California Locos brings together over 40 years of LA culture , presented through the eyes and hands of the artists who shaped it. Featuring three generations of legendary LA artists , this book chronicles the life and work of the five original locos and expands this core membership to include works by Mister Cartoon, Shepard Fairey, Estevan Oriol, Retna, Slick and Robert Williams. Surf and skate culture, street art, tattoo, street photography, graphic design and music come together on over 160 pages to celebrate Los Angeles in all its exuberant diversity and raw grittiness. This book embodies the creative breeding ground provided by the City of Angles, chronicling its’ influence on each artist all of which are major influencers of West Coast and worldwide popular culture in their own right. From the godfather of cholo graffiti, the brain behind the iconic street image Senor Suerte , Charles Bojorquez, over artists David Tourje, Gary Wong and Norton Wisdom to the designer who gave a face to the 60s hippy movement, John van Hamersveld, this book provides the compelling background story. 40 pages of archive material give exclusive insights into the Southern Californian style rebellion. At the same time, California Locos takes this legacy into the present. From Shephard Fairey’s influential Obama campaign posters, over Mr Cartoon’s tattoos inspired by LA street life to Estevan Oriol’s photographs of LA gangs and celebrities and Retna’s highly instagrammable graffiti paintings, the next generation proves again and again that Los Angeles influence is a force to be reckoned with. Further context is added by contributions from renown writers such as the art critics Peter Frank and Shana Nys Drambot of LA Weekly and Huffington Post. After the success of Estevan Oriol’s LA photography volumes, Drago is at it again with another book chronicling the Golden State’s unique mix of high and low culture.
