Mustache Man Arrested - Interview on Subway Art Blog

Mustache Man has been arrested for "defacing" subway advertisements reports NBC New York. Having been charged with felony criminal mischief and possession of graffiti materials, he faces some serious consequences for his light hearted approach to ad readjustment. In fact is seems the NYPD has spent over two months cataloging and doing some serious detective work to apprehend Joseph Waldo. I am sorry but NYC subway ads are synonymous with public back talk and the usual urban scrawl. To isolate an individual like this seems over the top, and a clear waste of city resources. The priorities in this city are completely backwards as the NYC DOB sign enforcement unit can't seem to get rid of an illegal outdoor advertiser after two years of legal battles, and yet a 26 year old kid writing the word "mustache" on ads is apprehended and most likely prosecuted within weeks.

VIA Subway Art Blog

"At it’s simplest level, it’s a quick joke meant to give commuters something to smile about while they’re waiting for the subway, coming off from a long day at work, or getting stabbed on the D train. And that’s certainly how it started. But for me it’s evolved into part of this broader movement of subverting advertisements. Especially in New York, where we’re bombarded with ads everywhere we go, it feels more and more like we’re part of a one-sided conversation. We’re getting these ridiculous images and dumb catchphrases shoved down our throats (“Good Afternoont!”), why shouldn’t we be able to talk back? So many ads are so laughably stupid that a cartoonish moustache just seems to fit. On another level, it’s a return to hand-written form in a technology driven age where we type so much that some of us have actually forgotten how to write cursive."

Full Interview Here