EXTRA: The Gray Ghost Strikes Again!
Covers Holiday Inn Clarinet Mural!
Art or Justice?
CBD – His given name is Fred Radtke, president of the Louisiana not-for-profit organization Operation: Clean Sweep.
But he’s called The Gray Ghost.
This elusive anti-graffiti vigilante uses his signature gray paint to cover up blights on our fair city’s landscape.
And while some people consider him a great citizen fighting to help keep New Orleans beautiful others consider him a vandal that is only adding to the problem.
Now The Gray Ghost is painting with an entirely different brush-in a court of law.
His target? Michael “Rex” Dingler, artist and founder of NolaRising, a public art campaign of whimsical, bright sign art installations around the city.
On Thursday, May 22nd, Mr. Radtke appeared in court to assist the City in its case against Dingler; but The Gray Ghost only to be foiled by Orleans Parish Judge Sean P. Early, who levied only slight fines against NolaRising.
Art or Eyesore?
Outside the courtroom, The Gray Ghost vowed to strike again.
Early this morning, it was discovered that the landmarked tromp l’oeil clarinet mural on the side of the downtown Holiday Inn has been covered in Radtke’s signature anti-hue. The 150-foot clarinet, which reminds locals and tourists alike of the city’s triumphant mark as the birthplace of jazz, is no longer discernable under the layers of rolled-on gray paint.
Blurring the lines of vandalism and art Radtke and Dingler have created is a hot button issue in the Crescent City.
“It’s about time somebody got rid of that gigantic eyesore,” said Reginald Pratter, a line cook at Harrah’s. “The Gray Ghost is like a superhero right here in New Orleans.”
Definitely not art.
“You know the one with flag rasing marines on Iwo-Jima? I betcha that ol’ Gray Ghost could make short order of that one.”
“City Hall and the NOPD plan on taking no action against either The Gray Ghost or Operation Clean Sweep,” Mayor C. Ray Nagin claimed in an impromptu statement to the press.
“Why should we? It’s not like New Orleans needs any more culture. I mean, haven’t we got enough already?”
No word from Dingler and the NolaRising camp.
Is it checkmate for ReX and his crew?
Or has the Ghost scared the color from the Artist?
Tune in next week for the exciting finale of…The Gray Ghost!
And for continuing coverage, see The Creole-Tomato Special Rection: Art? Or Messy Gray Blob on a Brick Wall That Doesn’t Even Match the Pre-Existing Facade Color?
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Grey is Graffiti!
Grey is Graffiti
Comment by michael — June, 2008 @ 4:09 pm
Officially, the NoLA Rising Project does not comment on the policies of nuclear proliferation in the Ukraine, the injustices of meepa bats in India or the strategic policies of artwork in New Orleans. However, we will allow ourselves the tiny indiscretion of saying that Radtke hasn’t scared us away from the fight. Stay tuned for the shit-storm coming on Friday…we guarantee you an Al Copeland/Anne Rice kinda good-time. Awe shucks, Huck, we’re back in Huckleberry Nowhere.
We measure the health of New Orleans based on its tolerance for issues such as these. Fear not about the clarinet…in noticing the greying out of it the other day, we co-signed an unnamed British artist of international fame to restore the clarinet on the Holiday Inn to its full glory in the span of a night.
I can’t say who it was or what he was doing in New Orleans, but he will soon be striking again and again and again until art rules the day. What I can allude to is this…RATS.
In noticing the blatant threats of the grey-mongerers, we have posted active duty Marines around the D-Day wall honoring those who fought on Mt. Suribachi. You won’t see them…they have 7mm sniper rifles and are posed over a thousand meters away. They could shoot the grey off of a fly’s ass for anyone going near it with a roller. Even if that ass does belong to the only old disgruntled Marine in the universe who would have the audacity to paint over a moment in honored Marine Corps history.
NoLA Rising moves forward…never looking back at the signs that have been greyed away…only looking forward to the color of the NEW New Orleans.
Comment by ReX — June, 2008 @ 8:24 pm
ive seen a ghost in the holiday inn
Comment by anthony — June, 2009 @ 11:37 am
ive seen a ghost in the holiday inn wow
Comment by anthony — June, 2009 @ 11:38 am