Art - The Streets

Rock Bar Turns Our Disgusting Habits Into Beautiful Art

— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) |

Hopefully this is the last time I take close-up shots of stepped-on chewing gum.

Since there's nothing that compliments a pint like chewing on a fat wad of gum, it makes sense that the sidewalk outside of Rock Bar is littered with it.  But instead of letting their sidewalk be yet another grayscale leopard print glue trap, they've busted out the paintbrush and turned the minefield of Big League Chew into a bunch of germ-ridden gold nuggets!

Now, I'm sure they're not thinking that big or anything about a bunch of gum stomped into the sidewalk, but this definitely has the chance to become the Google Doodle of Mission bars.  Think of the painting opportunities:

  • Red, white, and blue gum on the 4th of July
  • Orange and black on Halloween/the playoffs
  • Red and green for Christmas
  • The rainbow for SF Pride
  • Green, white, and red for Cinco de Mayo
  • Bile for New Year's
  • Blood red for the week of Burning Man

Anyway, painted gum!

Feisty Cat Mural to Maul Every Pathetic Human Walking Out of Their Apartment

— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) |

Okay okay okay, maybe this new work by Zio Ziegler isn't going to spring to life and ruin every man, woman, and child walking through that door with his giant paw and gnarly tongue, but we can always hope.

(And be sure to roll over to 24th and Bartlett and check it out for yourself.  The detail on this beast is nothing short of incredible.)

HoЯndog KoЯndog

— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) |

Seeing this truck, I can't help but think the poor guy ran out of room to write KoЯndog.  I'm also struggling to figure out how a HoЯndog KoЯndog would taste, but I'd imagine it would growl/obnoxiously pop its mouth at you before giving your mouth oral herpes, passing through your digestive system, and going on to record a multi-platinum album from a Bakersfield septic tank.

Previously on Uptown Almanac: 

Keith Haring Resurrected

— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) |

There's his Radiant Baby, stenciled right onto 16th and Guerrero.

(The Brooklyn Museum is having some sort of retrospective right now, which means the entirety of NYC's plywood walls are covered in Keith Haring's art.  Maybe their marketing is making its way out to San Francisco now?)

[Photo by Quonky]

Becoming a Beautiful Stoned Butterfly

— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) |

Dude.  dddduuuuddddeeeeee…… u lookin at this thing? It's like a metaphor for the Obamanati endorsing gay marriage. Right? Like, when he finishes suckin' down that jammer, wings will bust outta his fascist lil' cocoon and fly to the Middle East and end our imperialist wars for Israel.

Wait. Whoa. I think I might be wrong.  Like.  What's up with that Indian feather thing?  Is this a hungover hipster burrito?  Fuck dude, how'd it get that joint in its mouth when it has no arms? fuuuuccckkk are armless man-burritos comin' at our crops? Where's our pit bulls at dude?

im so high. i think im hungry for pizza

namaste.

[Thanks, WBTC!]

Anti-Gentrification Mural In Progress on Balmy Alley

— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) |

There's a new mural going up in Balmy Alley and it's about everyone's favorite topic: gentrification!  This time, the Hitler-stached policía are broing-down with white folks over coffee as they arrest and harass Latinos, making a safe place for yuppies plugged into the Matrix to type away on their MacPhoneiBookthings while being laughed at by monkeys.  I think.

From one Oakland resident participating in painting the mural:

This particular mural was the perfect adaptation of the culture of the mission changing from a celebrated Chicano community into basically, hipster-yuppy central. In my opinion the mural’s design really does a good job of emphasizing the politics behind gentrification.

The funny thing is, this mural is still relevant in Oakland and many other places around the world.  So many people are losing the heart and culture of their neighborhood, to high rise condo’s and pabst drinking hipsters.  It’s sad that the mission is becoming one of those areas, but so is Oakland, and many other places around the world.

Wait, I'm confused: is it the cops causing gentrification, with their deportations and questionably racist enforcement of the law?  Or is it the hipsters, with their PBR and high rise condo's?

Anyway, for more analysis and pictures of hipsters painting the mural, head over to 2AM Is the time.

Previously on Uptown Almanac: 

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