That Girl from Derwent dwells on the value of religion this Christmas.
That Girl from Derwent has learned a few more things about prejudice since moving up North.
That Girl From Derwent reckons if you're going to be offensive, you should find a better reason.
That Girl from Derwent considers why it is that some words have wider implications than others.
It’s not greatly artistic. Nor is it particularly well executed. And I don’t think it’s really that legal (although of all the places to daub your message it’s probably one of the most harmless). It’s quite difficult not to appreciate it for the gesture it is though, if it is indeed the gesture it appears to be.
Knowing several people that claim to have written it themselves, I actually find it hard to know what to believe. While a bit of me hopes it is some sweet person apologising very publicly to someone they care about, another part of me wonders if it is some cheeky scamp having a giggle; perhaps the person who added the inexplicably hilarious ‘’R MONKEY NIPPLES’ wrote the whole thing, marking down the initial messages before waiting a while, then adding in the punch line of their little joke to the preceding ‘I LOVE YOU’ to proclaim ‘I LOVE YOUR MONKEY NIPPLES’.
Another suspicious little corner of my mind wonders if it is some guerrilla marketing project by an ingenious business person on campus; a low-tech equivalent of an internet viral ad. Although quite what they could be selling is beyond me.
It is a nice break though from the chalk scrawlings across campus which have become so recognisable during my time here. Scrawlings such as ‘Plan B’ (the Save B-Henry’s campaign) and ‘Free Tibet’ (which led to several long and apparently chalk-consuming debates on various walls) have become commonplace. In fact, although I’ve always mocked those on-campus slogans for being in chalk instead of hardcore spray paint, it’s always been a point of pride for me that the University of York contains people who, even when they are protesting for things that other people would believe warrant all manner of publicity techniques, refuse to vandalise their own campus. Mostly.
This is the slight ethical issue with the romantic graffiti, although on some levels it’s not such a big deal. Did the artist have a right to vandalise that piece of property? It’s not like the perpetrator wrote it along the side of a building, but it’s still not their land, and unlike the chalk used on campus the paint won’t wash away any time soon.
What did wash away was a very amusing piece of commentary on the whole thing, scribed in chalk; ‘Doesn’t this remind you of Star Wars?’. Actually, I hadn’t made the connection in my mind, but after it was suggested I heartily agreed. Perhaps this is a symptom of the curse of university education; once someone has spent more than a couple of terms analysing and interpreting things until they are sick of the sight of some of them, many of us can’t help but comment on everything interesting. Not that this is a bad thing of course. Commenting on anything that amuses or interests or angers you is not only a sign of an enquiring mind, but it keeps The Yorker ticking over.
I think what we have to remember here is why this writing has got many people talking about it. All this message is in realistic terms is another piece of writing on another piece of someone else’s property. What this message is in real terms though, is a little bit of romantic fantasy. An act that many people wish would happen for them...although without whatever negative action was performed to warrant such a dramatic near-apology. It is pretty emotional; you can almost feel what was going through the mind of whoever wrote it as you walk past. It is a little bit of daring, reminiscent of that romantic outlaw fantasy that many people crave.
Maybe I’m getting a bit too emotional over this, maybe it is just a publicity stunt or someone having a laugh, but the sentiment expressed in this message makes me want to believe it was done by someone pining for their romantic partner, regretting their stupid mistake and working their hardest to redeem themselves. Overly romantic wishful thinking? Perhaps, but I hope that if it is a genuine message of apology, the person gets the forgiveness they are looking for. I know it is a gesture I would find hard to resist.
Good piece, definitely the best thing I've read on here for some time.
comment deleted by the author I wonder if anyone can shed any further light on "AH GOOD THE SEA". This has been here since at least October 2002, though I did not notice it when I looked round in September that year (could still have been here). How did the original 'dauber' intend it to be read? Ah, Good, the sea, or maybe, ah good, the sea, or maybe even, ah, good the sea. Possibly they just meant Ah good the sea. The fact that I will never know has tugged at the furthest, smallest part of my mind for nearly 7 years now.
comment deleted by the author Ah good the sea.
I'd always assumed it was marketing, perhaps for a play in the Drama barn (sounds like the kind of thing someone would call a play, doesn't it?)
So I just googled it now, came up with this:
http://www.ah-good-the-sea.com/
Pretentious wankers.
#3 If the whois record for ah-good-the-sea.com is anything to go by then it is: Ah Good, The Sea
Hmm, further investigation of the WHOIS record:
Record created on 2007-06-20 11:53:53.
Which is significantly after Dan's first sighting. Maybe they had it up for 5 years before they decided to make the website? Seems a bit odd.
I'm sure I've read somewhere (maybe on that York folklore site) that Ah Good The Sea was on that wall in the 1970s, possibly even beforehand...
Pretty sure there have been discussions of AH GOOD on this very website, unearthing a history going back decades!
I just had a Google and found a website discussing it, apparently it was back in the 80s, with one commenter claiming that it was indeed an advert for a play
I know, heehee!
The band "Ah Good The Sea" was named after the graffiti for battle of the bands last year?
I saw the guy writing the original message with a sponge and his paint whilst walking home from some night out. He quickly reassured me he wasn't about to attack me with paint, then explained his story of breaking up with his girlfriend. I did think it was incredibly sweet at the time.
That monkey nipple addition didn't half make me chuckle though.
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