What do you write?
Pre & Crispo among others…
Tell us a little about yourself… How long you’ve been painting and who you’re down with etc.
I got into graff in 84, quit for a few years after 88, then came back in 93. I kinda left it alone in 2000, now I’m back at it since 08… It’s definately a virus that never leaves your system. I’ve been involved in so many crews and tried to start quite a few. The main ones I still push are: TMC, NETWORK & MTK.
What brands of paint did you use most frequently in the early years?
Mostly Krylon and a few lesser known brands like Sparvar.
Are you a can collector?
I used to be. I had a nice collection, some old cans from the 60s. Paper labels, notch tops, etc. I gave a bulk of them away when I moved, the guy I gave them to had his house burglarized and among the things taken were the cans – go figure.
Can you still find old paint stock in your area?
Yes, but I’m all about using paint now. I’m not trying to buy paint that has no air pressure or clogged tubes.
Any good racking stories?
Hmmm, I lived off racking in the 90s; Paint, clothes, everything. You name it, lol! One of my best takedowns would have been with my boy OZ, IYA. He’s a crazy bomber and racker. We went into a big name hardware store and filled a shopping cart, we left it in the lumber yard and came back after the store closed. Oz climbed the fence and filled up like 4 duffel bags, then used one of the ladders that were for sale to climb up and drop the bags over to me. We got at least 100 cans off that!
^Classic Piece Breakdown: Far left – dissed Pre piece: Krylon, ‘Clover Green’ into Krylon, ‘Pastel Aqua’ with Krylon, ‘Icy Grape’ outline & Krylon, ‘Pastel Yellow’ 3D. Right: Fill: Krylon, ‘Hot Pink’ into Krylon, ‘Chrome Yellow’. Fill: Krylon, ‘American Beauty Red’.
^Classic Piece Breakdown: Share/Pre. Done seperately, connected later by Share/vet TMC & Pre. ’88 Philly. “One of my fav’ color schemes: Krylon, ‘Baby Blue’ into Krylon, ‘Pastel Aqua’.. some cheap auto store wannabe ‘Clover Green’ for designs, Krylon, ‘True Blue’ outline with Krylon, ‘White’ & ‘Hot Pink’… I believe that was a “Schoolbus’ or ‘Chrome Yellow’ shell…”
Any favorite old paint stores?
Sipersteins!! My boy Nace, (R.I.P.) and I went to nearly every store in Jersey. We used to go paint hunting when it was raining, great times!!!
Best discontinued paint, and why?
Recently Walmart ‘Aluminum’. Why the fuck did they get rid of that?!? I consider Krylon to be a discontinued paint since it’s so wack now. Man I miss the old Borden and Sherwin Williams days.
^ 1998 jus’ rollin…
Ever found some racked caps work good with certain paints?
Man, thats all I used to do.. steal caps off of everything. I used to go into Kmart and take caps off anything I could find. Kmart Bug & Tar remover was jumbo on Krylons! I used to get these caps off a gardening product called Wilt-Pruf, they were ridgy monster caps! Now you just buy them.. Wack.. lol!
Worst paint ever award goes to?
Man thats a tough one. Krylon ‘Popsicle Orange’, ‘Gloss White’, ‘Regal Blue’ etc. Damn I’ve used a lot of shitty paint over the years.. lol! The Ace hardware store brand was total shit too.
What are some of your best painting experiences?
Any day painting with my boy Nace, (R.I.P.) We used to paint all day, then hang out in Manhattan ’till 2.30 in the morning. I would love to have one of those days back now.
How do you feel about the brands of Euro paint and their impact on the scene?
The paint is nice, but for blue collar writers like me, it’s a little pricey. It’s also created a huge divide between the haves and have nots. They limit sponsorship to the “primmadonna” writers and the rest of us poor slobs are scrapping away with whatever we can find. It also removed the element of racking and experimentation etc. I don’t know I guess it has its pros and cons.
^ Pre paint stash 93/94
If you could choose a few cans to have on your shelf, what would they be?
I never owned an old can of Red Devil or Wet Look, so any of them.
Any other comments?
Peace to all the paint collectors out there.. keep our graff culture and history alive. A big boo and thumbs down to all those mf’ers just trying to make a buck off our backs and all the “elite” spray can artists who can’t spread the wealth. And to Rust-Oleum and Krylon.. get your shit together! We are your customer base, give us a decent product. Big ups to my boys and fam; TMC, MTK, Network — Madism, Deva, Vet, Braze, Heir & Johnny Hayes.
^ Kid, Pre & Mad tear it up 2009