I read a piece of news today at Animal New York that really concerned me. There really is no concrete truth behind the allegation but some news has leaked that Frank Shepard Fairey of Obey Giant fame may be losing his sight. Fairey has diabetes and has been spinning records under the name DJ Diabetic for some time now. Animal New York makes the claim that a source close to Fairey has stated that he could be legally blind by the end of the year.
The article goes on to quote the anonymous source as saying, “That’s why he’s having so many gallery shows and making so many prints. The Faireys are trying to pump out as much artwork as they can before he can’t see anymore - time is running out.”
There is already speculation that this news could raise the price of Fairey’s work. It seems to me that this news is somewhat unfounded and to be speculating about something like that is at the expense of Fairey and his family. I know a lot of negativity has spread about this particular artist and his practices, but he still has arguably more fans than detractors. It saddens me to see people speculating the price of his work going up because of something so sad happening to him.
From people I have spoken to in the past who have met Fairey, I have heard he is a very nice person. He has a wife and family, and I am sure if any of this news is actually true, it must be very hard on his family. It’s easy to forget that when someone has created such visible work that there is actually a real human being propping it up. If any of this is true, my heart goes out to him and his family and I sincerely hope he manages to stay well and fend this off.
Penguin Books has recently commissioned Shepard Fairey of Obey Giant fame to design new covers for two of their most famous titles, Animal Farm and Orwell’s 1984. They are both obvious choices for Fairey’s style and work perfectly with his message. I think if it gets kids to read it is a great thing. I was required to read both of these titles when I was in highschool and junior high. 1984 had a big impact on me and is and will remain a relevant work for a long time to come. Hopefully the visual cue and recognition of what is obviously Fairey’s design will prompt kids to at least want to own the books and eventually read them.
It would be nice to see more of this kind of thing as I think it would be a positive trend in utilizing recognizable artists and designers to create materials that help promote thought and encourage learning and awareness. There has always seemed to be a divide between what I refer to as the old guard and the young blood. I think it would be mutually beneficial to both if the best of each was represented in certain situations as to help inspire and activate today’s youth culture. It’s so hard to stay relevant with today’s youth that more of this really needs to start happening right away.
Shepard Fairey has thrown his hat in the ring to endorse Presidential Candidate Barack Obama. He will be selling a poster this Wednesday, January 30th with proceeds going towards posters for a large statewide campaign promoting Obama and his message. If you would like to help with the campaign, email info@obeygiant.com with OBAMA as the subject line to receive further instructions on what you can do to help. Lets hope it helps add more momentum to Obama’s campaign because I too believe he is a candidate who shows real promise and a push towards a positive change for our bruised and battered country. It is time for a real change in this country and I think people can feel it.
07/19 CHEVY AVALANCHE This American beast of an SUV now gets only 12 miles to the gallon and costs $130 or more to fill up. The sad part is there is still a long list of morons who want to buy one. Sad.
07/19 78% BURNED OUT A new poll shows that 78% of American workers feel burned out. Add me into that one please.
07/11 WAR CRIMES FOR U.S.? I never thought I would see this in my lifetime but now I couldn’t be less surprised. The Red Cross is calling for war crimes charges against the U.S.
07/11 F THE CONSTITUTION That’s what Karl Rove has to say and how much respect he has for you, the truth, and the constitution. Most are guessing he will be facing charges of contempt by next week. As well he should.
07/04 NO MORE BOZO Bozo the clown died. Man, what a bummer. I loved Bozo the clown.
