SXSW 09 Film Reviews

Died Young, Stayed Pretty

Are poster artists renegade DIY guerrilla artists expressing themselves purely for the art's sake with no interest in making money or a bunch of predominantly white male collector nerds repurposing other people's art for the hope of acquiring some (local) notoriety, free beer, a guest-list spot, and maybe a blow job? The answer is: They are for the most part both. Yaghoobian's loving documentary features interviews with many of the bigger names of the underground poster-art world (Art Chantry, Frank Kozik) in attempt to discover what motivates these artists to continue a tradition that exists on the fringe of the art scene, far removed from mainstream society. Are these cultural artifacts or just more trash littering the light posts and bulletin boards of your city? That all depends on the eye of the beholder. But there is one indisputable truth relating to poster artists: Rock & roll wouldn't be the same without 'em.