Hooked Up - Space Invader

MELROSEandFAIRFAX got hooked up with a digital bonus point from Space Invader.

He sent us an email with the simple message 'thanx from space !'. And the '01 Point' was attached at the bottom.

Not sure, but we think it might be in response to our article praising Space Invader for keeping it real at MOCA and on the streets during his recent run through LA.

We have always loved Space Invader's work, and even though this is the smallest 'hook up' we have ever received, it means the world to us. The goal is to earn enough of these bonus points to make a mosaic~

Huge thanks for the hook up, Space Invader!

Stay up~

Hooked Up - Space Invader

MELROSEandFAIRFAX got hooked up with a digital bonus point from Space Invader.

He sent us an email with the simple message 'thanx from space !'. And the '01 Point' was attached at the bottom.

Not sure, but we think it might be in response to our article praising Space Invader for keeping it real at MOCA and on the streets during his recent run through LA.

We have always loved Space Invader's work, and even though this is the smallest 'hook up' we have ever received, it means the world to us. The goal is to earn enough of these bonus points to make a mosaic~

Huge thanks for the hook up, Space Invader!

Stay up~

MELROSEandFAIRFAX 500,000 Hits and #2 Street Art Site in the World

MELROSEandFAIRFAX reached a milestone overnight when the blog hit half a million all time hits, and it is currently ranked as the #2 street art website in the entire world. Click the jump for more

According to Alexa and Google Analytics, based on hits and web traffic, MELROSEandFAIRFAX just surpassed half a million hits this year, and is ranked as the #2 street art website worldwide. To give those stats some sort of larger frame of reference, the blog receives more traffic than 99.8% of all websites in the entire world.

From the beginning, we set out to do things differently than most of the biggest street art blogs out there. Instead of making the blog a 'best of' of worldwide coverage, we determined to focus on one city, Los Angeles, and show what was really happening on the streets with original content.

The success of this game plan speaks for itself, the growth of the blog has been completely organic, and we just hit 500,000 all time page views. And even though we only do focus on one city, M&F is the second ranked street art blog in the world, second second only to Wooster.

But the biggest reason the blog has reaches such heights is mostly due to this beautiful city of LA. It is a gorgeous city full of artists, and it has plenty of space and walls for artists to explore their talents. LA has carved out a place for itself as the worldwide home of street art, and it has been amazing to be documenting it, and along for the ride.

Only two short months ago, we were thrilled to reach 100,000 hits and set a goal of 1 million hits for the year. It seemed out of reach at the time, but the year is not even half over, but we are more than half the way there. We might have to amend out goal to hit 2 million pageviews this year!

Huge thanks to all the artists and supporters of the blog, who are the reason why this is happening~

Get up, Stay up!~

MELROSEandFAIRFAX 500,000 Hits and #2 Street Art Site in the World

MELROSEandFAIRFAX reached a milestone overnight when the blog hit half a million all time hits, and it is currently ranked as the #2 street art website in the entire world. Click the jump for more

According to Alexa and Google Analytics, based on hits and web traffic, MELROSEandFAIRFAX just surpassed half a million hits this year, and is ranked as the #2 street art website worldwide. To give those stats some sort of larger frame of reference, the blog receives more traffic than 99.8% of all websites in the entire world.

From the beginning, we set out to do things differently than most of the biggest street art blogs out there. Instead of making the blog a 'best of' of worldwide coverage, we determined to focus on one city, Los Angeles, and show what was really happening on the streets with original content.

The success of this game plan speaks for itself, the growth of the blog has been completely organic, and we just hit 500,000 all time page views. And even though we only do focus on one city, M&F is the second ranked street art blog in the world, second second only to Wooster.

But the biggest reason the blog has reaches such heights is mostly due to this beautiful city of LA. It is a gorgeous city full of artists, and it has plenty of space and walls for artists to explore their talents. LA has carved out a place for itself as the worldwide home of street art, and it has been amazing to be documenting it, and along for the ride.

Only two short months ago, we were thrilled to reach 100,000 hits and set a goal of 1 million hits for the year. It seemed out of reach at the time, but the year is not even half over, but we are more than half the way there. We might have to amend out goal to hit 2 million pageviews this year!

Huge thanks to all the artists and supporters of the blog, who are the reason why this is happening~

Get up, Stay up!~

MELROSEandFAIRFAX Is Proud to Introduce Miss California 2012

The streets just got a whole lot sexier~

Say hello to 'Miss Street Art'~

MELROSEandFAIRFAX is honored to announce that we are sponsoring Alara Ceri for Miss California USA 2012.

Street art has been blowing up on a huge scale, and we are thrilled to throw our support behind Alara as she competes for the Miss California crown in the Miss USA competition.

Alara's beauty speaks for itself. Gorgeous hair, sexy legs, smoldering eyes--she's got it all. There have been many 'graffiti girls' before, but there has never really been the sex appeal brought to street art. Well, Alara is the first street art model, and we are bringing it!

Alara is a talented actress, and she is going to join us for photoshoots staged around street art periodically. The streets will shine brighter with her in the picture. And Alara is also giving back to the scene and is already working on plans to to bring a community piece of participatory street art to the women's shelter where she performs volunteer work. She also has ties to the community as she is friends with Gregory Siff.

This is super exciting, and Alara has already made it past the first round, and is now in the exclusive pool of approximately 100 contestants for the title. We couldn't be more happy to team up with her in this campaign. To stay up to date on Alara's campaign for Miss California 2012 and get intimate details on what's happening, make sure to check out her website and 'Like' her Facebook Fan page!

We are thrilled to get started on this journey (and Alara is gonna win!). But even if we have to wait for those results, to us, she's already Miss Street Art~


***Big thanks to Natasha Hermiz for on-set stylist and production.***

MELROSEandFAIRFAX Is Proud to Introduce Miss California 2012

The streets just got a whole lot sexier~

Say hello to 'Miss Street Art'~

MELROSEandFAIRFAX is honored to announce that we are sponsoring Alara Ceri for Miss California USA 2012.

Street art has been blowing up on a huge scale, and we are thrilled to throw our support behind Alara as she competes for the Miss California crown in the Miss USA competition.

Alara's beauty speaks for itself. Gorgeous hair, sexy legs, smoldering eyes--she's got it all. There have been many 'graffiti girls' before, but there has never really been the sex appeal brought to street art. Well, Alara is the first street art model, and we are bringing it!

Alara is a talented actress, and she is going to join us for photoshoots staged around street art periodically. The streets will shine brighter with her in the picture. And Alara is also giving back to the scene and is already working on plans to to bring a community piece of participatory street art to the women's shelter where she performs volunteer work. She also has ties to the community as she is friends with Gregory Siff.

This is super exciting, and Alara has already made it past the first round, and is now in the exclusive pool of approximately 100 contestants for the title. We couldn't be more happy to team up with her in this campaign. To stay up to date on Alara's campaign for Miss California 2012 and get intimate details on what's happening, make sure to check out her website and 'Like' her Facebook Fan page!

We are thrilled to get started on this journey (and Alara is gonna win!). But even if we have to wait for those results, to us, she's already Miss Street Art~


***Big thanks to Natasha Hermiz for on-set stylist and production.***

The Huffington Post Takes On MOCA

Street art is getting a lot of major news coverage with the opening of 'Art In The Streets' at MOCA.

And the Huffington Post contacted MELROSEandFAIRFAX with a cool angle for a story. They wanted to know about the flurry of 'unsanctioned' street art that is popping outside MOCA's museum walls.

The conversations surrounding graffiti and street art are shifting from 'how do we stop this vandalism?!' to 'well, is it art?', and we think that is a great thing. Be sure to click the link to the Huffington Post to read why it is a good idea to save that tag on your door, and how today's tagger might become tomorrow's Banksy!

The Huffington Post Takes On MOCA

Street art is getting a lot of major news coverage with the opening of 'Art In The Streets' at MOCA.

And the Huffington Post contacted MELROSEandFAIRFAX with a cool angle for a story. They wanted to know about the flurry of 'unsanctioned' street art that is popping outside MOCA's museum walls.

The conversations surrounding graffiti and street art are shifting from 'how do we stop this vandalism?!' to 'well, is it art?', and we think that is a great thing. Be sure to click the link to the Huffington Post to read why it is a good idea to save that tag on your door, and how today's tagger might become tomorrow's Banksy!

MELROSEandFAIRFAX at Maximillian Gallery at Sunset Marquis~

This show is going to be monumental~

We have been curating the streets for some time, but now MELROSEandFAIRFAX has paired with the Maximillian Gallery at Sunset Marquis to curate our first art show.

Things have begun moving forward, and we recently started hosting artist interviews at the gallery. To get a sneak peek at the grand scale of things for this show, be sure to click the jump below

Street artists are the 'rock stars' of the art world, and their couldn't be a better pairing for the show.

The location is a favorite for Hollywood's A-listers and rock stars. The home for the venue, the Maximillian Gallery at the Sunset Marquis, is much nicer than any other street art gallery show ever has been, or most gallery shows, period. (It is so nice that its the kind of place that has cloth towels in the bathroom, not paper. And real flowers! That's wassup~).

And since LA has become something of a worldwide of a mecca for street art with the hottest local scene anywhere on the planet, we are claiming this shit. The title of the show is 'What Graffiti is to New York, Street Art is to LA' and we aim to define Los Angeles as the home of street art.

We have an all-star line-up of the biggest names, and best street artists in LA.

Stay tuned for more updates and reveals on what is setting up to become the biggest street art show, ever~


***UPDATE: Since the hotel is so exclusive, it is a kind of safe haven for celebrities, and so we were informed that photography is not encouraged to respect the privacy of the clientele. Guess you'll have to wait til the show for more . . .***

MELROSEandFAIRFAX on Twitter!

MELROSEandFAIRFAX is on Twitter and our hashtag is #MELROSEFAIRFAX.

To stay up to date on the latest breaking street art news, come follow us on Twitter!

MELROSEandFAIRFAX Is Over - The Last Post

It was a stupid dream anyway. We are tired of all the nonsense and sick of all the drama.

This blog is over.

A lot of reasons have gone into our making this decision. Basically, we just want to do other stuff with our lives instead of sitting here posting on the computer all day.

If you want to find M&F, look for us on the beach.

Seriously. Fuck it all, and this shit is done.

Thanks for the good ride!


***Update: Haha. April Fools. We should have said we know who Banksy is or something cool (like our boy G). Thanks for all the support. While we do get tired of the sillyness sometimes, we love this stuff. The blog's gonna keep going and just getting better~***

MELROSEandFAIRFAX Is A Pussy (Thanks Olek)

MELROSEandFAIRFAX is a pussy, and the art theft in Los Angeles reached all time heights. Click the jump for more

New York based international street artist Olek is in LA for her The Sky Is Pink, The Room Is Green art show.

And she left a little gift for MELROSEandFAIRFAX right at the corner of Melrose and Fairfax. It is a beautiful crotched tricycle. We hear that she left it as a gift and thank you for our earlier Olek coverage .

We are flattered and are very grateful to Olek for such a kind gesture. We love her work, and wish we had got the chance to enjoy it. It was only placed there yesterday, but by the time we rolled over to snap a pic early this morning, it had been stolen and was gone!

The shop owner gave us the low down. He said some people came in the night and sawed off the top of the sign to steal the trike. It is crazy the lengths that people are going around to take street art. And it sounds like there are some people who want this art with some real power tools!

And the way that this piece went up on the street was really beautiful. Olek not only put the art up, but she also went inside the store and introduced herself to the owner. He must have been charmed because she left him a business card, and he was happy to show it to me, but he made clear that he wanted to keep it. And we think that this is a great thing, where the community embraces the art and is happy to have it.

Big thanks to TheSiteUnscene for sending us this pic of the bike before it got taken. And huge thanks to Olek for thinking of M&F! Her show is still running at the Pacific Design Center, so go check it out, as we plan to. Wanted to make the opening last night, but didn't get back from filming the film segment until after the show had started. Pics coming once we do make it!

Thanks again to Olek. We are big fans, and if knitting is for pussy's, consider us one~

UPDATE: More pics can be found at According to G

MELROSEandFAIRFAX on ARTE TV

The reason we didn't make as many posts during the day yesterday is because MELROSEandFAIRFAX was shooting with ARTE TV. Click the jump for more

ARTE TV is Europe's biggest cultural channel. We shot a segment for one of their most popular series 'Next Stop', and it was a true honor to film with them.

We talked bout the street art in Los Angeles as we walked the streets and tried to capture the energy of the art and the conversation that is happening. We invited Septerhed and DeeKay to come out and share what street art is about from an artist's point of view. Both of them killed it.

There was a crew of eleven, and it was a great opportunity as we experienced for the first time how much goes into a film shoot. And we really enjoyed working with the entire team. Maybe its just because most of them are European, but everybody was extremely nice and professional.

Look forward to seeing it when it airs. Thanks Next Stop!


^Kylie Ireland, or DeeKay, on set (on the streets).


^Septerhed charming the host, Emma. They are surrounded by his art on the art wall in downtown Los Angeles.


^Rockin out with Kylie Ireland (and Shasta!)

MELROSEandFAIRFAX Interviewed By the LA Times

MELROSEandFAIRFAX had the opportunity to be interviewed by the LA Times. It was so hot the cops rolled through. Click the jump for more

MELROSEandFAIRFAX, along with our friend Pablo at TheDirtFloor and M&F supporter and contributor B. Land had the awesome opportunity to be interviewed by Hector Tobar of the LA Times.

Hector and Katie Falkenberg (the photographer) were both super nice, and it was a real honor being interviewed.

We look forward to seeing the interview in print. It should go out in tomorrow's issue, Friday March 11, and we will post the link online once we get it. UPDATE: Here is the link to the online article

As for the cop, he was interested in speeders on Melrose. The cop was nice enough, and when Hector approached him and told him that we were doing an interview on street art he kind of chuckled like he was amused. We realize everyone has a job to do, but we wish more cops were more amused with the street art scene!

Thanks Hector and Katie!

***Thanks to B. Land for the pics***

MELROSEandFAIRFAX Gets Inside Out

Here is our print from JR's 'Inside Out' exhibit in Long Beach. The owner of the Phantom Gallery liked Shasta so much that she wanted to take a picture of our picture. Click the jump to see more portraits from JR's 'Inside Out'

The better looking half of MELROSEandFAIRFAX had to work and couldn't make the show, so the other half of M&F, G, decided to Terry Richardson-up the photo shoot and take his shirt off for the pic.

The prints are amazing and HUUUGE! The print is approximately 5 feet by 3 feet and it says 'Inside Out' at the top and bottom of the pic. Very cool. Not sure where we will hang it yet.

If you haven't yet, visit the Inside Out website where you can submit your own pic and receive a print.

MELROSEandFAIRFAX on the BBC - Watch It!

Lots of people have wondered about the face behind MELROSEandFAIRFAX. Well, during this interview with the BBC we got to step from behind the camera out in front of it. If you're interested to hear what we think of Banksy, and see the face behind the curtain, click the jump for more

It was a true honor being interviewed by the BBC. We grew up listening to public radio and would enjoy the BBC daily.

We completely realize that editing has to happen and the quotes aren't always in full, but just to clarify for the readers of this blog, when we talk about what Banksy's Crayon Soldier means, we had just introduced it by saying it is open to the viewer, and this was my interpretation of the meaning, not the meaning.

And, as far as selling out goes. Our opinion is that when you achieve success doing what you've done, and start to get paid the big bucks, that is just a great accomplishment and is 'making it'. It is selling out when you go against the values that got you to the top in the first place. And truly, from what we've seen, the amount of money and attention that Banksy has gotten speaks to how well he is doing what he is doing, and we don't believe he has sold out.

Anyway, we realize that there's always going to be folks who don't like stuff, but we hope most of you enjoy watching this clip!

Thanks Nada and the whole BBC crew! - MELROSEandFAIRFAX

MELROSEandFAIRFAX on the BBC

MELROSEandFAIRFAX had the pleasure of being interviewed by the BBC earlier this morning. This pic is the BBC crew talking about how to fit our mohawk in the picture. LOL. Click the jump for more

We have a lot of respect for the BBC news services, and it was a honor to be interviewed by them for a story about Banksy.

We met at Banksy's Crayon Soldier and discussed many different angles of the artist and artwork itself. They asked some provoking questions, perhaps the most interesting being, "If Banksy were to win an Oscar, would it make him more cool or less cool?"

We don't know. We'd love to hear what people think.

And there was some action during the interview as well. Right in the middle of talking, we heard a big "Whap!" and turned around to see a dude running off. He had come over and slapped a sticker on the Banksy wall right in the middle of the interview. And when we say slapped, we mean slapped! Haha, funny stuff.

Banksy's Crayon Soldier Hit! - A Vandal Gets Vandalized!!

Banksy's Crayon Boy has been vandalized with a bucket of paint thrown at it, and a red MBW scrawled next to it.

MBW is Mr. Brainwash's moniker.

Click the jump for more another MELROSEandFAIRFAX Banksy exclusive

Clearly, we don't think that this damage was done by Mr. Brainwash, although someone sure wants to stir things up and make people think so.

This shot made our jaw drop and heart skip. It is such a shame to see such a beautiful piece of art ruined.

We had been getting word that the management company was already planning to paint over the Crayon Soldier, and now it seems more likely than ever that the buff will happen.

It is the ultimate irony that makes it so tragic when a vandal such as Banksy gets vandalized.

***Big thanks to Jeff Sargeant for sending in the pic!***

Banksy is Dead

The wall that Banksy's Charlie Brown has been ripped out of the building, and a new wheat paste has been affixed in that spot saying 'Banksy is Dead'. Click the jump for more.

This is not a piece of plywood covering the piece. This is a piece of plywood covering a massive hole in the wall where the Banksy used to be.

It really seems like this piece might have been placed at this spot with the intention of being removed. And, not sure, but we think the 'Banksy is Dead' wheat paste, might be from Banksy himself.

Huge thanks to Adam from The Loyal Subjects for the timely info and the pics. The Loyal Subjects is one of LA's producers of top designer vinyl art, and have some really cool things going on. It is well worth checking out.

Fascinating to see how this develops, and stay tuned to MELROSEandFAIRFAX to be the first in the know for the what's happening with Banksy.

Banksy Gets Drilled

MELROSEandFAIRFAX went and snapped our own exclusive shots of the holes drilled around Banksy's Charlie Brown piece on Sunset.

There are holes and cuts made as if to remove a chunk from the building. Click the jump below for more

These marks were made by some serious industrial tools. You can see the deep indentions which might be preparation to have a bigger section of the wall removed.

After we had snapped shots, a friend called and asked if we had noticed the saw marks on the right side. We did see a pile of dust and mortar on the ground, but we didn't notice the saw marks at the time. It seems that maybe some has already tried cutting it out, but it didn't work.

As of an 11:45 this was still up and visible. Who knows how long it will last. Hurry over to Sunset and La Cienega if you want to see this Banksy piece in person!