Getting Up: Subway Graffitti in New York (Paperback)

~ Craig Castleman (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A concise descriptive history of subway graffiti ... well organized, informative and well illustrated.... No matter if one judges subway graffiti to be art or pollution, one comes away from Getting Up admiring the ingenuity of the young writers."
- Robert R. Harris, The New York Times Book Review



"Getting Up is urban mass transit's answer to The Right Stuff, Tom Wolfe's exploration of the space program.... Though Castleman lacks Wolfe's glitzy style, he illuminates a culture through straightforward reporting of its jargon and shared mythology. Rather than making excuses for the chaotic writing that can make New York subways such an eyesore, Castleman merely describes the loosely knit society that creates it. With a descriptive, rather than analytical, approach he lets the graffiti 'writers' speak for themselves. Their language paints a portrait of the subculture that is like their art, extremely vital."
- Jeff Reid, In These Times

Product Description

"Getting Up" is the term used by graffiti "artists" to describe their success in making their mark on the New York subway system. Through candid interviews, New Yorker Craig Castleman documents the inside story of the lives and activities of these young graffitists.

Product Details

• Paperback: 212 pages
• Publisher: The MIT Press (April 26, 1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0262530511
• ISBN-13: 978-0262530514
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #217,888 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wanna be "Tagger"??....Read this book first!!, January 21, 1999

By A Customer

Real stories about "REAL" grafitti artists. It could not have been done better! The author, Graig Castleman writes about one of the most respected artists of them all, Lee. Lee's Graffiti years were awsome. The book is great to help the public truly understand the term "Street Art" Any book that can make my own parents believe in my own Graffiti gets 5 stars!

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Getting up is a Quality book!, June 8, 1998

By A Customer

Getting up is the best book I have ever read. It's not filed with pictures but explains what life is like to be a writer in New York.It tells the story of Lee and his famous whole train!It tells you how the writers racked the spraycans!If you want to get in to Graffiti buy this book!!I enjoyed it from cover to cover. One point left to make=I only wish i was as good as the artists in Getting up! END

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Getting up to Get Down, September 5, 2005

By	Liam K. "steady mind" (Ottawa, Canada) - See all my reviews

From the second you open this book, to the day you put it down for the last time, you are exposed to the origins of graffiti and the graffiti lifestyle. From the in depth interviews with the infamous "Fabulous Five", to the bias opinions of New York's M.T.A(Metropolitan Transit Authority), this book brings you back to the late 70's, where style's were made and the fame was gained.
As a graffiti artist myself, I related to a lot of the stories told by the artists documented in this book. Craig Castleman portrayed the perfect image of what it's like to be an "artist" and a "criminal" at the same time. The adrenaline of a late night excursion, to the overload of a police chase. At the end of it all, the overall satisfaction of seeing your name roll by on the local transit line.
I really enjoyed looking back at the photos captured in the book. There is a lot of history documented in this piece. The first "whole train", the evolution of the "bomb", to miscelaneous "tagging" are all shown in detail colour pictures.
I feel this book captured the essence of the graffiti culture, and documented the views and opinions of both sides, the artist, and the audience.
"Getting Up" Craig Castleman, definetly a good read, for any audience. Educational and fun at the same time.