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I’ve been a Bad Brains fan for close to 40 years and have been lucky to work with them on a few projects. Bad Brains are one of my favorite punk/hardcore groups of all time, and they are pioneers of the hardcore sound and unique as an all-Black band in an almost exclusively white genre. They play reggae as well as hardcore, which helped promote the mind-opening crossover between the genres. A couple of years ago, I did a mural tribute to Bad Brains on Bleecker Street & Bowery across from the former CBGB’s, where Bad Brains often played in the early to mid ’80s. My friend Glen E. Friedman shot many great photos of Bad Brains at CBGB’s in ’81 and ‘82, and a few of those shots were spliced together as the reference for the illustrations in this mural. Glen recently published his book of Bad Brains photos called “Fearless Vampire Killers,” and we did a launch and signing party at our gallery, Subliminal Projects. To accompany the book launch, Glen and I released a limited edition screenprint of the Bad Brains Bleecker and Bowery mural image. I love how the mural looks within the NYC cityscape, especially considering it is right across from the former CBGB’s. I try to live the Bad Brains Mantra of P.M.A. (Positive Mental Attitude), and it’s an incredible honor to create art for a band that has provided so much inspiration and energy, and in collaboration with Glen E. Friedman, one of my favorite photographers! This print is also signed by Glen.
–Shepard
PRINT DETAILS: Bad Brains Bowery and Bleecker. 18 x 24 inches. Screen print on 80# cream Speckletone paper. Original Illustration based on a photograph by Glen E. Friedman. Signed by Shepard Fairey and Glen E. Friedman. Numbered edition of 500. Comes with a Digital Certificate of Authenticity provided by Verisart. $90. Available on Thursday, May 1st @ 10 AM PDT at Obey Giant Store. Max order: 1 per customer/household. International customers are responsible for import fees due upon delivery (Except UK orders under $160). ALL SALES FINAL.
