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For all that
don’t know please introduce yourself and let the readers know a bit about your
crew, i.e. what do the initials in your crew name stand for and what are the
areas you paint?
Hello my name is “Wishya” I'm an old school bomber making a “Street art”
comeback, No crew connections, and I'm from Dirrrty South London!
How old are you?
Too Old!!
What was it that got you into graffiti and when do you think it was that you
would have started drawing on paper, maybe keeping a pad?
Well I started years ago, seeing Hip Hop videos with graf in, then the Subway
art book come out, It all started going wrong from there!!!
What was it that got you onto the next level and actually throwing up on
walls etc?
Meeting other writers, Seeing “Live” London Tubes running, Ladbroke grove hall of
fame, There was a lot of inspiration in the late 80’s.
When and where was your first piece? What was the feeling you got after
putting it up? Was it what you expected?
My first pieces were shit, and probably down the local park, as I got better I
started doing Tubes and British Rail, you cant beat the feeling of seeing your
name on a train.
So, by now you must have done a few pieces. Which one was your favourite
piece? Where was it and when would it have been done?
I did quite a few tubes, most of them never got out of the yard, and all my old
photos got taken by the British Transport Police when the raided my fucking
house.
Shit that is rough man. What has been your craziest or worst writing
experience?
Too many stories!!!!! Police, Police Dogs, People getting electrocuted, Court
Cases, Getting Jacked the usual old school London Scene!!! Nowadays I'm just into
the nice & easy painting, I'm too old!!!
Are there any other crews or artists in your area who you know or whose tags
you see all over?
I still know a lot of people who are active!!!! And everyday I'm seeing more and
more pieces and tags!!! In London “DDS” “DTB” “DPM” “FBZ”. “ATG” these are the
people I'm seeing getting up!!!
What do you make of the whole stickering phenomenon? Do you think it is just
another way of getting over, or do you think it is a bit of a cop out?
HELL NO! I'm stickering, stencilling and all other sorts of shit!! Its not a
sell out is just... Just a different style / form.
Why do you think that Graffiti artists are so demonised in the media? OK, you
have to admit what you are doing constitutes criminal damage, but often times
you are brightening things up and you aren’t hurting anyone.
I think it’s the tagging... people don’t like it, But fuck 'em, it’s not gonna
stop!!!
Similar to the stickering, what do you think of Etching? Is this connected to
graffiti in your eyes, or does it give more conventional spraycan artists a bad
name?
See Above!!!
Did you hear about Enzo having to go on the run after there was a major
campaign about him in London?
Not Really, I heard about “TOX” getting shifted, that boy is up!!
Yeah that Tox thing was on the TV the other night. What do you think of the
zero tolerance policy many councils are now having on graffiti, will this make
your lives more difficult?
It wont work, I'm not even a vandal, but I know it work.
I ask everyone about politics, because I think it is important that we have
knowledge of what is going on. Do you have anything to say on that? Any issues
you think people need to open their eyes too?
Fuck Bush, Fuck Blair, & Fuck Blunkett xxx
If you could change something about society, what would it be and why?
Legalise Drugs, Graff,…. No Seriously, I don’t wanna start getting political, We
could be here all night, trying to change the world!!!
We just had the war in Iraq. Do you think it was legal? What is your
perspective on this?
I hate any war, except Style wars. Ha ha!
Overall then, do you have an opinion on whether the graffiti scene is getting
better or worse? And why?
The Graf scene now is bigger and better than ever, there is more writers, crews,
countries, styles, colours, mediums, equipment, books, DVD’s, the internet, its
much better.
Would you consider doing legal pieces and getting paid for your work?
Sometimes artists who do this are frowned upon by the underground artists…
I would do legal stuff if I felt comfortable about it, I wouldn’t completely
sell out, Some of my designs are hopefully coming out on t-shirts soon!!!
Are there more opportunities for legal work these days, or have those days
gone and in fact the council provided walls are coming down?
I see a lot of nice legal stuff: Shop fronts etc.. and there's still some Hall
of fames about, I don’t see nothing wrong with legal stuff, I've not heard much
about council walls.
How do you feel about the connection to Hip Hop and Graffiti? Is Graffiti an
element of Hip Hop, or like so many graf artists do you think that Hip Hop over
the years has largely ignored graffiti and therefore disown the connection?
Graffiti is definitely still a Hip Hop Element!! I think the UK Hip Hop scene is
pretty tight! A lot of Hip Hop nights have Graf going on Rappers still use Graf
on album covers, It’s all good!!!
How do feel about the graffiti on the web? Do you have your own website?
Graf on the web is a good thing, it gives artist’s more exposure! If it wasn't
for the web, we wouldn't be speaking now, and people wouldn't be seeing my
shit!!! Some of my pics are at:
www.fotolog.net/wishya.
In General how do you view the Internet? Do you think it is a way for the
small man to have a voice, or are there too many idiots too willing to spout a
load of rubbish with no control over them?
The internet is a very resourceful tool if you use it well. If your gonna speak
shit, or act the mug your still gonna get dissed.
What do you think about the graf in other countries? Sometimes it seems like
it is a much bigger thing and is more accepted in foreign lands…
I like foreign graf a lot. There's a lot of mad shit going on overseas. There's
a big street art scene, which I'm really into.
Where do you get your paint? Do you keep it real and rack that as well, or do
you buy it?
Fuck that!!! I'm paying for paint or get it for free (I got friends in high
places).
Do you have a favourite brand or colour? Belton seems to be popular, but then
maybe there is a cheap Halfords can that’ll do the same job?
I can get away with using shit paint, 'cos I'm doing Stencils & one colour stuff,
but Montana seems to be popular.
Do you have any tips or techniques you want to pass on, like how to get even
coverage, or avoid drips?
Yeah, “Be more fucking careful”.
What other advice might you have for struggling graf artists in the UK?
Perhaps you know how to avoid certain cameras, or know of areas where it is
simply never safe to paint?
See Above!
Have you planned out your next piece, and if so what is it going to be?
I'm in the middle of a stencil at the moment it involves a naked woman and a
spraycan!!!
What is going to be keeping you busy over the next few months?
I'm being lazy with my art 'cos the sun is shining, but in the winter who knows?
What are your longer-term plans and objectives for you as an artist?
Keep on painting the streets, Try to make a bit of dough out of it?
“But at the end of the day just enjoy it!!!”
Do you see your work in the future moving into other artforms, maybe films,
animation, calligraphy, or cartoons etc?
we’ll see what happens, it would be nice to make a living out of art, but it’s
not easy!
Which writers and/or artists most inspire you?
I'm really into this “street art “scene and there’s a shit load of artists I
like, too many mention. (sorry)
Outside graffiti what other artforms give you inspiration? Are there any more
conventional artists you like?
I'm afraid it’s all about Street art at the moment. If people wanna check out
what I'm talking about try:
www.woostercollective.com or
www.ekosystem.org.
What do dislike about the graf scene?
Nothing!!! It’s a bit of a nightmare when your younger getting nicked, getting
robbed etc… But when your older its all good, and it’s not your main priority! I
don’t feel the need to be up, or go bombing every night.
What are the things that you like to do when you aren’t doodling or tagging?
Do you like sports or the Cinema for example?
I work hard and I play hard, I spend quality time with my son, I like going out
with my Girlfriend, eating well, going to London's trendy bars, Then other times
your find me going Hip Hop doo’s, Crappy Wetherspoon pubs Grimy parties and
painting the streets!!! I like to mix it up a lot, then I don’t get bored!
Any shout outs?
To my girlfriend Samantha (She puts up with my shit, and she thinks I'm mad) xxx
Is there anything else you would like to add or mention?
Yeah whatever you do, keep on keeping on and enjoy yo’ self.
Thank you very much for your time.
No Thank you! |
