CROOKNYC'S FAVORITE FLICKS OF 2023
Better late than never!
First and foremost, thanks to every single person who subscribe and reads this infrequent newsletter. While many of my subscribers likely follow this Substack because of my Instagram, if you’ve stumbled upon this because of my work as a fashion writer, hats off to you for caring about my writing beyond bylines or my cheeky Twitter feed.
Yes, here’s another MF trying to make do on some fickle New Year’s resolutions. Aside from the run-of-the-mill ones we all have—let’s hope I actually commit to strength training at the gym this year—one of my biggest goals is to start writing more for myself again.
To kick off what I hope is the first of more newsletters this year, I’m running through some of my favorite graffiti flicks of 2023.
Before I get into it though, let’s just clear the air. I don’t think I take mind blowing photos. All these flicks are off the iPhone fr. My Instagram’s deadass just whatever I’m feeling. If a writer isn’t flicked on my IG, that isn’t a knock on my end in any way. Same shit if “x, y, z, writer” doesn’t show up on this list. Aside from finding the graffiti in these flicks dope, if there’s any other reasons why I picked these selects, I’ll try to break that down with some brief explanations.
Night at The Vewseum
These photos aren’t incredible, but witnessing this underground graffiti gallery by VEW GI was. Shouts out to Bucky Turco, founder of Animal New York, for inviting me to its “official opening.” These low-res photos only speak to the fact that you had to see it in-person. In case you missed it, what happened here was that VEW painted two-dozen pieces inside the Park Avenue Tunnel, a 1,600-foot-long underpass that opened in 1834, and was originally used for trains/streetcars before being converted for automobiles in 1935.
The tunnel closed down for renovations in 2017 and was abandoned for years. Eventually, many writers started hitting it like a de-facto legal wall. VEW’s impressive feat lasted for less than a year, because the tunnel got completely buffed by the end of 2023 when it re-opened for cars in November.
I’m not the type of person to walk tracksides and hadn’t visited the Freedom Tunnel since I graduated high school 10+ years ago. But this was too-good of an opportunity to pass up on and a memorable way to end a date in K-Town with my SO. Shouts out to all those Bike Life cats that were popping wheelies within his subterranean masterpiece—aptly documented with this masterpiece by DISTO.
My favorite VEW piece though was personally this one inspired by The Day After Tomorrow.
The reason for that isn’t just because that movie is INSANE—real talk, how TF did the New York Public Library withstand a tsunami and instant frostbite—but because VEW made what I consider to be one of the hardest winter bombing videos of all time.
If anyone has a link to the original video (I think it was called ‘Dead Presidents’ or something?), please send that over. I don’t even remember how I dug up the footage above when I made this post. Alright, this VEW piece is also tough AF because Coke Wave was one of the coldest mixtape covers ever. No pun intended.
‘Art Therapy’ by MISTA
While I sincerely love seeing any throw by MISTA, this was photographed three days after the DOT decided to buff the iconic graffiti-covered 191st Street 1 train tunnel from top to bottom. Lord knows how much money was wasted to cover a nearly 1000-foot long tunnel with buckets of white paint—shit looked like the entrance to a Gulag once it was done.
The story of how this tunnel got buffed was comedy. It literally got cleaned up a week after The Daily News published a piece that just reeked of “Broken Windows” bullshit—vaguely suggesting that this “1970s-style graffiti” was connected to folks shooting up inside the tunnel. The whitewash looks even goofier when considering that the DOT actually invited COPE 2 and QUEEN ANDREA to legally paint graffiti murals in the tunnel less than a decade ago in 2015. No surprise those legal murals barely ran because…well let’s not even get into that lol.
Of course, this tunnel quickly got covered in many tags and throws again. And to no surprise, the DOT ended up commissioning artists to “beautify” the tunnel in September with another layer of sterile murals. No shade towards the local Washington Heights-based artists who painted it, I’m sure many members of the community actually loved their artwork.
Regardless of this tunnel’s inevitable fate, which is that it’ll get bombed to pieces with graffiti again and reset this cycle, the drama surrounding the 191st Tunnel in 2023 was intriguing to witness because public opinion seemed to fall in favor of graffiti writers for once. Who could have ever foresaw a City Council Member defending illegal graffiti in 2023?
This Spontaneous Link-up Between Graffiti and Public Parks
As one of my followers aptly pointed out, it’s unlikely that the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation is really letting any of this graffiti run. The reality is that the landlords who own the buildings that surround Rapkin-Gayle Plaza (which opened in 2022) are likely letting it rock like they always have. I personally have always loved this block in Downtown Manhattan. Many graffiti nerds probably remember when this was just an empty lot sitting in the middle of SoHo—that once boasted an portrait by SEED BTM and a colorful IRAK straight letter that ran for years.
I definitely popped in that day to flick these brolic ZAVER x TOCER stompers that stretched across the entire building. But really, I chill at this park several times a year to munch on some good sammies from Bahn Mi Saigon. It’s nice to see a cutty MESOE outline that’s over 20-years-old is still rocking inside that little nook.
Living Proof New York
Yeah this isn’t really a photo of mine. It’s more of a shout out to the folks behind Living Proof New York (fka The Angel & Z Podcast) for restoring the feeling again.
Granted that a lot of great graffiti zines and books dropped in 2023 (Carnage’s Tag Archive Vol. 1 and The Indecent Exposure anthology were my favorite cops) nothing really touches the feeling of picking up some Mass Appeal-type of shit in 2023. On god, Living Proof New York is the only Patreon I’ve ever subscribed to in my life. To be really real, it’s the only magazine I’ve ever subscribed to besides The New Yorker or New York in recent times. I can’t spill the contents of their back issues, if you slept on them, cop em’ off eBay while it's not selling for headcrack.
But for real, podcast aside, Living Proof went crazy in 2023. Who else is publishing interviews ever with the likes of DCEVE and POST? I felt like a kid opening my mailbox to another issue of Shonen Jump whenever they sent out their Pateron subscribers bonus issues-like this zine featuring Montreal’s ZONEK. Every time these pages land in my hands, I literally set my phone to “Do Not Distrub,” toss that shit into a drawer, and just sit down to nerd out over these issues. I’m sure I'mma have to eventually dissect that one issue that featured scans of MARTY’s blackbook so I could frame it properly on my wall. I can confidently say that the $20 monthly Patreon subscription is worth it. I only hope they gain more subscribers and looks in 2024.
This Scribed-Out Mirror at Pho Bang Chinatown
Jaeki Cho Tik-Tok voice: Yo, if y’all never heard of Pho Bang it’s time for you to tap in. My childhood buddy Moe put me on to this Vietnamese establishment which has several locations throughout New York City. The first location I dined at was its larger spot in Elmhurst, which boasts a parking lot that makes it convenient for anyone cruising around Queens. Their Flushing location is also super valid. I took this flick while eating at the Manhattan one for the first time. I’m personally not into Pho but their rice vermicelli dishes and spring rolls go crazy. This bathroom mirror rocking scratchies that over 15-years-old was just an added bonus.
EARSNOT White Out
It’s always a pleasure to find a cutty EARSNOT tag nowadays. But I personally love this flick because it reminds me of how great my Instagram followers are. I doubt bro is reading this, but appreciate you @225th for copping a vintage Recon crewneck off me the day I took this flick. Bro put me on to an ill Habichuelas con Dulce stall a couple blocks from where this whiteout tag was rocking. Thank you G, I hope you are still rocking that sweater with pride.
Chelsea Flea Market
One thing that makes me envious of Los Angeles is the Rose Bowl flea market. I really wish New York City had flea markets where you could actually come-up on hitters. Who knows, I’m probably not skilled-enough at vintage clothing picking to really know what's good with that. However, I do still enjoy perusing through NYC fleas and this one in Chelsea is a standout because you can really find folks selling designer clothes, electronics, knickknacks, and tons of other shit for the low or super reasonable prices.
But to get back to graffiti, I just love seeing how these PANIC and SEO tags look like they’re manning a random table.
This TOCER x ANSO Billboard
Limits Never Exist. Nuff said.
The First ‘Tag Conference’ In America
This was the most highbrow “graffiti function” I’ve ever attended. I thought I was just going to pop-in briefly but ended up staying for several hours listening to various panels on American graffiti.
To provide some context, The Tag Conference has been around since 2017 and is centered on bringing together academics who study graffiti with scholars, experts, and insiders on the culture. Before hitting Brooklyn in 2023, it had organized conferences in European cities like Berlin, Amsterdam, Cologne, and Modena.
If I could detail every single panel I attended, I would. I really wish that the organizers uploaded recordings for those who could not make it. As a journalist, I naturally resonated with Richard Goldstein’s panel, which detailed how he ended up covering the earliest New York City graffiti for the Village Voice. The most captivating presentations really came at the end of the day, which were presented by KET, ESPO, KAVES, and REBEL. Some of the gems they shared can be seen in the Instagram gallery above, but you really just had to be there.
A Tour Guide Schooling Folks on The LNE-Alley
I couldn’t hear what this tour guide was saying when I flicked this. I could imagine he was probably putting folks on game to the old Chocolate Cigar factory that used to be on Jersey Street. Moment of silence for Lahar Deli. Those samosas were GOAT-ed.
Dark Mode
I love when a photo captions itself.
Fatjay x SKAM At Esmeraldo Bakery
Esmaraldo is an Dominican bakery near me that always seems to have a steady line in the morning. This place has supposedly been open for 30-plus years and I just love the juxtaposition of these white FATJAY and SKAM fill-ins on their iconic pink wall—this got buffed in like two days so I’m so hyped I flicked it when there was someone sitting at the tables outside. I found an old photo of this place while looking it up and the old signage is a hand-painted beauty.So far, I’ve tried the Pudin De Pan Entero (bread pudding), donuts, and the Volteado De Pina (upside-down pineapple cake) here. For the price, it’s incredibly solid. Personally though, the best cake I’ve gotten around here are the Tres Leches slices at El Panadero Bakery a couple blocks up on St. Nicholas.
Doom Scribe
An avid MF Doom fan, KEO, or Metalface himself? The world may never know…
Black and Yellow
I can’t believe I loved Wiz Khalifa back then.
MISTA x SKAM Floaters
I trained for my first marathon in 2023 and really committed to it because I love my GF—it deadass landed on her Birthday weekend which is kinda wild. Since I live in Manhattan, I trained a lot on the Greenway. Graffiti-wise, I always love running through Hell’s Kitchen. I always feel like you find the craziest graffiti there but it’s not completely blown out like other parts of Manhattan. I spotted these SKAM and MISTA floaters on a 12-mile run and it was just perfectly framed in this desolate empty lot.
Here’s to so much more in 2024 :)
jaeki cho tiktok voice got me crying