On my way home from work, this evening, I took a circuitous route through the eastern end of SoHo, largely heading north from Canal Street on Lafayette Street. Along the way, I spotted several invocations of the stencil below on various building facades, and it immediately struck a familiar chord. I have no idea what it’s about, but I couldn’t help thinking it was maybe something of a knowing dig at Missing Foundation’s old “The Party’s Over” tag, an overturned cocktail glass over three slashed tines.
For those who might be unfamiliar, Missing Foundation was — and still is — the creative outlet of artist/musician/multi-hyphenate Peter Missing. Back in the 80’s and 90’s, one used to frequently see his cryptic insignia scrawled on many an edifice in downtown Manhattan. What ostensibly started as a symbol of the band quickly evolved into a demarkation of squatter’s rights and an ominous warning to potential gentrifiers.
From a musical standpoint, Missing Foundation formerly occupied a volatile middle-ground between bare-bones industrial clamor and deliberately rudimentary, post-No Wave noise. Their confrontational gigs were the stuff of anarchic legend, frequently resulting in mayhem, property damage and alleged riot-incitement. As an entity, Missing Foundation represented an extreme, and their antics and austere lore garnered colorful rumors and sensationalist news stories. In later years, Missing decamped to Europe, changed his sound and started espousing a less aggressive sentiment.
Here are a couple of examples of some vintage Missing Foundation.
More on Missing Foundation on Flaming Pablum...
Missing to Be Clever
Missing in Action
Still Missing After All These Years
Missing Pieces
Cocktails for Two: In Conversation with Missing Foundation's Chris Egan
Maron Misses Missing Foundation
A Missing Link
'I Will Destroy You'
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