Flint Expatriates: Benchmark

Sunday, June 29, 2008

Benchmark

A bench at the corner of Flushing Road and Ballenger Highway photographed by Clio's Terry Doyle

UPDATE: Smurfs, inc. offers up some background on the photo:

Now there is true street art. Its the work of this weird, kinda crazy, older guy, dunno his name. Downtown used to be chock full of his bizarre, paranoid rants and ravings.

Years back a somewhat well-known downtown figure threatened this guy with violence if he ever scribbled on his business. Peace was made when the scribbler was offered a free sandwich in exchange for abstinence. Now the same dude who issued the threat has his house decorated with his work.

Forget all of the wannabe taggers and fake hip-hop graf "artists" (half of whom are from Grand Blank.) In my (correct) opinion, this dude has created some of the most thought-provoking pieces since Straight Bob's wheatpaste screeds and the early ‘90s "Mor Devils" campaign.

He is quite fond of using the word "truther", something I try to use daily.

Here are some quotes from a few of his previous pieces. I've attempted to reproduce his ee cummings-esque structure:

"LIARS
VERSUS
TRUTHERSTOP

neatabeata
meata"

"Terrancehalloweenegroidal"

"ATHE
SUPREMEST

CREATOR UN-
CREATOR
CREATING
UNCREATING
EXISTENCE"

"ATHE
CREATOR UNCREATOR
WAS
AND IS EVERYWHERE !

IS MY SELFISH
GUESS!"

3 comments:

AnonymousJune 30, 2008 at 4:43 PM
Now there is true street art, its the work of this weird, kinda crazy, older guy, dunno his name. Downtown used to be chock full of his bizarre, paranoid rants and ravings.

Years back a somewhat well known downtown figured threatened this guy with violence if he ever scribbled on his business. Peace was made when the scribbler was offered a free sandwich in exchange for abstinence. Now the same dude who issued the threat has his house decorated with his work.

Forget all of the wannabe taggers and fake hip-hop graf "artists" (half of whom are from Grand Blank. In my (correct) opinion this dude has created some of the most thought provoking pieces since Straight Bob's wheatpaste screeds and the early 90s "Mor Devils" campaign.
ReplyDelete
Replies
Gordon YoungJuly 1, 2008 at 12:08 PM
I wish I could make out all writing. All I can read is "Truths Versus Lees Games" and "A Unit."
ReplyDelete
Replies
AnonymousJuly 1, 2008 at 12:46 PM
He is quite fond of using the word "truther", something I try to use daily.

Here are some quotes from a few of his previous pieces. I've attempted to reproduce his e.e. cummings-esque structure:

"LIARS
VERSUS
TRUTHERSTOP

neatabeata
meata"

"Terrancehalloweenegroidal"

"ATHE
SUPREMEST

CREATOR UN-
CREATOR
CREATING
UNCREATING
EXISTENCE"

"ATHE
CREATOR UNCREATOR
WAS
AND IS EVERYWHERE !

IS MY SELFISH
GUESS!"

Poet, performance artist, philosopher. The dude writes some heavy shit. Yeah, he's crazy... but still.
ReplyDelete
Replies

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Thanks for commenting. I moderate comments, so it may take a while for your comment to appear. You might enjoy my book about Flint called "Teardown: Memoir of a Vanishing City," a Michigan Notable Book for 2014 and a finalist for the 33rd Annual Northern California Book Award for Creative NonFiction. Filmmaker Michael Moore described Teardown as "a brilliant chronicle of the Mad Maxization of a once-great American city." More information about Teardown is available at www.teardownbook.com.

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