Graffiti in a small California beach town! Amongst the punks, hippies and derelicts, follow Count and the USA crew in this autobiographical graphic novel documenting the early days of Hip Hop!
Volume 2 is here upon us, fellow Droogs! Visit the world of skinheads, punks and mods in mid-1980’s, pre-earthquake, Santa Cruz! And though the fashion and music changed, the dedication to the art remained! 32 pages in full-color zine format. Soundtrack mix included with each issue!
Yep! Nineteen Eighty Seven Volume 3 is here!
The 1985 Graff Map
Browse through hundreds of Santa Cruz graffiti photos from our archives per location and year. This also enables you to see the actual locations, via Google Maps, from the 1985 Graphic Novel, as well as thumb through the graffiti on that particular wall, by year.
Ultimately, users will be able to contribute their own imagery, to locations, by year, in order to create a virtual space from that era.
about.
Nineteen Eighty Seven documents the adventures of a young graffiti artist amidst the Santa Cruz of the mid-eighties. Count is a 17 year old who is desperately trying to prove himself to his peers and foes alike, all the while keeping clear of the authorities. Starting as just a handful of friends, the group of graffiti artists soon grows into a small community.
This burgeoning subculture of art existed amidst a town full of 1960's holdovers, rednecks and punks whose response ranged from indifference to open hostility. A now defunct club called 'Club Culture' is one of the centerpieces of this story as it was home to a growing hip hop community dedicating weekends to Soul/Funk and open mic events, while keeping weekdays to punk rock.