Here is our second installment in the ongoing skate park graffiti series. Notice the bright red mushroom, how it seems to have what may be a dollar sign right at the top of the stalk. Perhaps the artist was commenting on the dangerous ways of Capitalism, hinting at the dark hallucinations the lust for wealth can bring. Around the fungus, we have initials SSP in various locations. Normally I would think this to be the tag oif the local skate crew, a la the Daggers in Thrashin', but as this photo was taken at the Sandwich Skate Park, I think perhaps the meaning is much simpler. As for the rest of it, well, I personally like how folks have been writing over eachother for so long, it is as though a subtle pattern of structural disregard has emerged. Lose yourself in the myriad lines and letters, and let your eyes see what they will.
We got this response to the first installment from Mr. Carnie:
"Skatepark graffiti has always been a love of mine. I too have marveled at it all around the world. I remember New Zealand bowls were always WU TANGed. Every bowl. But one of my favorite “pieces” was done on our second ramp in around 1984 in San Jose by this total sketcher dude named Donald. AKA Skull Man. It was rumored that he had tagged every city transit bus (in the hundreds) with his little skull tag. He was a wanted man. Anyway, we came down to skate our ramp one day (it was kind of hidden back in the woods) only to find that someone had spray painted all the way across the sixteen foot width of the ramp right under the coping, “GRIND TOUGH OR GO HOME TO YOUR MOMMY GRRRRR.” It was classic Donald. The grrrr part I thought was a nice touch. There were a lot of Rs. And the best part of it was that the ramp had PVC coping. He was never allowed to skate the ramp again."
Got some skate graffiti experiences you want to share? Perhaps you've even "gotten up" yourself... Well, get off yer hine and send some in, show the world what you've got.
