Graffiti and street art are a big deal to us at YCDB. This social and artistic movement is one of strongest and most significant of the last thirty years and exemplifies many aspects that are lacking in other areas of culture in our world. To the uninitiated or those who have been burdened with others negative opinions, I can understand the lack of enthusiasm or understanding for a beautiful tag on a busy street corner. Transforming the mental conception of graff from the scribble-doodle of a vandal to a technically talented piece of art functioning on multiple levels will take a bit of elucidation, but that’s our pleasure, and job. Hopefully with a little schoolin’ (and loads of eye candy) we can bring a bit more pleasure to you’re daily commute and walkingabouts.
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Read Full Essay, Street Art. Take a Second Look.
There’s a scene in
No Direction Home where Ginsberg speaks of hearing Dylan for the first time. He talks about how relieved he is. He says that he felt as if “the torch had been passed” to the next generation. I finished watching the movie and couldn’t help but think that somewhere along the way the torch got dropped. The next day I wrote ‘(america)?’ and instead of pining over the way things were in “the day”— when things were “real”— I started to think about how we could find the torch again and spark it back up. Although our “America” seems to be resembling a interrogative echo of Ginsberg's “America” more and more, I didn't feel as if it were a reason to embrace hopelessness; man has overcome plenty before. I was well aware that I was not the only person who was sick of alternating between bitterly complaining about and ignoring our present facticity, and when I looked up at my calender—which has writers’ birthdays on it – I noticed it was Ginsberg’s birthday. I took it as welcomed encouragement.
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Read Full Essay, What Do You Mean I Can Do Better?
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America my car’s broken down again.
America yesterday your stock was up 26 and ¾ points.
Hey
America! your children can buy adventure on the internet
America are you a sum of people—
of personal minimum wage celebrities?
America I don’t want to pay taxes;
I want a 3D HD Flatscreen TV.
America what’s a suspension bridge?
America what’s a bundled derivative?
Wikipedia can’t quite tell me...
America what do tulips look like?
Who you callin’ faggot
America?
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Read Full Poem, (america)?
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Are you one of those who peruses various local and online outlets of creativity and says to yeeself, “Pshaw! I could do better than this!” Well, we are too. But now we’ve got to prove it, and so do you.
You Can Do Better Magazine is a new platform for constructive criticism, positive complaining, if you will.
No more coddling.
No more vagueness.
No more form-letter rejections:
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Read Full Article, "New Literary..."