MELROSEandFAIRFAX Scandal: Fact or Fiction?

Some people have been implying that we are spreading rumor as fact.

We resent the implication.

We reported last week that Banksy's supposed billboard takeover might not have been a brazen act of illegal street art at all, but was a pre-arranged 'thank you' to the person who financed Exit Through The Gift Shop.

Then, yesterday LA Weekly posted that the spokesperson for The Light Group, the company that owned the billboard, says that "the notion that the company actually put Banksy up to tagging its billboard is 'just not true.'" They feel that it is 'just a rumor', and that sentiment has been echoed on our blog.

Maybe we are just jaded, but we believe a spokesperson's job is to protect the image of the company, not necessarily tell the truth. In fact, from the White House Press Secretary on down, it seems like the only time a spokesperson does tell the truth is when they are no longer working for the company, and they no longer have to toe the company line.

Furthermore, the quote that the LA Weekly printed from the spokesperson seems to be purposefully vague. It is not a direct quote, but a summary description written by the Weekly with only sound bites in quotation marks. Its sketchy.

On the other hand, the source of our story is an assistant moderator on the Banksy Forums, and he states that he was told this information from two separate sources before going public with the story. Unlike the company, he has nothing to gain from voicing this information, either positive or negative. And in our opinion, someone who has nothing to gain is always a better source for truth than someone who is paid to protect a certain interest.

And, to be more specific, from what we understand, it was an owner of The Light Group who financed Exit Through the Gift Shop, not the company itself. So maybe the company didn't put Banksy up to do the billboard, but maybe the individual did.

It seems the best way to verify the truth of whether or not Bankys' billboard was an 'inside job' is by looking into the financing of Exit Through the Gift Shop, not contacting the company spokesperson.

As with everything in life, there are 3 sides to every story -mine, yours and the truth. We are not putting out rumors as fact. People are free to choose what to believe.

If some people want to choose to believe that it is a random coincidence that Banksy's art work shows up on the same property as the person who financed his film, that is your choice to make. And if those same people think that it is another random coincidence that Banksy's 'This Looks a Bit Like An Elephant' just happened to show up on the side of a accused eyesore that was in the middle of a heated battle with a local neighborhood association also by random chance, that is also your choice to make. But we think that where there is smoke, there is usually fire. And where it stinks bad, there is probably some shit around. We are putting the story out there and letting the readers of MELROSEandFAIRFAX make up their minds.

We would love if some true investigative reporting was done into the financing, and that should answer all questions. (we are an unpaid blog, aren't you guys on salary over at the Weekly? does anybody do investigative journalism anymore or is the news nowadays just a "he-said"/"she-said" thing?).

We think it would be the ultimate irony if the owner of the Light House Group/Investor in Exit Through The Gift Shop were identified, and his wife was a member of the Pacific Palisades Residents Association, and the whole thing was just a scheme.

Banksy's Livin the Dream Was An Inside Job

Apparently, Banksy's 'Livin It Up' billboard takeover in LA was not a billboard takeover at all. Click the jump for more

We have already covered the drama going down between CBS and The Light Group fighting over who owned the Banksy piece.

But Wearology is reporting on the Banksy Forums that the billboard space was arranged to be painted, as a gift to The Light Group who helped finance Exit Through the Gift Shop.

This information opens a whole new slew of questions, and people are now speculating whether the piece was actually painted before hand and installed, rather than bombed on site.

And a whole new round of finger pointing calling Banksy a 'sell-out' for doing this.

Honestly, it loses some magic for us to hear that it was not a ballsy billboard takeover, but a pre-arranged wealthy corporate 'thank you'.

New Video and Website for 'X'

Rumors have been swirling that it was 'X' who showed Banksy's crew around town, and up top of the 'Livin the Dream' billboard. We still can't verify that, but what we do know for sure is that 1.) X does hang out with Demi Moore, Susan Surandon, Blake Lively, Cobra Starship and a grip more celebrities, 2.) he has hit seemingly every other rooftop and billboard in LA, and 3.) he just launched his website, 'Thank You, 'X'', which comes with the release of dope new video as well.

We enjoy most street art videos but we have a special appreciation for the ones that are well done, and this Adolfo J Lara is one of the best we have seen. It is more like a 3 minute film than a video, masterfully edited and cut, and in that short amount of time it captures the action and thrill of the streets, as well as the essence of 'X' as a person as he talks about cops, art and his 'thank you' to Andy Warhol.

It has been a thrill to watch X's street career skyrocket as high as the rooftops he climbs. Click the links to find out more about X, and join us in following his career as it shoots even higher~

Banksy's Livin the Dream Still Livin it Up -Going to Vegas

The Light Group owns the property that Banksy utilized in his 'Livin the Dream' billboard takeover, and they said they were flattered that Banksy chose to paint over a 'generic' canvas. However, the space was leased by The Light Group to CBS Outdoor Advertising, and CBS employees were the ones who removed the billboard and disrespectfully wadded it up in a ball.

Well, The Light Group has now got the piece back in their possession, and plan to send it to Las Vegas.

The guy pictured above speaking to the police is the one from The Light Group who almost got in a fight with an employee who took the piece down. Click the jump below for more exclusive pics of the billboard going down and to find out what The Light Group plans to do with Banksy's Livin the Dream.

The Light Group plans to put the Banksy piece on display in Las Vegas, not sell it.

And as for the pics, the cops major concern when they showed up was not the billboard being taken, but whether or not the guy pictured above from The Light Group had assaulted the CBS employee. We believe no charges were filed.

Big thanks to Brett Boston for sending in the pics, and Tam Truong for the information!

BEST of BANKSY on MELROSEandFAIRFAX

MELROSEandFAIRFAX has been at the forefront of all the Banksy action in LA. In fact, we think we were the first internet source to post all four pieces and have had the exclusive jump on the action that has happened since.

It all started with a tip we received on the blog we hunted down Banksy's Crayon Soldier. We didn't know anything about Lauren Conrad's tweet at the time, like most internet sources, and even though she technically had the inside scoop, we were the first to launch the initial pics of Banksy's Crayon Soldier.

Before the thrill of the first Banksy had even worn off, we were tipped off on another Banksy- the Charlie Brown on Sunset, and we rushed over to take the first pics, and put QtipTheCat in the pics for good measure.

On the way home from Charlie, we snapped pics of what we thought at the time was just another impressive graffiti billboard takeover and posted them that same night. We were the first ones in the world to post these images, but had no idea that 'Livin the Dream' was Banksy at the time. The next day Banksy posted the images on his website and word got out that the billboard was a Banksy.

We had hardly got done posting that the billboard was indeed a Banksy when a viewer submitted pics of the pissing Bulldog. We blasted the pics out there not sure at the time whether it was a Banksy or not. It was, and we locked down the position of being the first internet source to cover each of Banksy's four new pieces in Los Angeles.

It has been a wild ride that did not stop with the discovery but led on to Charlie being boarded up, and then uncovered and drilled, and finally removed and put on ebay.

As if that weren't drama enough, Livin the Dream got taken down and respectable folks almost came to fists fighting over it.

And aside from all the pieces themselves, there have been all kinds of great community stories including rumors about other pieces by Banksy, Banksy getting spot-jacked, stories of dedication from the legions of Banksy fans, street art dedicated to Banksy's street art, not to mention good dialogue on the topic of street art.

But perhaps the coolest thing has been the way the community has flocked to MELROSEandFAIRFAX for the latest breaking news on Banksy, and not only find out about what's happening, but contribute to the making the story itself and submitting, what we believe to be exclusive shots of Banksy's Crayon Soldier before it was buffed.

It has been a wild ride, and we have only managed 10 hours of sleep the last 3 nights combined. It has been well worth it, and we have loved every moment of this chase. Huge thanks to all the viewers, followers, and contributors who have made all this magic happen!

And our personal guess is that there might be a new crop of Banksy street art in Los Angeles after the Oscars are awarded. Win or lose, we expect to see something. (But c'mon, no doubt Banksy is going to win! When is the last time people were talking about the award so much?)

Keep checking back to MELROSEandFAIRFAX for the latest, greatest breaking news on Banksy in LA.

Blank Banksy Billboard

Banksy's billboard takeover was taken down yesterday.

Here is a shot of the new lonely looking blank space.

What a rude awakening to the dream!

***BTW, we hear there was a big crowd and some real drama when the piece came down. Anyone have more pics or info?***

Really Livin' the Dream - Up Close Shots From Banksy's Billboard

Banksy's 'Livin the Dream' billboard takeover got taken down today. But before it did, the folks at Jetset Graffiti climbed up to the billboard itself to get some up close and personal shots.

Click the jump below for more

Wow. These shots really give the flavor of the pieces in a new way. Love that thin white drip~

Jetset Graffiti has some really cool things going on, including organizing the 'Free Walls Project' in LA. The Free Walls Project has brought some of the world's biggest names in street art to Los Angeles, and offered them the canvas to work on. Just to name a few, Ron English, Kid Zoom, Insa and Roa have put up amazing work in LA thanks to the project.

Click the link to check out their website, and keep an eye out for more cool stuff from Jetset Graffiti in the future!

Banksy Billboard on Sunset Taken Down

No Longer Dreamin'.

Banksy's 'Livin' the Dream' Billboard Takeover on Sunset has been take down and is no longer running. Click the jump below for more

The billboard was reportedly taken down and rolled up, so keep your eyes peeled on Ebay to see when this surfaces.

This comes only a few hours after the Charlie Brown was boarded up and covered.

It is unfortunate that the Banksy pieces are disappearing so fast. Wonder if its by design, or just business oriented property owners?

So hurry and see remaining two Banksy pieces while you still can!

***Big thanks to John Wellington Ennis for providing these daytime shots of the billboard taken earlier today before it was buffed. You can see more of John's politically infused work at Pay2Play.tv***

Banksy is Livin' the Dream!

According to the Wooster Collective, the impressive billboard takeover we posted last night was orchestrated by Banksy.

Maybe this impressive graffiti billboard takeover will help quiet Team Robbo and the haters, and give Banksy his long due and well earned street cred.

Our sources tell us that there are 4 new pieces of work from Banksy in LA, and MELROSEandFAIRFAX has had the exclusive first drop on 3/4. So there is at least one more out there to find!

Stay tuned to M&F for the latest and greatest from Banksy in LA, and click the jump for more pics and info.

I guess these are the graffiti version of Banksy's rats, as they do it up in Hollywood~

We realize that Banksy has a street team who does his install work, but the Banksy team still gets credit for hitting such a hot spot, and doing it so well.

The post from last night had already got some really flattering comments, and one that even took a little jab saying "if only all street art could be this good." We wish it could, and in this case it is

Like we said before, Really dig how the characters are taking over the billboard, and at the same time interacting with certain elements.

Very well done all the way around, with extra bonus points added on for hitting a spot that is so ballsy~

Banksy.

Livin' the Dream

Impressive billboard takeover at a hot spot on Sunset.

The lower right corner says 'Livin the Dream'~

Click the jump below for more

Really dig how the characters are taking over the billboard, and at the same time interacting with certain elements.

Very well done all the way around, with extra bonus points added on for hitting a spot that is so ballsy~

Unknown artist.