What do you write? Nylon and a couple of others, some more obvious, some a bit more cryptic.
Why's that then? I chose a name that had personal ties on more than one level and generally it seemed to be one of the most frequently encountered words in modern times. A bit like calling yourself Coke but its all down to what you do with it. My collections of stuff are heavily post war in their design and graphics.
Did you write anything before that? I wrote other names and became totally fed up of graf,finally giving up in 1993 for four years until I couldn't leave it alone any longer.In those years I visited San Francisco and saw what it was all about.Up until that point I really had not given enough effort to illegal graf but that all changed and I returned,refreshed.
What part of england are you NOT from? It doesn't matter where you're from, just do your thing.
Where would you like to be from? Probably another time, before cctv.
Do you think it is important to keep your letter pieces readable? Most of my stuff is straight up old styles with a new twist. Im into bringing in a bit of signwriting and vintage font into the mix,all readable and digestable to joe public.
Why? Im fascinated by the idea that Matisse spent his whole life making art and ended up breaking it down into the most simple forms and minimal colour pallette.There is a parallel in graf,if you look at some masters like Rime,Giant,Twist,Reas and Espo....they dont need all the camouflage,itser spritser bullshit or hiding behind 50 thousand arrows.If you got the funk,it will come out clean in two or three colours,so thats what im striving for I guess.
Tell us a bit about where the inspiration comes from for some of your pieces. In general it all began with New York subway graffiti and these days you will see more personal elements in my graf,even in dubs there might be a stack of abstract form that is firmly rooted in 1960s studio pottery or glass. The characters and fonts are basically an extension of my lifelong obsession with Americana,packaging,signwriting and cartoons. Lately im more into b-movie horror graphics,film opening sequences (Saul Bass is a favourite) and tons of other stuff,Im too much into too much.
Aswell as graff you're well known for your photography, and have contributed to books such as stencil graffiti, Street logos, Graphotism.... What got you interested in taking flicks then? Just seeing stuff down Covent Garden as a kid, so I got myself a £110 camera and started trekking all over London.I have flicks of Foam painting at grove in 87,mad times.
In your opinion what makes a good piece? It's hard to say but I recently discovered 7th letter crew and I say to anyone,look at their stuff. Im so convinced that they have made the ultimate graffiti and made me feel (and many of my friends) that we have to stop fucking around and make some burners but not only that,to also make that extra bit of effort on illegals. 7th letter are the best in the world and their street/illegal stuff is so on point its ridiculous.
In your opinion what makes a good photo? Too many elements to list, but Bresson was able to not only capture a moment, he did it with such composition and style. That's a good photo.
Shouts: Shout out the lovely Kitty27, Mum and Dad for always hating what I did, I never listened. NT crew, Rat and Aroe, my Aagh brothers in arms... much love, Kidney 69 out in Japan land, Euro, FSU posse, GMSC store Brighton, 50-50 skateshop Bristol, Pure Evil, Harry Bastard, Senor B, Pez, Max Outcast, Tristan Manco, Mister Allison, and all me mountain bike bros.
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