tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89176398969791131572011-07-28T18:21:06.060-07:00News and thoughts from the author of the forthcoming tome on the history of the Bristol graffiti scene.FLXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891882549129999106noreply@blogger.comBlogger291100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8917639896979113157.post-41735868825314207362009-01-16T10:01:00.000-08:002009-01-16T10:05:04.764-08:00

A couple of reviews of the book have popped up online recently, one on the Modart Magazine blog and one on the Eko System site.

FLXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891882549129999106noreply@blogger.com37tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8917639896979113157.post-42440385969081012692009-01-11T10:19:00.000-08:002009-01-11T10:59:15.492-08:00

(Above: FLX and Inkie at Children Of The Jam, Dec 4th 2008) To those of you who follow this blog and check back regularly on its progress, my sincerest apologies for the extended period of radio silence since the book was published. In no way did I intend this space to go cold as soon as Children Of The Can hit the shops; it was never intended to be a cynical marketing tool, or just another way

FLXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891882549129999106noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8917639896979113157.post-87264867866126163892008-12-05T08:52:00.000-08:002008-12-05T09:02:25.501-08:00

Last night Front Row finally ran the interview that I recorded a while ago. You can hear it on the BBC iPlayer now. If you don't want to listen to the pieces on Leslie Garrett and the forthcoming 2008 Grammy's that precede the feature, then skip forward approximately 22 minutes. The piece also features Inkie and the tiresome Denise James from Bristol City Council's 'Clean and Green' graffiti

FLXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891882549129999106noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8917639896979113157.post-14227445211169297342008-12-03T00:32:00.000-08:002008-12-03T01:02:09.946-08:00

Feek gets his point acrossThree generations of writers: Awkward, Deed TCP, and Soker ASK2Keen finally gets his hands on the goodsThe legend that is John Nation leaves his mark. Great shirt/hat combo John. Proper dipping out.Fresh back from New York, Paris drops a Philly-handstyle  It was never going to be a traditional book signing. Last week most of the artists featured in Children Of The Can

FLXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891882549129999106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8917639896979113157.post-71910780051495959652008-11-25T07:02:00.000-08:002008-11-25T07:21:32.871-08:00

If you're in Bristol this weekend (29/30th November) be sure to check out the official Children Of The Can paint-jam on the harbourside, which will feature some of the artists who are in the book painting side-by-side. Theoretically the pieces will be presented in some kind of time-line, starting with the OAP writers like Inkie and me, and moving up through the years...but we'll have to see! The

FLXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891882549129999106noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8917639896979113157.post-40522930453790736602008-11-21T09:20:00.000-08:002008-11-21T09:24:09.740-08:00

Apparently they're running an extra-long interview with David Tennant tonight. How can I compete with Doctor Who?

FLXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891882549129999106noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8917639896979113157.post-69419073859975856352008-11-18T01:07:00.000-08:002008-11-18T01:45:10.548-08:00

As the official launch of the book draws nearer and the pre-ordered copies start to be sent out, it's time to step the promotion up a gear. So yesterday, thanks to effective PR by Tangent, I recorded an interview for the BBC, with Kirsty Lang for Radio 4's Front Row arts magazine programme. Talk about in at the deep end! It actually went really well, I think, although the 'B' word kept coming up

FLXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891882549129999106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8917639896979113157.post-8116095842293964202008-11-15T04:46:00.000-08:002008-11-15T04:58:29.675-08:00

After what seems like forever the book is back from the printers in all its glory. Printed in Italy by specialist art book printers, it really does look (and feel) the business. The foil blocking and pink fifth colour on the cover are just the start. The pages feel nice and thick and the colour throughout is deep and rich. And its heavy, physically speaking. I wouldn't want to get one in the

FLXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891882549129999106noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8917639896979113157.post-49126584253111841582008-11-15T02:34:00.000-08:002008-11-15T04:57:02.575-08:00

FLXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891882549129999106noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8917639896979113157.post-33055738754959457692008-11-12T13:46:00.000-08:002008-11-12T14:03:07.965-08:00

Keeping things really old school for this second post of exclusive book content, this piece was on Station Road, Montpelier, in about 1984, maybe even earlier. A certified contender for 3D's crown at the time, none of us knew anything about Tarzan. Apparently he's still around Bristol today, but he must have stopped painting pretty early on as I only ever remember seeing two pieces by him. The

FLXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891882549129999106noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8917639896979113157.post-56700023647113727702008-11-12T02:49:00.000-08:002008-11-12T06:21:43.694-08:00

OK, I've been holding back on the real gems, but with the book expected back from the printers this Friday and the official launch less than a month away, it's time to start pouring out the juice, methinks. 3D was the first graffiti writer in Bristol, before going on to become an MC with the legendary Wild Bunch, and subsequently vocalist with Massive Attack. He still paints and masterminds the

FLXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891882549129999106noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8917639896979113157.post-57129290381986556152008-11-12T02:41:00.001-08:002008-11-12T02:45:51.900-08:00

FLXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891882549129999106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8917639896979113157.post-68485796842186179092008-11-10T05:42:00.001-08:002008-11-12T06:27:44.788-08:00

This month's Hip Hop Connection Magazine features a whopping four pages on Children Of The Can. Here's the first two, which include an extract from the chapter on John Nation, youth leader at the Barton Hill Youth Club in the late 80s and early 90s. Big shouts to Ziml and Kid Acne for the hook-up.http://www.hhcmagazine.com/

FLXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891882549129999106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8917639896979113157.post-3020734519748417622008-11-05T00:32:00.000-08:002008-11-10T05:42:06.060-08:00

Barton Hill youth centre's own magazine gives its views on the rash of busts that took place as part of Operation Anderson in 1989. Some things never change. An extended extract from the chapter that features one-time Barton Hill youth leader John Nation appears in this month's Hip Hop Connection magazine (oddly dated December, with Eminem on the cover) and features a bunch of photos from the

FLXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891882549129999106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8917639896979113157.post-22893953499827836492008-10-30T03:48:00.000-07:002008-11-12T02:48:26.753-08:00

It was a warm July evening before they invented mobile phones, the Internet, or skunk, and Gallery 1 at the Arnolfini looked like the set of a New York cable TV hip hop show. The pieces on the walls were huge, train-scale, and painted in the mighty German 'art spray' Buntlack: all candy-pinks and oranges, and the deepest reds, electric blues and greens, the likes of which had rarely been seen in

FLXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891882549129999106noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8917639896979113157.post-43233844524402806052008-10-28T07:15:00.000-07:002008-11-12T06:28:57.946-08:00

Last week I did my first interview about Children Of The Can. Here's the link:http://bristolgraffiti.wordpress.com/2008/10/28/children-of-the-can-preview-and-interview-with-felix-braun/

FLXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891882549129999106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8917639896979113157.post-29582982945528018802008-10-26T04:54:00.000-07:002008-10-26T05:10:13.930-07:00

Okay, FINALLY,  here's some sample spreads from the book to have a look at. They've popped up in a couple of places already (Facebook and hurtyoubad.com) so I thought I'd better post them here, too. Hopefully this gives you an idea of the variety of writers that are featured: Demz CM is a straight-up bomber, and talks about the police, punch-ups and junkies shooting up in abandoned buildings

FLXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891882549129999106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8917639896979113157.post-56878740149135722832008-10-23T15:12:00.000-07:002008-10-23T15:32:32.316-07:00

The impact of Charlie Ahearn's seminal hip hop film Wild Style cannot be overstated. Zephyr's animated title sequence was the portal through which countless imaginations were transported to the South Bronx of the early '80s, to a place & time where hip hop gave a creative voice to the youth of this criminally neglected & run-down borough. Graffiti became its visual manifestation, and in Wild

FLXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891882549129999106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8917639896979113157.post-18512326721972304982008-10-23T14:04:00.000-07:002008-10-23T15:29:49.960-07:00

July 1983:My friends and me sit goggle-eyed in the ancient wooden seats of the Arts Centre Cinema on King Square in Bristol, as Charlie Ahearn’s film Wild Styleplays to a noisy, half-full auditorium. Wereact loudly with the rest of the youngaudience at the sight of the RocksteadyCrew B-boying (or break-dancing) in a circlewhile the Cold Crush Brothers speak thenew

FLXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891882549129999106noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8917639896979113157.post-52932722781220754652008-10-21T02:48:00.000-07:002008-10-22T01:48:47.346-07:00

When seeking a publisher for this book the single most important consideration from my point-of-view was what degree of autonomy I was going to be granted? Sure, a big London-based publishing house might have the muscle to guarantee ten of thousands of sales in the first few months, but that was never my main concern. What would be the point if the final product bore no resemblance to my original

FLXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891882549129999106noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8917639896979113157.post-88667565975428905402008-10-20T06:56:00.000-07:002008-10-20T07:06:56.520-07:00

The brainchild of Turo (who is also featured in the book) and friend Matt, this new documentary covers some of the same ground as Children Of The Can, but with moving images and film of people talking, so you don't have to make the effort to read or turn pages. Here's a taster of the section that covers graff, with Big Daddy Turock getting all bleary-eyed outside the Barton Hill youth club (aka

FLXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891882549129999106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8917639896979113157.post-61066240498245979722008-10-20T06:05:00.000-07:002008-10-20T23:57:46.487-07:00

Here's some low-res shots of the high-res proofs. The book's designer Cheba has done an amazing job of making the images look healthy and balanced. The layouts are also spot-on: no fussy, artsy nonsense here, just pure, simple graphics which really let the photos speak for themselves. Big up Cheba for doing a great job, and for not freaking out when I was looking over his shoulder or sending him

FLXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891882549129999106noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8917639896979113157.post-58977894286206821292008-10-17T04:37:00.000-07:002008-10-17T04:46:52.473-07:00

The front cover also includes this illustration by Feek. He was the only person who sprang to my mind to do something like this, and it's actually based on an old TCF logo that was in the folderof images he gave me for his chapter. Fair play to him, he was very patient while I fussed over what I thought was the correct positioning of each element. He's a top lad and an amazing artist.

FLXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891882549129999106noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8917639896979113157.post-41966546128366361372008-10-16T10:13:00.000-07:002008-10-16T12:34:29.892-07:00

The two posts below explain where the name for the book came from and why it is more than just another tedious bit of moronic post-modern wordplay...(psych!)

FLXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891882549129999106noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8917639896979113157.post-65731313174082078402008-10-16T09:32:00.000-07:002008-10-17T05:15:19.941-07:00

In 1980 New York style-master Dondi White painted his legendary top-to-bottom whole car 'Children Of The Grave (Again)'and had the whole process documented by photographer Martha Cooper. The pictures subsequently appeared in graffiti Bible Subway Art. We all saw Dondi painting long before we knew who he was, in the video for Malcolm Maclaren's Buffalo Gals and as Lee Quinones' 'stunt double' in

FLXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891882549129999106noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8917639896979113157.post-53664145829005078322008-10-16T09:22:00.000-07:002008-10-16T12:42:22.616-07:00

Made in 1984, Children Of The Corn was based on the Stephen King novella of the same name. The film tells the story of a strange demonic force that possesses the children in a fictional Nebraska town, causing them to murder the town's adult population. 

FLXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891882549129999106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8917639896979113157.post-28047653191541854332008-10-14T10:52:00.000-07:002008-10-14T14:41:08.515-07:00

A quick peak at the typestyle for the title and subtitle – designed by Paris and Soker respectively –is at the top of this page. Cover print is going to be silver foil-blocked with the pink done as a fifth colour.

FLXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891882549129999106noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8917639896979113157.post-21483508693888916622008-10-13T09:11:00.000-07:002008-10-14T13:56:48.528-07:00

I haven't painted a proper illegal piece since 1988. I remember seeing our less-than-helpful 'lookouts' tearing past us seconds before a police car pulled up and put a stop to the '3 Kings' piece that Inkie and me were painting. I don't think it was the brutality with which they halted our attempts to escape, however, that put me off bombing (or at least, painting full-colour burners on main

FLXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891882549129999106noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8917639896979113157.post-84073769453146941492008-10-13T06:50:00.000-07:002008-10-14T15:11:15.822-07:00

Finally the book is in the bag! Much to the relief of my girlfriend, cats, extended family, and everyone at the publishers, for that matter. 'Tis done. After the best part of a year and hundreds of hours of interviewing, transcribing, writing, scanning and designing, the project that started off as a dare is at the printers being turned from gigabytes of noughts and ones into paper with words and

FLXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09891882549129999106noreply@blogger.com1