HAPPY BORN DAY TO THE GOAT,
@futuradosmil . 70 rotations. You have pioneered our culture and lit the path for so many of us. I first met Futura through
@mr_stash when he brought Lenny and Russ to Bleu’s place on Houston. It was 1992. I was doing graphics for Bleu at the time. Meeting a legend and idol meant the world to me. Over the years I have come to know Lenny as the hardest working man in showbizness. The James Brown of this hustle. No one has the drive of this man. He just works. Constantly his brains and his hands are moving, making, creating. He has never lost that energy. I tried so hard as a young artist coming up to emulate his pace, his tempo, his passion. He set the tone for so many of us. Growing up around him, I was constantly copying him. He kept a collection of little plastic toy guns from action figures in a big bowl. I started my own collection. He was the first to cop a pair of those Bose clip like headphones. I saved forever to get mine. He travelled with Louis Vuitton luggage. I made it my goal to get my own. Silly I know. But I was a kid just soaking it all up and looking for mentorship and inspiration of any sort. He made camo even cooler. He made bike messaging cool. He made the Tour de France cool. He made Kinko’s cool. I once saw him sign a guy’s entire motorcycle in Hong Kong. And he treated us all with respect, curiosity, and encouragement. Deeply rooted in the culture he built and shaped. I am still in awe of his obsessive mark making - so effortless and consistent. A can, a pen, an extension of his hand. Prolific, genre defining and as original as the day he started. I wish everyone could have experienced his first website, filled with little films and graphs and non-linear binary adventures. WAY, WAY ahead of his time. If
@erichazenyc was my idol, Futura was my Sensei, my mythical mountaintop. Part Yoda, part RZA, 100% genuine. Thanks for all you have done and for all you continue to do. Forever in your shadow and proud and grateful to be there.
