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41 Comments

news

Why So Serious?

By David Topping

20090414vandals.jpg
Photo by Bryson Gilbert from the Torontoist Flickr Pool.


On the one hand, Alexander Muir, a schoolteacher and Orangeman who wrote Canada’s confederation song, “The Maple Leaf Forever,” in 1867, is a pretty important person in our country’s history, totally deserving of an extraordinarily lovely mural on Queen Street East, in Leslieville.
On the other hand, The Dark Knight was a really amazing movie, and we also really enjoy things that are funny.
We’re gonna call this one a draw.

Comments

  • http://null davedave

    Whoever did this is a complete fucking asshole.
    Why do you cheerlead shit like this?

  • Robin Hatch

    Why do you write your name TWICE, Dave? Who are you, Jacob Two Two? Oh wait, you don’t understand things associated with FUN.
    As for this article, it won’t surprise Mr. Topping to know that I think this is the best thing I have ever seen in my life.

  • http://null friend68

    As always, the people who don’t have to pay to clean it up are the ones who think it is great. How about you interview the store owner, or the artist of the original mural?

  • http://www.publicspace.ca Jonathan Goldsbie

    Fuck, I think we missed that store in our Pun Hunt, didn’t we?

  • http://undefined Gloria

    “Jacob Two Two”?
    Davedave, do you have access to medical assistance? Because I think you just got *burned*!

  • http://null davedave

    Defacing a mural is fun? You’re a moron.
    Come back when you’ve finished school or something.

  • http://www.blog.canoe.ca/canoedossier David Newland

    I was thinking about your Vandalist postings this morning as I walked by the historical plaques on the east side of the Queen Street bridge over the Don.
    Some moron has “tagged” them.
    How about establishing some ground rules here: go ahead, post the “cool” stuff that doesn’t hurt anyone and pretties up a blank wall, and add your kudos.
    But how about some brickbats for the jerks who scrawl racist screeds on school walls, and tag mailboxes and monuments, and mar the work of other artists?
    Fair’s fair.

  • http://undefined torontothegreat

    This is actually quite a good proposal…
    What do you say Torontoist? Fair?

  • http://undefined torontothegreat

    If you consider calling someone ‘jacob two two’ a *burn*, you really must have the humour of a 3 year old.

  • http://null Ben

    It’s not right to deface a mural. Second.

  • http://undefined Gloria

    I thought the sarcasm was apparent?

  • http://undefined Greg Smith

    I wouldn’t mind if the Joker’s smile was pasted on as a temporary prank, but permanently defacing a mural — a community landmark, even — is not cool.

  • http://undefined torontothegreat

    or my sarcasm detectors are set to low today…

  • http://undefined Rachel Lissner

    While this is totally completely awesome and cracked me up, whoever did this definitely violated the mural and the number one rule of graffiti: you don’t touch someone else’s work.
    As I had no idea who Alexander Muir was prior to a minute ago, I still think this is really funny. Sorry.

  • http://undefined montauk

    I don’t think this is funny. But I fell asleep during The Dark Knight.

  • http://null chenyip

    Now THAT’S a burn.

  • http://undefined Robin Hatch

    What my extensive education (thank you) has taught me is that if someone stencils the Joker, the Joker from the Dark Knight whose mission (not sure if you’re familiar with the film) is to make people like you angry, and you GET angry, the fun comes in the form of schadenfreude I feel when people like me get to laugh at people like you for overreacting. You see, your ignorance inadvertently causes their artistic success. Everybody, let’s all thank Dave Dave!

  • http://null rek

    That rule doesn’t exist.

  • http://null octpatp

    Can we please stop feeding the troll?

  • http://undefined rek

    This being Torontoist, I am likely alone in thinking that buffing the hollow with matching paint, obscuring the lyrics of The Maple Leaf Forever, was probably nobody’s intention but is nonetheless beautiful in the ironic (ouch) commentary it creates. It would seem the The Maple Leaf Forever isn’t forever – how many posters above have ever heard it sung? know the lyrics? could fill in the blanks?

  • http://null Yonge And Bloor

    You know what would be even funnier and ironicer and even more schadenfreudier? If someone painted it to look like Tom Cruise in Risky Business!
    You know, with the Ray Bans?
    Or maybe painted it to look like Jim Carrey in The Mask!
    Haw haw! He was such a playful character, and I love that movie.
    If we’re lucky, maybe someone will paint over more boring historical figures with cool movie characters. Wouldn’t that be cool?

  • rugby lad

    Defacing someone else’s art is low class. I think there’s lots of cool vandalism out there. This ain’t it.

  • http://undefined Rachel Lissner

    I actually wrote a paper on graffiti removal and the general consensus from around the world was that the best way to combat graffiti/vandalism is to not leave walls blank. It is out of respect to the artist because no writer would want their work covered by someone else’s.

  • http://null octpatp

    The song is awesome, but note that (according to the song) it’s the Maple Leaf that lasts forever, not the song itself.
    As to who still knows it, how about anyone who’s ever been to a Leafs home opener? The 48th Highlanders pipes and drums are unforgettable.
    Oh, and PS: Covering the lyrics isn’t beautiful, it’s assoholic.

  • http://null vtoriaaa

    THIRD DEGREE BURN!!
    Dave Dave’s parents clearly weren’t thinking.

  • http://null Bias

    fyi this actually isnt a vandalist post. also i dont see how posting a picture of graffiti is the same as supporting it.

  • http://undefined Vincent Clement

    Didn’t stop the vandal in this case.

  • http://undefined Svend

    I agree with davedave as well.
    At least this can be fixed, the mural needed some touch up along the bottom anyway.

  • http://undefined rek

    That doesn’t make it a rule. Eventually everything gets tagged or covered in someone else’s piece, it’s just a matter of time.
    Take the alley mural at College and… I’ll say Lippincott because I can’t remember the nearest street. For as long as I can remember it was untouched. And then two or three weeks ago I noticed 3 or 4 pieces splashed across the bottom of it. The mural wasn’t very interesting or good, an abstract sail boat in a beach scene, but it lasted about 4 years before someone decided that was long enough.

  • http://undefined rek

    You seem confused. Whoever tried repairing the mural by covering up the giant tag with matching yellow paint is the “asshole” who painted out the lyrics. And as I said, it probably wasn’t intentional, but the end result of broken words is somewhat beautiful.
    And in addition, I said “The Maple Leaf Forever isn’t forever” not “The Maple Leaf isn’t forever”.

  • http://null octpatp

    And you seem not to understand the actual meaning of the term irony, given the way you abuse it. Pace Alanis Morissette and you, “ironic” doesn’t mean the same thing as “funny peculiar” or “funny ha ha” or “cool” or “beautiful” or even “paradoxical.” But then I guess you can’t be blamed for not understanding the term’s meaning, given that it’s flagrantly abused by just about every mass media outlet around (as is–I should point out in a slight digression–the phrase “to beg the question”).

  • http://null montauk

    I honestly wonder what would happen to Torontoist if for one week, no one was allowed to assert or imply that someone else is stupid. I don’t know what it is about this site that makes perfectly manageable dialogue devolve into:
    PERSON A: YOUR POST WAS STUPID.
    PERSON B: IF YOU THINK IT’S STUPID, YOU’RE STUPID.
    PERSON A: IF YOU THINK IT’S STUPID TO THINK IT’S STUPID, YOU’RE STUPID.
    PERSON C: YOU’RE ALL STUPID. HAVEN’T YOU CONSIDERED X?
    PERSON D: YES, YOU MAY HAVE A POINT ABOUT X, BUT THAT DOESN’T SIGNIFIGANTLY DETRACT FROM HOW STUPID YOU ARE.
    PERSON C: IT’S SPELLED “SIGNIFICANTLY”. LOOK IT UP. IDIOT.
    The weird thing is that between all the accusations, some really decent commentary takes place. I just wish we could manage it without sounding like asshats.

  • http://null octpatp

    A good point–but the problem would be solved even more quickly if all the asshats (you know who you are) would just shut up and let the rest of us reasonable people discuss things reasonably.
    *kidding*

  • http://null octpatp

    Dude, don’t you get it? Tom Cruise and Jim Carrey are the olds, and Risky Business and the Mask are historic artifacts–you might as well do a mural depicting Archibald Lampman’s Lyrics of Earth.
    We need murals with, like, characters from last year’s movies, and, like, the characters from Gossip Girl.

  • CanadianSkeezix

    Well said.

  • http://undefined rek

    Let me quote the dictionary for you, since you don’t seem to know what irony is, just what it isn’t: an outcome of events contrary to what was, or might have been, expected.
    Now re-read what I wrote: “…probably nobody’s intention but is nonetheless beautiful…”. Buffing the tag wasn’t meant to be beautiful, but is. Check.

  • http://undefined Rachel Lissner

    I wonder that too.
    Yesterday I was mulling if the hostility and mudslinging would disappear if the commentators would go to the patio series and meet each other in person.

  • rugby lad

    You can bet your vandalised artwork that this sort of poop throwing is Internet only. It is a rare breed of internet muckracker indeed that has the testudinal fortitude to carryover an Internet argument into meatspace.

  • http://www.torontocitylife.com/ torontocitylife

    Meatspace. Gross.
    But you have a point; maybe a no-holds-barred fight to the death a la Thunderdome.
    Tina Turner as an officiating judge. Awesome.

  • http://undefined phool 4 XC

    I’m not sure how long ago the mural was cleaned up, but as of August 6 Alexander Muir is back.

  • simplehearted

    How is he a troll?