Santa Barbara can thank artist Gary Bradley for the incredible new mural on the back wall of Eos Lounge, which faces toward the east on Haley Street, less than two blocks from State.
Atop a pink-and-blue sunburst pattern is a massive figure clad in a green cloak. He is made of metal, and his riveted face is fitted with a stygian snarl. He looks down upon you as you walk (or drive) past with an imposing glare in his eyes, pointing, and seemingly both demanding and commanding your attention.
While some might quickly recognize this character as Doctor Doom, arch-nemesis of Marvel’s Fantastic Four. But the painted words “You’ve been trippin’ around uptown with some fancy clown!” — from the song “Fancy Clown” by Madvillain — and the onomatopoeic “RIP DOOM'' identify this figure as the iconic, masked hip-hop artist MF DOOM, who died on October 31, 2020, even though the world didn’t learn of his passing until December 31.