People who commit graffiti often share two things in common, anonymity and a lack of talent.
Shake that body, shake that body for me Shake it, shake it, you gotta move this
Come on and move this Move this, move this, move this
You gotta move this Come on and move this
Move it, move it, move it Baby let me show you how to do this
You gotta move this You'll do it fine
There's nothing to it You gotta move it
Come on and move it Shake that body for people
Don't you know? Don't you know it's a box, huh?
Can't you hear the jam is pumping While you taste the peace of mind
Can't you feel a mellow falling fast Drum on bass beat rhythm blast
Pump it, pump it, pump it up Nothing can make this one stop
Toes be tapping, fingers snapping, hands slattin' my mouth rapping
Talkin' bout I'm cold lappin' Shut up and do the while
Use what you got, show me You're on the floor, so let me see
Don't say nothin' lest I soar And remember I like it warm
You gotta move this You gotta move this
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah You gotta move this
Shake that body for me
Baby let me show you how to do this You gotta move this
You'll do it fine There's nothing to it
You gotta move it Come on and move this
Shake that body for us Baby let me show you how to do this
You gotta move this You gotta move that
Really ain't nothin' to it You gotta move it, move, move it
Shake that body for me
Shake that body for me
Yo
Shake that body for me
Shake that body
Shake that body for me
Shake that body
Shake that body for me
He stalks the New York City subways, waiting for his chance to strike
When the opportunity comes, he moves fast. He has to
Opportunity for Keith Herring is a blank advertising poster
Using a piece of chalk, the young man from Kutztown, Pennsylvania draws a picture
A cartoon-like drawing, which he finishes in a minute or two
And then moves on Keith Herring is an artist whose paintings and sculptures
Are now earning him international acclaim
Just a couple of years ago, all they got him was trouble with the law
Why dogs? Why people? Why TV sets?
Almost, I mean, I use images that are universal signs
That a lot of them have been in other cultures at other times
The work has a lot in common with so-called primitive cultures
Or other cultures that use symbols about life and human activity
And animals and ideas about spirits and God
So now, if being a person making things in 1983
You have to include modern things like atomic science
And television sets and robots because it's a modern hieroglyphs
Not ancient ones
This is Fantasy, a show where dreams do come true
Our New York artist and residence, Keith Herring, has been busy
Working on this mural that you're going to see right now
Now, he's been working very hard
As you know, he sold a painting recently for $10,000
And this is what he has done for the folks here in Los Angeles
Come on out here, Keith
I know that you do subway art, but you've been watching the show earlier
We showed some of it, and this is such a beautiful gesture
For us folks here in Los Angeles
And we're going to make sure it's delivered
But first, you've got to sign it
Oh, we've got to have a marker on my back
You have a marker? Okay, now, where do you sign it?
On the left, on the right, or do you sign high?
I usually sign them on the back, but because it's going to be put up on a wall
I'll sign it on the back
And what's more, tell us where this painting is going
It was made for a wall at Children's Hospital
Which I went and saw the wall yesterday
You saw the wall yesterday and made this painting
So, Keith Herring, you sign it, we'll watch the signature
Now, you kids down at the hospital, remember, Keith
Last painting sold for $10,000
Thank you, Keith Herring, a man who is living in his fantasy
We certainly appreciate it, it's beautiful
It really is
I've seen images made by peoples from lots of different cultures
From lots of different countries, from lots of different times
I had a whole case of chalk, but I'm running out
Actually, going through, that was in the past two years
Probably went through about two or three hundred boxes of chalk
I really don't even remember how the silly drawings first started
I mean, I remember when I started, but I don't really remember why
Except that I had noticed one of the empty black panels
And it just seemed to be the perfect place to have a drawing
So I went above ground, bought a piece of chalk
And went back down and did it
Drawing in the subway always had a kind of element of
Kind of fear of the unknown
Because yours had to be prepared to get a rest, to get caught
And getting locked up for a few hours
It didn't happen that often
Most times, cops would just give you a ticket and let you go
But there was always sort of that edge to it
Because you never know
The reason to keep doing it was that
You were immediately seeing the effect of what you were doing
And you were immediately sort of seeing the power of this thing
To communicate and to actually touch people
And stop them in their tracks, etc
The ones in the bottom were holding hands
For everybody, I guess
I don't get paid to do it, but I do it down here
So lots of people can see it
You want a button? It's my signature
I've gotten letters and stories from people of
Specific times when they came upon the drawing
And it filled this gap that was waiting to be filled
It made something make sense
It made a moment for them which will stay in their memory forever
That's what all I was supposed to do
Left over from Halloween
It was by Andy Warhol and Robert Maples
This big one, for all its size, only took him a couple of hours to do
Here too, he works fast
I think it's more important to make a lot of different things
And keep coming up with new images
And things that were never made before
Than to do one thing and do it well
They come out fast, but it's a fast world
Not bad for a 24-year-old kid from Kutztown
But even though he now gets fancy prices for a lot of his work
Still, every chance he gets, it's back down into the subway system
Looking furtively around to make sure the coast is clear
And then, going to it, art for the people
All for the price of a subway token
I want to thank you for the joy you brought me
Thank you for the things you taught me
Thank you for holding me close
When I needed you the most
Now you don't know much about me, baby
But I know I can't live without you
Having us to see you, honey
You love only me
You're having me in your arms
But why is this your weakness?
Some of your love makes me feel
I love you, but don't think you stay
You're having me in your arms
I don't want to stay
It's happening
