Cool "Disco" Dan

November 5, 2007 4:30 PM

In his own words (YouTube). In the 1980s and 90s, Washington, DC had a mayor-for-life who liked to smoke crack, a murder problem so bad that even the basketball team was renamed, and one exceptionally prolific graffiti writer named 'Cool "Disco" Dan', whose simple graffito with quotes appeared everywhere in the DC area. Now, most of his "work" has been painted over, torn down, or ripped off. Some locals wonder... which one will be the last tag standing?
posted by toxic (15 comments total)

Disco Dan does advertise.
posted by Riki tiki at 4:32 PM on November 5, 2007 [1 favorite]

Borf Borf Borf
posted by phrontist at 4:47 PM on November 5, 2007 [1 favorite]

I remember Disco Dan! He seemed to like the Red Line out to Silver Spring - although that was the line I rode most, so it's probably confirmation bias.

Bye, Dan!
posted by rtha at 4:53 PM on November 5, 2007

As long as they leave us Disco Duck!
posted by GavinR at 5:30 PM on November 5, 2007

Man, I know that box!

I haven't been on the Red Line since August or so, at least during the day, but I used it five days a week over the summer and I'm pretty sure I saw at least a half-dozen or so of Cool "Disco" Dan's tags between Fort Totten and Union Station. They're less conspicuous than they were even a few years ago, yeah, but he got them into some pretty indelible spots, too - like that first Flickr one, which I think is 2/3 of the way up the New York Avenue overpass. The next time I'm back home I'll have to take my camera around and see if I can snipe out any of these ones I remember. I just hope the Metro Police don't see me and think I'm up to something...
posted by The Bridge on the River Kai Ryssdal at 5:37 PM on November 5, 2007

No, it wasn't just off the Metros.

Disco Dan tagged everywhere.

Anyone remember the 9:30 Club? He even tagged in there. No lie, neither.

Man, I miss D.C.
posted by John of Michigan at 5:54 PM on November 5, 2007

Nobody seems to have gotten the right shutter speed for that Disco Dan tag on the signal box, have they?

This post also got me elbow-deep into the historic go-go clips on YT, some of which are mighty fine. Thanks, toxic!
posted by mykescipark at 6:08 PM on November 5, 2007

I went to Cool "Disco" Dan's gallery opening in Georgetown 6 or so years ago. His art was on the walls, and he was DJing, right there in the freakin' Shops at Georgetown. Goddamn, that was a trip.
posted by MrMoonPie at 6:43 PM on November 5, 2007

Huh. I can't believe they took down that massive one on the roof between Union Station and Rhode Island Avenue.

And I doubt they took off the brass plague on the seat in Gonzaga High School's theater. Though I doubt that counts as a 'tag'...
posted by Football Bat at 7:15 PM on November 5, 2007

Those tags look pretty lame to me. I remember being taken to the duboce train tunnel in San Francisco which was a sort of graffiti art gallery. Here's a picture. Though it doesn't quite capture the sheer scale of a mile of murals.

That really impressed me. Especially the idea that criticism in this art scene involved getting your mural sprayed over.

Also just found an interesting article on the san francisco graffiti scene here (though it's dated 1993). I suppose it's not so rosy as I imagined, where great works would be respected and left alone.
posted by leibniz at 1:57 AM on November 6, 2007

Christ, what an asshole.
posted by sidereal at 2:36 AM on November 6, 2007

Ah, Cool 'Disco' Dan! I remember all those tags he left behind. Whenever I was flying back into DC, it was those tags that really let me know I was home - and on the way out on Amtrak, they were some of the last traces of DC I'd see.

Sad to hear they're going away. No, he wasn't the best tagger I've ever seen, but by God was he ever prolific, and in some unexpected places, too.
posted by rednikki at 10:43 AM on November 6, 2007

This Foreign Service brat saw his tag in the former Soviet Union once. No lie. He was prolific.

I miss DC too!
posted by streetdreams at 11:10 AM on November 6, 2007

That is cool - thanks.
posted by LobsterMitten at 12:54 PM on November 6, 2007

I miss Bob Haldeman. He had such a great attitude, a real go-getter, and he had that great jarhead haircut that said, "I get things done." And he did, he was very influential in matters that affected everyone, including you. He never let the naysayers get him down. He exemplified the segment of culture that he worked in - to this day people still use his name in synecdoche, to represent a greater ideal.

It's too bad how it all turned out, but really, he was a heck of a guy to do all he did. For us, you know? The bigger picture. He wasn't selfish at all. It was for you.
posted by sidereal at 8:31 PM on November 6, 2007