Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Say Yes!”?
Artist Statement
My friend Steven Scott who works at my favorite LA breakfast spot, The Mustard Seed Cafe, gave me a copy of his band’s demo CD. The band is called AFTERNOONS and their music is very symphonic, uplifting, indie rock in the vein of the Polyphonic Spree or newer Flaming Lips. The standout track is called “Say Yes” and I was so inspired by it that I decided to make a poster for the band to put up on the street, and a few to sell to recoup printing costs. The edition is only 150. The prints will go on sale Monday, 6/9. There is a myspace link below if you’d like to hear them. After I played the song for Steve Jones, he immediately put it on Jonesy’s Jukebox.
Summary
Say Yes! is a 2008 Shepard Fairey screen print published by Obey Giant, measuring 24 x 18 inches in a signed edition of 150. Fairey created it as a promotional poster for the Los Angeles indie-rock band AFTERNOONS after a friend gave him their demo CD; the standout track 'Say Yes' inspired the design. According to Fairey, the poster was made to put up on the street, with a limited run sold to recoup printing costs. The prints went on sale June 9, 2008, in an edition of only 150.
Why It Matters
Say Yes! is a genuinely personal release that shows Fairey using his platform not for a famous band or commercial collaboration but to champion an unsigned local act he encountered through a friend at his favorite LA breakfast spot. The description makes clear his motivation was inspiration rather than profit: he made the poster to put up on the street and sold only a handful to cover printing costs, with the edition capped at just 150. That small size makes it one of the scarcer music prints from a year when Fairey was producing prolifically. For collectors, the work is a window into Fairey's street-poster ethos and his enthusiasm for music as a grassroots, community-driven force, the same impulse that links his art to punk and indie culture. The anecdote that he played the track for Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones, who immediately added it to his radio show, adds a layer of music-world connection. Compared with prints tied to established names, Say Yes! is notable precisely because it documents Fairey's instinct to amplify emerging artists, making it a distinctive and human entry in his catalog.
Collector Perspective
This print suits collectors drawn to Fairey's music output and to the more personal, street-poster side of his practice rather than blue-chip collaborations. Its small signed edition of 150 makes it one of the harder-to-find music prints of 2008, which appeals to completists and those who value scarcity. The backstory, a poster made to promote an unknown indie band out of genuine enthusiasm, gives the piece a story collectors enjoy sharing, and its 24 x 18 format displays well alongside other Obey Giant music prints. It is a rewarding pick for anyone building a thematic music-and-counterculture grouping with an emphasis on authenticity over star power.
Historical Context
Released June 9, 2008, Say Yes! comes from a highly productive stretch in which Fairey paired political and music projects through Obey Giant. The work reflects his enduring street-poster roots: he describes making it specifically to wheatpaste on the street, selling only a small number to recoup costs. This grassroots gesture, championing the LA indie band AFTERNOONS after hearing their demo, echoes the do-it-yourself ethos that shaped his early career and his lifelong attachment to music subcultures. The detail that he shared the track with Steve Jones, who added it to his radio program, situates the piece within Fairey's network of music-world relationships. At only 150 copies, it stands as one of the more intimate and limited music releases of his 2008 output.
FAQ
Who is Say Yes! about?
It promotes the Los Angeles indie-rock band AFTERNOONS. A friend who worked at Fairey's favorite breakfast spot gave him their demo; the track 'Say Yes' inspired him to make a poster for the band to put up on the street.
How large is the edition?
The edition is only 150, making it one of the smaller music prints from Fairey's 2008 output. It is a 24 x 18 inch signed screen print published by Obey Giant, with prints going on sale June 9, 2008.
Why did Fairey make this print?
He was inspired by the band's song and made the poster to wheatpaste on the street, selling only a few copies to recoup printing costs rather than for commercial gain, according to his own description.
Is there a notable music-world connection?
Fairey writes that after he played the song for Steve Jones, Jones immediately added it to his radio show, Jonesy's Jukebox, linking the release to his broader music-scene relationships.
Related Works
About the Artist
Shepard Fairey (b. 1970, Charleston, South Carolina) is an American street artist, graphic designer, and activist, and a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design. His 1989 “André the Giant Has a Posse” sticker grew into the global OBEY GIANT campaign — an ongoing experiment in propaganda, obedience, and visual culture. He reached worldwide recognition with the 2008 “Hope” portrait of Barack Obama, now held by the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery. Across screen prints, stencils, murals, and collage, Fairey channels propaganda aesthetics toward themes of peace, justice, environmentalism, and civil rights. His work is in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Victoria & Albert Museum, and LACMA.