Posts Tagged ‘interview’

Last time we spoke it was DAZ, now DASR? Where did the R come from!

For pretty much 15 years its been Das-Daz… Then came Dasone and a couple years back I did a Dasr piece. Put a bit more power in the name and 4 letters is better than 3… I love R’s also, strong letter and good to finish on.

So since the last interview what have you been up to? I hear your not in Brighton any more?

Yeah, basically had to come home,  been missing London for a while and had to find a way to come home. I signed a short lease with the Chrome & Black boys and gave it ago. RareKind London..  Only gallery shows, which was quite a change to the shop/gallery I had in Brighton. After 5 months after spending an awful lot of money on rent and shows I had to do the right thing and close, the recession is a bloody killer.. RareKind London will not be a full time gallery anymore and will put on shows every two months in different locations.  It also frees me up to spend more time on my art and run RareKind commissions. Putting shows on in new locations keeps things fresh, East London is flooded and people are already showing signs of wanting something different.

What is Chrome&Black?

C&B really has noting to do with RK. They are a separate business run by two good friends of mine. This is the best Graffiti Shop in London if not the UK. Run by writers for writers, something RK has been pushing for years, C&B offer an amazing array of graffiti goodies, there are 4 racks of paint fully stocked at all times, books, magazines, and the amount of pens and ink make your mouth drool. It’s a large shop and very interesting, with yard fence installed, barbed wire, one of my tube doors, photos and other bits adorning the walls, as well as a wall in the entrance painted regularly by a prominent and famous London writers..

Your opening night looked mad! Good turn out?

The opening night was immense. About 400+ turned up and checked out what RK had on offer.. We filled the walls of the gallery with about 36 different artists work, gave people free booze and watched the merriness. The only down side, it was bloody baking, we brought in fans for the following shows..

Downstairs, a gallery? What artists can we look forward to seeing?

The first show {as above} had an amazing line up. To name a few… Zomby, Crept, Mr. Wany, Hunto, Tizer, Shucks, InkFet, John Hammer, Roid, Vibes, ATG and more. The space was massive about 1000sqft. Shame people were not spending much, it was not good sense to stay open, the bi-monthly shows will be a good way to keep these artists on show.

What’s it like to be back in London, London is where it all began for you right? You enjoying it?

I’m loving it. I have been gone for 8 years, nearly 9. Brighton has been very good to me, helped me open RareKind and has a great graffiti scene, but London, well its LONDON. I fucking love it. My Girlfriend and I walked 14 miles yesterday, putting up tags and placing stickers on the whole bop… You cant do that in Brighton, you’d be in the sticks in and hour.. I’ve been painting loads and hooking up with people. I’m in east now but grew up in Kilburn. Its great to be back, also my son lives in Kings X and he is over the moon that I’m here.

Why the move to London? More opportunities in London?

Yeah business is better {apart from in a recession} friends and family are closer. I kind of got to old for Brighton, it’s a student place, I’m 29 now. I miss my people still in B-Town… I’m egging them on to come to London too..

Do you still own RareKind, what happened with your Btown shop?

RareKind Brighton is now a record shop, I’m still on the lease,  but as long a the rents paid I’m free of it.
RareKind is my business, no matter what, RareKind Records is owned by Brighton Rapper HP. A great man!

How is London’s scene currently, or if you had to compare it to brightens scene just before you left?

The scenes are completely different. I think the fact that there is tubes running under the city, it puts you on your toes as a writer here.
You always crave that running panel. There are the hardcore here that are still doing it, but what happens in my mind is that makes the legal writers paint absolute bangers! London has an amazing scene, I do wish though that our Hall of Fames could be in better condition. Loads of toys, more now than ever are destroying great pieces. Also the buff is immense, it kills your heart knowing pieces on the tracks and streets and rooftops don’t last long. Its basically a battle for everyone no matter legal or illegal to keep stuff up. But that’s just for now, not forever! We have a strong scene here, full of history and the promise of a bright future, the public are more accepting of graffiti and the LU wont always have enough money to keep the buff up.. Keep it coming people.. London keep standing!

Last interview you mentioned an RK movie, fair to say this is over now or is it still happening? Or can we look forward to bigger and better things?

Yeah, the RK movie is on its way. Its kind of a documentary. Roser is making it, and cause I moved back home it got put on the back burner, but its going ahead. I got to finish my interview, grab a little more footage and we are done. The crew is now 12 years old, we wanted to show what happened over those years. Its mainly focused on the shop, and all the people who are / were involved. Its been crazy! Keep your eyes peeled.
RareKind has changed a business model. I’ve been living proof of this for pretty much 8 years, and its always changing. I’m now concentrating on putting on shows, getting Graffiti Writers their just deserts in terms of this art world. These street artists have taken our limelight, I’m taking it back. Slowly but surely. it’s a shame we cant have the full time gallery at the min, but the shows will happen in different locations and maybe in a year or so there will be another full time gallery. RK- Represent Kulture!

Not long ago we saw Meeting Of Styles 2009 come to London, were the C&B team involved in helping at all?

Meeting Of Styles was ok. We kind of pushed our way in, I don’t think C&B or RK were offered a great space, we just took that wall, no permission note, nothing.. The jam was happening round the corner. I think the organiser should have thought about who they invited and not left it to the last minute to ask the shop if they wanted to be involved. The bonus of this though is that now all of Scatler St off Brick Lane is now pretty much a Hall of Fame, the Police give some people a hard time but mostly its got someone painting everyday.

C&B and HQ are cool. It’s a great thing for London to have two graf shops, it can only make the scene stronger.

Any last words?!?!

C&B is not a RareKind business, we had nothing to do with it other than renting a space in their store.

DPM are Free!

Rest In Piece – Rizer, Skeme, Hate, Moody and all the other soldiers from our great war!

Check the new RareKind London website,  and the new blog

Keep your eyes peeled for the RK film.

Pop up shows all round the city from some great graffiti artists.

3 Decades The Show! Celebrating London’s 30 years as a major player in the graffiti world. Xmas 09.

(to check Das original interview click here)

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What Do you write?

Amor

What crew(s) are you in?

nm, fym

How did you first get into graffiti and what year?

First saw graff when subway art came out quickly followed by seeing style wars on c4.
back in around 84. did a few attempts at pieces then and in following few years,
always wrote on things with a variety of names. 1988 was when I started to take it seriously though

What do you think of the graffiti scene from then until now?

Graff then was raw man, nobody knew anything other than fucking shit up, stealing everything.
style wise graff around Europe which our little island is part of was very similar, all dondi/bando influenced. writers then took no shit off other writers, u went over stuff u got beaten or robbed. and u defiantly got crossed out for it, unlike now were kids don’t seem to have that attitude towards it.
it seems to be all cool etc to be into writing and going over shit seems accepted. the late 90s and the
introduction of writer designed paint had a massive influence on graff. kids could now buy quality paint and caps and start to do nice la di dah pieces and not worry about cans freezing, limited colour ranges or getting arrested for racking it.

it spawned a whole new  generation of writers who saw graff as cool and fashionable.
ive seen it myself were people wont paint unless they got the right brand of paint to do it with, yet same
people complain they cant do enough cause they aint got the money to get cans.

how do they think the old school did so much? we didn’t buy paint………….

as for security and attitudes, they defiantly changed, after councils etc labelled graff as a passing
fad and it got out of control. the measures now employed by police are out of hand. fair enough if your
painting illegally u know the risk. but to be busting people who never painted an illegal thing in there
life at a legal spot is stupid.

security wise in yards, fences and cctv I think lend themselves to a false sense of security to the train
companies who install it. yes it going to deter some, but the determined will and do find ways around this.

What changes have you noticed regards to legal and illegal graffiti?

I think in some places were there’s no illegal graff just legal sites, that the fun element has gone,
the spawn tribes of writers who paint the same shit on the same spot repeatedly.

but those cities with a big scene it can live together side by side with illegal graff, yes the legal heads
will say illegal graff causes them problems cause everyone complains about the tagging, that age old argument of well the colourful stuff is nice but we don’t like the scrawling. tough shit, its all part of the same culture, isn’t the whole idea to get your name up?

that said some of the legal stuff going on is very good techniqually, there is a lot of writers out there who do some amazing artwork, its all a matter of taste. its not all about how many arrows and connections u can put into it. some people who do this type of work, uber wildstyles cant do real nice simple styles. some are using internet image hosting sites to get there egos stroked, self same people that haven’t paint illegal in however long. im not saying its all of them cause theres a lot out there who earned the rights to paint in chilled spots years ago.

Who influences your work? if any…

my influences would have to be nyc…………….. a lot of German writers,
bates mist one kast and my crew. I like nice clean proportioned styles, but that doesn’t say I cant
appreciated stuff that some would label as Europe style, such as Scandinavian styles  the obvious wufc,
dirtee, hook was fresh as fuck, ikarus. they forget we are part of Europe. ive seen nice stuff in a lot of
places around Europe, Prague street styles are so good. Budapest there’s a lot of very fresh writers. I saw tracksides in Germany that are better than hall of fame pieces in this country.

I don’t take that much notice now of who is doing what in this country, even in my own city I don’t
take much notice. I here snippets of stuff here and there but that’s about it.

What does graffiti mean to you?

graffiti has been a huge part of my life for well, 20 plus years, I wouldn’t be who I am if it wasn’t for graff. maybe id be a better person, who could function in the normal world.

Are you a fan of the ‘Art-fag’ generation?

fuck it……… don’t like it, I can see the idea behind it, but too many seem to jump on the bandwagon
with a few little stencils and labelled themselves as ex writers, yet in all reality no writers have heard of
them. hang the cunts or tie them to a railway line. fuckin toys…..

What towns and cities are you really feeling at the moment for the graff scene?

I always liked Sheffield, London and Brighton……  Europe wise, stylistically Paris rocks, Amsterdam always has fresh shit going on, even if some of it is by tourists. Copenhagen… I think most big cities in Europe that have a scene have quality graff

You’ve painted abroad quite abit, tell us what countries you have hit and which country do you really rate for graffiti?

Ive done a few tours. Germany, Austria, Czech republic, Holland, Belgium, Italy, Spain. France im sick of France been there a few times to do stuff and never had success….. Germany is so hardcore, well Bavaria is……….   Italy chilled as fuck…. Czech is just a mission in itself, run sprint run sprint paint run some more, those who have been will know what I mean…. nice place and people though.. Belgium I love Belgium, met some nice people and made some good friends there

Tell us about one of your worst experiences while writing?

worst experience whilst writing, I find this difficult to answer, ive had the usual experiences any active
writer has had, injuries sustained on missions, being arrested, stitch up court cases, excessive sentencing, long sleepless nights after being chased. but I accept all that is part and parcel of what I do. too many new school fools complain they don’t want arrested or there houses turned over by plod, but they want all the fame and glory that comes with writing. I say fuck them if your not prepared to take chances and put yourself on the line you deserve nothing. all respect to those out there risking it all.

Is there a favourite mission you’ve been on that really sticks in your mind? tell us about it…

They were all good in there own ways, each one was different depending on the country. from ten minute panels to whole cars in 15 minutes… to chill times in Italy, staying in yard for 3 to 4 hours.
seeing Budapest’s commuters fully trashed, lazy stoned days in Amsterdam central spotting or at amstel.

What effect has graffiti had on your life?

Made me paranoid every time theres a knock on the door. that could have been the weed aswell though.
ive met some good friends in other countries, opportunities most people don’t get when they go abroad.
it defiantly made me who I am today.

Where do you see the graffiti scene heading in the future?

God knows, hopefully the fashion heads will fuck off. it looks like the courts are going to keep giving extreme sentences to writers. security will get tighter but there will always be a way round it. who knows. I never thought 20 years ago I would still be painting now….

Anything else you’d like to say while you’re here?

Props go to all those ive met through graff, mistone bout time he started painting again, my crews, some of which need to get in touch with again, the German guys I know thanks for many nights of fun, the guys in Munich for the mad missions, marienplatz for the free clothes, ( shoplifters paradise) those who know will understand those who don’t are missing out. the Belgians, zach, teras, vero, 7up and asem…………….

Belgium rules good scene, shit runs for long time and locals always make u welcome………..
kron and mashone for keeping me supplied with paint during hard times…
every shop ive robbed paint form cheers for allowing me to walk out without stopping me…………
petr and zlo in Prague………….
many fun times there aswell. Milan for being Milan……………………………
figs crew, vp crew, the Dutch guys up in north Holland, more rest in peace. skire, ebzke, sune and the tpn crew, aroe and any one I forgot,  sorry it wasn’t on purpose.

and a big fuck off to bero the clown……………….. one day I will get you alone and batter you, fuckin grass.

Gallery:

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What do you write?

I write Intro

What first drew you to graffiti?

Well I was always into art when I was younger, And when I first started noticing graff it was just something I felt I wanted to do.
I used to bust bubble letters and shit when I was very young before I knew what graf was.

What crews are you in?

Im in RT and a few others

How did you become part of RT and who else is in it, and whats the history?

I started painting with Vibes a few years ago and he put me in. There is a lot of loose members and then sort of the core members who hang out a lot more and paint together on the regular. But off the top of my head it is Town, Vibes, Derok, Raws, Choe,  Daze, Note184, Dfie, Debug, Cube, Tokyo, ikups, Avea. The Thing about the main heads is we are propa tight, and it is defiantly a very close group of friends as well as a graff crew. Vibe and his mate started it about 8/9 years ago in West, Then it just started to grow, you would have to ask him the full story. Everyone in the crew is in other crews but recently we all decided to focus on RT.

Who were your influences while growing up, and do you have any today?

Um really a lot of Kingston writers like Opsar, Zedz, Metro, Fang, Vaze, Tame, Made, Theme, Stan, Sect, Warp, and Spok and crews like BSE THC, SC, SF, BRS, PF1 and then a lot of other London heads like DDS, FBS,  Pies was heavy Zonk and Rambo. I went to school with Essa From KCD, LBU and he was definately a bad influence on me as a youth! I was more into chrome and black tracksides when I was younger than I was colour pieces, so anyone I used to see on track into London. Im not that old so some of those writers are still doing there thing now which is good.

RT are now becoming well known for their big blockbuster style’s, where did the idea come from?

Well Blockys are just about impact, Bang you see two massive letters plus they are propa fun to do. Its not like we set out to become known for doing block busters, its just something that happened. Doing them with emulsion is the way too as you don’t use much paint and they stand out on tracks!

Tell us about one of your worst experiences while writing.

One of the worst things was gashing my finger open on a yard fence, I nearly lost my finger which would have been dry. In the end I had 17 stitches in it and have barely any feeling. But it could have been worse.
Obvioulsy getting nicked is long ive had a few cases and shit but always managed to get get off with fines and discharges.

Has there been a real memorable mission for you?

Probably going out in numbers to do tracksides, me, vibe, note an  town used to go out on the early while trains were still on and do tracks, Once we were doing Putney to Clapham at about 10. And we propa smashed it and each did a few dubs, when 2 of us got spotted. We were about a mile from the get on so we had to boot and keep getting in cubby holes when fast trains came, nearly getting sucked out and shit with 4 of us in one cubby. It was long the heli came out from Battersea but we managed to get off and get to the car. But we got pulled by feds on the way home all covered in paint. we got away with it.

What is your view on the London graffiti scene at the moment and where do you see graffiti heading in the future?

Its cool, it could be better, most of my lines into Central have been buffed which is long as they are keeping on top of it, so train journeys aren’t the same. But theirs still people out their relentless like Cut, Tox, Town, Cos, OSA etc… And that’s just the south west. I cant really comment on the trains. Id like to see more regulating on legals, with elders showing youngers the way about not dogging out full colour things with shitty half effort chromes. East is smashed with roofs and streets which is live, Heads like Panik, Elmo, Asure and them guys are doing it. But on a whole I love London graff, Its just a shame their can be so many shit attitudes that come with it.

How is the Brighton graffiti scene at the moment?

Yeh its alright a lot of heavy legal walls getting done and the council have been hooking up walls in the city. But then they have a dirty little graff squad with snitches hanging about legals and cataloguing tags and dubs in town so you have to be careful as it is a very small place.

Plus they just buffed about 30 roof tops which was annoying.

Right now RT are killing it with full on productions, where do you guys get the energy to put so much effort in?

Im one of the lazier ones to be honest, but some of the crew are dedicated and are out there most nights of the week doing panels, tracks, and roofs and then paintin productions all weekend. It is very satisfying to do large scale walls plus it is jokes, we all get on so well that it is a pleasure to paint. Plus we have a general of the crew who threatens us with violence if we don’t turn up!

Have you painted abroad?

Yeh the crew has visited Dam on several occasions and me And Vibes went to Barcelona with some of ATG, That was heavy just doing mad street spots with throw ups and we did some roof tops and shit too.  Painting with ATG is good cos they are into doing a bit of everything. Town Vibe and that smashed Dam in the summer and had full colour window downs running on the subway as well as battering the overgrounds, Roofs and tracks.
Me, Vibe, Town, Tokyo just did a 3 week inter-rail through Europe with ATG. We done Dam, Berlin, Prague, Budapest, Serbia, and Croatia, and we definatly smashed shit along the way. Panels, Streets, Insides, Roofs, Vans, we did a bit of everything and all managed to make it back to London in one piece. Oh yeah and ive painted in scandanavia, Iceland being one of the best places, The streets out there are killed!

You’ve managed to be part of Sleeping Giants Jam on both occasions, how has each year been?

Yeh that is a propa Jam!! The second year was my favourite as we got a huge wall and had nearly all the crew down. Painting in the sun with nearly 200 writers all drinking brews and catching jokes it was brilliant! Plus all MSK and SUK and the Montana writer team were  there so it was live seeing them sort of people paint.

What writers have influenced your style of writing?

People in RT , ATG, MSK loads of different people in different arenas. Like if I do a trackside I do a big chrome and black thing and I get inspiration for those from people like Steas, And heads who have that simple cronkin London style on lock. I love seein massive Steas Tracksides over and over. And People like MSK all round, they literally have it all on lock. Full colour illegals, Blockys, Productions, Trains, Throw ups, Roof tops, Handstyles.! Aroe from  NT is sick at doing productions too he always has the bad schemes down. I like ID Crew in London for productions. Tizer, Stiker, Fued and them lot. ATG Are ill at illegal painting!!!

What impact has graffiti had on your life?

A massive one, good and bad, Ive made some of my best friends through graff. But nearly going to prison is long, Cases drag on and at those times you question if it is worth it.

Have you studied art at college or uni?

Yeh I studied design at uni, im not no dummy I want money!!

Anything else you’d like to say while you’re here!?

R.I.P to the fallen

And fuck all you shit talkers!

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What do you write?

Daz/Dasone

What crews are you in?

RareKind. The Fam.
I push: RT – 1T – TDO – YBS – STD and many more..  But to me mainly THE GRAFFITI CREW. Its beliefs and way of life. Everyone involved in our world is in….

What writers would you say were a big influence to you when you began writing?

I was mesmerized by the early 90’s writers of London.
King Elk, King Diet,  were my biggest earlyest influences,  Sub, Shu2, Shek, Saker, King Zomby, Fume ,Teach, Bozo, Whore, Chop, Drae, Dune, Pabs, Fuel, Faum, Bosh, Idea, Steam TU, Zero,  SOA, Caine and Many more.. If you were writing from 88-95 your name ment a lot to me.

When and how did Rare Kind start?

Hotone from Maida Vale and I became partners through cotching at the writers bench in West Hampsted in 95-96 and Raving. He thought of RK on his one man xmas 96 mission. I was in another manor hitting up SHK and RLS.. he bopped from Hamsted to Finchley Road with a bottle of Southern Comfort, ended up on Finchley Road Jubilee Station were Elk was doing one of his classic pieces on the high wall on the left hand side.. Hot rolls up, asks for his roller and paint and smacked the platform with massive RK’s.. Ending up getting a ‘Hot RK Elk ‘ next to Elks piece. He was in the crew before me. There was no meaning for it until Jan-Feb 97 when I was working in Ikea in Neasden with Idea DDS. spending my working days in the warehouse perfecting hand styles on flatpacked shelving and thinking of full names for Hot’s RK.  RareKind came about..  We had a thought that the pieces we were doing and the styles we pulled out were a RareKind of style. Hot and his ribbons, me and my 3D’s and the rest of the West Hampsted Raving Krew.. Wosp, Net, Hack (My first partner from school 94-96) and a few more.
Roser and Never hooked up that Spring.

Can you tell us a bit about your Rare Kind shop in Brighton?

The RareKind Shop was a bit of a whirlwind. Hot, Roser and I moved to Brighton in 2000. In Dec of that year I hooked up with Saint Steas and started selling paint in Brighton from our flat.. This moved onto canvas and T’s along side some other things to help the cash flow.. The jobcentre in 2002 were not happy with me for not having a job… I told them what I was doing and they put me on a business course.. Few months after that I approached the Princess Trust.. Feb 03 they lent me £4500 to do more stuff from my house. I didn’t know what I was doing. I went to see a shop owner who I was selling paint to and he said open a shop in the basement of his. The RareKind Gallery was born. Opened on the 21st Feb 03.
From there I realized there was a market for my goods and I brought as many people as possible to sell there stuff. Louie Slippers and Undali gave me my first music to sell and Zomby and Tunnel Vision gave me his fresh printed clothing… Canvases were produced and clothing painted…
We now stock… Paint/Mags/Books/Clothes/Canvas/Prints by a verity of graf artists and the RK Fam has got bigger

I hear you are bringing out an RK movie, what can we expect to see?

The RareKind Film was being made in memory of the old shop on North Road… We had an amazing time there and it’s where we got our experience on how to run a business in our culture… We started making it and we started talking about London and the beginning of the crew… Considering it’s gonna be finished this year we thought we would make it about RK from 97-07. It’s got all types of heads in it… Writers, Rappers, Producers, RKids and many more… Should be good.

How did you feel when Channel 4’s hit reality show ‘Faking It’ approached you to be the mentor of History of Art undergraduate ‘James Sawyer’?

At the time I was on the verge of closing the shop.. it is bloody hard running a graf shop and it seemed like I was digging a massive ditch of debt… They turned up.. I haggled for some good money and kept the shop open till it aired… It gave the shop the publicity it needed to stay open and move from strength to strength..
James was a joker… We brought him to a different world..Changed him.. and me.

How different is Brighton now from when you first moved there 7/8 years ago?

Brighton in the ninties was a differenf feel.. I remember turning up and seeing street dubs everywhere.. Petro pieces and DBS were taking the rooftops.. When we got there and became a part of the scene, it was a massive influence.. Mad free painting.. car parks in the daytime and a small place full of writers.. It was more town like when I got here, a lot more nicer illegal painting and good tags… well that’s the memory.. which was nice.. now it’s a city.. I wasn’t to happy when that was declared it changed the place.. bigger sainsburys, bigger posh flats, bigger carparks full of cameras.. but now the town legal productions all over the place, the council have seen a positive and started to give us space.. painting the hordings of the new developements, car park walls leagally and the people of the city are starting to hand over whole sides of houses.

Moving from North London to Brighton, was there a real difference in the two places graffiti wise?

London to me holds Real Graffiti.. To get up properly you need space, lots of space.. bourgh after bourgh, different aeras, train lines, tubes, buses. Im not saying that real graffiti is not done in other cities in the country but to  get all city in Brigton it takes a night. It wont be easy but it can be done. That’s like painting a bourgh in a night… that aint much to talk about unless your doing different boughs also.. so to me Brighton aint about that.. But the difference I do like is the advanvcement in painting skills. I think because there is a lot of HOF’s in  such small place and the pieces on the street makes you want to do better. In London I want to get up, in Brighton I want to do burners.

Tell us about one of your worst experiences while writing or maybe one of your most memorable missions?

One night in North London I was with Juse, we were on tracks and were on route to some a wicked plot.. As we got there, we noticed trackies on the other side of the tracks but on the other side of a bridge which went over a road. We didn’t think much and started. A few minutes in and we look over and they are piling in a van, then the bloody van drives across the bridge, there was a gap for them and they were on the other side of the tracks. We didn’t know what was going on and froze until they were opposite us shining a torch on us screaming ‘Your Fucked!’ we dussed off , it was about quarter mile to the get out and we kept it up. They were driving on the other side of the four tracks still with there torches shouting madness, then as we were approaching the get out a train came towards us, it saved us, gave us the opportunity to jump up and out, they couldn’t cross. We got up to the road and ran to the closest estate, moved through got to the other side and on a main road heading for another estate to cut through, all of a sudden a Gold BTP van sped past us, done a fat U-turn and came straight for us, We ran to the next estate and managed to loose them.. Got back to the manor and caught our breaths.  Smoked a zoot and planned how to finish it……

You are very much into hip-hop/rap and you often hold open mic sessions at the shop. For you how much of a part does hip-hop play in the Graffiti world?

For me it not all about hip hop as such. UK Heads rapping is a representation of our communities, the same way graffiti represents communities and cultures in our country. The mad thing is though, reppin our country is not something Id do with the government. Representing our country in a hopeful way of changing the government, that’s what RK’s about. That was what the open mics were about, come do what you want, let the police and council come down, try and shut it and realize that its all good, they become more lenient and we get to grow.

What are your plans for the future?

To keep the shop open for a further 4 years, paying bills, eating and not have to get a job so that I have my son with me whenever I wish.

Anything else you’d like to say while you’re here!?

If you ever thought you could do ‘it’, no matter what that ‘it’ is, do ‘it’. Its good…

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What do you write?

SLAM 1

What crews are you in?

I mainly push TBF now. The crew started in 1993 by me and AKT. BIG UP to the various crew members over the years and a special shout out to the 94 lot!!! Much love to you!

How long now has it been since you first got involved with Graffiti?

I started bombing in 92. Before that I was just tagging the local area, it was all a proper good laugh though, Pentels, Eddings, silver Spectra and Smoothrite (old Smoothrite RIP!!) I probably actually got into graffiti and started looking out for it when I was about 10 years old. The films Breakdance, Beat Street and Style Wars had a big part to play in it, also the books Subway Art and Spraycan Art have a lot to answer for….THE SWINES!

Did you have a mentor, or maybe that person who first introduced you to the whole Graffiti world?

my mate CRO used to tag the area, he was a couple of years older and I went to school with him, I used to look out for his stuff and I liked what he was doing, he gave me some outlines so I suppose he was like a bit of a mentor also CROKS TRC had an influence on me back then. Big up CRO AND CROKS!! I went to secondary school with AKT1 and I’ve been good mates with him ever since, we’ve always bombed together and he’s been a major influence on me too…respect to you 3!! Nice 1…

Can you still remember your first real Graffiti mission? And what type of mission was it?

I stayed at a mate’s house in 1990 and we sneaked out at about 2 in the morning and wrote on everything in the local area with blue Pentels, was fuckin great seeing all our tags the next day (even though they all faded about a week later!)….but nothing compares to a first yard mission, shitting your pants and over the moon at the same time….what a TOP buzz that is.

Tell us about one of your worst experiences while writing or maybe one of your most memorable missions?

Doing a shit piece with shit paint in shit weather is always SHIT. Getting bagged is SHIT too. I’ve had some right good laughs over the years, too many to mention but I’d probably say Hi*****e 94 or Zoot Circus Tour 2003 have been the highlights for me so far.

While out painting a train or trakside etc, is there ever that little bit of fear or “what mite happen next” thought in the back of your mind?

I don’t paint trains or tracksides, I’m not allowed out…..

Recently you have really been killing it with throw ups, where’s all this sudden energy and motivation come from??!!

I’ve done a few throw ups lately, nothing major though. I just enjoy the whole lot; tags, throw ups, dubs, pieces, whatever I feel like doing at the time, it’s all good.

What is your view on the London graffiti scene at the moment and where do you see graffiti heading in the future?

I love London graff, I love London letters, that’s what I’d see when I was traveling on the tube when I was a kid so I grew up looking at it. I think there’s alot of uncalled-for beef going on at the moment though which is a shame, it should be all about getting up and showing off skills rather than lining each other out for no real reason….but fuck it….LONG LIVE LONDON GRAFFITI!

What is your view on the recent hardcore buffing that’s been happening around London? Do you see this as a sign that graffiti is dying?

London graff will NEVER die….Fuck the buff…The Buff Fails! Hardcore buffing just means that London graff will get dirtier and grimier with more people doing dirty tags and throw ups for getting up quickly using the least amount of paint rather than doing nice pieces and dubs. Kids are always gonna be into graffiti so as long as that’s the case there’s always gonna be people wanting to get their name up.

Can you tell us a bit about how you managed to get involved with the Zoot Mania movie?

A couple of mates made a short film about skateboarding that won an award at a film festival then went on to blag a load of money to make a proper road movie about skating and graffiti. I was lucky enough to be invited on the European tour to make a feature length film with no rules, just anything goes, do what ya like! It was fuckin top notch, had a proper good laugh…. props to the Zoot Cartel!!!!

In the movie you paint over in Europe, what was it like painting over there?

It was cool…. the skaters would go off and do their thing and the 3 writers would do ours. Just finding random plots to paint wherever we were at with shitloads of paint at our disposal was wicked. Free T-shirts, stolen alcohol, nuff paint and nice weather…..Brits Abroad….can’t beat it!

What are your plans for the future? Do you see yourself painting in 10years time?

This year I’ve been getting into piecing more. I wanna get 30+ pieces done this year. Trying to better myself every time. I think that’s how it should be, always trying to better yourself, because the way I see it at the end of the day you’re only as good as your last piece. Hopefully I’ll achieve that goal….I’ve never set ‘goals’ in graffiti but if I don’t do 30 pieces by November then fuck it, I’ll go out and do some throw ups….

Anything else you’d like to say while you’re here!?

Yeah much love to my friends (you know who you are!) and all the people i’m safe with….shouts to you! RIP Got2 and all the fallen soldiers – One Love…see you again some day? BIG UP to AKT1, nice one bro! and iCB1, you’re a diamond, thanks for being there!

Safe to Writers Delight….Reppin London graff online to the max!!

Peace

SLAM 1>>2007

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What do you write?

-we are the TML STARS

How did the TML crew begin and what year?

-the TML Stars first got together in October 2000 after a chance meeting in Amsterdam searching for cheap paint and halls of fame.

How did you first become involved with writing?

-as there is three of us we all got into writing graffiti in different ways and at different times, one of us started in the heyday of uk graf approx 1986, another started bombing different tags in approx 1997, and the other through painting murals in 1999, but as far as we are concerned all that other stuff doesn’t really exist. as our style, progression and attitude is all combined within TML and that’s all we are now focused on.

As you began graffiti was there any writer in which you looked up to?

-There are so many writers that we looked up to when we started, all of us have different influences and all of us have favourite styles, but Mid ’90’s Brighton was really dope – there seemed to be so much colour and experimentation on both legal’s and panels. 1980’s south London stands out for one of us and we all obviously all grew up on a diet of style wars and subway art.

TML are well known for their wide variety of original style characters, what inspired you to design these characters?

-we have always all painted characters, as we all drew cartoons when we were kids.. We probably just never grew up. Characters are fun to paint, but our Tribal faces are the consistent characters that we paint, they are like our logo or calling card.

During the mid 90’s South London had a real nice scene, DDS, FDC,DBS. what’s your view on South London/London’s scene at the moment?

-The mid 90’s were a dope time for the scene, it seemed that everyone was painting everywhere and with everyone… this probably wasn’t the case but as fans of graf it was a great time for style and colour. In London and Brighton seeing crews like PFB, FDC, TBF, DFM and TPG. Recently London has gone through a hard buff, but there’s always good stuff knocking about if you keep your eyes open.

Some mite argue that Illegal graffiti is where it belongs, it’s the foundation of graffiti. What would you say in response to that?

-Graffiti is graffiti whether it’s in a legal park, an abandoned warehouse, a trackside or a train. The art form doesn’t change, but the risk involved does.

Stickers… All around London you can expect to see TML Stars stickers, who came up with this idea?

- Stickering is fun. It started off as little tag stickers- a quick hello when you are out and about. It wasn’t anyone’s idea in particular it just grew until we were putting up tribal stickers and began making an effort to get those hard to buff spots.  It’s like an advertising campaign really. A way for the average joe’s to get a look at our work. Plus it’s always good walking the streets checking out what’s happening in our cities.

What countries have you visited and painted?

-we have got up in, Ireland, Belgium, Holland, Spain, USA and Australia. we also have a trip to New York planned for later this year

If you had to choose what was your favourite and why?

-Holland and Belgium are nice chilled out places to paint. Barcelona is also a nice place to visit as a writer, but im sure that most countries are cool cos these days unless you are in Tibet or somewhere like that there is a vibrant painting scene, with dope writers.

What great writers have you had the chance to meet and paint with?

-we enjoy painting with sound people that have a good vibe. And we have painted with some amazing talents, but at the end of the day none of that matters; if you are cool and genuinely love graf then we will paint with you. It aint about the “names” it’s the people behind them and having a good time painting together.

Tell us about one of your worst experiences while writing or maybe one of your most memorable missions?

-The good times always out weigh the bad and we have been lucky enough to paint a variety of places legal and illegal and almost always got good photos of the pieces! Been on a few hellish missions and copped a few chases. But looking back that stuff always seems funny.

You’ve been part of the Sleeping Giants Jam line up on both occasions, what was last years like in comparison to the other?

Last years was fat because of the size and the A-listers. But the first year was special; there was a buzz because it was the first. Either way it was good to be a part of both. And if the big man can get a third one on the go we would love to be part of that one too!

These days you’ve been doing some work on Toys, is that right?

Yeah Vinyl toys. Most stuff we customise ends up in Japan or America where we are starting to get a little rep in the vinyl scene. It’s a strange world with some really crazy, fanatical people.. Like the guy who gave us an all expenses paid trip to Holland to appear at his event.

The vinyl toy scene is a mile away from graf, but somehow both scenes have lots of similarities which is probably why we feel at home decorating these little bits of plastic!!

Who knows, hopefully one day we will have our own piece put into production.

How about canvas work?
-if the price is right. Hahaha.

Anything else you’d like to say while you’re here!?

hello to the good guys…wish, char, rize, upstart, the soopers, nt, d*face, artz, rask and sums, flying fortress, adren, tizer, ebzke, taco, superflie, gorb, goonism, cords and drear.

you can find us on the myspace and a dotcom is coming soon….

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What do you write?

WISH.

What crews are you in?

SSM – South Side Mob,
(A real old school crew I was put in and chucked out of)!!!
I still put it up, I like the name.

Around what time did you first start to notice graffiti, and who’s tags was it that you were seeing?

About 1984, 1985, Tags started popping up around my area. Early 85 everyone had kinda crazy Breakin/Graff names,  By the end of 85 every one had proper tags. Growing up in Streatham, i was seeing Crash 151, Dust, Prime, 2Hot, Raizor, Lazy Lady, Cash, SE Vandals, Custom Boys, Loads of South London Pioneers with some amazing style.

What year was it that you had really started to become an active writer?

85/86 was a lot of photo taking & local bus bombing, “Learning the ropes” you could say. 1988/89 were good years,  there where a few of us by then, (SAS / SSM)  we had style, knowledge, & “previous”, we were going yards all the time, we knew what was what, we had links all over London.  Some people loved us, some hated us, some never heard of us!! we were kinda “Getting up”…….Good times!!!

Who were the big names of the early days, were any famous for certain things?

Ha Ha! Too many too many writers to mention, every writer back then had a story or rumour behind them. Big underground crews were YDS, ITC, WD, WRH, TKS, TU, CD, CCD. KTC, BNB, CMS, AKA, SAS, SSM, RCS, TRC, SBS, TCM, NHS, IBS, HAH, NWA, MGM, CBS.
Loads more but my memory lacks.

How about looking up to writers. As you were growing up was there any writers that you really looked up to or maybe admired?

Again, too many to mention. There was a lot of raw talent back then,
be it bombing or piecing. I used to like seeing trains bombed to fuck, just as much as a full colour big met runner, or a Grove production!!!
It was all good.

Would you say it was easier to be a writer in the 80’s then it is today?

FUCK YEAH!!!!!  I used to go yards on a Sunday afternoon, or after school, broad daylight, all paint was racked, all travel cards were forged.  No CCTV, sensors or razor wire then!!! I was never caught in the act only “grassed”.

What were the early days like compared to today?

I LOVED IT, It was not just the graffiti, it was my youth!
We travelled all over London, we racked everything!!!
I loved the music the fashion the allnighters, missions, chases, court cases, parties, fights, train jams………  we were little fuckers!!!
Plus i grew up witnessing some of the best graffiti London has ever seen.
I have no regrets whatsoever. Thank you BTP!!!!!

Tell us about one of your worst experiences while writing or maybe one of your most memorable missions?

The downside was obviously getting caught! My house was raided a few times, I didn’t like upsetting my mum and dad. (Sorry).
The upside was the fame, seeing your name around.
Smacking the fuck out off about 32 tubes in one night, and seeing them all running the next day was a nice feeling.

Around 1990 you quit graffiti for certain reasons. At that point did you have any intentions to return again?

No, I was done, after our last massive court case I couldn’t be bothered anymore, raving, loose women and other things had taken over.

How did it feel to be away from graffiti for such a long period of time, you didn’t paint for around 14/15 years, right?

Yeah, but graffiti never leaves you, I always worked in London, so I was still travelling, seeing new people getting up, reading all the tags on the way to work, occasionally bumping into an old writer, looking at trackside dubs thinking “I could do better than that” ha ha ha!!!!
Im a bit gutted I stopped, a lot of good writers come out of the 90’s.

So why the comeback?

Not sure? Im hoping its not a mid life crisis! (im only 34 , still a spring chicken)
No, its cool, I like painting, im just doing legals with some mates, I enjoy it, it’s more of a hobby????, im not bombing or doing yards…………… (YET) joke!!!!

The stencil work you have been doing, did it not feel strange to make stencils? Seeing as prior to that you were a typical writer.

Stencils for me were a way to get back into painting, I think they can look quite effective, and planned to try and mix stencils & graff.
Mix it up a bit “eurostyle”!!!

What are you up to these days?

Well after doing a few off key comeback pieces, im trying to raise my game for 2007, I try and paint when I can, Im still doing stencil work, and canvases etc. Just enjoying it…

How do you balance graffiti with your family life, must get difficult at times?

No its sweet, I work hard, pay the bills,

my girlfriend likes me painting (sometimes) xxx

She likes the social side, parties, exhibitions,

My son Lewis is 10, he knows what I was, what I do,

He’s been painting with me, but I don’t think he will become a writer??
Who knows??? If BTP come knocking……….

Anything else you’d like to say while you’re here!?

Shouts to: Sam, Lewis, Char aka Tcow, Shine, Kwest, Rize, TML, Alope.

And much respects to all the london underground writers still keeping the underground vibe alive. You know who you are.

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What do you write?

Nylon since 1997 and a couple of
other names just to play around with different letters
and alleviate boredom really.

How did you come up with the name Nylon?

Im into a lot of fifties and sixties graphics as well as design from
the post war years. The new material cropped up
everywhere in production of
toys,clothing,furniture,cars and industry. I hate
doing the letter N now, so it was a pretty dumb
choice,what with having one at each end.
Secondly im a perv for the ladies
so………………it all adds up.

What crew/s are you in?

I only write AAGH, Ave a go heroes, Bristol chapter. We also have members in
Newcastle and Manchester as well as one working out in
Japan.

How did you become part of AAGH crew?

When I started hanging out in Bristol I was helping out with a couple
of books for Tristan Manco and got to check out what
the scene was like. I met some drunks including
Sickboy, we pretty much hit it off straight away and
its been downhill ever since. Aagh was the only crew I
actually had any interest in getting involved with,
there is no ego,beef or jealousy and Ponk is the
nicest bloke in graf.

I WAS part of NT, a long time ago, but we’re still cool, Aroe is like a
brother and he does a lot to put quality UK graf on
the world map.

What first drew you to graffiti and roughly what year?

Probably around about 1980 I started to see all that
“George Davis is innocent” across London and also all
the anarchist and feminist stuff.

What are your early memories of graffiti?

I can remember seeing SACH and QUIK throwies on a handball
court wall on the cover of Time Out magazine in 1984.
The New York City Breakers were doing backflips in
front of it. I ended up somehow at Covent Garden in
the early days photographing Chrome Angels and Bando
stuff,hanging out and just being a kid. I started graf
that year…1985.

Originally you are from Bristol right?

Errrr nope, but I can say that I spent many good years in
Brighton,met many heads,made many friends. I was drawn
to the fact that you could actually paint down there.

How would graffiti in your current home town compare
to Bristol’s?

No home town clues, I just go where the friends and
the beer is at the time. Any excuse to travel is good
by me. I love the Bristol scene but people focus too
much on one spot. With that much talent there should
be loads of people volunteering their walls up for
graf but its never easy.

Have you painted abroad?

I have been lucky enough to hook up with cats in Stockholm such as Reson NFC,they
looked after me,good bunch. A couple of trains in
Paris with LT27, and trips to some of the obvious
ones, Germany,Spain,USA (both SF and NYC) Turkey was
too dodgy to paint in.

What is your favourite country to paint in and why?

Ive been to Barcelona five times. Why is it my
favourite place? You can be in the city centre and
walk 20mins down La Rambla to the sandy beach,great
weather,cool people,cheap beer and
paint,mountains,women……..

How about trains, do you or have you painted them?

A few, no details.

I keep my options open.

What’s more your thing, street dubs or dropping a nice
piece at a legal?

I do like both but im into just painting illegals most of
all,daylight spots or trying to see all your colours
in the dark. Just finding something and brush painting
it up a few days before, also I found that when you
mulsh up a spot, its like having night vision it
lights it up. I do get involved in the legal stuff
like in Brighton but it stresses me trying to paint so
clean when all the people around you are so shit hot
at this mural stuff. Im always the first one to get
bored,wander off and catch a dub.

Ever had any ‘brushes with the law’?

Ive got a nice scar from when we got chased out of a
certain yard. It was like a black hole of blood at the
top of my thigh right between my legs,took my jeans
out too. All through the interview I sat there with
jeans gaping open and blood running down my leg,they
never did ask about it but it was one of them fucked
up situations, “we know its you, we cant prove it” We
got nicknamed the kwik fit fitters when we turned up
(home) in blue paper suits.

Do u think it’s right to name such notable styles as
being called Old Skool New York or London Bubbles or
wherever the style is being used or was supposedly
originated?

I definitely dont care for titles or
pigeon holing anyone or what they do. I dont care if
its Philly style,New York super fudge
chunk,Bumpkin,Cracks n shines or Uncle zippedy doodah,
just do what makes you happy. What I do think is
important on that subject is to make sure you
acknowledge who you are taking influence from and name
check them,give credit. Learn respect, earn respect.

Which style do u prefer to paint?

Fairly straight and readable stuff, not too many colours and not
something thats gonna take like 8 hours.

Who or what is your source of graff inspiration?

Graf inspiration/personal taste/mentors..etc, I could
list a load of super good writers but then i’d feel
like shit. I basically like the big font and simple
stuff, Mike Giant, Rime, Persue, Sever, Oclock, Horfe,
Revok, Seb and Diego and a million others.

Regarding graff sites, forums etc. Are u a fan of the
internet when it comes to graffiti?

Im not a fan of most of what the internet has done for graffiti. I
really feel for people that are trying to keep it low
key or put a book or magazine together. Someone always
seems to be right behind you with a camera these days
and uploading their shit pictures of your piece half
finished along with you in the picture! fucked up.
On the other hand, the global communication that we
all have now has made so much more possible,more
accessable and instant. People that do illegal graf
need to be a bit more careful about how they chat
online and what they are posting.

You were featured in “Street Art From Five
Continents.. Graffiti World”, how did that all come
about?

Im guessing he saw some stuff on the web or
that big interview in JUICE magazine, it was about 6
pages long and only came out in Germany.  We did a
guest speaker/launch thing at the ICA, it was
bollocks, I only got like one free beer all night.
Should have worn a silver scarf,some yellow Porsche
sunglasses and cut my hair with a fucking
Flymo..darrrrrrling!

What do you think of Brighton’s graffiti scene and
would you say graffiti is dieing out at all?

Brighton is alright but it’s getting harder and harder to
paint. Im not painting in some basketball court so
some prick can go over it an hour later,waste of
paint. I used to do the shutters and there’s a lined
out one on London road, its been there for 5 years.
Pick your spot carefully. Graffiti is not dieing out
but the buffers are faster,there are cameras stuck
halfway up your arse everywhere you go,and everybody
wants to play the hero or grass and get a reward. As
you get less time on a track,the standard falls. Some
of the tracksides I used to see in London in 87 were
amazing.

You’re a keen toy collector, how does this fit in with
your graffiti? Or is it a separate hobby?

Im just obsessed with old cartoons and advertising
characters as well as the packaging for stuff like
sweets. These things do tend to cross over and appear
in my graf. I like toys I can put into a piece, it
keeps the roots aspect of graf strong. I love to see a
Smurf or some old eighties cartoon on a panel, just
like in Subway art.

Do you have your own brand of toys?

If anyone offered that, I think I would point them to
someone who actually deserves it.

Do you do much canvas or commission work?

I have been trying out a few things including digital
prints,screen prints and acrylic/aerosol paintings. My
favourite stuff is the hand painted old worn
skateboards. The imagery is a mix of 50s toy/cartoony
stuff and tattoo styles,plus my soda pop drips. Most
of the work has some nod to graf roots such as the
recurring clouds and signwriter fonts.

If there is people out there wanting some work from
you, how can they contact you?

Bits and pieces are available from www.thedopeshop.co.uk or
www.gmscstore.co.uk
There is going to be a woman selling some skateboards
and canvas work on ebay soon. The skateboards will all
be about £150 each.
Maybe they can drop me a line on flickr.

What have been some of your high’s and low’s since you
have been involved with graffiti?

Highs: going on tv,working for Fosters beer,Playstation,Reebok and
Granada television. The travel,the friendships and the
mad adventures that graf takes you on.
I dont really see that there are any Lows to my graf
career, all the chases,fights and raids are just part
of the game. Laugh it off.

What do you think the future has in store for you?

money.

Do you have any plans or exciting ideas for the near
future?

Plenty of countries to visit and hopefully get to
paint some stuff in.

And finally…Anything else you’d like to say while
you’re here!?

Real friends are hard to come by.

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What do you write?

I write NOIR. But many know me as NOKONE.

What got you into graffiti? and what influences you today?

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