There comes a point after every option is exhausted to throw in the towel and accept your fate. For 120 art students at Cooper Union, that means moving their studios from the East Village to Long Island City. As Cooper Union prepares to demolish its Hewitt Building on Third Ave. and construct a green building of undulating metal screens in its place, The Villager reported students are suffering some serious angst. Fortunately for their own sanity, it seems they are past the stage of mourning and on to the more enjoyable stages of celebration, decoration, and straight up demolition. While some create homages to the doomed building and others recreate Rock and Roll High School, everyone kicks a hole in the wall because it’s just so damn fun.

Continue reading: Cooper Art Students Decorate in Face of Destruction

Not all those who wander are lost and not all those who hang off rooftops painting incredible murals must do so in the dead of night. The New York Times feature Colossal Media, a Williamsburg based company keeping the tradition of hand painted outdoor advertising alive.

“People think hand-painted means graffiti,” said Mr. Moeller, who, as it happens, publishes the graffiti culture magazine Mass Appeal. “Or they worry we won’t be able to replicate an image with photorealism.”

Neil Marks, director of marketing for Comedy Central, which commissioned the “Freak Show” ad near Union Square, echoed that concern. “As tremendous a job as Colossal does in replicating the art,” he said, “I don’t know how comfortable I would be in hand-painting Jon Stewart’s face.”

Is Marks scared they’ll screw up Jon Stewart’s graying temples?

Photo of Wesc advertisement on Houston and Broadway from Collosal Media.

Another day, another rooster painted on the Williamsburg Bridge. With the added thought, “I only smoke blunts if they roll propa” this rooster would not forget about Biggie.

Following his arrest one year ago for tagging up Astoria, graffiti artist, Kiko, plead guilty yesterday and was sentenced to 6 months in jail, 5 years probation, a $25,000 fine, and community service. Sounds tough? Not tough enough for Councilmember Peter Vallone Jr. who requested Kiko be sent to state prison for one to three years. It’s no surprise that Vallone hates graffiti artists and they hate him right back.

When the Daily News trailed Vallone for a day in June 2006, he told them, “Don’t put my address in the paper. We’ll have graffiti all over it tomorrow.” The Daily News may have protected Vallone’s privacy, but his own office sure didn’t. Animal Magazine got Vallone’s home address with a simple phone call so you can stop by and “exercise your 1st Amendment writes.”

As the First Post said from across the pond:

“If you want to be assured of immortality in the fleeting annals of graffiti, all you need to do is spray paint on the door of New York City councilman, Peter Vallone Jr.”

Saturday, October 21st, 2006
12:00 PM
Meet at the corner of Pitt and Delancey Streets (Manhattan) MAP

New York photobloggers Jake Dobkin, Mike Epstein, and Will Sherman lead a bike tour of graffiti and street art in the LES, Nolita, and SoHo neighborhoods. We’ll check out the newest stickers, throw-ups, paste-ups, and murals that are going up along the route.

www.untitledname.com/biketour

How does New York Magazine compile a list of violence surrounding New York MCs and not list the shooting death of the Notorious B.I.G? Fabolous gets shot in the leg outside P. Diddy’s restaurant, Justin’s, and Amos Barshad writes:

And he thus entered the illustrious pantheon of New York MCs to get caught up with violence and cops. Join us for a stroll down memory lane, won’t you?

An excited crowd firing off celebratory shots at a Nas show is listed, while the murder of Brooklyn’s Finest isn’t even mentioned? Even more ridiculous: Puff Daddy’s incident in 1999 is characterized as “the mother of all New York rap-meets-gun tales, and still the one to top.” It was pretty epic the way Puffy tried bribing his bodyguard before letting Shyne go to jail for ten years. NY Magazine’s list is really a ramble down short term memory lane. Can we really start forgetting anything that happened 10 years ago?

Notorious BIG photo from Diverse Images.

After backing down in August, the NYPD is making another attempt to keep you and yours out of the streets. As the New York Times hardly reported, the NYPD introduced the proposed changes to parade permit regulations yesterday.

10 or more bicyclists or pedestrians, who travel more than two city blocks without fully complying with traffic laws, including jaywalking, are required to have a parade permit.

30 or more bicyclists or pedestrians who obey traffic laws are required to have a parade permit.

Class field trip? Get a permit. Camping out for new kicks? Get a permit. Funeral procession? Get a permit. Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn has already voiced her support for the NYPD’s regulations as a “substantial improvement over regulations proposed earlier.” We do not consider giving the NYPD practically unrestricted power to arrest any ten or more people, rather than only two or more, a “substantial improvement.” Let’s put the pressure on to stop this again.

Speak out at the public hearing on November 27 at 1 Police Plaza. Until then, write to:

Assistant Deputy Commissioner Thomas P Doepfner
New York City Police Department
1 Police Plaza, Room 1406
New York, New York 10038

The full text of the NYPD’s proposed parade regulation chages is available.

Photo of 10 bicyclists (okay, only 9 in the photo) who don’t need a parade permit from Untitledname.

If you’re poking around abandoned buildings, train tunnels and other desolate areas, there are a few things you’re guaranteed to find: Slayer graffiti, dead pigeons, a half burned teddy bear, a pentagram and one petrified cat. That’s normal. So it’s highly suspicious when you’re stumbling along the beach in Sheepshead Bay and find a shrine full of bright flowers, pinwheels, stuffed animals, a squash, plastic Easter eggs, pictures of Jesus, and a couple happy green turtles. It’s like a children trap by the evil spawn of Teletubbies and Pennywise the clown.

Continue reading: Cute Becomes Creepy in Sheepshead Bay

October 28, 2006
New York City

Registration @ 4:20p; Tompkins Sq. Park
$10

Finish at Black Label party location.

The dead will ride again.
Details will be posted at http://nycmassive.com/halloween/.

After nearly two months in hibernation, Don’t Believe the Hypebeast is wide awake and already kicking sand on your 400 dollar hoodie. Don’t worry, it brushes right off. By way of wacky explanation, DBTHb says it was forced to shut down when Wal-Mart threatened “litigation to the tune of $325.50″ over a parodied collaboration with aNYthing. In other sarcastic news:

However, keeping with its move towards investing in the internet-
namely social networking sites- Rupert Murdoch and News Corp. stepped in and bought the rights to DBTHb for an undisclosed sum. Effective September 30th, Mr. Murdoch became the primary share holder in DBTHb and emboldened the site to once again return with its bitchy and sarcastic observations on the this culture.

Hopefully, DBTHb will be sticking around a little longer this time. Thanks go out to the few dozen individuals who emailed to confirm rumors Zoo York’s LA crew is responsible for this comedic effort. Get back at us to redeem the limited edition pat on the back we promised. In early December, we’ll release the “Loose Lips Sink Ships” Bearbrick in 100% and 400% sizes to commemorate everyone who was dying to drop the dime on their buddies at Zoo York. Makes a great holiday gift!