanks to Risk]

RIVAL, LA graf legend: Write In Peace

At URB, by Risk.

RIP Rival.WCA


Rival and Grem

Pihema Cameron

By Michael Griffith (who would love to hear from you)

Recently Pihema Cameron who was 15, was murdered by a 50 year old businessman who found him tagging fences near his home. This was in New Zealand.

According to Daniel Oliver Tucker, who is completing a PHD in sociology at the University of Berkeley, "There are many reasons as to why people do graffiti. For some it is to get back at a world that they see as corrupt and unjust. For others it is for the pleasure of creation, for the art form. And for others it's a game: the object: see how much you can paint and get away with."

But could all these reasons stem from one common drive?

A term bandied around when we discuss taggers is their lack of respect. But what have we done to earn this respect? Daily they are informed about the grave possibilities of their climatic future, we expect them to pay for their education for years after they've qualified, we've bought all the houses (some inner suburbs are more than 50% investor owned) and made it so expensive to live that just the thought of trying to support a family would leave them cold, and finally we're expecting them, once they start paying taxes, to support us in our retirement.

Instead of respect, the logical emotional response to this would be anger. And the common drive of an angry youth rebelling against its conservative parents is to be heard. A want to be valued.

In the fifties the social rebels were encapsulated by Brando who, after being asked, "What are you rebelling against, Johnny?" replied "What have you got?"

In the seventies the equivalent rebels were The Sex Pistols who sparked a punk revolution.

Jello Biafra, from the band The Dead Kennedys, said "Punk will only die when corporations can exploit and mass produce it."
So our corporations did. You can now pay through the nose for carefully torn jeans, and your grubby T-shirt with your anti-establishment logo is made in China.

We've exploited Brando's rebels as well. Our Wild Ones are now our fathers who, panicking through their mid-life crisis's, buy $30000 Harleys before squeezing their sofa-softened bellies into thick Italian leathers. But in our time, when our markets have perfected the art of exploiting anything that will produce a buck, we have a graffiti problem. And although a few paint shop owners have been caught selling reject spray cans out of the back door, and graffiti removalists are raking it in, big business has failed to exploit these outlaws slash artists. Instead, the taggers actually cost them money.

In fact every time a tagger tags a commercial property, a bus stop or your fence, they challenge our entire value system and disturb the Status Quo. And someone who threatens the Status Quo is a criminal in their time and, since history so often repeats itself, they will be a revered rebel in retrospect.

Dislike them or simply hate them, the true punks of our time are the taggers.

So much so that by cleaning that tag off your fence you are probably depreciating its long term value. Who knows, one day local councils might start heritage listing fences that are being tagged now.

Fuzz One needs our help: Buy his book now

Sadly, Fuzz One's mother just passed away and he is trying to raise funds to cover her funeral costs. So if you were thinking about buying one of his new books, this is the best of all possible times to do that. Here's the info:

Fuzz One
The Last of the Old School
by Vincent Fedorchak

This one you have to buy directly from Fuzz because it's not available anywhere else.
Info: myspace.com/fuzzone
djfuzzone@yahoo.com

Fuzz says:
Book is 8 1/2 by 11 inches. Heavy and almost 400 pages. All raw text of hardcore NY history.

US customers: No PayPal at all. Only checks allowed from a U.S. bank. Check or money order only. For one book only and extra artwork, the total to send is $40.00. All shipments get sent with Priority Mail and include new artwork I am doing. If you want more than one book, e-mail me for prices.

Any other country: No personal checks. Only International Money Order or U.S. dollars in cash. No Euros or other currency for now. This gets you one book and Priority Mail shipping (airmail). You can send it certified mail so you know I got it, but that is an extra expense for you. It's US$ 50.00 for one book to get sent to England. I have had a few customers from there already. It should be close to that for other European countries but I ask that you e-mail me first from where you are in order to determine if it will cost more. Send inquiries to djfuzzone@yahoo.com

I will sign each book and in most cases will add my own graffiti artwork by doing something for you and include it with the book. No other authors do that.

More than one book: If you want more than one book, send me a note to tell me how many you want and where you are. New shipping prices will be given to you.

Not doing business with any bookstores or distributors. Write your name and address neatly so I can read it when sending your payment.

Send any payments here:

Vincent Fedorchak
PO Box 111
Port Jervis NY 12771
USA

Tony Silver - Style Wars filmmaker - RIP

UPDATE: 149th St has posted an obituary. See the link above.

---

"We lost a beloved friend this weekend and respectfully mourn with his family and the thousands of kids, artists and fans who took inspiration from his classic film Style Wars.

"I've been a close friend of Tony's for many years and have had a special attachment to him as a person who had a great depth of intellect in all areas of his life. As a mentor and friend I have known him for his appreciation for the art of life and the life of art in others, that is why he made Style Wars and Facing the Audience a film about Marshall Arisman.

"Many of you know that I have sought to extend the legacy of his work online with the website, a labor of love I have been doing since the beginning of the internet. It was this collaboration between him, Henry and myself that helped bring more people to know and support the film. It is this collaboration that will continue on as the website goes into its next phase, realizing the enormous effect of his work and legacy on the global graffiti community.

"You can post any comments and condolences at myspace.com/stylewars

"Thank you Tony, and thank you Lisa Silver for caring for our friend.

Mare139


A terrible loss for us all.

New Zealand businessman, 50, charged with murdering graffiti writer, 15

Tragic and heartbreaking news. More as it develops.

A 50-year-old New Zealand businessman has appeared in court charged with murdering a teenager who was reportedly painting graffiti on fences in a suburban street near his home.

Pihema Cameron, 15, was stabbed to death late Saturday in Manurewa, near Auckland, police said.

Bruce William Emery did not enter a plea when he appeared in the Manukau District Court and was remanded in custody until Thursday.

Sydney graffiti writers drown in storm drain

Gone are Flaps and Banish from Sydney Australia. May they rest in peace. Their friend survived and was rescued from the ocean by surfers. We wish him strength to get through this terrible tragedy.

They were inside an underground storm drain structure that was a frequent playground for urban explorers, when it rained, killing the couple.

Rise (Ohio/NY) RIP

Killed in action by a train.

Martin Lee Anderson's killers go free

This is insanely wrong. I hope there's an appeal, quickly. The people who beat Martin to death should go directly to jail, all of them. And their pet doctors too. The worst irony is that if his parents had beaten him themselves instead of paying someone else to do it, the parents would go to jail.

Just say no to booting out your children.

Flee children, flee.

Martin Anderson, RIP.

The Martyring of Che Guevara

Interesting summary of Che's role in history, his assassination 40 years ago, and the absurdity of obsessing over Communists.

Iraq situation report, by 7 US soldiers

This is the most believable and coherent account I've read so far of the situation on the ground in Iraq. Comments are interesting too.

Two of this NYTimes op-ed piece's authors died September 10. Sgt. Omar Mora and co-author Sgt. Yance T. Gray died along with 5 other soldiers and 2 detainees in a vehicle accident, but it would be just as fair to say they died of executive privilege.

GWB gave a feel-good speech tonight about how everything is going so well in Iraq. He should just declare victory and bring the troops home then. And there's more heroin coming out of Afghanistan than ever, so either that was the objective of that war or else it's failed to produce positive results as well. I sure hope we can get him out of office before he starts another war with Iran or Eritria.

The DC protest is coming up on the 15th. I'm sure Alternet will cover that event and so will the streams of images at YouTube and Flickr.

RIP Munik

Munik, from Houston, was run over and killed by a levee cop in New Orleans on August 9. The cop said Munik tripped. I hope we see a competent investigation of this soon at the very least.

Condolences to his friends and family.

Update: Here's another blogpost about Victor's death at Grits for Breakfast.

The King of Kowloon, RIP

" A poor and crippled Hong Kong man who became a cultural icon for his unique Chinese-style street graffiti has died at the age of 86, sparking nostalgic calls to preserve his vanishing legacy.

Tsang Tsou-choi, dubbed "The King of Kowloon" after the district he lived in -- was a Hong Kong original, who never saw himself as an artist but was hailed internationally as one.

... Tsang spent five decades roaming the metropolis -- often shirtless and on crutches -- scrawling his idiosyncratic calligraphy on lamp-posts, walls, phone boxes, pedestrian underpasses and electrical boxes."

Update: I made an RIP page for Mr Tsang and you can send your photos for me to add, if you wish.

Barbara Bode Falcon, RIP

Too soon, too soon. Barbara Falcon, who was known universally as "Barbara Bode," has left this life. Barbara was the former wife of the brilliant underground cartoonist Vaughn Bode and the mother of his lizard spawn--the artist Mark Bode.

The passing of this prismatic and charismatic soul is a heavy loss for those who knew her personally and to the graff community.

She was the spark for Vaughn?s "Bode Broads," his unique way of drawing pinup in a recognizable fashion. To Vaughn, Barbara represented the most idealized form of feminine beauty. The vision of Vaughn's Bode Broads is a style that's appealed to the most influential and prolific graff artists of our time. Bode Broads can be seen in graffiti art all over the universe. Barbara?s moon-like face and curvaceous body type launched a thousand walls, worldwide.

"My father did hundreds of characters based on her image and some of them really captured her spirit, she was the original inspiration for all Bode Broads to come and ever since," said Mark.

Barbara's very nature was too complex to sort out, yet paradoxically she was an open book of the most fragile kind. She possessed great physical beauty, razor wit, keen intellect, and immense empathy. Still, one never wanted to cross the Sicilian Queen; she'd cut you off quicker than a piece of salami.

She was born Barbara Hawkins, in Utica New York, in 19xx. At the age of 16, the sultry-eyed teenager began dating a square-looking Vaughn. The couple eventually married against her parents' wishes. The intensity and dysfunction of their 11-year marriage was an event that Barbara tried to process until the end of her life.

The year of Vaughn's untimely death in 1975, she met and married Rick Falcon, the brother of Vaughn's sister-in-law. Rick was always the more normal father and husband that Barbara yearned for after the bizarre and tumultuous period with Vaughn. "After meeting Rick," Mark recalls, "it seemed like Mom and I had landed gently on a peaceful earth after we had just ridden on the tail of a space cowboy comet which was Vaughn's life with us."

Rick was Barbara's ultimate care-giver and loving husband until the end.

Rest in Peace Barbara.
- written by Angela Frucci

Be Like Mike DREAM - NUMP featuring Reena Lynn

Musical tribute to Bay Area King Mike Dream TDK from Oakland California, RIP

Damien Hirst - Diamond Dead Head

It will be interesting to see who buys this. Seems unfair that the original skull owner can't get partial credit though.

Ecko RIP

Ecko, from Chicago, passed last week from sudden illness. Our condolences to his friends and loved ones.

Semz IRAK, RIP

Heard the sad news only today, but Semz left us a couple of weeks ago.

Hugs to IRAK and Semz's friends and family.

Baron 357 RIP

Baron 357 passed away April 23, 2007 after a long fight with ALS. He will be greatly missed, even as his legacy lives on. A documentary short film about him is in the works. See the link above for details.

RIP Ayer by Revok, time lapse

The first of many such delights promised by The Seventh Letter and Known Gallery.

(That's Persue's Bunnykitty character being painted over in case you're curious.)

Massacre Monkeys

There's something deeply wrong when each tragedy competes with every other to be the most, the worst. Everyone seems to want to be on any top 10 list, to get on TV. News helicopters circle like vultures. Disasterporn and competition for the prizes no one should want are sick monkey habits we need to break.

Speaking of sick monkey doings ... killing people you don't even know is so lame. And how dumb is it to kill people we love? The whole notion of killing a woman so nobody else can have her is offensive. Is she your stolen property? Your escaping slave? Please. If a relationship isn't working, walk away. Life is too short to fight about it. If you feel the need to confine or spy on your partner, the relationship is already over. Trade up. Each breakup is an opportunity to have a better relationship next time. Captivity is a cage for two.

Also, let's stop treating fear and anxiety as diseases we should take drugs for. Life is scary. Be brave. Offer aid and comfort to others. Expressing emotions with weapons, spewing hate, and surrounding ourselves with nice safe police states and pain killers are all symptoms of unbridled fear and lack of self-control.

Today's murdering coward at Virginia Tech, although responsible for his own idiotic decisions, is also a symptom of our collective sick monkey condition. It takes a better kind of human to face life with open hands, mind, and heart.

Every single death is someone's heartbreak. I grieve with and for us all today.

Kurt Vonnegut, RIP

A member of my artificial extended family and the author of the world-view altering books:

Cat's Cradle
Sirens of Titan
Breakfast of Champions
Slaughterhouse-Five

has left us. His point of view will always remain, though, to remind us what kind of species we might have been, had we put a bit more thought into it.

The NY Times said: "His last book, in 2005, was a collection of biographical essays, "A Man Without a Country." It, too, was a best seller.

In concludes with a poem written by Mr. Vonnegut called "Requiem," which has these closing lines:"

" 'When the last living thing

has died on account of us,

how poetical it would be

if Earth could say,

in a voice floating up

perhaps

from the floor

of the Grand Canyon,

"It is done."

People did not like it here. ' "



... and so it goes.

Track tragedy ruled accidental

Thanks to Deal for the sad news.

Islington Tribune [London] - by PAUL KEILTHY
Published: 23 February 2007
Graffiti artist died on tracks

A graphic designer was electrocuted when he slipped on train tracks after drunkenly reverting to the graffiti lifestyle he had abandoned since the birth of his child, an inquest heard yesterday (Thursday). George Andrew King, 22, was hit by 750 volts of electricity when he fell on the live rail near Caledonian Road and Barnsbury railway station during a graffiti spree in the early hours of Saturday September 16 last year.

After a night at a media party, he had gone on to the rails with friend and fellow spray-canner Jason Edwards, who ended up trying to prise his convulsing body from the line with a plank of wood before calling for an ambulance.

Mr Edwards said he had been walking ahead of Mr King as they returned to the station after tagging a bridge.

He said: "I just turned round and he was lying on the rail. I know from before - it's instant death on that track."

Though they risked their lives and broke their own safety protocols by rushing to the still-live line, the paramedics could see instantly that Mr King was dead, Coroner Dr Andrew Reid was told. Katherine Ketchaev, Mr King's partner and the mother of his young son, said he had given up graffiti on the railways since she had become concerned for his safety - but had given in to temptation after a few drinks while she slept.

Police experts said there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death.

Verdict: accidental death.

Two Writers Killed by London Underground Train

WISE/WANTS DFC
OZONE SRW

Rest in Peace

Condolences to all those they left behind.

Graffiti is not worth dying for. Please everyone be careful out there.

RIP KOS

13 year old killed by train after painting near the tracks in Long Island NY.

Words can't express the tragedy of losing someone so young and full of promise. The only thing we can do is to try to learn the hard lessons that each disaster brings us.

Train yards and tracks are way more dangerous than you think they are. Even veterans have trains sneak up on them. Never let your guard down, and watch out for your friends. Don't expect to hear or feel the train first.

Let's all be more careful out there this year.

Rest in peace, KOS ...

Our deepest sympathies to his friends and family.

RIP ACB - and her New York memorial service

Tragically, the young and beautiful ACB (Andrea), from Chile, lost her battle with cancer today. She was a sweet and happy woman and we will all miss her very much.

Thanks to Been3 for letting us know.

From Andrea's sister:

"We invite her friends and family in New York to come pay tribute to our wonderful sister, share a story about her glorious life, and offer a prayer on her behalf.

Date: Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Time: 6-9 PM
Where: La Peña del Bronx
Address: 11 Bruckner Blvd., 3rd Floor (corner of Lincoln Avenue and Bruckner Blvd.)

Directions: From Manhattan and Queens: Take No. 6 Train to 3rd
Avenue/138th Street Stop. Take last subway car, and exit at rear of the train station. You will be on Lincoln Avenue, walk towards the Major Deagan highway, walk underneath overpass, until you reach Bruckner Blvd.

RIP Pear.ATK.TITS - Aric Southard

Aric was a fine graffiti artist and a pillar of the Bay Area skateboarding community, from Salinas CA. We mourn his untimely death at 35 particularly because he was so full of life, and at the top of his game. Things just won't be the same at Bill's Wheels without him. He had a show there this month too. If you're in the area, stop by and pay your respects. Rest in Peace, Pear.

Flame.TPA.PIC R.I.P.

Written by Ezo:

I want to take this opportunity to give props to a Highly Underrated Queens O.G Graffiti writer / Bomber who's met an untimely end..

FLAME 3 T.P.A / P.I.C aka DEVINE aka DREAM aka CANDELA passed away Thursday from injuries sustained in a hit and run accident that occurred on Wednesday july19th at 51 St Street and 10th ave in Manhattan...he was 44 years old

Frank attended Newtown High school and was an avid D.J back in the Day but most importantly he was a top writer from the borough of Queens who ventured out as an early street bomber going all city with street tags and killed the bmt's and inds and irt's in the late 70's and early eighties.

His many partners included JOEY/R.C, FUZZ ONE who he kinged the 7's and e's and f's with. And with DONDI and K56 rocked cars on the 2's and 5's as DEVINE and DREAM. In recent years Flame was living what you might call a hardcore Street life of hustling and avoiding bids, I would run into him often in hell's kitchen and we'd shoot the shit about the old days when he was king of the 7's or the Adventures of the CC Boys of Corona or Racking up the Bustelos and his all time Favorite crime story the knocking over of the Rustoleum Factory, A Genuine Street Classic.

Talking to him was like stepping into a time machine and stepping off into 1980 all over again. His demeanor and look were the same but only a little more rougher and louder around the edges due to The Hard Knock Life But he remained the same Flame. He was an early street bomber who cruised the city in his white and burgundy Monte Carlo Blasting Cerrone 5 out the tape deck with OF 147 and FUZZONE.

After hitting legendary clubs like Bonds International Casino or Studio 54 he would drop tags in key spots such as all the City Bridges and Tunnels, Major train stations and main intersections, usually a Flame tag followed by the name of the club he just creped out from and some wise ass comment... back in 1981 as you entered queens plaza over the freight yard bridge in sunnyside a FLAME..Up Your Ass would greet you on the old Q.P'S wall in cherry red. Or if you happened to be on the GCP by 108th you'd meet a 12 foot Howard the duck straddling a Flame Burner.

Most Graffiti Books from back in the day like Getting up or Subway or Aerosol art and even the more recent Dondi Book Sport some Flame Classics in there but most go unaccredited ...like a lot of Queens Writers FLAME Gets the Short Shrift. But the Real MFs know what time it is. FLAME was the working Man's Writer who Put in the Time and moved on. He did a little of everything and had in my Opinion a Great Tagging Style. Like Many an Urban Legend FLAME crammed a lot of living in his short life... most of it HARD...I can tell you from Experience

Like I said Earlier I want to give props where they are deservedly due...

Rest easy and in Peace
FLAME P.I.C


EZOCUKILLZ

Axel Thiel, RIP

I just learned that Axel Thiel died unexpectedly June 20, 2006, at age 60. Axel was one of the world's most dedicated graffiti researchers and archivists.

The link has a guestbook, so you can pay respect. It's in German, but here's what you need to know:

- Click guestbook

- Scroll all the way down and go to the "Neuer Eintrag" link on the bottom right of the guestbook page.

- Fill in the fields with the *

- Be sure to type the letters you see in the graphic into the bottom form field to prove you are human. I had to do it twice.

I'm not sure what will happen to his archive in Kassel, Germany, but I hope a library gets it so it can be accessed in the future by scholars.

Rest in peace, Axel. Thanks for all your hard work.

PC Kid RIP

The Family of
Gregorio Lawrence Sessoms, AKA PCKid, Graf Artist Extraordinaire
November 29, 1963 - October 19, 2005
regretfully announces the passing of their beloved son.

PCKid passed away at his home in East Elmhurst Queens, New York, USA.

He is survived by his mother Rita Gonzalez, his father, his younger twin brother William, his older brother Michael, eldest brother Jeffrey and his nieces. 

His commitment to the world of art was unquestioned, and we are grateful for the acknowledgement of his genius and generous contribution to the artistic community.

Please join the family in the celebration of the life of our beloved son.

Date: Sat Oct 29th, 2005 - 3pm

Location: Cobb's Funeral Home
98-08 Astoria Blvd
East Elmhurst NY 11369

Please contact lordel7@yahoo.com for more info or if you would like to offer comments, condolences, or words for his memorial ceremony.

RIP Krie

Krie, from Perth Australia, tragically took his own life this week. My sympathy and condolences go out to his friends and family.

I don't know what took Krie to that irrevocable decision, but I do know that life is very hard at times and many of us have days that don't seem worth going through. It's important to remember then that life can also become good again, even suddenly good. We all need someone to talk to at those desperate times.

http://www.kidshelp.com.au (Australia)
http://www.childline.org.uk (UK)
http://www.covenanthouse.org (USA)
http://www.standupforkids.org (USA homeless kid outreach)
http://suicidehotlines.com (who to call - all kinds of helpful info)
http://www.hopeline.com (all kinds of suicide prevention info and resources)
and 1-800-SUICIDE is a phone number in the USA that provides help also.

Thanks to Rumpuncher for posting this info on 12-o.

Depression is contageous and often fatal. Treat it agressively in yourself and your friends. Change is a good place to start. Don't let situations around you make your decisions for you, ever. You always have choices, so make some. You're worth it.

RIP New Orleans

Spend a moment today to be glad for whatever you have.

Send blood and money to relief agencies, not stuff that they have to move, sort, and distribute.

Let this be a lesson to us all about:

hurricanes
flood plains
mandatory evacuations
how fast people get crazy
taking care of ourselves and our families by being prepared
communications
the value and purpose of the national guard
presidents who cut funding for levees and army corps of engineers projects
guarding hospitals
what emergency shelters need

RIP Indica

Indica: "Recently we lost one of our closest friends in a fatal fire in Jersey City, New Jersey. Her name is Teena (A.K.A. Indica) and her favorite thing to do besides making music was her graffiti pieces which were all over our city."

May her friends and family find comfort in each other.

RIP Mobile: where dead phones can go

Trade your old mobile phone in for other stuff.

Orse RIP

Shine RIP

I've just received word that UK legend, Shine, has left us ... reportedly on April 14. ICA made a glorious memorial in his honor, in Manchester.

RIP Patrick Elasik

Patrick, one of the founders of Mass Appeal magazine, was tragically killed in a third-rail accident while crossing tracks at a station.

HST RIP

One of my heroes died yesterday. Hunter S Thompson. His bio. It's shocking that such an apparently fearless individual would end his own life, but it's so like him to take matters into his own hands.

We loved him because he wasn't afraid to say what he thought and because he taught us that the weird could turn pro. Thanks, Doc.

"Going to trial with a lawyer who considers your whole life-style a Crime in Progress is not a happy prospect."

"In a nation ruled by swine, all pigs are upward mobile."

"We cannot expect people to have respect for law and order until we teach respect to those we have entrusted to enforce those laws."

"The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side."

"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro."

Alfa RIP

An 18-year-old writer from Toronto Canada was killed yesterday while painting freights with some friends. He was hit by a train on a parallel track. The best information we have so far says that it was Alfa who lost his life. Our deepest sympathies go out to his friends, crew, and family.

The accident happened near Dupont and Christie streets, considered a very dangerous place to paint.

RIP Hate

Hate (RCD) was tragically killed last week, in a car accident, with his fiance and new baby.

RIP

Break "Flor Kilah" (Zagreb) the best breakdancer in Croatia and one of the best in all Europe.

Atem.AP.TAK (USA) - a freight great, gone

Fist.GPK (USA) - an accidental heroin overdose claimed a very young man in his prime.

Word to the wise: Even smoking heroin can kill you and it kills your life and happiness first. Don't let it make a fool (or a corpse) of you.

RIP Truman 715

Truman 715 was much loved in Italy, his home.
He will be missed by his friends, family and crew always.
You can find some of his work at the link above.

R.I.P. KING KISER: Chicago and Beyond, X-M

Rest in Peace Kiser (CAB/X-Men)
"Kise passed away August 16, 2004, doing something he loved, he was hit by a train on the Howard Red line."

We're fools whether we dance or not, so we might as well dance.  ~Japanese Proverb

Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal.  ~From a headstone in Ireland

We must embrace pain and burn it as fuel for our journey.  ~Kenji Miyazawa

Kiser was an exuberant 22-year-old who burned bright for graffiti. It is tragic that he was killed by one of the trains that he loved so much.

Rest in Peace

Wiot.TM7.PFE.YNN.SB
Sham.KUK
Pre Sweet

Be strong my brothers and sisters.
Pain lets us know we're still alive.
Beware of the permanent solution to the temporary problem.
Bend like the green tree in the storm.
Battered, but not beaten.
Bent but not broken.

Rest In Peace

RIP Over TKO Los Angeles
RIP Bore HOD Portland Oregon

2 men too young
both killed by others on opposite sides of the US; Over shot for nothing; Bore hit by a driver who didn't even stop to see whose life he just ended.

May your families somehow be comforted, your friends somehow be consoled, and may you find peace in the next world.

Walk softly my friends and wear your helmets...

RIP Oms, Chile
Oms, one of the best writers in Chile, was killed in a car accident this past Saturday. He will be missed very much.

Some of his paintings can be seen at STGOunder.com (their host seems to be offline today though) and at Art Crimes on Santiago page 2

Cars seem so safe, but they kill more people than trains do. Take the long way home.

RIP John Ledoux, Boston

Read it in the paper. He was out alone and was killed by a train going 60mph.

Stay off the tracks everyone.

RIP Green Eyed Bomber

GEB from San Francisco will be missed by all. She died recently after a long battle with a terminal illness. Rest in Power, and our sympathies to her family.

Angre, Pittsburgh, RIP

Hit by a freight train ...

Please be careful out there. Trains are faster and quieter than you think they are.

Our sincere condolences to the friends and family of Evan. :(

Maxim RIP
B-boy extraordinaire, murdered 2 months ago in Berlin.

Blaster: the vermin
If you, like many windoze users, got the Blaster Worm this week, you may not be able to get back on the net without help. If you're able to figure out how to kill a running process (program) you can turn off blaster.exe, I'm told, then run somethng like Norton or Mcafee to remove the worm files from your computer. THEN you can go to microsoft to get the new security patch at the link above.

emac: The cure
For $800 you can have an emac, though (with the built-in monitor, if you're comparing prices). If you are a student or a teacher, they are even cheaper through the Apple educational discount plan. Plus they have finance plans. Sometimes you can just go to your local college bookstore and order one through them, whether you go to school there or not.

Cool art software

Cool enough for writers, tough enough for animators.

SketchUp 3D - Sketch-Based 3D Design Software

Canvas 9 Professional Edition

Painter (awful website but great tool)

Corel's other graphic tools

Graffiti

Plus One RIP
Plus One was TITS/TNK crew and he died in a car accident recently.

Boxer RIP
Boxer (CTK crew) died in 2002. He was one of the most famous French writers during the 1980s. He painted with Mode2, Bando and many others.

Recon Store has a great game interface - thanks to Futura and Stash

unconsume.tripod.com

Graffoto [level 01]

Hungarian rail carrier signs deal with graffiti artists: just paint the freights, please.

Interstellar Transmissions is an installation of paintings/digital prints/photographs transmitted from deep space by Abdul Qadim Haqq, who has created record cover artwork for Detroit Techno and Electro labels Underground Resistance and Red Planet; and by Gustavo Alberto Garcia Vaca, who has created record cover artwork for Metroplex, Los Hermanos and Axis Records.

Opening Reception:
Saturday, September 20, 2003: 4 PM to 8 PM
Show runs through October 26, 2003
Artist talk/slide presentation: Saturday, October 18, 2003: 6 PM

Crewest Store and Art Gallery
2703 W. Valley Blvd.
Alhambra, CA 91803
626.458.2465
http://www.crewest.com

Other Media and News

NCM - Ethnic Media Nationwide

American Spirit cigs found most addictive

Farmed Salmon contains dangerous levels of PCBs

Wikipedia is becoming the worlds largest, free, open content encyclopedia

The linear zoetrope: frame-based animation on tunnels for train riders. See Spodek's work in person at SomaNYC during August and September 2003. Check site for details.

Space.com Image Galleries

Hubble's greatest hits - amazing space photos

War

"To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public," said President Theodore Roosevelt.

Cost of War

Weapons of Mass Stupidity

Operation: Hidden Agenda playing cards

No War Blog

Hundreds Continue Nuns' War Protest. Some nuns got jail time in the US for painting crosses on nuclear missle silos with their own blood.

Surveillance

AlterNet: TECHSPLOITATION: Surveillance 101

NYC Surveillance Camera Project

Spot the Cam Amsterdam

Cringely on electronic surveillance - who will watch the watchers?

Animal New York, the free radical art magazine from you know where, prints a surveillance camera map in every issue.

Personal Tech

No such thing as a "secret" web pageSeen on Slashdot: "It is almost impossible to keep a web server secret by not publishing any links to it. As soon as someone follows a link from your "secret" server to another web server, it is likely that your "secret" URL is in the referer tag, and it can be stored and possibly published by the other web server in its referer log. So ... it is likely that Googlebot and other "web crawlers" will find it [by crawling the referrer logs of other sites. No links in and no links out is safer, but not foolproof.]

Cybercafes considered unsafe for private computing

CNN.com - Kinko's spy case: Risks of renting PCs - Jul. 23, 2003

Easy Everything, now with a site in NY as well, essentially netboots all the PCs after each user so even if the previous performed some evil, the next user gets a new system free of any malware.

That type of policy still won't protect you against a cybercafe's own surveillance though, and there are things your parents, work, and school might be doing also, like
Keylogger Software

Use a Better Browser

Microsoft security flaw considered national security threat
"Last year, Microsoft issued about 70 such patches; so far this year, it has issued nearly 30."

"The government is particularly worried about the [latest] flaw because it could potentially affect so many users. As many as 75 percent of all computers connected to the Internet rely on the flawed versions of Microsoft's software, Homeland Security spokesman David Wray said."

Use Windows Update on your machine to get and install patches from Microsoft. Turn off virus protection before installing anything.

Audiopad - a new way to make music

SecondSpin.com - The Internet's Largest Buyer And Seller of Used CDs, Videos and DVDs

Board Game Central

Interesting new Flash game thingy

Etch-A-Sketch

Find just in time school help at sites like:

sparknotes.com
pinkmonkey.com
mathnerds.com
tutoraid.org
algebratutor.org

Buncha interesting stuff I've seen lately ...

Art
Eron, from Italy will blow your mind with his painting skill.
Art Materials Marketplace - Classifieds - Artist Resource
Amazing flash site about creation myths
Drum And Bass Radio - BassDrive
Extreme trees: Arborsmith Studios
Digitally Imported
Funsize has very cool character sketches.
Chuck Ferris Photography has some of the most interesting photos I've seen lately.
ZBRUSH Mac and PC art tool. Free demo, looks like tons of fun for the digitally creative.


Billboard seen in ntk

Tried Google image search yet?
rtmark.com - the art of parody and prank
Streetwriter- a mean painting machine by Institute for Applied Autonomy
The Ebb, Flow & Dilemma of Protest Art
www.zewall.com online painting program. No plug-in required.
www.aerosolplanet.com shows some great pieces

Conspiracy Fact and Fiction
"When evil men plot, good men must plan. When evil men burn and bomb, good men must build and bind. When evil men shout ugly words of hatred, good men must commit themselves to the glories of love. Where evil men would seek to perpetuate an unjust status quo, good men must seek to bring into a being a real order of justice." - Dr. Martin Luther King

Who needs conspiracy theory when you can have conspiracy fact?
What Caused the Catastrophic Explosion at the Pentagon on 9/11/01?
Feds Open 'Total' Tech Spy System
Pentagon Proposed Pretexts for Cuba Invasion in 1962
Educate yourself about how governments misbehave from the George Washington University archive.
transparency.org/ exposes and fights international corruption

Life, Death, Work, Consume
Husky R.I.P 17.12.01 by wow123
Dealing With Mortality: A Skeptic's Guide
Environmental Careers & Green Jobs Directory
Recycled Furniture and Green Furniture - Directory
UN: AIDS Agency Warns Of Spreading Epidemic, Especially In Russia, Central Asia, And Eastern Europe but some governements don't educate their people so they can avoid risky behavior.
Warcry the warrior goddess.

Web, Computers and Privacy
Palladium - what it is and why you should care
.Net and Passport, and why you should care how they work
Klez worm. Why weird stuff keeps coming via email pretending to come from people you might know.
How not to make your site accessible
How to convert from Entourage to Eudora email on a Mac
HTML tutor from IT world
Open Content Network
Privacy hole in MSN messenger. Check Microsoft.com for updates to your M$ products regularly, if you're still running any of them.
Articles about other troublesome software, including Microsoft stuff and Kazaa.
Breakdown of Kazaa problems here.
Morpheus is no better, unfortunately.
Spyware, In a Galaxy Near You
Ad Aware spyware removal tool. Free.
privacynow.com: best sites for PRIVACY

"Anyone who slaps a 'this page is best viewed with Browser X' label on a Web page appears to be yearning for the bad old days, before the Web, when you had very little chance of reading a document written on another computer, another word processor, or another network." - Tim Berners-Lee in Technology Review, July 1996. See anybrowser.org

New News and Old
Metafilter - Blog of blogs.
One Half a Manifesto by Jaron Lanier. Jaron's one of the smartest artists alive today. When he speaks, try to catch up. It's worth it. Here he explains why we don't have to worry about computers taking over the world anytime soon.
Lip Magazine
German graffiti stamp
Mook reaches for heaven. Hope he doesn't fall.Police anger reaches new heights over Mook's daredevil graffiti
DISPENSING with FORMALITIES - make your own newstand.
A great envelope Enzo mailed me
Blair Line Graffiti Decals makes graffiti decals for model trains. They might be selling your freight pieces. (A copyright violation.) Or you might want to allow it and get some decals for yourself.

Bates!

Electronic Freedom Foundation
Fight for digital freedom in San Francisco on August 22 by
dancing the night away at the
DNA Lounge EFF benefit: n:CODE + d:CODE


Choose a browser that's better for you
Using a browser other than Explorer is voting for an open internet that works for everyone.
Plus they are more fun and give you more control over your browsing experience (cookies, ads, popups, bookmarking, security etc.).

I use mostly iCab (Apple Classic and OSX)
and I also like Opera (almost all computers)
and I might try Netscape 7 (almost all) when they release it any minute now
and Mozilla 1.0 (almost all) is very cool...
but if I had OSX, I'd run right over and get OmniWeb (Apple OS X).

Trail Safe
Free, online book about being safe on the trail. Being face to face with a threatening human
in the city is not that different though, and this book tells you how to assess threats and avoid violent encounters.
You can also buy the book in print.

Private Surfing
Read up on how to protect yourself at Webveil

Scanning Tips for Web Images
Finally, I updated my scanning tips for the new century.

Guerrilla News
Another place to get your news.

no ads, free Web Email
My Real Box looks interesting. I have not tried it, but it's got better features than most "free" email, like no ads.

Kaws shoes for sale
at Network17

RIP Moody

Fight anything that smells like the TIPS program!
earlier article about TIPS in Washington Times
Neighborhood Snitches
Operation TIPS - Terrorist Information and Prevention System (yeah right. Big Brother.)

This proposition is being championed by Resident Bush and his mouthpieces. It is un-American and wrong.
People in the US from all over the political spectrum are fighting it but it's not dead yet. Let your local
Congress members know you hate the idea of citizen surveillance. Register to vote now! Find out how your local Congress critters have been voting, using the Voter's Self-Defense System, and make sure you
vote for the ones who will protect freedoms, privacy, and who stand up for ethical choices.Don't believe the lie that you are powerless. You're only powerless if the system convinces you you should't try to change anything. Voting is a right that people died so you could have. It's that important. Local elections are where you can change things that affect you long term. For your own sake, participate.

Speaking of which, watch out for that war with Iraq
Democrats.com has a petition you can sign (US citizens) denouncing that war. Better hurry!

RIP
Dre One of the Maryland Meadows Clique has unfortunately left us all behind, which I mention at the request of his crew, who loved him and miss him very much.
RIP Dre One
June 2 1983 to October 24 2001
Too young!!
Hugs to his family and friends...

A-One, RIP

Legendary New York Graffiti artist Anthony Clark, a.k.a. A-one, died in Paris on Sunday from complications of a brain hemorrhage. He was only 37 years old. He is survived by his long time girlfriend in Paris and his mother in NY.

Everyone who knew Aone or his work knew he was full of energy, life and jokes which reflected through his huge smile and his beautiful paintings.

He was a great painter that came from the streets of NY to being collected in some of the most prestigious museums, galleries and private collections around the globe.

Our hearts go out to his family and those close to him.

R.I.P.
Anthony Clark a.k.a. Aone
1964-2001

A quote by Aone painted on Fashion Moda (circa 1982):
"The Deadly Aone standing on the top of A mountain
of dreams, telling myself the broil isn't as hard as it seems!
Colors: bake, burn, sizzle, roast, grill and broil"

....We'll miss you brother, you're in our hearts. - Dzine

RIP Ghost IBC, British Columbia

RIP Meta (Margaret Kilgallen)

http://www.nytimes.com/2001/07/04/obituaries/04KILG.html?searchpv=nytToday
[By ROBERTA SMITH]

"Margaret Kilgallen, an artist who contributed to the vibrant fusion of graffiti art, folk art, painting and installation art that emerged in San Francisco in the 1990's, died Thursday [June 28] in San Francisco. She was 33.

The cause was complications of breast cancer, her family said.

Ms. Kilgallen was born in Washington and raised in Kensington, Md. She received a B.A. in studio art and printmaking at Colorado College before moving to San Francisco. Exposed to bluegrass music as a child, Ms. Kilgallen was a skillful banjo player. In San Francisco she took up surfing, becoming equally adept. In 1990 she met her future husband, Barry McGee, also a surfer, and one of several young painters showing in galleries and painting noncommissioned murals on city walls. She and Mr. McGee, who were married in 1999, became part of a circle that included the artists Chris Johanson, Phil Frost, Ed Templeton and Thomas Campbell.

Ms. Kilgallen eventually painted hundreds of murals around San Francisco, most of which have been painted over.

[...]

Ms. Kilgallen's work is currently in "East Meets West," an exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Philadelphia through July 29, and at Stanford University, where she received a master's degree on June 17.

She is survived by her husband; a daughter, Asha, who was born on June 7 [...]"

R.I.P.

SIL, originator of the 5x7 crew
CHILD, DAM crew
Hector Ramirez, NYC
Ashar.PA.DST
Probe.JYK
Mauro.MUL, Chicago

Respect, Peace, Remembrance.

Sope BA IHU, RIP

It is impossible to say anything meaningful when someone dies suddenly and tragically, because it defies sense, logic. We are stunned and saddened. Sope was a cool guy who was well liked, and he had great style. He was WAY too young to go. Big hugs for his crewmembers, friends, and family.

BA crew would appreciate your Sope photos for his memorial page. Go to
burningamerica.com to do that and to pay your respects. They have a eulogy for Bill here.

There are only a few of his pieces online right now. They don't do justice to his work, life or influence. But they're all we have now except the memories.

You are your own greatest asset. Respect yourself and be wise. Cities are dangerous places and deadly accidents happen every day. Writers especially are at risk, because of that abandoned building fetish.

Don't go alone.
Take a phone.
Never trust a rotten roof.
Know your escape routes.
Watch your back.
Don't set fires.
Avoid concentrated fumes.

Be careful out there.