If you google 'MetroCard artist' he tops the list. His name is Noah Rider and in addition to making jewelry to the delight of petruli-scented woman in the East Village, he also makes MetroCard art sculptures that sell for $20 and up. The placid dreadlocked artist told us he was recently evicted by his "asshole landlord because of his crazy girlfriend." Talk about culpability. But either way, regardless of who's guilty, slumlord or kooky bitch, he needs some money so he' s out there hustling his MTA inspired works. We just hope they don’t' claim some sort of copyright bullshit like they did the IPOD map guy. But either way we suggest you invest in a few of these sculptures. Like most artists, if he dies young, it may actually be worth something. Jump to see his outdoor sidewalk gallery.

Read More "MetroCartist" »

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It's here. The issue that is sure to make Peter Vallone Jr. red in the face, and most likely, a whole bunch of haters in the 'underground'. TimeOut NY presents its official 'Street Art' theme. The fun loving-event listing magazine asked 'street artists' to submit sketches and the best of the bunch were selected. CYCLE, LADY PINK & SMITH, HOPE 169, and Ellis G (he has a graffiti name but we won't blow up his spot) were all chosen to create 'limited edition' covers, you know, so you can “collect ‘em all.” We shot off a quick round of questions to CYCLE to find out more about the project. Interview and details of the four pro bono 'limited edition' covers after the jump.

All cover photographs by Sarina Finkelstein.

Read More "TimeOut for Street Art" »

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Well its the end of the summer which means less and less junkies on the street for us all to enjoy. So we found this promo heron trailer for a new DVD to remind NY'ers what they'll be missing once the leaves start changing. It also serves as a stark reminder that even with the proliferation of NYU mega dorms and family friendly Trader Joe's, Union Square still has some respectful edgyness. Now if Times Square could just grow some balls too.

UnionSquarethemovie TrailerYouTube
Official site

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We found the official graffiti writer's paradise. Dark tunnels, walls, freights, anything you could possibly write your name on can be found here. Plus there was all this industrial debris, a car crushing lot, and real life mole people making it an urban explorer’s wet dream as well. Because this place is still active, we don't want to give exact details. All we can say is you need to take the L train to the end of the line and crawl under a fence, and you'll be there in no time. After the jump we present a photo essay of this aerosol depot.

Read More "Graffiti Dump" »

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• While some cyclists played cat and mouse with cops at last Friday's Critical Mass, others played cops and robbers with fake crack in Brooklyn.
• Kate Moss appears in 7 ad campaigns in this Fall's new NYT T style mag alone, someone's gotta pay for that habit.
• Wired to hold Nerd-fest in NYC.
• Video of Stephen Colbert attacking the modern day Babylonians aka Hollywood.

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Rocking his limited edition yellow and white Alife-Kangol hat, Soho artist, Steve Powers, sometimes known as ESPO, was out in Coney Island this weekend test flying his limousine float he prepared for Deitch's annual Art Hipster Parade on September 9th. He's one of 75 artists that will make the short walk down West Broadway to showcase his irony-filled art. You might remember Mr. Powers as that guy who did the graffiti style 'T' for the New York Times Style magazine, which along with this editorial was released in Sunday's paper. It's nice to see the Times repay the extremely talented artist with more then just some cash and giving him plugs in both the Arts section and the T style mag, afterall, you can't buy this kind of publicity.

Airbag Not Included New York Times

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If keeping up with all the new sneakers, Japanese toys, prints, and limited edition crap out there has become nearly impossible, welcome to Survival of the Hippest. It's the all purpose dump for the stuff you may never end up buying, always question it's purpose, but still find intriguing.

After the jump, study the products that will help you gain enough cool points to get that downtown decoder ring in no time.

Read More "Survival of the Hippest: Heatherette's Amanda Lepore Doll Contains Less Plastic Then Real Life Version" »

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"Girls and Guns," Medium: paper towel, tape, pencil, and magic marker

Duane, aka Mr.Glasses, makes his art for kids with awkward hair and hopes to become a professional ‘fun maker’ one day. He hates the Met, wants to destroy the original Obey the Giant stencil, and thinks Raven Symone can’t sing for shit. But when it comes to love, he still has a crush on Laura Hunter, his boyhood fantasy girlfriend, so please be good virtual detectives and let’s help Duane find the next Mrs. Glasses.* In the meantime check out his amazing art, and read how piss ‘poor posture’ can be one of the defining moments in a young artist’s life.

Read More "Q&A: Mr. Glasses' Mistaken Art" »

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via Streetsy

p.s.
Pro Hezbollah on a phone.
Ground Zero scrawl.
Time to go back to school.
In Park Slope they just write on the sidewalk.

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If the current exhibit at Ground Zero wasn't enough to help you relive that frightful day in September, we have the art exhibit just for you: “Elegy in the Dust: Sept. 11th and the Chelsea Jeans Memorial." It's a fabulous recreation of a retail store on Broadway that was covered in toxic-asbestos ridden dust. The show features the possible remains of loved ones and various other lung piercing sediment that has been carefully preserved and re-sprinkled on "Levi’s jeans and begrimed, flag-bearing Ralph Lauren sweaters." Even scarier then another terrorist attack though, is the notion that these lightly dusted clothes will end up being all the rage next season.

9/11 Shrine, With the Tragic, Toxic Dust NYT

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The Gap couldn't have picked a better spokesperson to try and help sell their bland suburbanite t-shirts. They've tapped a part time rapper who not only lends his name to their newest campaign, but also doubles as the embodiment of their brand: Common. And if the ads weren't humiliating enough, the mega-mall clothier had him slaving away in one of their NYC stores silk screening t-shirts for we assume, mostly white moms with absolutely no style. Now we're just anxiously waiting to see what they have in storefor Pivens.

Celebri-tee Complex.com

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By Amy Blair

I think that it’s fairly obvious that my tighty-whities fetish is directly rooted in the fact that I watched Risky Business for the first time at a very impressionable young age (read: 27) and never quite got over it. The source of other people’s fantasies, however, isn’t always so simple to discern…

Read More "WEEK IN CRAIG: Giving C.R.A.P." »

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• Dead white woman. Black killer. Signature shoes. Jimmy Choo does his best O.J. Simpson impersonation.


• Hezbollah TV will get your ass arrested in NY.


• Mayor Ray Nagin takes a shot at NYC, says progress at Ground Zero ain't nothing to brag about.


• 54th and Lex becomes temporary tennis court.

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For those that pay attention, (mainly vandals and ironically bloggers) graffiti writer RAMBO loves to bomb billboards in Brooklyn. It's kind of expected that once a new advertisement goes up, he's supposed to hit it or else risk collectively being called a pussy by his peers. As Razor Apple points out, his pick of the litter has just increased with a massive new billboard being erected in DUMBO that is much bigger then the ones he usually hits near the Williamsburg Bride. For now, we'll just sit back and wait, looking forward to see what company gets destroyed first. Don't disappoint us!

DUMBO Billboard Available Immediately Razor Apple

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What's 6'7", has dog poop style dreadlocks, and will entertain you and your friends for a dollar? The Rap-O-Grams Jewish rapper of course. The above clip shows video evidence of the chosen one attempting to rhyme words as best a Jewish hip hopper could. And ya can't knock his hustle. He's making a name for himself, and it's a matter of time before he gets a record deal, or at the very least, a Six Points Fellowship.

Trash! Rap YouTube

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While we're not experts in helicopter exhaust toxicology, we assume that huffing down the fumes of idling copters while strenuously exerting oneself can't be a good thing in the long run. That’s why we question the sensibility of the Hudson River Park Organization's decision to move the public skate park from its relatively quiet, safe, and fresh pocket-of-air location down near Canal St. to its current noxious and potentially hazardous resting place directly next to Liberty Helicopter's VIP heliport at west 32nd street.

But, maybe whirly bird particulates and vapors are a good thing and we’re just being over reactive? An official from Liberty Helicopter explains, "No, I don't believe the fumes are dangerous at all. I've been doing it for 21 years and before that I did jet engines in the Navy and I'm still healthy." Right. We'll believe that when we see his autopsy results, but regardless of old iron lung's expert opinion, Hudson officials should have just left it downtown so the already monoxide intoxicated youth could get a break from airborne toxins in one of the City's only public skate parks. After the jump see the landing helicopters that look like they’re ready to drop in themselves.

Read More "Skate And Die!" »

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Charles Kushner, convicted real estate mogul and father of New York Observer owner Jared Kushner, likes to enjoy fresh air on the weekends in the comfort of his own home according to one of our tipsters.

Like many well behaved white collar criminals, he only spends weekdays at the half-way house, but on weekends, he is free to frolic at his two-acre oceanfront estate in Long Branch, NJ. His mini-mansion is fashioned in a classic Spanish style complete with stucco walls and red roof. Plus, there's a giant pool with picturesque views of the Atlantic.

Of course there is. It's just a shame that such a bastion of contemporary well-to-doism will never experience the long-lasting companionship that occurs on those memorable Saturday shower rape sessions.

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We like when people display positive messages for the kids, especially when they posses a subtle edginess. Take this one for instance, 'Envy Kills Children.' Surely it's a good directive and might actually sink in for some of city's less-to-do kids. But it's not exactly what you'd expect to find on a ice cream truck, unless of course, you were in Brooklyn, things are done a bit differently out there. Jump for the whole truck that you will never see in the Upper East Side or any other neighborhood where the average HHI is above 18k a year.

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Technically, the guys at Vice are way better at making fun of retards then us, but we couldn't resist Life Goes On's very own Corky spasming to Public Enemy's 'Fight the Power." Secretly we're hoping to raise awarness about America's most famous downsyndromed hip hopper and see if he can get a reality show. Afterall, Flavor Flav is basically a black Corky with gold teeth.

(raspect Peter Dean)

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Although the above picture might look like a typical overgrown lot in Brooklyn there is more than meets the eye behind the untamed flora. The brush and wildly growing weeds may actually be functioning as a deceptive natural camoflagoue to protect the real crop which also happens to be America's most notable agricultural export: corn. As unusal and barnyardy as that sounds in NYC we have seen weirder. After the jump we present a mini field of soon to be golden kernels that will make you wonder if there are sharecroppers in Bushwick.

Read More "Jimmy Crack's Corn" »

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• Even the Irish hate Bloomberg.


• The Bowery is no longer 'The Bowery' which is a good thing.


• Chicken Pox parties become all the rage for NYC mums.


• Bartender who made drinks for Marilyn Monroe still going strong.


• Shoplifting daughter ruins Senate run.

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Spotted on FishbowlNY:

"[Music magazine publishers] are being beaten to every story by blogs and music-driven Web sites, as the timing is too immediate for monthlies, bi-monthlies, or weeklies to try and compete with," says Fader publisher Andy Cohn. "This generation is just not going to wait that long for music 'news.'"

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Chances are this guy doesn't get a ticket, ever! Sure we heard of people (mostly from Long Island) carrying around 1 or 2 PBA cards max to help ease the pain of being being pulled over or to gain favor in virtually any situation involving the police, but this guy has upped the ante with 9 on the dashboard alone. As added insurance he's also got those honorary stickers sitting nicely adjacent to the reg and the FBI hats in the back window. Ironically, this guy must be into some pretty shady shit to keep an arsenal like this at his disposal. Not that we don't appreciate nepotism at all levels, it is the hallmark of NYC culture.

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If keeping up with all the new sneakers, Japanese toys, prints, and limited edition crap out there has become nearly impossible, welcome to Survival of the Hippest. It's the all purpose dump for the stuff you may never end up buying, always question it's purpose, but still find intriguing.

After the jump, we arm you with the products that at least make you look like you're cool.

Read More "Survival of the Hippest: LRG Spawns Sesame Street Mutant" »

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"Mutation Hart"
Claudia Hart needs a rep and after peeking at some of her newest creations we don’t think it will be long before she gets one. She is an animation artist who makes beautifully disturbing 3D recreations using bizarre animated nudes and real life backdrops. Her work is remarkably strange and we have to say the Museum of Natural History never looked so freaky. Although she once painted a bird when she was 10, Claudia no longer picks up a brush or paint. All her work is done with a medium format camera and a computer and she’s not afraid to admit it. She just a had a show at the PPOW gallery, so it’s a matter of time before she goes big time and you really won't be able to afford her work.

Read More "Q&A: Claudia and Her Mutated Harts" »

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• Seven women charged in the stabbing of one man.


• Cab blogger not only gets a book deal, but she also does radio.


• Daily News unsolves Jon Benet murder.


• NYPD cancels hearings, the people have spoken


• Gawk at nude girls without going to the strip club (or looking like a pervert).


• Copyranter only cites two reasons for Jason Binn's douchyness, we feel gipped.

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Paris Hilton poster between B and C photo by: Betatester

p.s.
Homemade L train protest poster.
5 year old with crayon or new SVA ad campaign?
Teen Girl Squad quotes need not be accurate.

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Although it may look like one of those discarded stations from Forgotten NY, we assure you its not. We're still trying to figure out why the MTA doesn't just buy itself some hedge clippers and tidy up this subway stop. After the jump we present the obscure straphanger outpost in all its overgrown glory.

Read More "This Is Not An Abandoned Station" »

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Mangy, snarling, fleabag dogs roam around along the streets of East New York all day long, but for Maine residents more accustomed to their dogs being more WASP-y looking, a feral dog killed by a car has become an overnight phenomenon of wild speculation and Cryptozoological wonderment. Turns out the 'mutant beast' is just a dog, but to those country folk, unwilling to let go of this local legend, the beast lives on, it's their very own Cerberus, the mythical demon-dog guardian of Hades.

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By Amy Blair

Bear with me here for a minute, this story has a point, I promise. In 1988 my pediatrician retired and forwarded my complete medical records to my house to be given to my new doctor at a future appointment. My mother foolishly left these records out unguarded, and I immediately dove into them with obsessive curiosity, seeing myself for the first time as no more than a collection of vaccinations, illnesses, and prescriptions.

Read More "WEEK IN CRAIG: Last Train to Titsville" »

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Eat the Press bring us a funny recap of Jon Stewart roasting CNN for its newest fear mongering news special: Target USA. All of the usual suspects are invovled and they waste no time scaring the shit out the public.
Wolf Blitzer: "All day long, CNN has been reporting on homeland security, and efforts to target the United States..."
Miles O'Brien: "We're calling it 'Target: USA'...
Daryn Kagan: "How safe are we here? Target: USA, special coverage, right here on CNN."
Paula Zahn: "We are taking an in-depth look at where America is most vulnerable..."

Sounds more like 'news' reporting from V for Vendetta's BTN then Ted Turner's CNN.

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There will be a press event and rally tonight at St. Marks Church at 7pm to protest a new set of oppressive regulations the NYPD is putting in effect on around August 24th that affect not only bicyclists, but also pedestrians and even, shockingly, bloggers too: Here's a summary of the new rules that would be enforced:
*Any group of two (yes 2) or more cyclists or pedestrians traveling down a public street, who violate any traffic law, rule or regulation can be arrested for parading without a permit;
* Every group of 20 or more cyclists must obtain a permit from the NYPD;
* Every group of 35 of more pedestrians must obtain a permit from the NYPD.
*Those who advertise, promote or otherwise publicize events that fall under these rules will also be held liable as if they organized and participated in the illegal parade.

Figures the NYPD would try to pull shit off like this in the middle of the summer when all our high powered and more influential residents are on vacation. We can only hope that civil rights activist Ron Kuby doesn't do the Hamptons and might be in town to lend a helping hand. For more info visit assemblyforrightsnyc. Oh, and if your really feeling activisty, e-fax the mayor.

People's Hearing on Parade Permits NYBMA

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Graffiti writer LES shows that vandalism can sometimes double as a public service announcement for the good of city residents. With the J and M trains running sporadically on the weekends and the MTA often doing a terrible job of announcing the disruptions, we can only thank this graffiti writer for boldly getting the word out to straphangers.

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Who knew art chicks could be so violent? The above video is of Don Carol, owner of Williamsburg gallery, Jack the Pelican Presents, getting stitched up after being beaten by a very un-lady like partygoer at a party in the LES this past weekend. Although rattled at having an eyebrow shaved, he bravely concealed his nerves by amiably chatting with a resident who happily stitched away at two rows of gashes over Don's left eye. He debated filing criminal charges against the butchy woman. But that idea wasn’t on his mind. "I've just never been hit. I've been robbed at gun point-in New Haven-and mugged in Williamsburg, down near the J train back when there were crack houses there. But, you know, that was my fault." If the video is not enough to satisfy your blood thirst, more pictures and full reporting after the jump.

Read More "The Pelican Gets Pummeled" »

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Even though the city has its share of edgy Tompkins Square park beggars and multi-pierced drug addicts, which ironically always seem to trail around well fed pet dogs, they got nothing on these real life hobos from the West Coast. Online art consortium Fecal Face has a great photo essay on these train hopping, scar showing, banjo playing crusties that make even NYC’s East Village squatters look middle class. Afterall, it takes serious committment to dirt and filth to make hair clump like the photo above that not even our homeless dare emulate.

CITIZENS FOR A POODLE FREE MONTANA Fecalface

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To commemorate disgraced cyclist Floyd Landis' doping and disqualification from this year's Tour de France, the folks over at NYC based fixed gear boutique Trackstar have released the official Le Tour de Drugs t-shirt. It comes in yellow, the trademark color of the prestigious winner’s jersey that Floyd is still holding onto with a roid like grip which comes as no surpise considering he tested positive for high testosterone ratios and exogenous (a fancy word for synthetic) testosterone. This effectively transformed Landis from mere man into a super human cocktail of ball shrinking performance enhancing hormones.

Read More "Le Tour de Drugs" »

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Converse has finally tapped into the burgeoning 15-22 year old self-flagellation market with the unveiling of the Johnny Knoxville signature Chuck Taylor. Replete with skull, crutchbones, and the usual lack of ankle support, the new CT’s have arrived just in time for the September release of Jackass 2. Just think that only a short time ago a person had to have a generous amount of athletic talent to be representative of Converse. Now, relenting to a well-orchestrated kick in the balls should suffice.

Maladjusted teenagers can be hopeful, steeped in the knowledge that by participating in demoralizing idiotic stunts executed by their equally maladjusted friends they too could one day land a lucrative sneaker contract.

Read More "Jackass Allstars" »

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*G-Star Glory Hole on Houston Street.

*Now the video evidence that Rockstar Games' developers have become pussies.

*Queens will fine businesses if they put up a pair of 200 ft. pair of legs.

*NYPD goes after the poor weed smokers, poor meaning poor.

*Imagine a Chinatown where you would be forced to walk everywhere.

*The Port Authority of NY and NJ rob Ground Zero.

*Where to take a piss in NYC.

Read More "The Daily Dumps: NYPD Smokes Out the Poor" »

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East 11th St. and 1st Ave.

Newly reordained brand whore Kate Moss has landed herself another job, this time for a new ad campaign for Calvin Klein. One of the ads, located directly across the street from the Madina Masjid Mosque on east 11th street, features a topless Moss flirtingly touching a man from behind. This surely must not be a favorite for devout East Village Muslims especially since their rigorous prayer routine requires at least 5 viewings of the wide eyed infidel daily. It's only a matter of time before some action is taken, and we're dying to see what a hastily spray painted burka looks like on the young coke sniffing crusader.

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John Martin, 'Sodom and Gomorrah' 1832

With all the recent hoopla, sound bytes, and catchy headlines surrounding the so called impeding dangers of the Chelsea nightlife scene, it figures it was only a matter of time before a politician would ratchet up the jargon a notch and take it to devilishly new levels. Graffiti hating-fun spoiler Peter Valllone Jr. has finally found himself a new soapbox and wasted no time comparing Manhattan’s west side club setting to a modern day Sodom and Gomorrah. Some might argue this a subtle jab at Chelsea’s predominant gay club-loving community or a summary of the stumbling drunk bridge and tunnel crowds, but either way he is seeking new measures, short of God’s fiery wrath, to help combat the heathens.

Are city's nightclubs out of control? Yes NYDN

Read More "Peter Vallone Jr. Strikes Down Cheslea Club Scene With Brimstone and Fire" »

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Rick James finally gets a rock he can't smoke. Supertouch guides us to the Superfreak's recently