Slammin with Green Day and various artists
Artist: Broken Crow. Song of the century.
Broken Crow. Prosperity, 2009.
Spray paint and acrylic on masonite. 30 x 30 in.
Broken Crow: "Wage endless war.
Crash airplane in scrap yard photo shoot explosion.
Crawl unscathed from wreckage heap.
Use bloody knuckle stumps to cut stencils, make rock and roll caveman painting."
R.J.: Here I’m biased. I generally don’t like slow songs. But the way the image plays off the song pulls me in. I like this image; with it, I begin to hear the song’s heart, its conflict. Why is this singer—I don’t even know his name—restrained? But then I’m used to Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson maybe...
D.M.: I quite like the track, it’s slow which makes a change from a lot of the album, but perhaps a little too sing-song for the lyrics. Perhaps I’m missing the irony here. The artwork, unfortunately, does little for me. I don’t personally like the stylistic nature of the foreground images, but the colours at least are successful in fitting the mood of the song—they remind me of a storm brewing. Intentional or happy accident?
L.R.: Subtly deceiving and deeply ironic lyricism. The prelude tries to disguise its darker side alerting the listener to the problem which Green Day wants to explore. I find the art is a perfect match. Familiar and nostalgic, it primes the viewer to recognize the paradox and to contemplate the problem’s roots—are they ethical, moral, and spiritual? And to what extent in history?
Guest reviewer Delfina: The song has a mournful quality, a prelude of ominous things to come, with the (heart)breaking voice coming from a faraway, crackling radio station. Both listener and singer are lost by the distance. The artwork’s most evocative quality for me is the gray, smeared sky, over which the plaintive voice in the air is seeking to connect. The man’s hard-luck weariness is emphasized rather than concealed by the big furry hat and dark shades, which can’t protect his exposed tattoos and soft belly. The downed plane is a bit too obvious: is the man supposed to be walking away from the wreckage of his dispiriting life? The bleak tone of the image would do it for me without that signifier.
Don’t miss
- Pat Magnarella, Green Day manager: Why not a rock ’n’ roll art world?
> He reps Green Day & the Goo-Goo Dolls. Now he’s repping artists. Is this a breakthrough? - Green Day art project: Criticism, media coverage and curation
> Thoughtful criticism emerged about the project in relation to the publicity. But a request for a response ended up in a downward spiral. - Metropolis Records’ Dave Heckman - The dark interview
> Get ready musicians: it looks like more of you will be facing the often ridiculous economics of most contemporary visual artists.