Description
Title: Mascots & Mugs
Subtitle: The Characters and Cartoons of Subway Graffiti
Author: David Villorente & Todd James
Published: 2007, First edition
Dimensions: 22,5 x 28,5 x 2,3 cm. / 8.6 x 11.2 x 0.9 inch.
Pages: 288
Hardcover
Language: English
In the graffiti world it’s the name that brings the fame, but what about the figural components of this urban typography? Some of the most iconic pieces in the history of graffiti have earned their place in the pantheon with the help of a masterfully rendered figure that lends additional presence to these works. Mascots & Mugs is the first book to examine these integral elements of graffiti art, and it traces the history of these characters from the earliest examples by writers such as Stay High, Cliff 170, and Blade, to those of later masters such as Mode 2, Doze, and Tack. Drawing inspiration from Saturday morning television, printed comic strips, and the dense urban landscape itself, graffiti writers could create characters free from the constraints of their usual letterforms. The result was outlandish visual sidekicks that, over time, became so prevalent that any would-be king needed at least a few in his artistic arsenal. Filled with never-before published photographs, rare interviews, and arranged chronologically, Mascots & Mugs is a must have reference work for anyone interested in cartoons, comics, graphic design, or the way in which subway graffiti has influenced contemporary art.
“A book about characters is long overdue. From the earliest years of graffiti, writers ransacked the pop culture storehouse for figures, or invented new ones to project the desired alternative persona… Todd James and David Villorente, who served long apprenticeships on the trains and rose to the top of their game, are the best guides to lead us through this rich iconography”
– Henry Chalfant, co-author Subway Art
“Graffiti writing is a cryptic language, often intended solely for an audience of its peers… The appeal, then, of adding a character or drawn image was that it immediately made a work more accessible… A person who can’t decipher a name may not accept it, but a good mascot can immediately bridge the gap to understanding. There is a whole evolution and history of the graffiti character, and it’s the mission of this book to trace it.”
—From the Foreword
“The photographs in this book unveil graffiti’s origins in tribalism, cave painting, and cargo cult… What’s delivered so often by the creators here, with the immediacy typical of the pop impulse, is the slick and chaotic vocabulary of commercial culture decanted brilliantly into folk idiom, on the spot, in the dark, on the fly.”
—Jonathan Lethem, from the Introduction
“Mascots & Mugs is a much-needed tribute to an important component of the art of graffiti. This book celebrates Cheech Wizard, the Lizards, the Bode broads, and all the other characters that have blessed graffiti’s masterpieces throughout the years. Essential reading.”
– Mark Bode, artist
Contents:
- Introduction: Crunch Rolls
- Foreword: Familiar Faces
- Stay High 149
- The Profile
- Cliff 3YB
- P-Nut Wanted
- The Spray Can man
- Blade TC5
- The Dark Arts
- Lee FAB5
- The Death Squad
- NOC 167 TDS
- Vaughn Bode
- DAZE CYA
- 2Mad CYA
- T-Kid170 TNB
- Seen UA
- Quik RTW
- The Hippie Contingent
- Strider BC
- Skeme TNT
- Doze TC5
- Poke IBM TC5
- Doc TC5
- Web TC5
- Tack FBA
- Son FBA
- Sak TNB
- Phyton PIC
- Rab CAC
- Lawe Newave
- Gnome CWK
- Kaves VB
- Kev TM7
- West FC
- Dash FC FBA
- Dontay TC5
- Shame125 TOA
- Wane COD
- Reas AOK
- Ghost RIS
- MODE2 TCA
- REV KSN
- Slick K2S
- Hex TGO
- Relm KSN
- Twist THR
- Kaws
- Afterword: Fast Friends
- Acknowledgements
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