Just to have a debate about this statement:
Actually, it's a sad state but the truth is that the PHOTOS of graffiti are what last from generation to generation. Of course, you can pass on stories about so and so used to kill this and that back in the day but a picture tells a thousand words. For example, a film like Style Wars gave certain writers a LOT of fame but other writers that were doing just as much damage got no shine at all. If it wasn't for Style Wars, not many people would even acknowledge someone like CAP MPC today because people forget... I'm not saying he didn't do his thing but stories will get lost from generation to generation and not many people photographed his stuff.
If you look at the famous/memorable flix throughout the generations, it's always been the pieces and prettier stuff on subways, etc. Don't get me wrong, but there are famous flix of bombers/throw ups but those are usually flix of certain fame spots. Not many people will flick EVERYTHING a writer is doing (tags, outlines, etc...) In the end, all they have is their legacy from the generation that experienced their graffiti. I'd say about 75% of the people on this site were probably not around to see when JOZ & EASY were first doing their thing. Someone like JA giving EASY & JOZ crazy props in an interview bridges that generation gap for people who didn't experience it. You can't blame people for the time period they grew up in... There will always be the JA, VFR, 17, etc... that keep on bombing but it can't/won't last forever.
I'm digressing here but the point is that I still agree with DECK. Graffiti should be 100% ILLEGAL and bombing is VERY important. It's also important to document everything because if left up to these so called "graffiti photographers" that don't write, all we will have are pictures of the colorful pieces in the future that don't represent who was REALLY putting in work at the time...
