Not everyone appreciates graffiti and for good reason. In Madison it is rare to find the colorful murals one might find in larger metropolitan areas, our graffiti tends to be limited to ugly tags. Additionally, Madison's street stencil artists also seem to be a dying breed in comparison to a couple years ago when hardly a week would pass between new stencil art popping up on buildings or other landmarks. I don't condone the defacement of public or private property, but I do appreciate it when someone who chooses to do so at the least makes an attempt at making the defacement interesting or at least creates something that makes me stop and go "hmmmm...that's neat."

Johnny Five, currently plastered on the side of the old Casa Bianca building on North Bassett, is one of those acts of defacement that brings a smile to my face. Johnny, for those of you who somehow don't know, is the robot star from the classic 80's comedy Short Circuit. I remember watching the film as a young tyke, completely convinced that he was a real robot. So now, every day as I walk home from work, I see Johnny Five and it brings a nostalgic smile to my face.