Here's a true story. Back in the late 70's, right smack in the middle of punk rock, I studied graphic design at Hounslow. Unlike some of the more respectable educational establishments, Hounslow was a bit rough and 'edgy'. The area around the college was run down and there was a serious amount of racism kicking around, you just had to look at all the NF graffiti about the place to sense the underlying atmosphere of hatred.
I remember one day going into the Gents lavatory in the college and seeing that somebody had recently sprayed the walls with more National Front messages. While standing there having a lash, I looked at the letters NF in front of me and came up with an idea to alter it, diffuse it and put a spin on it. I got a big fat black magic marker and between the N and the F wrote the words 'No Fun'.
Why 'No Fun'? Well in those days we art school types were well into the values of Punk Rock and had a particular admiration for the chaos, energy and alternative thinking that emanated from the Sex Pistols. The song 'No Fun' was one of the Pistols anthems. Them two words represented all that we felt about our society: the boredom, the politics, the lack of opportunities, racism & everything.
And of course, with my copywriting head on, 'No Fun' did indeed work a treat.
Over the weeks ahead, whenever I saw some NF graffiti about the college, I'd quickly scrawl my 'No Fun' message. It caught on. Soon other people started doing the same. I remember going to see The Jam at the Red Lion in Hammersmith 3 or 4 months later and someone had written 'No Fun' over some NF graffiti. Again at the Roundhouse, Chalk Farm. And then more sightings around the streets of Soho. Yes folks, my comment on the ideologies of the National Front had gone viral.
Since then I've always been interested in graffiti, street art and the like. Of course a lot of it is crap, mindless and does nothing more than defaces our environment. But on the occasions when I do see something that rises above all that and has an intelligent or funny point to make, frankly I'm all for it.
John Fountain is a freelance copywriter. Follow @fountainjohn
