Memory Lane

When Halfz and I were tooling around Paris in April of 2002, we were astonished to see posters advertising the album pictured above: "L'Indiscipline," an effort by the adolescent rapper known only as Fuckly. Needless to say, we took several of the posters home with us. I don't think it hurt Fuckly's sales, either -- there were so many of the posters that even the pending release of the "The Eminem Show" scarcely registered at all in my mind at the time.

I'm a bit embarrassed to admit that I haven't actually listened to a single Fuckly track, and that I accidentally left the poster in my rented apartment in Florence when I moved out. Given that it was my proudest acquisition during my entire six-month stay in Europe, I tried to explain the situation to my landlord, who operated the sausage factory downstairs. He denied knowing anything about the item, but I suspect he was lying.

After all, who could resist Fuckly's penetrating, devil-may-care gaze? Seldom can a fifteen-year-old conjure up such a convincing scowl -- a look that indicates such utter contempt for discipline in all its forms. It's no surprise that the enfant terrible has developed a solid international following, with polyphonic ringtones to prove it.

I mentioned above that the Fuckly poster was my favorite memento from my travels that year, but to be fair there were at least three others of equal value, all of which have gone missing either before or after my return to the U.S.:

1. Photograph of me, in Florence, standing in front of a graffito reading "Cock Block Jock Rock," surmounted by the anarchy symbol.
Stolen and taken to Chicago, Illinois, by a well known provocateur.

2. A pair of tortoise-shell framed sunglasses, with brown fade lenses and the name "Sport" across the bridge.
Purchased at a flea market in Waterlooplein, Amsterdam. Stolen by mischievous spirits at a zen temple in Tokyo. Since replaced (and subsequently broken) twice, by comparable pairs, the second of which will soon be making its big screen debut.

3. Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (Import Soundtrack), produced by RZA.
Purchased for $22 in Tokyo in May 2002, badly scratched and then lost in college. Now available on Amazon and eBay for as much as $50.

Pending a trip to the windy city, all of these items can be replaced. Not so for Fuckly, wherever he is. His stony visage is gone from my life forever.