LinkExchange Member
At about the same time I was starting my first company, (Computerad, 1985 I think it was), I lived in Back Hill, London EC1. There were a couple of large advertising hoardings nearby, which mostly carried tobacco ads - and one of my neighbours obviously objected. He (they?) signed themselves 'Coughin' everytime they defaced an ad, and sometimes their additions were very witty.
I was impressed by the effort and wit exhibited in the graffiti and started to photo-document it. Clicking on the thumbnail will download a larger picture.
If any viewers of this page have any information about 'Coughin', or perhaps some of you have similar pictures you'd like to publish, or if you know of any other sites like this - please let me know.
One of the wittiest. An ad for John Player Special, showing the racing car they sponsored. Another sponsor of the car was the petrol company ELF, and the graffiti says "smoking can seriously damage your 'elf". |
 These were anti-apartheid days, so this was a chance to attack the tobacco industry and the racists. |
Two excellent puns and a reference to a great sixties song - I wonder how many smiles this one raised for the passers-by. |
 A simple 'prophet of doom' addition. |
Add the word 'lung' and turn two Ls into Ts - 'Rolling in flavour' becomes 'Lung rotting in flavour'. |
 I confess, I don't understand this one - perhaps even graffiti artists have off-days. |
Two more excellent plays on words - 'Death on tap' and 'money down the drain'. |
 The original strap line reads 'Black in a tick' - it's been altered to read 'Black lung in a tick'. |
The same poster as above, now reads 'Black in your ticker'. |
 Superb. A poster for 'the smokers match' appears next to a public health education poster about strokes - too good to resist. |
Hmmm, I think he/she/they ran out of inspiration.... |
 Marlboro Lights are the 'victims' in this case. 'Lights' has been changed to 'BLights', bent straws are labelled as 'crooked, like the tobacco industry', Low Tar has become SLow FArt, and more besides. This poster lasted 2 days before it was replaced. |
One of the best. |