Musician, manager and producer turned artist Kosmo Vinyl on his Is Saitch Yer Daddy blog and what it is to be West Ham United
“If you put them on the internet Dad, then everyone can see them,” my son Jack suggested, and I agreed. Little did I know what I was getting myself in to...
No longer would I be sending out occasional home-made postcards reflecting the ups and downs of a New York City-based lifelong West Ham fan, I would now be covering each and every match in our 2011/12 Championship bid for immediate return to The Premiership with a unique piece of art.
During the years I spent working in the company of musicians and songwriters, something must have rubbed off, as I was now part of the creative process. With scissors, glue, paint, brush and anything else that came in handy, I would attempt to “tell it like it is” – what it’s like to follow West Ham week in week out from a distance of 3,473 miles (Boleyn to Manhattan).
I’m sure the fans of every football club like to think that their club is special, but I know only of West Ham. Another team was never an option, my family were all Hammers and I would be too – done and dusted.
So if asked what makes West Ham so special, my answer would be East London. Who can argue with the claim that the East End and its people are unique? Both are legend and their story doesn’t need retelling here.
Sure many, if not most, West Ham fans (myself included) no longer live in East London, but the die has been cast and the strong influence of family and culture remain. Grit, loyalty, a sense of style and good humour are all characteristics of the Cockney, and whether it be on the pitch or in the stands, all can be found at West Ham.
Today, might be the last match I see at The Boleyn, a bookend of sorts to my first visit during the ‘64/65 season. I’m not sure back then, I would have dreamed of being in the programme and fifty years later it’s still hard to believe, especially as a result of being an artist.
What started out as an air mail “wind up” of a former Chelsea Shed boy in Canada, has evolved into a serious artistic endeavour to capture what it is like to support West Ham United.
For a fifth and final season I am producing a piece of art for every match the Hammers play. This art can be found online in my blog Is Saitch Yer Daddy, named after a long-gone piece of brush painted graffiti that could once be viewed from the District Line train near Bromley By Bow station.
By seasons end, I will have made something in the region of 200 Irons-themed artworks and within those 200 pieces I hope there is something of the passion, pride, style and humour that will for me be the essence of West Ham.
All my work is for sale, and anyone interested in owning a piece should visit kosmovinyl.com
Each piece is one of a kind and priced accordingly. There are also plans for a Best of Saitch book and I’m to announce another gallery show soon – and a “pop up” on Green Street is not out of the question.
The opinions in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of West Ham United