BOMB IT is a movie by Jon Reiss, a documentary of how the graffiti movement has affected various cities around the globe. 10 cities are highlighted, and I believe they shot in a couple more places, Philly for sure, but San Fran too, maybe more.
Starting in the cradle of the writing culture, Philly/NYC, the makers of this movie spanned the globe from there. Interviewing upwards of 100 artists, showcasing the work of hundreds more, this documentary almost mournfully reveals a common thread throughout the writing culture: The line between Us and Them, becomes the line in the sand, and now it becomes Us against Them. Different cultures define that line many times by their socioeconomic status, but all have a negative connotation towards graffiti.  The credited first writer ever started writing inside a correctional facility, and ended up in another one for tagging Elephants... being a clandestine activity would be the fate of writing for decades to come.
We watch these dope, daring, and dedicated artists for an hour explain what is wrong with persecuting graff, but then-right about when I was getting depressed watching this, there is this shift in the attitude of the film. There starts to be a not entirely noticeable pick up in the direction of positivity, and more of the writers expressing how they personally feel about the whole thing. I was groovin with that, and the film ended strong.
Seriously, heads won't look at this as a depressing movie.  At times it feels more aimed towards civilians, who shall watch it for the documentary status of it.  Regardless, there is a huge amount of awesome work from all over the globe, and like I said-about 100 writers interviewed. There's also cool animation of some of the artwork.One Blek Le Rat animation shows his rats running along the building, over a bridge.  It may sorta off-put hardcore traditionalists who might see it as...maybe too much...
Graff and animation rarely go together like this.
But the feeling will fade as they recognize that it's all great animation. Kudos to the animators on that one.
Overall, I have to recommend this film to friends and family who don't very well know the art, or that are sympathetic to the cause.  This piece will give a real world view of what's happening with writing these days.
For actual writers, this definitely should be watched at least once, even though it isn't a train movie, or a corny wanna-be comedy fLIck.  Nope-it's a gritty feeling documentary that artsy folks and "intellectual" writers will appreciate.

Bottom line: Get this for the collection.  It's good to have around for people who are interested. Even though for a writer this can sometimes feel long, we have to realize how much information, both visual and verbal, that is being presented here.  It's staggering.
The only thing I was hating on: the Joe C. spot.  That shouldn't be held against the movie, it's just a personal preference. Everybody knows how HUUUGE of a hypocrite this cornball is. I do however enjoy his cranked-out antics. Take a chill pill dude, your meth habit is becoming evident. 2 points for getting to watch Joe "The Crackhead" Connly tryna explain what the tags he's buffing mean.
HILARIOUS!
Peace like hair grease
fS
I FOUND THIS BLURB AT THE BOMB IT BLOG:
Bomb It 2
Babelgum produced the original street art/graffiti documentary, and the sequel will profile artists from locations such as Singapore (third offense is a caning!) and the Middle East. “In Israel, there’s a blossoming street-art culture with percolations of ideas,” says director Jon Reiss, “but in the Palestinian refugee camps, everything is political."

The Sports Pages

Sooo, I got these bricks in the mail today, but before I opened the package they somehow magically turned into this awesome book. I think.  But, without a doubt this is the most comprehensive book about the history of graffiti on Euro soil that I have ever seen'd. Personally I've been recently diggn different foreign scenes lately, and this book has already taught me things I was blatantly ignorant of(euro graff terms and such), and reading it is giving me warm and fuzzys all over.
The book is big. One could kill a raccoon with this thing. It's a Large Book, sorta like having an Encyclopedia of European Graff@home. Nah Biggr then that...400 pages, about 14'x10' plus an inch and a half thick. BOOM! PEACE RACCOON!  This book is a collectors/connoisseurs publication, and hence the price ought not to deter those who are interested in purchasing it. I snagged it for less than 50$, which was awesome, but after receiving All City Writers--2 thumbs up on paying cover price. This could very well have been a 100$ book(of course that stretches it, but they could be charging more for it justifiably.
I recommend every awesome graff book I encounter, but this one is special: It costs a lot because it is worth 100% of the price.
All City Writers is not going to be in EVERY graff collectors library, so peep it out whenever you got the chance. But if you search out books like 1st ed. Faith of Graffiti or if ya buy every graff book that's released, then get this.
Everyone else just think of it this way: 2 for 1!!! graffiti book/raccoon killing device. If you need'sum like that, I recommend this book.
real yap:
5 stars I'm down. Hats off to the team who made it happen, along with Andrea Cuputo mos definite; producing this book was obviously a Labor of Love, a HUGE undertaking that must have been tremendously difficult at times, but I'm sure it was an awesome journey, and I applaud the achievement. The states have nothing compared to the way y'all extensively compiled the 411 on this book (& probably never will).
PEACE
fS
I'm damn glad them bricks was magic

Judging Books by Covers

Photo c/o Steve Rotman

Here is a professionally executed, well designed, and beautifully presented, graffiti publication. Steve Rotman and Chris Brennan authored this here 208 page-coffee table book entitled Bay Area Graffiti. If you know anybody that appreciates graffiti or photography, then that person will like this book too.  Highly recommended.
BA baGraffus contains about 800 images, and the images are what will sell this book.  LARGE, richly colored, and beautifully photograffed pictures, portraits of the graffiti that make up this book.
They are portraits of graffiti, yes-but these are portraits of the Bay too; portraits of Time, portraits of Blood, Sweat, and Fears. Like Free-Climbers who scale buildings illegally, w/o safety equipment , these heads are climbing buildings too-billboards, and everything else needed to catch a dope spot.  The difference is, writers usually have to do that carrying 5 gallon buckets of paint(often more than one), rollers, cans, you know- all the accouterments of a professional painter, but they must do this in the middle of the night and rarely with any type of support at all. And these guys are people too,  standing on a 8in' garter over the freeways of SoCal is some scary shit, and then they actually paint there too? Damn.
What I really was diggn on were the quotes; a surprising number of those interviewed expressed feelings one might not immediately identify with "Graffiti Artists": feelings such as fear of death, of remorse and guilt, as well as the fact that writing  is very often an addiction. These are very honest and thot provoking quotes which allow the reader to more closely identify w.these artists; Yeah, these guys deserve to have their work cataloged in the way that the authors have done.
In my opinion, this is the most well designed graff book to come out so far. Let me explain; This book measures about 11.5x9 inches, opening the long way. This book has a spine which isn't connected to the pages, so that spine doesn't crack when the pages are opened.  Plus the pages open to lay flat...think Subway Art, but without ruining the spine of the book, and with no pages falling out.  A book large enough to display these awesome photographs, a non-crackable spine, and pages that lay flat; these are three simple things that I think anyone producing an art/photog book ought tot take into consideration.  We all know it's a major annoyance needing to bend the whole book back to see art at the spine.  Oh Whoops the Spine Cracked.
You'll hear it again and again if you're checking up on Steve, that he is a great Photog.  He Is.  Like Martha Cooper, Mr. Steve incorporates the city-scape within his photos, making the photos extremely visually interesting.. He presents themes that add another dimension to this great hardcover, and it's done without announcing the fact, which is fresh. My favorite theme is the Doorways: 16 doors in two rows of 8, across a two page spread.  In essence, this is one Awesome Graffiti Book; a rare gem indeed.
Also done are some short blurbs about most of the artists it features. I had a couple issues with this, the least of which being the font, in both size and color.  With around 60 Artists statements and quotes, it gets tired trying to read the black words on a dark gray background.  Also there is sorta a feeling in my gut, that not everyone who was up around that time are actually repp'd in this book buuuut I gotta giv'em the benefit of the doubt, being they're residents of the area and I isn't.

Bottom line: This is a book that writers will love. I do feel the cover price is justified, although-as always, check online first for less expensive copies.  The last thing I must admit: For months and months I had been judging Bay Area Graffiti by it's cover...
Boys and Girls, please do not judge books by the Font on the cover. It's probably not indicative of the quality of the book Inside.
Great Job Steve and Chris, Graff Pages has been blessed w.another masterpiece.

PEACE
fS

Naar-ly Man

Jon Narr. Hmm, does that name ring a bell? It ought too, and it probably won't, which is too bad.
Too bad for you.
Jon Narr represents a whole third of what the world should know as the Godfathers of Graffiti Photography. Because along with Martha Cooper and Henry Chalfant, Narr's photography blessed the works that have floated graffiti literature for the first 3 formative decades of graffiti as we know it.
The Faith of Graffiti, Subway Art, and Spraycan Art, with the latter 2 being practically ubiquitous in the culture, while Faith, aka "Watching My Name Go By"-was the seminal work, coming out in 1974, with a introduction written by non other than Norman Mailer hisself(whoever that is...), the Real Graffiti Bible, and many an old school head will tell you this. Enough about that till a later date.
The Birth of Graffiti is Mr. Narr's long coming follow-up to Faith. It tells it's tale in photographs, as it should, considering the author credit. Sacha Jenkins always blesses the page with a fresh word . Write On. And then a few brief pages of words by the author reveal a sense of duty that he feels concerning the documentation of his urban surroundings. Capturing the streets of New York during a "crazy two week period at the end of 1973", Jon Narr now sees these photos thru the eyes of a historian-hoping maybe, that we do not allow our memories to be gentrified as much as the Lower East Side has.
I recommend this book to the heads who were there, for those who long to have that time back; urban architectural historians will dig this book too. As well as thems like me: I love graffiti and I love collecting as much as possible, especially Graffiti Books; and this one, from back in the signature style days helps me act like I know.LOL
Like that. Another thing I do with Old School Writing books/fLIcks is seek out my name in various forms.  FredOne, or Swift, or whatever-catchn my name is Fun, and seeing a word that you thot you had came up with is always humbling.

It you like that Real Old School, this is it.  Jon Narr deserves some mad props as far as this Graff Photog thing goes... As Mr. Narr states in Birth: Norman Mailer writing the words in The Faith of Graffiti had added legitimacy to Graff in a way that may have never achieved otherwise. True, and if that book wouldn't have happened, we may not have had Subway Art, or Spraycan Art or the rest of the thousands of graff books that have subsequently been written. So sure, Mr. Mailer wrote the words in Faith...but it had been Jon Narr's photography that was the catalyst to it's production. Without the pics, it wouldn't have been The Graff Bible.

Get this book if just to give props to he who helped make Graffiti Legit as a recognizable Artform .
Stay peace,
fS

Here's a Surprise

Soooo I order this book and sorta thinking I hope this is a Good Book. Well it got here quick and when I first grab the book I realize this ain't no thin&flimsy street art book from someplace that ain't the United States Of America. Nah son, this book has got the mad iLL steez, and the work repped in it is spectacular. Flippn thru the book-the first thing that a writer will notice is this scene is no joke, these kids know what's up. AKA these boys ain't toys. The next thing that I keyed in on is the fact that in Argentina, writing isn't persecuted by the public at large, and as a head who writes Nick says: "You ALWAYS have a chrome can or something on you, because you never know when you'll get the chance to WREAK HAVOK."
Ahhh, a sentiment shared by many a writer in the world, yet I suspect that in Argentina, this mindset is accepted as somewhat normal, and at least not violent criminal behavior. I imagine being dressed up, taking Mom and Pop out to dinner; while walking into the restaurant ya see a Sick spot for a quick 3-color fill. "Mom, dad-that spot I pointed out, I'ma go hit it. Order for me." "Ok Son. Be careful. Hurry."
Crazy. Aiight now there are a couple things more that interested myself when checkin this out... These Kids have absolutely NO Handstyles. I'm sure it comes from the fact that they don't need to hide their writing, and as a result-tagging wasn't focused on. They don't "bomb" like that, no "catchin a few quick hits", If they Bomb, it's more like, "Oh we'll do a simple piece on the street." Not "Hurry Up dammit someone's coming."
There are a large handful of successful writers there, although for this book-most of the quotes are from a writer called Jazz. That sorta annoyed me; that and the lack of dope hands disappointed me. Otherwise this book will be well received by many a writer, and a lot of random peoples: parents of writers, kids gettn into graff, street artists, and those who like Pieces, but not really Illegals.

At first I was hesitant but I didn't need to be, this book is dope. There are a lot of good quotes(even considering Jazz!LOL. Regardless, his quotes are relevant too-very much so.)
Worth the Rack fosho, and-I'd say the cover price is Good, maybe 5$ high. Online you'll get good deals so if you find it less than 20$, that's the magic number: pick it up.
Word
fS
PS: Don't Steal Stuff

Four Letter F Word

"...I wanna be a cop now...If you want you can call me Fuzz, or Fuzz One, but not Fuzzy, Please."

Vincent Fedorchek tells this to a bus driver as he jumps on the bus with two garbage bags full of weed. Mr. Fedorchek is Fuzz One and Fuzz One is a writer; graffiti wooshes thru his veins every moment of his days, and he has written a book that sheds some light onto the tracks of his life. At least a decade of it. But Ayo, whadda decade that was! Any writer will appreciate this account, and as in another review I've read, this is a book for anyone who wants to get a taste of what urban life is all about.

So yep yep it's almost 400 pages long, although from pg. 312 forward it is a photo gallery, and there are many two page spreads of photos, along with the hundreds of other photos peppered thru this book. It's complained that the photos are "Fuzzy", rather ironic I think-seeing as he has such a huge collection of photos available to share, and any real writer will know these fLIcks are beautiful, and a'course they'll be blurry. Duh. Everybody born in the mid-eighties or beyond: There WAS life BEFORE hi-def cellys and Wi-Fi access!!! IT"S TRUE! Yes, no I don't know how we survived either.
Anyways the photos are true to the time and absolutely stupid dope fresh.

The stories in this book are f'n funny, sometimes mad iLLy, mostly true, and lightly exaggerated; in other words, it's a great read. So many tales of rampant adventures with neighborhood superheros and random drug addicts, bums and bomb ass writers. This guy lived 30 civilian's lives combined, and that was before he was 16 years old. There are bombing missions abound, with the likes of TFP's, I.N.D.'s, Clyde One, Comet 1, Zephyr, TC5, FDT 56, Dondi, Noc 167,-all true kings, during the era of Kings. Fuzz had a thousand different tags, and one Bugged out Moms, who treats him well till she gotta beat beat him well, but shit whose maDukes didn't? I mean Snap, Fuzz coming in at six a.m. with lame excuses just like thousands of other writers who endured the parental wrath, but Fuzz is the one who dropped a book; and even though it's sorta thick for some of y'all lugheads, just pick it up and start reading, you's gonna enjoy it.