Posts from — July 2008

Here’s a Preview:

Here’s the link to the full movie:

Piece By Piece – Click here to watch FULL MOVIE.

Piece by Piece documents the history of San Francisco’s controversial graffiti art movement, with a fast-paced journey into the world of San Francisco street art, as seen through the eye of the artists. Chronicling more than 20 years of creation and destruction — honestly, accurately, and critically, the film takes you alongside those who lived in what is arguably one of the most influential youth cultures of our time.

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A few things before you read this, please understand, I have nothing against beginners. If you have a passion stick with it. This writing is basically a rant that is not very well thought out, with many mistakes and points that can be argued easily.

Please, don’t bother trying, this is one persons’ view on a specific piece of a large pie.

THANK YOU ART CRIMES. - This may sound stupid, next to what you’re about to read, but Art Crimes founded this internet shit, like it or not. Most of the newcomers really don’t understand how Art Crimes put graffiti into an international perspective. I watched it from day one, and I have to say, Art Crimes was the epiphany of the modernization of Graffiti.

Thank you Susan and Brett, now I digress,

If you have a passion for this thing that really cannot be given a name if you really do have THAT passion, get down with yo’ bad self, get busy man, don’t let anyone tell you what is right or wrong.

But……

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In 1974 a 33 year old man named George Davis was convicted of robbing the payroll of the London Electricity Board in Ilford. He was nailed on the evidence of cops who were outside the bank at the time of the robbery and was sent to prison for 20 years.

However, his friend Peter Chappell was convinced Davis was innocent and inspired by discrepancies in the police statements and the fact that none of the bloodstains at the scene matched with the defendant, started calling for Davis’ release. Chappall enrolled some friends and embarked on one of the largest sustained grafitti campaigns Britain has ever seen. Over the following months ‘G DAVIS IS INNOCENT’ appeared on walls, bridges and tunnels from one side of London to the other, some of which are still visible today.

The vandalism culminated in Chappell and four others breaking into Headingley cricket ground in August 1975 the night before a test match between England and Australia. Using plastic cutlery from a service station they dug holes in the pitch, filled them with oil and painted ‘Sorry it had to be done, but George Davis is innocent’ in large white letters on the wall as they left. The match was postponed and Chappell got 18 months for criminal damage.

The campaign brought the case to the attention of the Home Secretary who after a police inquiry released Davis two years into his sentence using the highly exceptional and controversial Royal Prerogative of Mercy.

The fight to free George Davis was one of the most spetacular campaigns ever fought against injustice, an achievement only slightly marred when a year after his release Davis was found guilty of robbing the Bank of Cyprus for which he served six years, and three years after which he was caught red-handed robbing a mail train.

George Davis is now a free man and happily married to the daughter of a North London Chief Inspector of Police.

Today((5/25/08)), at around 2pm, our dear friend, family member and musical collaborator Tero “CAMU TAO” Smith passed away in his home town of Columbus, Ohio. Tero had been quietly fighting for his life for the last year and a half after being diagnosed with lung cancer.

To those who knew Tero, he was an almost uncategorizable force of nature. Wild, hilarious, proud, loving, tough, outspoken, spontaneous and brilliant. He wore his heart on his sleeve and he dripped creativity, leaving inspiration and awe in the hearts and minds of anyone who was fortunate enough to see him work.

We, his friends and family, have truly had our collective hearts broken by his passing. Not only because of the loss of our friend, but because of the loss of his contribution to those who never knew what we knew about his talent and his potential. He was the secret that no one wanted to keep and we always knew that one day his vision and his heart could change music forever the way he changed all of our lives.

His departure from us all 1 month away from his 31st birthday is nothing less than a tragedy… nothing less than a crime. he was a gift to us all and he is irreplaceable. Rest in peace, Mu. We will love you forever. May god bless you and your family.

R.I.P.
Tero “CAMU TAO” Smith
born 6/26/77, passed 5/25/08
wm/cc

sincerely,
jaime “el-p” meline (on behalf of many, many wonderful and broken hearted friends)