Kaos Krew: kopykat krimes?

With the warmer weather in recent weeks, there has been a spate of graffiti-related crimes, such as the above defacing of the old Armitage Amalgamated Gravy Distillery complex in Kendall Park. Be on the lookout for suspicious activity in the area, and don't hesitate to report your findings to the metro tipline at (436) BE-A-HERO (232-4376).

The above graffiti is troubling for a number of reasons -- how could the Kaos Krew be commiting new acts of vandalism when it is a well-known fact that they are staying abroad in the U.K. for an indefinite period of time, enjoying their shameful "high art" popularity? That's a question the Krew themselves are apparently asking. Seem as if they're not too busy with jet-setting to keep up with the news in their hometown, since we received this anonymous email Saturday:

We understand that there have been a lot of tagging around town by dudes claiming to be the Kaos Krew, and we just want say: NOT TRUE. We, the Kaos Krew, are no longer interested in tagging and lo-fi street art. Our interests now lie in directing music videos, site-specific installation art, and fashion design -- we don't tag buildings anymore, especially gorgeous old brick facades like the Amalgamated Distillery. We love that building, and it's the sort of classic deco architecture we really miss seeing over here in England. Judging from the photos we've seen, this new work is crude and artless, without the sort of irony, humor and skill that people expect from the Krew. We denounce these criminal acts completely.

The email was also signed by Matthew Barney, Bjork, Stella McCartney, Charles Saatchi, Yasmine Le Bon, Goldie, Dr. Alex Patterson of the Orb, and somebody named "Tricky."

Well, what a turn-about! The sentiments of the Krew are appreciated (and I say that with a touch of sarcasm), but that doesn't change the fact that we are still working to extradite them for their misdeamenor crimes. That said, the email is correct, to a point: these new "Kaos Krew" taggings bear not a trace of the gutter wit and cleverness that made the original Kaos Krew graffiti so beloved in certain misguided circles.

So if you have any information on of any of these so-called "kopykat krimes," I would urge you to report them. We can't let our beautiful neighborhood be continually defaced by punks cruising on the accomplishments of one high-profile group of celebrity vandals.

Additionally, my assistant Marisha tells me that the new video the Kaos Krew have made for UK pop sensation M.I.A. is up on YouTube now. You can see it here.