Jamie Reid Revision as of 00:04, 19 October 2006 by Illyanadmc (Talk | contribs)
From The Giant: The Definitive Obey Giant Site
Jamie Reid (born 1947), is a British artist. His work, featuring letters cut from newspaper headlines in the style of a ransom note came close to defining the image of punk rock, particularly in the UK.
His best known works include the Sex Pistols album Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols and the singles "Anarchy in the UK," "God Save The Queen," "Pretty Vacant," and "Holidays in the Sun."
Shepard Fairey has many times named Reid as one of his biggest influences.
From Supply and Demand, pg. 280:
If you've never heard of Jamie Reid, you've undoubtedly seen his work and/or its far-reaching influence. Malcolm McLaren is often credited with inventing punk as we know it, but I would argue that Reid deserves the lion's share of credit for punk's enduring image. I can credit Reid's Sex Pistols graphics as an early inspiration for me to dabble in making my own t-shirts and stickers. I think my parents, 18 years ago, considered punk a "gateway drug." Punk was a drug for me. As clichéd as the punk rock look and graphic formula may have become, I will always remember the roots of the style, representative of people who had very few resources attempting to shake the system. If it can serve as a reminder of this, let the punk look symbolize aggressive three-chord music and ideas for the next 25 years.