I make my living in the arts. The way I see it. Frank Kozic who originally made the art work for the guitar is an artist and I'll defend his freedom of expression till the end. Frank Kozik is a very established graphic poster artist. He's done work for Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Melvins, The Butthole Surfers, he also makes toys, like this guitar. I don't particularly like his work, but he has the right to make it.

IMO, The guitar looks like some 14 year old made it (no offense to the young ones on the forum). The only thing stupid is the graphics on this piece of probably and hopefully made in China toy. Fender will probably sell lots of them to the teeny boppers no problem. It's not the words that bother me as much as the disrespectful graphics of the American Flag and the Statue of Liberty being depicted. I find it totally irresponsible and disrespectful. With everything that's going on in the world today, FMIC should know better.
It's cheap $150 and the whole guitar is laminates. This is a case of you don't get what you pay for. At least it's a colorful POS.
Fire away, got my flame suit on.

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Life...... It's sexually transmitted and always fatal

This is my recording bass rig. I do have a sense of humor.....



The Kozik is disappointing.

Very cool. Don't ever apologize or even acknowledge that Badtz-Maru is on your bass. That's wonderful irony in motion.

PS I know the name of that character because I have a nine year old daughter. I'm still masculine, right?

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Good Vibes To Y'all!



Screamin' Armadillos
Texas Roadhouse Music
Guitar/Slide Guitar/Harp/Vocals

Thats irony right there, it's not made in USA- that in itself, would offend me if I was american.. I see what others are saying. Perhaps it would be more of an 'art piece' if it was a one off and every model was different. But now the picture is getting clear- an american 'icon company' commisioning a product of this piece that is offensive to the average patriotic american, yet is probably made in china???

Hmm, I dont see this model being made for long if people continue to voice opinions.

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Just because you can do something doesent always mean you should.

Actually, taking a second look at it one might consider this a brilliant work of humor. Consider the message "The Future is stupid", there may be some truth to that. The most likely target market for this axe is your average 11 - 14 year old (just a random guess). It is often said by many that children are our future, Whitney Houston even "believed" it. The consensus seems to be that this design is silly or even stupid. Therefore any idiot who actually purchases this guitar and being of a young age group which, according to the song, "are our future" must be stupid. So by them playing this guitar in public, or perhaps even in the home if the ridicule received from older siblings plays a role, then the joke is on them for holding their own personal billboard advertising their stupidity. If that is in fact the case, I'd have to say this is Sarcasm at its purist form and kudos to the designer with such a bright sense of humor.

or it could just be a terrible idea and Leo is definitely trying to find a way back to life to can whoever is responsible.

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YMMV

Chont's Mustang Presets

Curiosity got the better of me and I decided to look up the artist's interpretation of the work (original source: http://www.oakley.com/community/posts/708).

"NB: The Future is Stupid means ______:

FK: I miss Reagan. Everyone does. There would be no punk rock without him. Everybody hated him – he was great to hate – it was awesome. He wasn’t some bland, useless, pathetic turd. The dude had some f…… presence. Like him or not, he was a rad president, it was cool in a weird way. The Future is Stupid means whatever you want it to. To me, punk rock ethos have won. Punk won. Everything is underground. Everyone is a rockstar rebel. A bunch of full-fledged individuals who can spread their wings and fly – and it hasn’t changed a g.. d… thing. Everyone wanted a future of complete individualism. You got it. But it still sucks. We’re here and now and it still sucks. Also, I’m not into people who have all these big ideas who think they can come around and fix everything for me. It’s a little bit of that, too. To you? I have no idea"

The "future is stupid" phrase is one that Kozik has apparently licenced for various products, including Fender guitars, action figures, and Oakley sunglasses (the source of the above quote was the Oakley website). If a critique of American system was intended, it should be noted that it's a system he's likely making a ton of money off of.

The artistic validity of the design is debatable (I'll concede that Americans are indeed by and large getting stupider and our future is geting increasingly bleak should things continue to go the way they're going), but the statement itself is certainly one the artist has the right to make.

I still think the guitar itself is pretty lame.

Art my $@!!!

I don't think something qualifies as art if its being used on a consumer product.

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Rated "M" for meaty.

I don't like the guitar, not because of any patriotic or nationalistic reason, nor do I think it's offensive (it doesn't really bother me). I dislike it because it's ugly and it goes against what the message itself means.

I looked up some of his art--and I like some of it. Others were kinda "meh", but overall, his work is interesting enough to make me want to see more.

However, the fact that a company (Fender, Oakley, whomever) would license such a "punk" or "individualistic" phrase or image for a mass-produced product is ridiculous. The fact that he explains this series of work ("Future Is Stupid") is such a ridiculous manner, without any sense of irony, make me wonder about his true feelings about the art...I don't care if he is just doing it for the money, but don't claim to be a rockstar rebel if you're just selling out to a corporation, even if it is one as cool as FMIC.

This is a rebuttal of Frank Kozik's statements.



Really? I thought punk started in the early 70s with the Stooges and MC5 and was established by the mid-70s. It gained a greater toehold in the UK than it did in the US (although it was influential here, too). Punk actually started to lose steam in the Reagan era (1980-1988 as President; you could say that he still had great influence while GHW Bush was president Clinton took office).



Frankie, if you are of the mindset that "everything sucks," then it will (suck). People who walk around, "This sucks, this is stupid, this is boring..." are they themselves usually sucky, stupid and boring. An interesting person finds something interesting to do...even in an uninteresting environment.

...and no, everyone is not a "rockstar rebel" or "full-fledged individual"; If they were, they wouldn't all be wearing the same stupid clothes and listening to the same stupid music and griping about how everything and everyone else is stupid. They wouldn't be concerned about fashion or anti-fashion or conventionalism or anti-conventionalism and they would just be cool and hang loose.
God, I'm glad I'm 41 and I don't care what people think if I'm not dressed "cool". I wear what I feel is appropriate for the occasion, be it a suit, a pair of jeans or shorts and flipflops...how's that for rebellion? I don't care what GQ or Vogue says what to wear--if I like it, I can afford it and I think it looks good on me, I wear it (sometimes to the chagrin of my wife).
I don't care who the "hot new band" or artist is--if I like the music, art, whatever, I like it, regardless of popularity.
THAT'S TRUE REBELLION--BEING YOURSELF WITHOUT PURPOSELY TRYING TO TICK OFF EVERYONE ELSE.


Well, I agree with you on that one--you have to fix everything for yourself...but if you're not willing to listen to another person's idea and/or help another person in need, then you aren't a real person and you'll never grow...what have you done for or learned from anybody else, Frank?

I love art, but i don't like many artists because they are vapid, domineering, judgemental jackasses who whine about something/someone (fill in the blank here) holding them down, holding them back, being judgemental...which is what they themselves become the instant they find an audience.
At an art gallery, I overheard an artist sneer and criticize me because I was dressed "so typical and ordinary without any irony."
I was dressed appropriately for a gallery opening--a dark suit and dress shirt, but I wasn't trendy or hip...I prefer classic-styled suits so I don't have to buy new ones every year. I wasn't "out of style," just not trendy.
I walked up to him and informed him that I don't have to wear a costume to be myself--my clothing is not necessarily a reflection of who or what I am. I told him, "look around you at all these other artists and hangers-on--they're all wearing the same costume; hip, trendy black clothes all made by the same designers, without any individuality or style of their own...and suddenly, when someone walks in here dressed differently, you think you can criticize them for being ordinary? I'm the one who's extra-ordinary, because there's no one in this room dressed as I am. You're just an insecure, vapid jackass who thinks by criticizing me, you'll look more intelligent, individualistic and hip. Instead you look petty and small."
Since I did this without making a scene and without any anger, several people apologized for his words and said they often thought the same thing, but were afraid of being ostracized for saying something in disagreement with him.


I agree with you on that one, brother.

I would buy it if there were a picture of his face and it said, "Kozik is Stupid". Now THAT would be punk--self-criticism.

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Good Vibes To Y'all!



Screamin' Armadillos
Texas Roadhouse Music
Guitar/Slide Guitar/Harp/Vocals

Buckin' Fugly

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Common sense and a sense of humor are the same thing, moving at different speeds. A sense of humor is just common sense, dancin'

Now that's a guitar to buy, strum, then bash it to pieces in the middle of a Guitar Center parking lot. Then break out the hot dogs, light a match to it, and have a weiner roast(no pun intended) in honor of the weiner that agreed to have this mass produced. Thank you that is all.

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I can't find the Crossroads, my GPS must be broke....


2001 Fender Highway One, 2004 Fender SE Ash, 2011 Fender 200 SCE '99 Washburn WR120Pro, Amps: Fender Stage 160, Vox Valvetronix 30, Peavey 212 400 watt, Ibanez 50 watt Toneblaster

Now that guitar inside a jar of urine. That would be art!

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My ability to spell is in direct proportion to the amount of coffee I've had.

AMEN!!! I think a lot of great art or music can get thrown by the wayside because it may not be seen as trendy or hip. Conversely, a lot of garbage gets pushed because it is viewed as being trendy or cutting edge.

I say, follow your muse and do what YOU like (while still keeping an open eye or ear for inspiration). The end result may or may not set the world on fire, but it will be honest and you can be proud of it.

It been done with a crucifix! Talk about bad taste. Maybe if you shove that guitar in a box of feces......

The way I look at it, the guitar is $150 and in all likelihood won't be playable for all that long anyway.

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Life...... It's sexually transmitted and always fatal