As we head into the final weeks of 2004, we asked
some of our favorite people (artists, gallery owners, magazine editors, fans of
the Wooster site, etc) to give us their “Favorites Things of 2004”.

/>In the coming days, we’ll be posting favorites from over 75 different people
from around the world. While we’ve tried to include as many links as we could,
we encourage you to Google many of the names and pieces discussed.

So
without any further adieu - Here are the “Favorites of 2004” from our first
group: Shepard Fairey in La, Eddi Yip in Shanghai, Freaklub in Barcelona, Caryn
Coleman in LA, rotgut in Providence, and Jon Burgerman in Nottingham,
England.

Favorite Event of
2004

Shepard Fairey
(artist): My 15 years of Obey and href="http://www.swindlemagazine.com/">Swindle mag. release party. Lots of
good friends and people I have been inspired by over the years.

href="http://www.adfunture.com/">Eddi Yip (adfunture founder): Toyz World @
Colette (not just because adFunture was there, but it allowed me to meet alot of
new friends and really see how the International artists are doing and thinking.
Also, experience how a powerhouse like Colette can arrange and run such a Toy
Expo in a new marketplace.)

Freaklub (Empty and G1): href="http://www.pictoplasma.com/conference">Pictoplasma conference

/>Caryn Coleman (owner Sixspace Gallery
in LA): The art fairs and surrounding mania in Miami (Basel, NADA, Scope) as
well as my friends Jon and Melissa’s wedding party in Chicago.

Kgbe
rotgut (artist): The Red Sox comeback against the Yankees in the AL playoffs.
/>

href="http://www.jonburgerman.com/">
Jon Burgerman (artist): href="http://www.woostercollective.com/woosteropening.htm">The Hollywood Remix
show of course.

Favorite Artist
of 2004:

Shepard: href="http://www.banksy.co.uk/">Banksy

Eddi: href="http://www.flying-fortress.de/">Flying Fortress. (Like him not because
we produce for him, is actually because I love his work so much, I want to
produce for him.)

Freaklub: Lolo, the guy who have been working with
us often here in Barcelona.

Caryn: Ed Ruscha - with his traveling
museum exhibition and being chosen to represent the U.S. in next summer’s Venice
Biennale, 2004 did good for him. Plus, he’s always my favorite.

/>Rotgut: My little brother is making some good silkscreens on t-shirts.
/>
Jon: The Yok and Yuck have been my favs

Favorite New Artist of 2004 (an artist who you did not know of last
year):

Shepard: href="http://www.newimageartgallery.com/tentaclesbootleg.html">Chris
Lindig

/>Eddi: BANKSY (a message in every piece.  I find them interesting. )

/>Freaklub: Friends with you. we’re
convinced about this work.. , here in spain , for us is Ezba (he rocks…)
/>

/>Caryn: tie with Randall Sellers, Karin Weiner, Tom Chamberlain, Sarah
Cromarty, Evah Fan, Larissa Bates, and
Echo Eggebrecht.

/>Rotgut: Dan Murphy.  He made that Stuck On The Map book in 2003 but I didn’t
see it until a couple months ago.  It’s good.

Jon: Hmm probably Dist
- a top fella, good beard, nice skills - who I met for the first time at
Doodlebug in Manchester. And Kei
Sawada, in the next issue of Illustrated Ape, a very talented artist.
/>
Favorite Single Piece of Art in
2004:

Shepard: MY OLD LADY…Loves Neck Face

/>Eddi: Michael Lau’s Bearbrick for WWT. (the design was simple, but shows
Michael’s ability to blend his own concept and gimmicks into different projects,
and how he can leave a “mark”.)

Freaklub: Different motion graphics
from www.saimanchow.com

/>Caryn: Coop’s “Parts with Appeal” painting (a 78 foot-long continuous multi-
panel piece comprised of thirteen 6x6 foot acrylic paintings). The entire work
from inception to execution to finished exhibition was flawless.

/>Rotgut: Any issue of Paper Rodeo.

Jon: Saw some interesting pieces
at this years New Contemporaries exhibition. One featured a legion of wasps and
other flying insects being rode by tiny evil skeletons. Not street art as such
but amazing none the less.

Favorite
New Product of 2004:

Shepard: Favorite (fictional) New Product
of 2004: Weapons of Mass Destruction

Eddie: Y-3 x adidas Tall Boots. 
(I like rocking them)

/>Freaklub: Sims2 (Empty choice) and Teddy trooper, of Flying Fortress (G1
choice)

Caryn: American Apparel long sleeve shirts.

Jon:
I’d like to say a Nintendo DS but they aren’t coming out in the UK ‘til 2007
(most likely). Please, someone read this and send me a Nintendo DS - I’ll trade
you for stickers!

Favorite CD/Song of 2004:

Shepard: Franz
Ferdinand

Eddi Yip: Practice by Andy Lau

Freaklub: (Some
Of My Best Friends Are DJs) “Kid Koala” (Empty) and upcoming album of Prefuse73,
sure is nice! coz I haven’t heard it yet ( G1 )

Caryn: The Cure and
Bjork mash-up “A Hidden Forest”

Rotgut: My brother made me a good CD
of stuff I hadn’t heard of before.

Jon: Rodeohead by Hard ‘n Phirm
/>
Favorite “Moment” (memory) of
2004:

Shepard: Photo shoot with Billy Idol… look for his new
album package

Eddi: When I shook hands for the first time with a
long-time email-based friend in Vancouver.  We are humans after all.

/>Freaklub:  the moment that we knew our Aunara will be made on puppet!!! Is a
nice notice, not?

Caryn: No particularly “favorite” moment but I was
quite tickled when a much admired Senior-Curator revisited my booth at an art
fair to talk to me and remembered my name.

Rotgut: see Favorite
Event. Yankees, how ya doin’?

Jon: It’s all such a blur… I really
enjoyed my trip to NY, hanging out with Skewville, Mysterious Al and all the
other guys who’d made it over for the Hollywood show.

Favorite Toy of 2004:

Shepard: Tim Biskup
Qee

Eddi: What can I say: Flying Fortress’ Teddy Troops

/>

/>Freaklub: rolitoboy new character.

Caryn: My miniature pinschers (aka King of Toys), Lebowski and
Quint

Rotgut: My girl got Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas for PS2 and I
watched her play it and it looks fun.

Jon:  Griff’s Mini Pips look
pretty darn cool, Cupcos dolls are tops too.

Favorite Website of 2004:

Shepard: Gemm (record
album resource)...runner up: Wooster Collective

Eddi:
WoosterCollective.com (have you been there before?)

Freaklub: href="http://www.gamebombing.com/">www.gamebombing.com (finest bombing we’ve
ever seen)

Rotgut: I use
the website, www.hotmail.com all the
time.

Jon: href="http://homepage.ntlworld.com/richard.peel/">Richard Peel is a
genius

What do you most want for
Christmas?

Shepard: Free time

Eddi: Spend it with
my whole family including my lovely girlfriend.

Freaklub: G1 wants
relax and Empty nothing special.

Caryn: To relax

Rotgut: I
think I’m all set for right now…I don’t really need or want anything.

/>Jon: Did I mention a Nintendo DS? Failing that nothing much - I’ve already got
lots of stuff I don’t Really need. As my good friend Ange would say, ‘Stop
Shopping!’

What is your New Year’s
wish?

Shepard: People will stop acting like idiots, especially
our Govt.

Eddi: Everybody enjoys what we make and live our lives in a
peaceful environment.

Freaklub: Travel more than last year and
continue meeting nice people as we met, and doing our weird projects as we
made

Caryn: For sixspace to continue growing and developing along
with our incredible artists.

Rotgut: Wishing gets you no where.
/>
Jon: No more Bush.. oh shit..

How will you be spending the Holidays this year? What will you be doing
on New Years Eve?

Shepard: Trying not get killed by drunk
drivers. Playing “1999” by Prince, oh wait, that was 5 years

Eddi:
The Holidays still feel like far far away.  I don’t even know I’ll be doing next
week.

Freaklub: Sure we will paint and produce our fanzine number2
(today we have finished the first one, we will show you on fotolog soon!!!) /
What will you be doing on New Years Eve? Hopefully, we will be in Rome with
friends from www.copyrightmagazine.com , by other part.. is a bit shitty.. coz
friends from finders Keepers will be on Barcelona at the same time!!! ay ay
ay!

Caryn: Florida with the family then New Year’s Eve in Los Angeles
with my pooches and friends.

Rotgut: It’s pretty much up in the air
right now…... I don’t have any great expectations.

Jon: Doodling,
drawing, eating, snoring. I like to hibernate in the winter.