There was a typical toy-phase, before there was Stick, but nothing worth mentioning. I started in summer of 2002, writing in abandoned buildings, doing different names. Starting out, you know. Trying out all kinds of stuff. I just wrote a Stick piece one time, and then another time, and it somehow "stuck". In mid-2004 I began venturing outside, and to dare putting my pieces where others could see them. 2005 was when I first really got going.
That doesn't sounds like a typical beginner's story... nowadays, kids usually start out painting in the streets. Did anyone ever tell you anything like: "You should practice first, somewhere out of the way?" Or did you find graffiti on your own?I first came into contact with graffiti through this magazine that came with the MZEE issues. It had these styles done by writers from Bremen. I could identify with that. The letters had something evil about them, agression. I liked that. I mean, in my neighborhood, you automatically know about graffiti. At that time, the place was just covered in it. But those magazine pieces were the first to really catch my attention. I only started to really notice graffiti after that. Sem have been with me since my first piece. They were writing IWS even back then. I guess they hadn't had some problems. They were the ones who told me to practice first. That will save you alot of trouble. As for myself, i just didn't want to be ashamed of my own stuff. So the first thing i did was practice, practice, practice.
Since then, you've been active in all "categories", if you want to call it that: Permission walls, tracksides, street, and more and more trains. Is it important to you to have all bases covered? Or where do you focus most of your energy?Sure it's important to cover all bases. Being all-round, 100 per cent writer, in all the categories. Still, I have to say that I never really enjoyed doing trains. Maybe I'll do more of them later. The feeling of standing by a train is pure graffiti, no doubt about that. But everyone has their playground, and mine is more the run-down, decrepit places in the city. And the outskirts. The fact is that no matter which way you take the train into town, you're gonna see more than one piece by me. To me, graffiti doesn't belong on new facades, but in dirty places. Setting is very important to me. And doing permission walls is battleing oneself. That's where you get to go grow and advance your style; where you get together with your homies, to just have a good time, with lots of beer. To take this opportunity: Cheers to all!
That opens up another set of questions. What's your stance on tags, especially on newly-done facades. There's alot of tearing-down and re-doing going on in Halle. There is less and less room. Or are there enough "dirty places" left?
I think tags are great, when done right. I love going on tagging sprees. But kids especially just overdo it. There is a balance to graffiti one should keep. Most of the hate towards graffiti stems from tags, especially on buildings that just got renovated. I let my conscious decide. That's right, he said conscious... A tag on a dirty wall looks better than on a white one. In my opinion.
We get the feeling that you do a ton of pieces per year. Adding to that is the fact that alot of them are no quick bombings. Do you have an estimate of how many pieces you're doing. And how long it takes you to pull off a street piece?My goal in 2005 was to do 50. It ended up being 115. Since then, i've been doing way over 100 pieces a year. This year, i reached the 100-mark in August. That's kinda been the motivation do do more than a hundred, to fill the quota. I don't want to say exactly how long i stay in one place to do one, especially where the police can read it. But i think a chrome piece in the street shouldn't take more than 10-20 minutes. If i go full color, it may take a while. But i'm probably not there as long as some might think. I can be a machine when i want, but if i think it's a chill spot, i'm not going to stress out over it.
So, how about your hometown? Halle has a reputation of crime in East Germany. And that is counting not only graffiti. According to what one can read in the press, Halle is the most bombed in Germany, building by building. Adding to that is alot of youth violence, drugs, etc. How was it, or how is it for you to grow up in that kind of environment? Did that influence your pieces?Well, about the crime rate, i have to say i just don't know it any other way. I guess as an outsider, you notice it more than i do. The thing that gets me is when people from other cities see certain parts of this town and call it ghetto. I don't get it. Aren't you guys from "the big city"? You kind of feel the frustration and aggression around here. I started to go paint to get away from all that shit. I'd have gotten into alot more trouble when i was younger otherwise. I had a couple of problems then, and some rage in me (to this day, some people do learn all about that). Graffiti and Hip Hop were always the thing to keep me in check. It's like my therapy. Still, you've gotta be rough in the graffiti game. When i first started, i used to think i had to fight everyone who had gone over me, right away. That's the only way to teach them respect. The sad truth was that talking usually didn't help, and nobody wanted to battle. So i bumped heads with a few people. As you get older, you mellow out, and you become more reasonable. You understand that "the streets is a motherfucker". The grey buildings have inspired me too make them colorful. My personality has shaped my style. Every corner, every point is a mood, a part of me.
What is something you would like to tell kids, who are starting to paint today?It is very important to not make the same mistakes as those before you did. Listen when someone is telling you something. Be respectful of every action, don't be reckless. If you feel like graffiti is your thing, get into the history of it. Watch "Beat Street", you need to understand a few things first. You're not going to be Kings of Kings tomorrow. Or the day after. And remember: you'll never be KING anyway. Iz The Wiz is King! R.I.P. It takes alot of hard work and a long time. Give respect, and you will get respect. And the main thing: let them talk... you should go paint, instead of getting worked up about other people. On the KING topic: you should prove something to yourselves, instead of striving for a crown. Having a good time with your buddies is worth more than fame, or shit like that. Black masks, not Crowns, you fuckers!
On "Style". You do simple bombing-type letters, as well as elaborate wild-style pieces. What is a perfect letter, or a perfect piece to you?
My rule for bombings is: "BOLD, BLOCKY, AND 100% RECOGNIZABLE". What good is a full-color wild-style, when the train goes by at 80 kph, and all you see is a colored blob? I like doing round styles, but to me, a good letter is aggressive, mean, alive. You have to look at it and it says: "I'll kill you"! That's my thing. All that style-science that some people do annoys the piss out of me. Something is either fresh, or it isn't. Analyzing it endlessly is just posturing. I'm not painting to impress you, what's the deal?!
What do you thing about that whole "Ill-Style", or "Ugly-Style" trend today? You can find it in every city these days. How is Halle doing in that department?It hasn't really spread much in Halle so far. There's not alot of it on our legal walls, neither. I really am no fan. I'll be honest. I'm more into quality. There are a few things i can dig, but there is stuff out there that' just not funny anymore. That's how bad they are. One has to realize that there is a difference between those who have been painting for a while. They're doing that for their own reasons. But some others just don't know any better. You can tell the difference, too. Proportions, line work, etc. In the end, everyone should just do whatever makes them happy.
What keeps you going? Or, what's your inspiration?My inspiration is purely music. My ideas for fill-ins come more from my environment, like machines, nature's color schemes. But my inspiration is music. When i've got Slayer playing in my headphones, and when i'm in a bad mood, the result is different from when i'm listening to 90's Hip Hop while painting. That really plays a huge role for me.
One can see your pieces outside Halle lately. We caught some stuff on our summer tour. How important is it to you to paint somewhere other than "at home"?
It's always nice to get out and see other places, get new impressions, meet new people. That's really the only thing i want to accomplish through graffiti: getting around as much as possible. Every trip re-energizes you. When you sit around the same city forever, you'll rot eventually. I want to use this opportunity to thank everyone i was on tour with this year.
No other goals? 200 pieces per year, maybe?Nah, i'm starting to get away from the whole numbers-thing. Getting to see your buddies, and pulling off some cool things with them is getting to be more important. The 100-mark is set and met, but you don't have to overdo it, you know? Other than that, there is still the main objective, the way i learned it: going ALL CITY. Anyway, everyone should be aware that it's never about the goal, but about the journey, and how you get there... word.
Your perfect graffiti-day consists of...?Hahaha, my god. I don't really know how to answer that, there are so many ways and fantasies. The most perfect one out of all of them? I have no idea. I can only drop a few things that day would have to include: sex, coffee, cigarettes, giant wall, tons of cans, alot of beer, BurnerChrome, rap music, and a bunch of fools to party with. The sequence may vary, and some of those things may appear more than once.
The classic final question: Shout-outs?First of all: to the members of my crews: Sale, Sem, Eigh, plus a big shout out to my boys Para, Dram, and Diro! To my bodybuilder Harz. Omsk, Showee, Aenyou, Slider, Wok, Enjoy, Picks, Bar, Devil, Idol, Pork TDR, and Tenk. To the Berlin boys, and a Thank You to Enjoy and Sellie. Also, to all look-outs, and the motherfuckers I've gone out painting with, and will go paint with. And as the gentleman i am: Hello to all the bitches! From the heart, a final shout out to all "Jealous Motherfuckers", as Kool Keith would say it. The future is now!
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