“If you’re going to graffiti something, graffiti something cool…graffiti a cop”- Rollins
The first clue that something wasn't right was when I walked out of the office building doors to find that the tailor next door had freshly painted logos on his giant window panes. But this wasn't exactly corporate logo style, these were graffiti tags.
Walk with me for a few seconds here.
Apparently there was a graffiti tagging convention and no one alerted the Ann Arbor Chamber of Commerce. I'm almost positive they would have liked to know about this get together, so as to supply these amateurs with easels and watercolor paintbrushes. Plus the Chenille Sisters could have had another gig on the calendar.
Heading eastward on Liberty street in Ann Arbor. Starting at the NE corner of Liberty and Fifth near my office building. I'm trying to remember everything from slight recollection. I was just in awe. The tailor on liberty, various mailboxes, the Kaplan building where successful but stupid people go to learn how to take standardized tests, TCF bank…all tagged with future medical doctor’s signatures. Encore records was thankfully spared but was blessed with several stencils on their sidewalks, I’m sure much to their relief.
It could have been much, much worse. Buildings and restaurants up to Potbelly on the corner of Liberty and State are marked. Some worse than others…but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a tagging raid of this magnitude. I’m sure people in NYC and other cities are reading this and laughing…but imagine the most fucked up peace loving hippie sleepy college town where jack shit happens getting hit with several dozen tags literally overnight.
I’m sure I sound like a crotchety old man…and don’t get me wrong….I’m all for expression of graffiti tags, but just not on business windows where there’s serious damage involved. I’m also insulted at the intelligence level of many of the graffiti tags. It looks like someone had one too many Steel Reserve 40oz and tried to write their name in cursive while in a drunken stupor. There’s no imagination involved. Hell, I would have enjoyed seeing some art involving sexual acts and stick figures after my eyes glazed upon the 20th barf up of spray paint.
If you’re in town today, I highly encourage you to visit the sites for yourself. I’m told by various people that the exhibit (I’m assuming not in conjunction with the Ann Arbor Street Fair) runs on Liberty from Main St. to State St…with detours on side streets along the way.
What a waste of Krylon. Johnny Bench would be awfully pissed off at this “artists”. I’m sure of it.