Introduction

The graffiti artists of the 80s painted the backdrop to our youth. Walls, underpasses and trains were adorned with their dazzling, stylish creations and we loved every inch of it – even if the powers that be did not. The secret world of these mysterious iconoclasts was beyond most of us but we knew they were out there somewhere, breathing colour and fresh life into the weathered grey concrete and rusted steel all around us. The 80s were a car crash of rampant consumerism, vibrant music, extreme fashion and urban decay. Every day the TV news was full of strikes, economic turmoil and terrorist bombings, but we also had the A-Team, music videos, BMX bikes and video games. It was a time of change – in some ways it was the true beginning of the modern world we live in today – and through it all the graffiti artists were there in the background, lighting it up. Old So Kool is designed to take readers right back to this unforgettable era, those better days, when legendary painters skulked in the shadows with rattle cans, ready to craft their latest masterpiece and bring beauty to another brutalist monstrosity. They were not menaces or criminals, but rather the harbingers of a new cultural age and heroes to a generation of young people disillusioned with the grim authoritarian establishment. This book is a celebration of their lives and their work – of their world. Enjoy.