South Pasadena's craggy old sidewalks have an abundance of doodles and signatures, but this has to be my absolute favorite. As far as radical acts of punk rebellion go, this one is pretty understated, wouldn't you say? (Maybe it was written by someone like Rose, who was unable to express her punk soul any other way...)
Monday, February 16, 2009
Curbside Rebel
South Pasadena's craggy old sidewalks have an abundance of doodles and signatures, but this has to be my absolute favorite. As far as radical acts of punk rebellion go, this one is pretty understated, wouldn't you say? (Maybe it was written by someone like Rose, who was unable to express her punk soul any other way...)
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22 comments:
This appears to be a handicap access ramp that was punk'd by a punk.
This evening before the arrival of the huge storm the weatherman is predicting but still hasn't arrived, I walked my big, old dog around the block. I noticed etchings in a once-fresh concrete patch that consisted of a pair of initials and "74." The streets were laid out in my neighborhood in the '20s and this 35 year old graffiti is still relatively new.
At least that long ago, someone, perhaps the same urban graffiti artist, decorated a fresh patch of sidewalk in front of my house with one rebellious word - "shit." When giving directions, I could describe my home as the "mid-century, early ranch, shit house with the circular driveway."
I will never forget a spontaneous quip made by my niece, San Diego Farm Girl, during one of our walks through a manicured, planned neighborhood in Valencia. On the pristine sidewalk, some kid had chalked, "Skate or Die." SDFG's response: "Uh-oh... the Stepford children aren't taking their mood pills."
If I had any fresh concrete I just might carve, "I am a homewrecker" as my son-in-law, Jon, calls me. I just became one (not in the sense you are thinking) when driving into my attached garage, my foot slipped off the brake pedal and onto the accelerator and my car became a bulldozer. Right through the wall and into my kitchen, moving the wall about a foot and a half and the kitchen counter inside to the other side of the room. To describe it is to think tornado and I can't walk into my kitchen without tearing up. I can see daylight through the wall when the garage door is open. Blankets and boxes help curb the cold wind from coming in. And yet, my car and I emerged unscathed. My car, I don't understand it.
As far as the,"punk" is concerned, sometimes we just have to see ourselves the way we feel at the moment and it is a way of self-expression. Maybe carving it in concrete helps.
It was Margaret.
Laurie do you ever walk into lamp posts when your walking around South Pasadena staring at the curb?
I say I detest graffiti as a form of vandalism, but then my rebel heart goes out to the mad scratcher of this message to the world.
How can something so simple be so appealing? I love the gray/blue palette and the lines and textures. Of course the fact that the diagonals are there, even makes me like it more. Any time someone writes something, it is an expression. Maybe it's not anything deep and thoughtful, but an expression nonetheless.
I'm laughing at homewrecker. %%%%%%
...and he is feeling lucky.
Dixie Jane... I heard through the grapevine that your insurance replaced the entire kitchen for the nominal amount of your deductible, and that your car didn't have a scratch. You're a hard-times genius!!!
There's one I like on the Northeast perimeter of Alhambra park. In the concrete, there is a drawing of a chair and it says, "The man with no occupation." It always gets me thinking.
You did WHAT Dixie Jane? Why didn't anyone tell me?
I didn't read the other comments today, just jotted mine and ran off. Then I saw Shanna's comment and came back to read Dixie Jane's.
My goodness! So glad you're all right! I'm sorry about your kitchen but it's of no matter. You're okay, that's what's important.
OMG Dixie Jane! I never thought anyone would go to those extremes to get the insurance company to do a kitchen remodel!
Glad you're ok---and amazingly enough, the car too. The house will survive and recover too.
Keep breathing and don't stress---just no more speeding through the garage anymore!
Laurie---amazing what you find when you're looking down. Keep looking, there are plenty of notes all over town!
If only all graffiti could be so minimal.
Dixie Jane, whose your insurer? I'd love some french doors off the patio and a fireplace.
If DJ is still a homewrecker these days, she must've an early punker back in her younger daze last century.
Punk style graffiti doesn't seem as creative as the more common variety around here.
I remember when "punk" was an insult. but I'm old. I love the lines and textures of this. It would make a great album cover.
Laurie, I do have some comments about your photo. What first came to mind was the paintings of Angela Hennessy and the feeling of reverence I felt when I first viewed her work. She was schooled in Europe and then spent time in Japan and now spends much of her time here in the U.S.,influenced also by our culture. Her compositions are quite simple and often show seemingly disparate objects such as a coat hanger with feathers clipped on with clothespins and maybe a stick or two of bamboo on diagonals framing them. I felt the reverence before reading her statement. The reverence is intentional and something she learned from the Japanese culture. It is also something I see missing in most of the work I see here. I do see it your lovely photo. I discovered her work when she won first place in ARTROM's competition, "Exquisite Expressiions". We have been in touch via email . Her work can be viewded on her website:
www.angelahennessypaintings.com
Thanks for a lovely post.
So perfect this is written where they grind the curb with their skateboards. Take THAT, coppers!
Just like the kids in Valencia: SK8 OR DIE!
And now, in the fine tradition of Glimpses of South Pasadena, I'd like to quote some song lyrics from The Planet Smashers:
There I stood on the roof of my parent's garage
The wind blew through my hair as I looked down at the yard
I felt like a NASA scientist on his first day of work
about to defy the laws of gravity
The crowd behind me said they'd give me to a count of three
and then they'd push
But they only counted to two
SK8 OR DIE!!!
Well... between my mother pulling a vehicular version of Pete Townshend and Keith Moon's wild onstage antics, and Farmgirl adding Planet Smashers lyrics, I'll say we've landed on a fairly authentic punk rock vibe, here!
I tip my hat.
Thanks for all the great comments, gang. I wish I had an album because I'm with Elaine, I'd love to put this on the cover!
Until tomorrow...
Oh, and Shanna, thanks for the great link. I remember when you told me about Hennessey's work.
Wonderful lines and shades of grey...a beautiful image is what I see. The world is full of crap, but this shot is one that made me smile!
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