Throughout Stockton-on-Tees, graffiti has appeared stating ‘Shak Grass’. In some places, it’s ‘Big Nose Shak Grass’. In one place, it’s been spelt wrong and corrected. But it’s all over the place in Stockton, right from one end of the town to the other: Far too widespread for one person to have done on a drunken rampage (and anyway, it’s continuing to appear). I’ve counted at least twelve different sites, though some of it has started to be cleaned up now.

The graphic above doesn’t show the best example, but I feel I bit of an idiot taking photos of graffiti, and then worried slightly that I might be arrested on suspicion of creating it myself, so we’ll just have to make do with it. But, more importantly…

What the heck does it mean?

There are a couple of theories here:

I think it’s one of the asian guys that live near me. Some dude called Shakif (I Think) got a coke dealer sent down.

It’s a new indie night!

This guy has used it as a comment on YouTube.

But none of these are particularly satisfactory explanations. Does anyone have any other suggestions, or actually know what it means?

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There was something about graffiti on Look North, with the delectable Carol Malia this evening and me Mam said, “Did we ever find out what ‘Big nose Shak grass meant?”. “I’ll Google it”, said I - and here I am.

I’d forgotten all about leaving it as a comment on YouTube and am utterly blown away that you should have found it. I have nothing to do with the slogan however, but would love to learn of it’s true meaning and the artist who devised it.

I for one think it’s good to see the return of cryptic graffiti to the little sleepy village of Stockton on smack.

While, “Much has happened, little has changed”, on the gable end of Mr. Ben’s costume shop had a heart warmingy cynical message of acceptance, it never quite matched the pure confusion factor of “Dogs like cars”, which greeted motorists who passed under it in the opulent 1980’s, daubed on the railway bridge at the end of Durham road, opposite that house with the creepy china doll in the window.

» This comment was received at 19:02 on 11 December 06

I’m sad to report that I’ve still no more idea what the whole thing was about. Interesting that you should mention the railway bridge on Durham Road - the picture above is from the bill-board right by there. It was great fun trying to take it without looking obvious.

I wasn’t in Stockton back in the 1980s, so don’t remember ‘Dogs like cars’. But, as you say, it’s good to see the return of cryptic graffiti instead of the regular boring kind.

» This comment was received at 19:33 on 11 December 06

We’ve had a bit of a re-org at Haxed and have noticed we’re still getting links from here. The link above no longer works, but this one does ..

http://www.haxed.co.uk/forum/index.php?board=1;action=display;threadid=41498

There has been a few mew theories added too.

Jack

» This comment was received at 20:00 on 02 April 07

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