Shepard Fairey Talks "Hope", "Obey" & Art

Shepard Fairey rose to prominence with his iconic Obama "Hope" poster. His new book "Covert To Overt" is available now.
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[@HarrisonsFord]

Please, for the love of the future, keep introducing American late night audiences to culture beyond Hollywood! It feels like a dream that this show even exists.

[@TheNeilDarby]

+HarrisonsFord I know right

[@winrato3189]

YES

[@HarrisonsFord]

***** Learn how to read, and stop replying to old youtube comments. Your life will improve.

[@guthax30]

Beef Supreme yeah and he was a true artist here: he got his message out in a short concise way, then stepped off stage to get back to work.

[@thegiftedone]

Oh Jesus... This show is dogshit...letterman was a thousand times better.....u want a good show watch Joe rogan

[@cloudmapper9501]

This is infinitely better than talk shows who only get to talk with Hollywood celebrities about things that don't really influence anything.

[@wolfstar675]

Well this isn't gonna influence some people either. There are already people in the comments calling what he says "bullshit"

[@illdrumatik391]

Don't see how this is influencing. Dudes a sell out. Banksy. Now that dude is influential.

[@shannonlyonsmurphy4617]

I used to think this guy was a tool, then he gave a speech at my college graduation that was incredibly powerful. He's a really genuine and intelligent person. Props to Colbert for having him on his show.

[@timlansky4060]

What college did you go to?

[@PrAnG2000]

+Richie gentide Ahahahaaa. Potencial stalker.

[@timlansky4060]

PrAnG2000 good one....

[@timlansky4060]

PrAnG2000 I asked so I could look it up and see if there is a video of it.

[@shannonlyonsmurphy4617]

+Richie gentide I don't think there is a video, it was Pratt Institute

[@Bounsingonbongos1]

the irony about "obey" is that people have been quite obedient in their following of the trend.

[@MrLoneWolf009]

interesting that you obey those who question the trend

[@Bounsingonbongos1]

MrLoneWolf009 it's an endless loop of band-wagoning

[@carljohnson6863]

+Racist Bassist seems like ur just jealous

[@Bounsingonbongos1]

Carl Johnson of?

[@MrLoneWolf009]

John Murray yet you seem to follow the same anarchist sheeple mentality many internet goers seem to share

[@theendlesssuffering]

Colbert brings intelligent guests unlike other shows.

[@joannasaad298]

Yes I love that half the time I don't know who the guest is.

[@illdrumatik391]

+Joanna Pyzik I think that's the point of that lol

[@GypsyTinker2012]

Andre the Giant has a posse! - Can't tell you how many stickers I plastered on the east side. Keep it up Shepard!

[@wolfstar675]

He took the "Obey" from the John Carpenter film "They Live"

[@LouisJWest]

+Enrique Godinez great movie. I need me some of those glasses.

[@teribredeson8235]

He specifically credits the film as his inspiration in his Hulu documentary "obey giant"

[@LouisJWest]

Anyone else notice his shirt? It's a badass design. It is the logo from an old punk rock band called Crass, who sang a lot of controversial political songs and were very outspoken about being against the system. The original band's logo has a cross in the center, he replaced it here with a peace symbol. Very creative choice on his part, and for the people who get it, that is a very powerful message to wear such a shirt on a major TV show.

[@gabb05]

one of the best interviews i've heard...big fan of shepard...such carefully chosen and elocuent words

[@sfar024]

I like this guy.

[@rizkyoctavianto2560]

I like all late night shows but Stephen just seems like he doesn't care about what other hosts are doing. I like what he's doing with the show, especially the guests... it's just different. kudos on this dude

[@steveleeart]

Loved how he had the street artist Invader on in a quick comical piece during one of his opening skits a few weeks ago...

[@Brandonlcosta]

Fairey is the most intelligent person I've seen on this show.

[@fallforbc7091]

Love the diversity of Colbert's guests.

[@Cswelly]

Your show has actual American culture we can be proud of! Thank you Stephen!

[@psycherevival2762]

Wow how cool is that!? Shepard and his work are amazing!

[@dietbunzz1227]

Very smart, intellectual, and dedicated to his art form, truly awe inspiring.

[@HarryBuddhaPalm]

+Brody LaLonde He's a thief and a hack. He takes other people's art and photographs and traces them and claims them as his own and then he sues anyone that does it to him. He's also a hypocrite that criticizes capitalism and then mass produces tacky art for money.

[@MrLoneWolf009]

+Harry BuddhaPalm newsflash, referencing a photograph isn't tracing, although the photographer who lost a copyright claim would beg to differ. And how is it hypocritical to sell art as an artist? Just because you criticize capitalism doesn't mean you have to live on the streets. logic = nonexistent

[@MrLoneWolf009]

+Harry BuddhaPalm I bet it's also hypocritical for a Republican that hates the government with a "don't tread on me" tattoo to accept government-funded programs and federal minimum wage right?

[@couttsie]

@@HarryBuddhaPalm art is supposed to be recycled, and it always is. art comes from inspiration, and though it was wrong of him to use the portrait you’re referring to, the point is what HE personally sees in those images, and he conveys it how he wants to to put his point across. he’s an intelligent man, you can’t deny that. art is always gonna be copied and manipulated

[@nateauld]

Stephen gets much better guests than everyone else

[@Supersonic658]

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@kykywox]

With this man's name I imagine a tiny fairy shepherd floating, hurdling a bunch of tiny winged sheep towards a floating pen.

[@newartmov]

Kykywox best comment yet

[@AldoBishalini]

I own one of the original signed prints of his Bernie Sanders/Red Hot Chili Peppers posters from their live performance at Ace Hotel in LA. $220 worth of framing but well worth it for awesome art work.

[@jacobrubiojr3710]

Keep going buddy you are inspiring a lot of people, God bless you God bless your heart you are a true American.. all your haters swallow their own poison!!

[@arpadelluna]

"Blocking the Keystone Pipeline is something I'm proud of him doing." And Stephen "But that's a complicated question." Well yes but WHAT?!

[@redwolfking3467]

good video

[@brandoncazares8452]

My art teacher showed me this video in my class one time

[@silversky5554]

i really admired his artworks. first time i knew him was from the game Getting Up for ps2. man that andre poster just stuck in my head ever since. and his later works are really good tho i really like the propaganda style he put in his arts

[@StalinBballin]

Is his shirt suppose to be a play on the Crass logo or am I missing something...?

[@downbylaw120]

+StalinBballin does he owe us a living ,

[@LouisJWest]

+downbylaw120 Of course they do!.. I mean.. he.. do...

[@marmiteghost]

obey was made to have people question obedience and instead became a trend that garnered people's obedience. oh well

[@allonmyownherewego9893]

call it the irony of the system huh. I guess people who bought into the brand missed the message

[@maritzasalinas8167]

Originality? It's dead, get over it. The fact that this man isn't in jail for the art that he displays out on the street, is good. He still sending out a valuable message. He's able to make a profit out his paintings & a clothing line? Cool, wouldn't you want to? Fun fact Obey clothing is is Fair Trade, feed yourself with more knowledge about what he does. Stop trying to make an ass out of everyone

[@bebesomething]

he has said in an interview that he is disappointed in Obama. He said it around the same time Matt Damon was saying the same thing.

[@BlakieTT]

Welp, he definitely sounds like an artist :)

[@Potato-qv6hq]

+Blak oh trust me very few artists reach this level of sheer pretentiousness

[@melekboke]

+Potato:3 Really... this was pretentious for you?

[@Potato-qv6hq]

***** well, when an mediocre (and i do mean mediocre, there are people making things more impressive as hobbies) artist sets the message as priority instead of beauty and skill, then goes on saying how rebellious he was and tries too hard to redefine art, you tell me whether he's pretentious. just on the side note, you don't measure art by its message, you can send a strong message using sharpies and a piece of cardboard. (which seems to be what he basically did....) when did art turn from the ultimate test of one's skills in observation, creativity and craftsmanship into little more than a message board that says "agree with this you twats" and about the whole "i don't wanna put art in elitist places" crap. seems like someone forgot to tell him that the internet is officially a thing now. over all he's just some guy who likes to make communist russian style posters, the only thing special about him was that he got exposure from the media, like most so called modern artists these days.

[@BluM7861]

+Potato:3 I assuming you're one of those who don't believe that graffiti is true art, right? Gimme a break he's been doing that since the 80s how do you think he's being pretentious at all? What because he's right about what he said. Art galleries at the time were very picky as to what was consider good art and what was not back in the day. Shit some jackasses still think that today

[@FINETUNEDGAMING]

+Potato:3 It's been already pointed out, but Fairey's been creating art since the 80's, well before the internet was a "thing". His original "Andre The Giant Has A Posse" poster was created in 1989, right in the heyday of street art/graffiti as a open form of not just creative expression but political undertones, what with the Cold War, Drug War and so on all being very real things going on. I suggest next time you get your head out of your ass and do some research before you go on a tirade that in fact makes YOU sound pretentious.

[@christopherdavis8290]

Shepard Fairey is an American treasure. I'd go so far as to call him the Banksy of our generation. Also "Welcome to the Machine" is a bitchin Pink Floyd song and I'm gonna go listen to it now

[@maureenmclean5203]

Interesting

[@Buenomars]

When the machine breaks down, we break down...

[@TheTimeRocket]

Pink Floyd - Welcome To The Machine. Great song.

[@romainisledebeauchaine7025]

Pour les 1°3 de 00:00 à 0:58

[@WorldPreSchool]

Gilpen Richmond Virginia

[@senor3261]

The guy looked like Brendan Rodgers in the thumbnail.

[@YarrBr0]

welcoooooome to the machiiiiiiine

[@signofthetimes6613]

exit through the giftshop

[@huckleberry1560]

Glad Steven can bring on interesting articulate guests like Mr. Fairey in addition to the usual slog of presidential candidates.

[@madelynn5210]

You guys may say like omg I don't believe and that's ok cause this may sound unbelievable so..... MY TEACHER IS FRIENDS WITH SHEPARD FAILEY

[@kgal1298]

Thank god for KZbin breaks at work I really need the mental break from some of the idiotic rage that happens online.

[@dionderksen6521]

So this is the guy responsible for the preferred hat brand of assholes everywhere. That isn't a dis, he made it really easy to identify people we should avoid

[@theliveing]

Preferred hat brand?

[@Kevin64599]

Yeah I hate how the two have come synonymous with each other, when really I bet mostly of those people know nothing's about Shepard fairey and just wear it because it's "cool".

[@aaronbuffalo7769]

This was parodied in Megamind

[@looneyflight]

HAH everyone has same reaction to how they feel about obama before and after. I find it very amusing.

[@andinodinoo]

why stephen don't ask him about his close friend banksy :)

[@PrAnG2000]

+Andhino Cika because it's not about Banksy.

[@Hollyweed1]

I fuckin hate those screams 3:00

[@5oclockshadowbanned154]

A truly lost individual.

[@charcoal139]

"courage" to put your art out there...o.O

[@longdistance6082]

All of you spellbound citizens in marvel at how eloquent and intelligent Sheppys words are?? What were you all raised in an abandoned dilapidated barn or something? I have heard far more intriguing and intelligent conversations on public transit. Stop with the hearts and butterflies already people hahah, omg you are all clones!!! The 90s was the generation of the poser, an individual tryna fit in with the sub cultures that they had no real voice or identity with. 2000z yall mastered the art of the poser just nailed it! 2teens, woah, now yall just clones and have no idea what culture it is you are biting. Have fun fitting in with that, you can regret it in a few years when ya looking back through old photos and will be like "wtf I used to wear that conformist bs". haha good day.

[@GGoAwayy]

Grade school photos at the end? Just why? I'd rather have had a few more moments of good conversation. If I want to see celebrities photos as kids I'll start clicking on Internet banner ads or start watching lesser quality shows. Get rid of whichever writer had that idea.

[@cyrusgraham292]

2007-2008 Connecticut Yahoo mess. travel. Avatar Breath.

[@2041311]

first?

[@2041311]

+Adan Garcia when do I get the prize

[@jonathanroberson122]

+Adan Garcia You mean the trophy for being lame and unoriginal? They stopped making those years ago. I'm sorry.

[@2041311]

+Jonathan Roberson What do they send you now?

[@jonathanroberson122]

Adan Garcia I think they send out brochures to various colleges, and/or job applications. I could be wrong though.

[@illdrumatik391]

+Jonathan Roberson Lmao. Take it easy. I don't think the poor kid recognized your sarcasm.

[@Burgeonite]

If you want to interview and raise the profile an artist who gets thrown in jail for doing their work, want to make it not a white dude from the US selling a book? Broaden the conversation please! Disrupt existing power structures! There are other artists!

[@enclavevideo]

What a sellout.

[@z4k4z]

+Nick Happold Easy retort.

[@BennettProHD]

+Nick Happold not suprised, pretty sure his show is sold out everynight.

[@hairyoldman89]

CRASS

[@ryanmonte2218]

They're both propagada ! Yaaaaay

[@Dogtrio]

god he so arrogant

[@harrisonmckinney7659]

Thief

[@leebertie57]

Still don't know what this guy stands for. Lots of fluffy answers but no substance at all

[@noxwheaties]

Total liberal

[@onionhead9414]

his new art is pretty lame

[@tomr719]

wow, he has an incredible ego

[@Annie261.]

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