Respect Authority

It’s funny that street art, which has existed for years under the category of “vandalism,” can, in today’s shifting art climate, actually increase the resale value of a building… even when that building is a total, indisputable piece of crap.

The oversize roach hotel above is The Whitehouse Pub in Liverpool, which is now more of a grandpa’s-dead-tooth gray than a white house, but hey, time makes fools of us all. Honestly, the building should probably just be condemned instead of sold, but on the other hand, I can certainly see why somebody would be interested in getting rid of it. I think I can smell the abundant bum toilets inside through the very Internet.

The building is currently on the market for £495,000, however, the 20 foot tall rat painted on the side is believed to be Banksy’s largest work and real estate agents are saying the price of the pub will soar as a result, perhaps to a lofty £1 million. A ludicrous sum which will naturally be the most amount of money spent on a polished turd in history. Actually, scratch that — the The Matrix Reloaded’s budget was way higher than that.

Personally, a million pounds sounds like a lot of money to pay to simply catch a host of infectious diseases on a rusted nail once you get inside the squatter’s paradise, especially considering most people try to avoid those even when they’re for free. In the end, I suppose it’s just more proof of Banksy’s increasing momentum, or, at the very least, proof of the artist’s clairvoyance as I can take a guess as to what you’ll find inside the pub. That’s right — giant rats. And also AIDS. And a staggering case of buyer’s remorse.

I guess the thought is that any amount of paint that covers up the pub’s exterior is an improvement. It could be wallpapered with “i luv cock” scrawls and the price tag would probably just stay the same.

[BBC News]