“I’m not bloody Banksy, am I? He’s making a mint, I’m making nothing.”
About 2 weeks ago a street artist going by only his instagram user name alshepmcr was interviewed by the UK’s Press Association via the Bury Times newspaper about why through the use of his stencil kit he has owned for 20 years, he is placing song lyrics from legendary Manchester bands such as Joy Division, The Smiths and The Stone Roses onto the city street’s double-yellow lines.
Not considering his work to be vandalism, and certainly not for any profit—the artist stated in the interview that his intention was to make something to stop and make people think for a moment—noting that the stenciled lyrics easily wash away.
Ultimately he wants to “pick out the lyrics that mean something.”
“Sometimes I make them fit around mental illness. People see what they want in them. … My inspiration is autism and schizophrenia and Tourette’s, that’s what often goes into it. It’s not about me, I just want people to think and they can take the meaning they want.”
See some of the stencils below, and more at alshepmcr’s Instagram
JOY DIVISION
THE SMITHS
THE STONE ROSES
See more at instagram.com/alshepmcr
