EMPTE
EYES recently caught up with Barry McGee and AMAZE during a lecture out in
Marin County near San Francisco.  Here’s his report:

/>A cold foggy San Francisco Friday night and a semi rare trek across the Golden
Gate bridge, destination 944 fort barry, Marin Headlands center for the arts
extracted city dwellers of San Francisco and pulled the mission district’s most
reknowned contemporary painter Barry McGee over the foggy Golden Gate bridge
into the cold salty air of the Marin mountians and valleys winding down to the
famed art space.

The East Wing hall and project space overflowed with
attendees copping squat’s on the floor and leaning over each other’s shoulders
to see Barry’s bulk slide show of 600 images from S.F. to South America. While
speaking to the crowd and answering questions from defining “throw ups” to legal
questions… telling stories of local writers like the late “tie”... and showing
images of bombers work he has been inspired by like “mq, revs and cost, ub40,
lewy” and even the one time 2 color sf artist who painted this clown:

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He
said about this piece - “this is my favorite piece of graffiti, it’s cool
because someone took the effort to take out two cans and only paint one of these
ever.”

He also showed his first pieces from 1990 and a throw up
buffed out by a local graf hater from the 90’s.

When
asked of the state of the current graf scene he said “it’s just not fun anymore,
cops breaking down door’s isnt fun” asked about his legal encounter’s he replied
“the goal is not to get caught”. he also recollected of another story “while I
was in a nyc courtroom over a similar anti bush piece, a guy in the court room
said barry is that you, he said yeah, he said I’m lewy from s.f.”

/>Josh Lazcano better known a s AMAZE also showed many slides including one of
his rental car crashed into a ditch while on a surfing trip and many pieces of
art of his and friends including “Grey.”

The night was both a lecture
discussion, slideshow and performance stage. andrew jeffrey wright held a
slideshow of what looked like derilct philly and american wasteland photograph’s
(co - founder of space 1026 in Philadelphia), Claire Rojas &  briefly hosted M
tree. (the M.C.) all showed work and several short video project’s.

A
neon dance troop performance titled “Fear” closed out the night by putting most
of the crowd into intoxicating idiotic laugh outbursts surely leaving several
people with pissed pants. The performance highlited many southern u.s. “krunk”
tracks remixed, covered and performed by andrew Dan Murphy in MIDI , the neon
outfitted troop dan murphy and claire rojas exhibited spaztic convulsing dance
moves with matching neon video projected behind them!.

Barry followed
by signing dozens of blackbooks,posters and stickers for the hometown crowd. I
personally left the lecture re-inspired by one of the Bay’s most amazing graf
artists ever, reminding me of my younger day’s aweing at “TWIST” pieces
throughout the city and at San Francisco Art Institute and changing the face of
grafitti and fine art for all contemporary street artists to follow.

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