“I'm probably more known for my art,” said Shepard Fairey, standing behind a long black DJ table outfitted with tubes that blinked neon.

It was 2 p.m. in the Sahara Tent on Day 3 of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, and Fairey was right. Most people are more familiar with his contemporary, mixed media works than with his proficiency at the turntable.

Fairey is the creator of the iconic “HOPE” portrait of President Barack Obama that was used extensively throughout his presidential campaign. Art critic Peter Schjeldahl called it “the most efficacious American political illustration since ‘Uncle Sam Wants You.'”

On Sunday, a hiccup with the sound equipment brought Fairey to the front of the stage.

“The plan wasn't to go all Henry Rollins (who performed spoken word) here, but that's what has to happen until they fix the malfunction,” he said. “So, any questions from the audience?“

One fan asked about Fairey's recent legal problems in Boston, where the artist was arrested on numerous charges of felony vandalism.

“Boo, Boston,” Fairey said. “I was on my way to a show when 10 undercover cops pulled over the cab I was in and arrested me. Why is that? Because I symbolize the kind of outspoken expression that can't be suppressed by the corporate interests of the government.”

He encouraged the crowd to express themselves through any means possible.

“I think art and music can change the world, and anyone who tells you otherwise wants the status quo to stay exactly the way it is. So (expletive) them.”

His advice to budding creatives, “Be prepared to work your (expletive) off. Nothing comes easily that's worth doing.”

Fairey has also come under fire for appropriating others' work, transforming it and using it for his own — most recently the Associated Press asked for compensation from Fairey, charging that the “HOPE” poster was based on a copyrighted photograph taken in April 2006 by an AP photographer.

So it's fitting that Fairey performed similar work as a DJ at Coachella, pulling music from the likes of AC/DC, Grandmaster Flash and the Pixies, stretching it, reshaping it and creating something entirely his own.

His set ended with Sex Pistols member Sid Vicious' cover of the Frank Sinatra classic, “My Way.”

Standing in front of the turntables, tossing T-shirts and stickers to a sea of frenzied hands, Fairey said, “That's something for everyone to remember. Always do it your way.”