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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