Monday, March 12, 2012

El Fatom

I met the Phantom Street Artist when I was 14 years old. Few people may know that the street artist, widely known for his iconic album cover artwork for Rage Against the Machine's Battle for Los Angeles, is also a talented wrestler. He was one of my first wrestling mentors. We trained wherever we could - frequenting wrestling rooms and gyms in and around around East LA and the Greater San Gabriel Valley year-round. Over the years the Phantom has remained a close family friend.

Here's a video of one of his latest performances, "You Don't Know What Art Is."





In recent years the Phantom has incorporated live performances into his exhibitions. Using an almost obsessive attention to detail, his performance creates an undeniable aura. Initially I found the homemade aesthetic of the props and lighting captivating -- almost like I was watching a school play. Then the camera work and monologue intensified while the noise on the film a gradually evoked the morbid feel of 1990s crime scene footage. This bold critique of the politics of the art world is a breathe of fresh air. Enjoy.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

PHANTOM STREET ARTIST PYR8FREETV Guerilla Street Theater of Question BIO:


The Phantom Street Artist combines tongue-in-cheek performance humor with
site specific theater and installation, along with spoken word referencing
various tropes of the great tradition of critical satire followed by
cynicism. The Phantom is one who questions our culture in question, casting
himself in self-realized scripts through many different personas such as
the Gorilla Street Artist. The Phantom Street Artist is this generation’s
mocked American Anti Hero who acts through vignettes skits, prank calls,
and signs from local pizza joint with the effect of looking at my way
cultural street art historization. The Gorilla Street Artist meets mash up
sounds of the Phantom’s Dubbed Parody of Midnight Star seeking enlightened
late night conversation with your local vato museum guard.

If you don’t want a ticket you better zip it..
If you want a show you better pay your dues
Ain’t much better if you play it with your jewels...
Coz it’s so easy it’s so right
Coz it’s so easy it’s so right

To Teabag it all night

If you want a show you better pay your dues
Ain’t much better if you play it with your jewels...
Coz it’s so easy it’s so right
Coz it’s so easy it’s so right
To Ass-kiss it all night...

If you want a show you better pay your dues
Ain’t much better if you play it with your jewels...
Coz it’s so easy
it’s so right
Coz it’s so easy it’s so right
To Brown-nose it all night...


https://m.soundcloud.com/streetphantom1/midnight-star-parody-by-the-phantom-street-artist

Please review our previous performances..

ART SAVES LIVES PHANTOM STREET ARTIST Guerilla Street Theater Reference
Videos

Phantom Street Artist Joey Krebs "You Dont Know What Art Is" Performance


PHANTOM STREET ARTIST Street Wall at Fourthwalls