The photographs in this book unveil graffiti's origins in tribalism, cave painting, and cargo cult. Figures morphing in and out of font describe the alphabet's own provenance in hieroglyph and pictogram...and simultaneously point the way to the alphabet's inevitable future as insignia, decal,emblem...What's delivered so often by the creators here,with the immediacy typical of the pop impulse, is the slick and chaotic vocabulary of commercial culture decanted brilliantly into folk idiom, on the spot, in the dark, on the fly.

A book about characters is long overdue. From the earliest years of graffiti, writers ransacked the pop culture storehouse for figures, or invented new ones to project the desired alternative persona; characters that carry messages that challenge rivals and transit cops, that say: We are unstoppable, we are uncatchable, we are nasty! They can be hilarious, scary, or rude, and they're good allies for writers to have. Todd James and David Villorente, who served long apprenticeships on the trains and rose to the top of their game, are the best guides to lead us through this rich iconography.

INTRODUCTION: CRUNCH ROL

FOREWORD: FAMILIAR FACES

STAY HIGH 149

THE PROFILE

CLIFF 3YB

P-NUT 2 WANTED

THE SPRAY CAN MAN

BLADE TC5

THE DARK ARTS

LEE FAB 5

THE DEATH SQUAD

NOC 167 TDS

VAUGHN BODE

DAZE CYA

2 MAD CYA

T-KID 170 TNB

SEEN UA

QUIK RTW

THE HIPPIE CONTINGENT

STRIDER BC

SKEME TNT

DOZE TC5

POKE IBM TC5

DOC TC5

WEB TC5

TACK FBA

SON FBA

SAK TNB

PYTHON PIC

RAB CAC

LAWE N EWAVE

GNOME CWK

KAVES VB

KEV TM7

WEST FC

DASH FC FBA

DO NTAY TC5

SHAME 125 TOA

WANE COD

REAS AOK

GHOST RIS

MODE 2 TCA

REV KSN

SLICK K2S

HEX TGO

RELM KSN

TWIST THR

KAWS

AFTERWORD: FAST FRIENDS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS