Downtown Asheville mural of pop star Tina Turner vandalized with apparent swastika

Brian Gordon | Asheville Citizen Times

ASHEVILLE - Employees of a downtown business say a vandal defaced a mural of pop star Tina Turner with a red swastika outside Static Age Records, a downtown shop, earlier this week.

After the store closed on the evening of Dec. 23, Static Age employees say someone drew the symbol of Nazism, though incorrectly, with three of the four arms pointing counterclockwise. The swastika centers on the face of Turner, who is black.

Before store owner Jesse McSwain could address the situation, someone unconnected to the store apparently covered the mural in a black sheet. Static Age employees then alerted the hate symbol to Asheville Police Department and the Southern Poverty Law Center.

“This is a widely inclusive, safe space,” McSwain said. “Hate speech will get you out the door.”

In his 16 years in business, McSwain said he has not experienced any hateful images or threats toward the store.

“Occasionally some weird supremacist will rear their head around here,” he said of the Asheville area. “Not sure how organized this act was. Perhaps more organized than I’d like to think about.”

Static Age has long used its pulldown storefront as a space for murals painted by local aerosol artist Gus Cutty that honor music legends like Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, Lemmy from Motörhead, and Lou Reed. Turner’s mural was based on her screen performance in the 80s film Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome.

On the morning of Dec. 26, McSwain took down the sheet and painted over the swastika in black paint. Warm weather allowed the storefront to remain up and out of sight as customers streamed in throughout the day.

McSwain said he is thinking about rotating in a new mural of the Israeli artist Charlie Megira.

According to APD spokeswoman Christina Hallingse, the incident is still under investigation. Anyone with information should call APD at 828-252-1110 or Buncombe County Crimestoppers at 828-255-5050.