Sponsored message
Logged in as
Audience-funded nonprofit news
radio tower icon laist logo
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Subscribe
  • Listen Now Playing Listen
  • Listen Now Playing Listen

This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.

This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.

Arts & Entertainment

Nameless Artists Mark Elliott Smith's Birthday By Fixing Up Famous Figure 8 Wall

One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.

Revered indie singer-songwriter Elliott Smith would have turned 42 on Saturday, August 6th, and to mark the late musician's birthday, a group of anonymous artists took on the task of cleaning up and respectfully adding to the iconic "Figure 8" mural in Silver Lake.

Updating the mural with a stencil of the singer, as well as touching up the art that has been the recipient of vandalism and fan tribute messages for years, these nameless artists got to work early in the morning to get the job done, according to an email tip sent to us by someone from FMLY.

In 2008, after the wall sat for six months bearing the bright blue marks of a vandal, locals also got together to fix things up. Though it's been touched, and touched-up, here and there since then, this is the first major overhaul in the past three years.

Check out the images of the restoration shared with us by FMLY, and then head over yourself to take a look. Just leave the markers and paint at home, ok?

One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.

You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.

If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief

Make your tax-deductible donation today