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Sunday, July 8, 2012

I think the heat is getting to me



10 comments:

  1. I'm right there with you.
    I live near Los Angeles and it could be a nice city but people love to tag their initials or mark gang territory. It's unlikely they even pay taxes so in truth, since i pay taxes, i own that so-called "territory" more than the stupid gang member.

    i get the art-expresion aspect of it. I'm aware of Basquiat and Banksy - some find it aesthetic.

    I say thats fine - as long as you get permission from whoever owns that wall.

    as for cleaning keys - i am also planning on doing that later tonight to a couple typers :)

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  2. The looks of a machine are as good a reason as any for it to be put to use. And the heat has been vicious to the point where even typewriter hunting is tiresome.

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  3. I've thought about graffiti probably more than most people. After listening to a bunch of podcasts of train graffiti writers, http://graffradio.com/, I think it boils down to three things.

    Fame, Adrenaline, Doodling

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  4. It is generally a boy thing. A means of expression - whether written or artistic - and sometimes a rite of passage. Adolescent young men are articulate but generally frustrated at the constraints on their freedom to express. And it often turns up in places which are already strewn with the official 'graffiti' of billboards, signs and silent decay. The point is, you can't ignore it. I know what you mean about ugly, but there's a beautiful and creative intention behind it. And it is a symptom. Provide copious outlets for expression and it vanishes. I suppose what I'm saying is, be happy to take it for what it is, not what it looks like or what it says. And sometimes, very occasionally, you might even be moved by its content.

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  5. I've heard that all before but it doesn't track. There's not only no consideration for the victims, there's no recognition that there are any. As for the expression, there is a depressing sameness to graffiti the world over. Tagging styles are far more rigid and derivative than the most banal pop culture you can heap scorn upon. I've seen them in eight countries and never yet seen anything fresh and different.

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  6. I basically feel the same way about graffiti, although there is a local image my daughter and I call "Wormy" which is kinda cute ...

    Now don't absentmindedly take a swig from that flask!

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  7. Ha, ha! I was thinking the same thing as Richard. What if some innocent person -one who may, say, indulge in an occasional snort of rye- finds the flask, gives it a whiff, and mistakes it for really potent moonshine? Yikes!

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  8. Actually, I wouldn't mind graffiti if it's as artful as this:

    Chicago Graffiti

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  9. de gustibus non est disputandum, i guess. Of course it completely misses the point about why they need to inflict it on others, when traditional art supplies are readily available, especially in cities, to everyone.

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  10. I do appreciate all the responses though. It's interesting to see the spectrum of feelings on the issue.

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Let me know if capcha comes back. Thanks for commenting.

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