The Artist Responsible for that "Fuck Starbucks" Sign Describes How He Did It - The Stranger | Comments

Back to article

Comments

1

Q: what was the point of this?
A: free publicity

JonnoN on May 12, 2015 at 1:12 PM

2

What an awful thing to do to such a fine company.

Phoebe in Wallingford on May 12, 2015 at 1:16 PM

3

Yes yes, what a GHASTLY person! *adjusts monocle*

droctopu5 on May 12, 2015 at 1:30 PM

4

Putting "Fuck" on things does not make you banksy. Leave this kind of stuff to John Criscitello.

Hutch on May 12, 2015 at 1:32 PM

5

Starbucks is owned by a liberal Democrat, they have long provided full benefits to domestic partners (way before same-sex marriage), they have been and continue to be big supporters of the LGBTQ community...so why "fuck Starbucks"? Because they make money? Take a look at your clothing - the Levis you are wearing or shoes on your feet - they are all made by corporations. Christ! Reading The Stranger actually makes this lefty feel middle-of-the-road. Remember, Starbucks didn't chase Bauhaus out of their space, they were forced out by developers. Grow up. Seriously, grow up.

CourtesyFlush on May 12, 2015 at 1:35 PM

6

@1:

Free publicity is really only effective when the person seeking to receive it is identifiable. So long as "Kurt Cooper" maintains his anonymity, he can't really benefit from it, can he?

COMTE on May 12, 2015 at 1:37 PM

7

Props to 'Kurt Cooper'! Excellent hit.

The rest of you old fogeys can just go take a nap. Esp. you "CourtesyFlush", blahblah*yawn*.

treacle on May 12, 2015 at 1:38 PM

8

Hard-hitting stuff.

r.chops on May 12, 2015 at 1:39 PM

9

I'm waiting for the exclusive interview with the person responsible for the "Jesus Is A Taco" graffiti art. If putting "fuck" on things is some measure of the Capitol Hill zeitgeist then what are we really losing in this "gentrification" of the Hill?

Hutch on May 12, 2015 at 1:45 PM

10

Next up: "dick butt" applied to Amazon ("well that escalated quickly")

theophrastus on May 12, 2015 at 1:45 PM

11

@7: Pranks are not art.

Phoebe in Wallingford on May 12, 2015 at 1:47 PM

12

Wow, our standards for what constitutes art, and thus artist, have really come down. Is putting up a sign that says fuck really art? Seems like vandalism to me. I'll take this vandalism (the kind that can be easily removed) over the more permanent kind any day but really what the fuck? Here, let's try something.

FUCKFUCKFUCKITYFUCKFUCKFUCK

There, I'm an artist. Fuck you (ooh, more art!) for giving a vandal more publicity.

Oh, and many thanks to the vandal for making your vandalism so easy to remove.

Root on May 12, 2015 at 2:06 PM

13

Sometimes I long for the days of print media, when the "news hole" was finite and unable to absorb every bit of trivia and nonsense dreamed up by fringies.

RDPence on May 12, 2015 at 2:06 PM

14

See now, my "I hate this guy" got triggered by this info "Being a graffiti artist".

ChefJoe on May 12, 2015 at 2:06 PM

15

Great work of agitprop art... kudos to the artist! Love the sentiment about reclaiming public space from the over-saturation of corporate ads. Starbucks and Shultz are known for their predatory practices... While not a sports fan, the manner in which the Sonics were bought and sold reinforces my view it's not the 'local' company it perhaps once was.

stu ungar on May 12, 2015 at 2:08 PM

17

While it was humorous, CourtesyFlush is absolutely correct. Sbux has been good to the community. However, they have gone the way of McDonald's with an always consistent but mediocre product. Fuck Starbucks is usually what I say when given the choice between them and a much smaller business.

VioletGirl on May 12, 2015 at 2:12 PM

18

The whole thing is such a painfully obvious manufactured "controversy" that I'm almost convinced it's some sort of viral campaign for Starbucks, in an attempt to top themselves after the whole "Race Together" debacle... but it's not even clever enough for that.

yelahneb on May 12, 2015 at 2:14 PM

19

Jeez, people! No love for a well-executed art prank?

J.R. on May 12, 2015 at 2:23 PM

20

@15 Complains about "over-saturation of corporate ads, doesn't mind that least offensive local company that pays high wages and has great benefits was targeted, defends the fucking NBA".

What in the fuck* is wrong with you? Like @9 said, if this is culture to be celebrated, I can't wait for it to be run out of town.

* I'm an artist now, right? I just fuck, so I'm legit, right?

Solk512 on May 12, 2015 at 2:32 PM

21

It's not that complicated. Vandalism is when you do it on property that isn't yours. If you have a message you'd like to share, do it on something you own or don't do it at all.

pheeeew!crack!boom! on May 12, 2015 at 2:32 PM

22

@19 maybe if it had been something more clever and/or fun than just a "fuck" at the top. Like somehow turning the "B" into an "F". Maybe something obscure (but not too obscure) for the hipster crowd, like a white whale or a cylon...

Unregistered User on May 12, 2015 at 2:41 PM

23

So I assume Panda and Kurt Cooper are friends...

sperifera on May 12, 2015 at 2:48 PM

24

It was brilliant. My favorite vandalism since "UU Spring Break".

evolume on May 12, 2015 at 2:50 PM

25

Does he hate the coffee?

Thrill Killer on May 12, 2015 at 2:51 PM

26

you're not an artist, dipshit. unless i am also an artist because i called you a dipshit.

tainte on May 12, 2015 at 3:12 PM

27

FWIW, I loved it. This was an awesome installation and deserves major props. But thank you for proving to me that I'm not an old fogy yet, despite my age. For me, this was a fond throwback to old the Yippie days, where I was just an approving spectator. A little insurrection is good for the soul now and again. We need more of this.

My only complaint about the article and interview... How were the letters mounted? Inquiring minds want to know.

Brooklyn Reader on May 12, 2015 at 3:19 PM

28

It was funny and well-executed, but a pretty mediocre "statement".

DOUG. on May 12, 2015 at 3:28 PM

30

@11: Sometimes they are..

disintegrator on May 12, 2015 at 4:36 PM

31

Lots of people are confusing "that amuses me" with "this act delivers a deep and profound message that we should all take a moment to stop and consider".

Solk512 on May 12, 2015 at 6:38 PM

32

@31: Deep and profound != expletive + noun

raindrop on May 12, 2015 at 7:28 PM

33

@28, agreed. Nice execution, but "Fuck." Really? How about a big hairy boner or other things you might see scratched into a bathroom stall?

McBomber on May 12, 2015 at 8:14 PM

34

Why is this even news? The idiot that perpetrated this waste of time debacle should not be recognized and I don't even know why I'm responding to this stupid article. My guess is that the same mentality that produced this idiocy is linked to the retards on the Shell kayak waste of time.

longwayhome on May 12, 2015 at 9:04 PM

36

Okay, while I applaud the creativity and the execution, what's the point? Shouldn't this have a point? You're pissed at Starbucks, why? As far as I know, they're one of the more progressive corporations in the US, right? They pay their employees pretty well and gave benefits to part-timers long before most other companies did. They helped put Seattle on the map. They had that ridiculous Race policy but then they quickly walked it back when responses started coming in, so the company was influenced by the public.

So all in all, besides drawing personal attention for himself, what was the artist's point? Wasn't it just more Seattle uber hipsterism? If he has a beard, I'm freaking done with this place LOL Seems to me Starbucks isn't a bad company, they have excellent beans (especially the Ethiopian), they're good to their people, and they're responsive to the public. So why Fuck That? THERE'S A WHOLE LOT MORE SHITTIER COMPANIES TO SHAME.

mandyv on May 13, 2015 at 12:14 AM

37

And I guess mine wasn't an original thought hahaha I'm kind of glad to see the irony of Starbucks enjoying an upswell in support, because they are a decent company and should be supported for that and more companies should be like them.

mandyv on May 13, 2015 at 12:15 AM

38

I'm not a fan of Starbucks but .... I'm with the commentator who misses the day of print journalism when there was a finite limit as to what would be covered as news.

Look my bowel movement was loose this morning!! Stranger!! Come over and cover it!!!!

Cato the Younger Younger on May 13, 2015 at 5:03 AM

39

Artist? More like vandal.

BI Islander on May 13, 2015 at 9:21 AM

40

If this is "your generations" equivalent to the "last person leaving" sign in 1971 (put up in response to 62k people losing their jobs at Boeing) then "your generation" is as fucktarded as this story

Remed8tr on May 13, 2015 at 10:00 AM

41

Remember when Starbucks tried to ban the Stranger?

biff Michael on May 13, 2015 at 10:01 AM

42

So many people with a stick up their ass. Jeez! It was an elaborate prank that obviously got the message out there.

FTW999 on May 13, 2015 at 10:08 AM

43

Best Guerrilla art I've seen in aeons. Well done.

ooppoddoo on May 13, 2015 at 10:34 AM

44

I'm going to TP Costco with 100s of rolls of their own scratchy ass Kirkland toilet paper. Then I'm going to the nearest Starbucks for a quad macchiato with hopes of shitting myself. Hmmm, maybe I should reverse the order of events...

poopburgler on May 13, 2015 at 11:28 AM

45

@6 The free publicity is for Starbucks, not "Cooper".

jack chandelier on May 13, 2015 at 11:40 AM

46

Artist?

Tom Stewart on May 13, 2015 at 1:58 PM

47

Wow a lot of butt hurt over opinionated people hiding behind their computers. Complain, bitch, moan repeat

I saw it firsthand thought it was a well-executed prank, and pretty hilarious. No one got hurt or died. Get over yourselves folks.

columbiawebb@gmail.com on May 13, 2015 at 2:04 PM

48

Fantastic Comment section! Good DIY cardboard art by a non violent anarchist...check. Good defense of a company who is trying to rule the world AND provide a respectable job for many AND a consistent pleasant ambiance for many coffee non-snobs and snobs...check. Good counter-whine by cynical anti-capitalists who do not appreciate the craftsmanship of the new roastery...check. The artists doesn't demand celebrity; real anarchists are only threatening to break windows on designated days; and hipsters can chuckle and enjoy their value-added pour-overs. We CAN all get along!!! PS No mention/credit for the coed bathrooms?

ARK on May 13, 2015 at 2:19 PM

49

Kirkland toilet paper isn't scratchy.

dereksays on May 14, 2015 at 8:51 AM

50

@19: Sure, a somewhat clever prank. Just don't try to tell me it's art.

bigyaz on May 14, 2015 at 10:44 AM

52

"When a company like this grows and reaches a certain level of big-ness, the public doesn’t have a say in how it operates."
And how exactly does the public have a say in how a small company operates, such as The Stranger, or an independent coffee shop down the street? Answer: It doesn't.
This "artist" is just another uninformed dolt that hates success.

Pippy Longsausage on May 14, 2015 at 1:19 PM

53

If there were no photos would it still be art ?

roland on May 14, 2015 at 1:27 PM

54

"When a company like this grows and reaches a certain level of big-ness.. " they hire people to fill the internet with lies and propaganda which counter all things opposing their greatness and endorse their heroic qualities to no end, except when it becomes obvious and sad.

Here's a good news story, and be sure to leave the comments section open: "Starbuck's hires private firm to post artificial comments to new sites"

forrest j hoffman on May 15, 2015 at 3:37 PM

Editors' Picks

When Gomer Pyle Married Rock Hudson

The More I Learn About Breast Milk, the More Amazed I Am

Obsessed by Northwest

In a Surprise Turn, All Rival Candidates Rally Around Progressive Maren Costa for General Election

HoneyHole or HoneyHell?

Seattle Sticker Patrol: Columbia City Has Eyes 👁️

is a proud member of the

media network

Masthead Ad Info & Rates Jobs at The Stranger Contact Privacy Policy Terms of Use Takedown Policy Find The Stranger Near You

Support The Stranger

All contents © Index Newspapers LLC
800 Maynard Ave S, Suite 200, Seattle, WA 98134