As we briefly talked about yesterday, NOLA Rising’s Michael “ReX” Dingler has emerged victorious in his battle with Fred Radtke, a.k.a. “The Gray Ghost.” Radtke took it upon himself to turn in Dingler to the police for placing original artwork around New Orleans, and Dingler faced $50,000 in fines and a possible jail sentence.

Today, Dingler posted a full account of yesterday’s court case on his blog. One of the more interesting (to us, anyway) points:

“RAdTke produced from his grocery ba[g] of cheap tricks the ANTIGRAVITY articles that first called into question his tactics, which has since become an issue that has cost RAdTke funding.”

I thought this would be a good time to clarify our stance on The Gray Ghost, so we blogged parts 1 and 2 of our late-’07 story on Radtke, and I’m going to talk about it in general. (more…)

This story originally appeared in ANTIGRAVITY Vol.5 Issue 2 (December 2007).

The Baddest Brush in Town, Part II:

Who is Winning the Color Wars in New Orleans?

by Sara Pic, with Dan Fox

In last month’s issue we attempted to describe the situation between taggers, graffiti writers, street artists and anyone who’s taken to New Orleans’ public visual space to express themselves, and their collective headache known as Fred Radtke, dubbed the “Gray Ghost” for his ubiquitous blocks of paint throughout the city (also known as “buffs” and “ghosts”). Radtke has made eradicating others’ graffiti by imposing his own a personal crusade, regardless of the law, the wishes of the community and visual aesthetics in general. In Part I we talked to a few artists who have organized efforts against Radtke, notably ReX of NoLa Rising and the Krewe of Krabkakes. These artists and the many others who take to the streets opposite Radtke seem to end up in a zero-sum, eternal battle with Radtke: they paint, he covers it; they take to the gray as if it were a fresh canvas, he returns, etcetera, ad nauseam. The result, as can be seen by anyone with two eyes, is a huge quilt of spray paint and primer that covers the city. But what about the more “ordinary” citizens who are equally frustrated by Radtke but don’t feel the need to go out in the middle of the night to stencil their thoughts on one of his fresh stretches of gray? In this second installment, ANTIGRAVITY attempts to understand more fully whether Radtke is a martyr or a criminal, as we speak with the Vieux Carre Commission, one local business owner and a New Orleans police officer, while also exploring allegations of violent acts by the Gray Ghost. (more…)

This story originally appeared in ANTIGRAVITY Vol.5 Issue 1 (November 2007).

The Baddest Brush in Town, Part I:

Who is Winning the Color Wars in New Orleans?

by Sara Pic, with Dan Fox

The art-crime of graffiti is probably one of the least understood phenomena of modern urban existence. Are these inscriptions a public nuisance, a symbol of crime, a primeval marking of territory by criminals, or simply free speech in its essence? Who are these nocturnal prowlers dotting the New Orleans landscape with handles like “Goose,” “Nobel,” “Spin,” “Giser” and such? Are these Crips carving out their piece of the city or backpacker-hip-hop kids simply carrying forward a tradition that’s pushing four decades? Are they gangsters—or the next Basquiat? And what’s the difference between them and the campaign workers, bands, show promoters, yoga instructors, contractors, and countless others who take to our public visual space and claim some of it for their cause, whatever it is? To one man, there is no difference. And that man is Fred Radtke.

What is Radtke’s mission, exactly? Is it, as he has claimed in past stories and news reports, to help rid New Orleans of crime by painting over graffiti? Or is it to make himself famous by marking the city with his infamous gray blocks? (more…)

According to a text message we received from NOLA Rising (which stated “VICTORY IS MINE OVER RADTKE!”) and a message on the local artist’s blog, it looks like Michael Dingler has emerged victorious in the battle he was forced into by Fred Radtke, a.k.a. The Gray Ghost. Dingler reportedly faced over $50,000 in fines for placing free art around New Orleans and was “turned in” (my words, not Dingler’s) by Radtke. Supposedly Radtke stormed out of the courtroom following the verdict. Dingler promises more details on his blog later today.

Congratulations to Michael, who painted our signs for the Alternative Media Expo back in February. We’ll work on getting our two-part Gray Ghost feature on this blog to help shed some light on the subject.