Of Green Rooms and Graffiti (Strangely NSFW)

Those of you who followed the Tour Diary that I wrote last December while on tour with Thank You Scientist and Moon Tooth may remember me mentioning this... The one unfortunate constant at every venue I have ever been to is human phalluses drawn on the walls of backstage "green rooms". I decided to change these images into harmless drawings of animals using a marker. It was a great success, and I vowed to do this as often as possible.

At last Saturday’s show in Brooklyn, I was once again given the opportunity to correct the mistakes of these hoodlums and vandals.

When I walked into the backstage area of the venue we played on July 15th, 2017, I was greeted with multiple obscene drawings on the walls. Really, who wants to see these images when they’re preparing to perform a set of live original music? Not one, but two offensive, crude, not particularly well drawn phalluses.

We can do better, people.

(NOTE TO PARENTS:
Below are actual "before" and "after" pictures of Green Room Phallus Graffiti Transformations. BEWARE, they contain images and language that could be considered offensive, inappropriate for children under 35, artistically disappointing, and generally NSFW. However, the "after" pictures contain such grace, charm, and wholesome magnificence that it may well be worth enduring as a lesson to those looking for ways to bring a little extra beauty into this wide world in which we've all found ourselves.)

As you can see, with only a few sharpie strokes and a little imagination, the first phallus drawing (Exhibit A) is now a welcoming sight for the Brooklyn area musician. The image of a dachshund wearing rocket powered roller skates, playfully wondering about the true color of the “Green Room”s door. As the musician is preparing for their performance, they can draw inspiration from this drawing and “rocket” themselves to the stage, like their new canine friend who rockets into new adventures, while never forgetting of questioning the seemingly obvious, or the value of being himself.

Below that (Exhibit B), what was once a phallus is now a delightful rabbit, “surprized” about how it’s only raining in one particular spot. This can inspire the performer to harness their pre-show jitters and nervous energy and turn it into something greater. The rabbit is filled with curiosity, like a performer needs to be when pushing the boundaries of their own musical skills.

I plan on continuing this good work for as long as I am able.

-Dan