I read a comment under a picture from a Green Day related site and I'm obliged to clear something up. The image was of an altered version of their American Idiot cover art (appropriated from The Man With The Golden Arm's poster art) this time with the hand holding what looks like a kite... at first. Then after a minute or two you realize it's a flag.
One of the first comments was something along the lines of "is that a kite?" and then "whoever does the art for Green Day is a Legend". She's only half right. A legend was involved with the art but unfortunately he died before the album was made. If Saul Bass had designed it even the 15 year old with the lowest of brows would've instantly guessed it was a flag. And not just the over all look and layout of the album was appropriated: the heart grenade is already a skateboard truck company's logo. At least they waited until after Saul Bass was dead; Spike Lee's team ripped off Anatomy of a Murder's poster art "line for line".
I guess I'm hatin'...am I hatin'? Hatin' on biters is okay right? Because I'm asked to do parodies all the time. I think the difference is the context. Jerry Only's Obey parody only works if you know Shepard Fairey's work whereas the American Idiot art is being mistaken as original and suffers next to Saul Bass' actual works. Maybe I'd feel better if the designer behind American Idiot's art was clearing this up and not me. Anyhow here's a link to a site about ol' SB
The Mechanic
- Josh Elowsky
- I was born on the 5th anniversary of North Vietnamese Independence to a seamstress and a trucker just south of Sherman's ashes. I am told that if BMX bikes could fly Pensacola would then have been an airport.