. . .....|.. . ... ... . ..|..... |::::| |::::| |::::| aBHO |::::| ______ __ _____ ____ _ ___ _ __ _ ________ __ __ : _) \_ _/ (_______ _/ __/___ \ \ _____ (__) \\_) ._ (_ (____) \ . \ · )) _ (_) _) / _\ \\ (_ _ \_ l/ _/_ _ \_ \_ \ \ _ (_ / _/.._.__ /_ .__/ _) .)___\ \_ ) .) /_______\/___/ _ /__________||_|-(_____|_ __\____|--/________/________| ...... /_____/ -[tHE yARD]- \/ -[100% lEGAL!]- / ...... |::::| [sTAFF] - sANE2 - rEZiNE - diPSWiTCH - [sTAFF] |::::| |::::| [gROUPS] - dKB uHQ - sOiA gHQ - wX wHQ - ddB sUPP - [gROUPS] |::::| |::::| [sLOT1] - 36k6 - +49.221.9348812 - 36k6 - [sLOT1] |::::| |::::| [sLOT2] - iSDN - +49.221.9348812 - iSDN - [sLOT2] |::::| |::::| [sLOT3] - iSDN - +49.221.9348812 - iSDN - [sLOT3] |::::| |::::| [tELNET] - 3 sLOTS - theyard.dyn.ml.org - 3 sLOTS - [tELNET] |::::| |::::| [fiLES] - aMiGA - aNSi'n'aSCii - gRAFFiTi - mODS - [fiLES] |::::| ·····:·· · -[tHiS iS gERMANY'S gRAFFiTi bOARD nO.1!]- · ··:····· - -- · - -------------------------------------------------------- - · -- - @BEGIN_FILE_ID.DIZ ._ __________._____. ______ ________ __ __ |./ ._ /| |/ /_\__ /____ /. ||_ |/ | / /. / /. | |:/__________| \______|___\_________|t^: ·------------l_____|-----------------------· : ·· DIE KRANKEN BOMBER 07/JUN/1998 ·· : | | | [AC] ATOMEone (TFP/IBS) Interview [AC] | |_ _________ _______ ____ ___ _ ___ _____ _| ://________//______//___//__////__//_____\\: @END_FILE_ID.DIZ _________________ _________________ | | _________________|| || | | || || | | _ ___ _ . _ ___ || | | ___\ /_ __\|_ _\_ /___ | | \\ / // // _/ _/ | | /_______\_____\_______\ | | ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ / /____ _\_ /___ __\_ /_ ___ .\ / / /____ _\_ /___ ___ .\ / \\ _/ // | // / // \| \.\ _/ // _/ _// \| \. /___\____\___|____\_______\____\_____|___\____\_______\_____\_____| _ ___ _ ___ _ ___ ___ _ ___ _ _\ /___ ______ ___ __ ____ _\ /___ _\_ /___ _\_ /___ _\ _/___ \\ \ // // \/ // \ // _/ _// | // \_ _/ /_______\______\_____/_____\________\_______\____|____\____/__\ kn | || ||_________________| | ||_________________| |_________________| · diE kRANKEN bOMBER 1998 Heyho Whats up Writers/Freaks/Asciiers/whoeveryou are dudies ...you are now viewing the new DKB release! its about an ARTCRIMES Interview with ATOME of IBS & TFP * Well just check it out and wait for the upcoming releases ... this is our 43rd release since birth ...well have fun at all! and keep the trains rocked ... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Hello my friends * I have to notice you that I haven't made this interview i just typed it in for the digitialized graffiti sceners * i got it from ARTCRiMES (http://www.graffiti.org) just click the INTERVIEW bottom and check the interview (with photos!) i did not rip the photos too! Cause rippin photos is real bad! thanks for your support AC: ArtCrimes AE: AtomeOne/TFP&IBS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ AC: You've been writing since you were ** or so? What's kept you enthusiastic about painting? How did you get started so young? AE: I caught the train to school everyday. Started doing something without even knowing exactly what it was that I was doing. I continued and then suddenly realised what was happening around me. At first it was all a personal little amusement thing on the way to school and then suddenly it exploded. Anyone will tell you, the developing and discovery stages of anything are the most exciting. In writing, striving to achieve a certain level and then maintaining that level is what keeps you on your toes. Admittedly it has been the ability to continually travel and share more and more fun times that keeps me going. Sometimes I reach a point where the 1 or 2 junkies that I continually have problems with in Sydney make me stop and question the value of being involved. If it weren't for the people who surround me, and those who are close to me overseas, maybe I would have stopped along time ago. AC: How long have you lived in Australia? AE: Far Too long. AC: Has it been beneficial to come up outside of the US and the US Influences? AE: Yeah most definitely. Beatstreet, Subway Art, Style Wars and Spraycan Art reached Australia and fueled a fire that was already burning. With that, thousands of more kids started bombin'. You must remember that, apart from the above and a few movies that showed pieces in the background, Australian writers had no other exposure. There were no gallery shows. There was no physical contact with any New York writers. This in turn caused a bigger need to create and innovate. By the time Phase2 and Daze got here, they were well surprised at the level reached in Australia. The better writers were far more innovative than others outside of New York. There was real innovation going on. It was clear and obvious that Australian writers were achieving more in terms of styles. Some of which, believe it or not, have also been big influences to some of Europe's BIG NAMES. AC: What's it like for writers in Sydney? AE: It's pretty much the same as elsewhere, in that most of society hates it. It's a combination of them not understanding it, mixed with the usual media propaganda. That's not to say that it deters writers from doing the do, it just makes it a little more stressful at times. Along with that, you have the usual problems -- graf politics, crossing out pieces, beef, and all that other shit which ultimately just breaks everyone down. After the Vandal Squad disbanded in late 1996, more and more kids have been getting out there and destroying shit. 1997 saw the most graf on trains in Sydney in a long long time. Shit is running. It's dope. A lot of younger kids are just going ballistic. Dream, Kink & the Rek Crew, Clue etc. etc. So far this year, it's all just escalated a little more, with more trains being bombed, more writers emerging, and all in all just a lot more pieces. AC: What do you think about the hip-hop scene in Australia? Any good music coming out of there these days? AE: There is a lot of good Hip-Hop in Australia. It just doesn't get out there -- outside of Australia that is. The other usual problem is that those who are given the opportunity to voice their opinions and represent - are usually just monkeys. I mean that's the case here in Sydney. The music side of this culture is misrepresented by people who want to be down as opposed to the people who are down. It's wack in the sense that these people doing all the talking are not Hip Hop heads. They are merely using the tool of Hip hop (or Rap) to send their messages. Meanwhile the real B.Boys end up trying to Re-explain that the opinions and attitudes expressed by that certain CULT Group are not any indication of where Hip hop is In Australia -- let alone Sydney. AC: What's up with trains there? AE: Trains will always be the jewels in the chest. Everywhere. Regardless of time and conditions, I think they have been, and to an extent will always hold the true essence of writing. It will always be possible to do a train sometime somewhere. Yeah definitely the authorities are always scheming on anti- vandalism tactics, but just look at New York and the old saying of "where there's a will -- there's a way" becomes very much apparent. Here in Australia, it has been very much the same as elsewhere. There were big boom periods where a lot of trains were being done, high-quality pieces and a lot of them. Right now in Sydney, there is massive surge by the up-and-coming writers of today to demolish the system. They are doing A LOT. Personally nothing beats painting a train. Nothing in writing that is. To be in a yard surrounded by steel, painting in the darkness with a thousand emotions running through your body is an experience in itself. How I wish we could all stay young for longer..... As for freights... people in Sydney do paint them, but by no means are they as big a deal as in the U.S. I guess here they're just another alternate surface as opposed to a scene within a scene. They're definitely not trains though. Never have been never will be. AC: How important are trains now? AE: As you get older in you definitely become a lot more morally aware. There become a whole lot of issues that are always on the tip of peoples tongues. Especially when you step into the public arena. My answer to all of that is a (very) general one: the trains are the sacrifice. They were back in New York, and they will be and to an extent have been - everywhere else. The trains allow for total and ultimate freedom of expression. As crazy as that may seem considering the extremes that some go to, not to mention penalties associated with getting busted. Personally I see the painting of trains as being the test, the educator, and the experience within the experience. There are times when the excitement and the real feeling of being a visual terrorist are so strong that you just crave for nightfall, you know. And then, there are those times of real near-death experiences -- which cause you to question everything -- its worth - your worth -- the whole thing. But again, I wouldn't change it at all. painting trains is such an important part of the culture for so many reasons other than being hardcore and or being "up". In many ways the trains are where you put your skills to the test, break society's rules and laws, and reach an understanding of what it is really like to be writer. AC: While you're younger you roll with a variety of people for the impact of getting up or whatever. It's cool and it's so much fun getting together with other writers from all over the city. AE: Now it's totally different. The fun is and always will be there, but we (IBS) are like family. We have a respect for each other as people. It goes much deeper than just painting associates, you know. Mentally we're on the same levels. The painting might have originally brought us together but over the years you experience a lot of what life dishes out and you're there for each other. As for TFP, it's a lot the same. When we hook up with each other in some crazy city, we're just friends who also happen to be tourists having our own kind of fun. Yeah sure our idea of fun includes a few other extracurricular activities, but like Redman says... "If you see a bag of weed lying on the floor -- what the **** you gonna do?" AC: You travel a lot. How do you manage it? AE: I work -- non-graf related work. It's simple. As much as writing is a big part of my life, it certainly doesn't pay the bills. But at the same time, that's by choice. For me it's about the experience and experiences shared while out there. This is my escape from the ins and outs of everyday living. Pimping yourself is compromising the ethics of our culture. Yeah sure it's a fine line between making a living and being a gallery slut, and there are definitely a lot of people at both ends of the spectrum. So to avoid that whole nonsense, I just avoid "it" to begin with. I mean I have been involved with legal jobs and have also had a few things exhibited, but I'm definitely not painting shit just for the money and or doing gallery shows so I can enter the gallery to my resume............ like some we all know............. I guess in many ways it does get complicated, but again it's up to the individual. I have seen pieces in galleries that have been raw -- almost like they were actually peeled from a wall or train. And on the other hand I've seen stuff that makes me laugh. I mean good artwork but definitely not piecing. AC: Where's the best spot you ever painted? Where do you like to go and why? AE: I don't really have any one particular place. There are a whole lot of places that hold deep memories... some we didn't even get to finish but the company, the surroundings, the mission, all of it adds to the experience. Still there are always going to be spots like those big bad yards in the Bronx .... The hills and cows in Bavaria, those lovely young ladies in Amsterdam..... Mmmmm I guess as a whole...Europe for the painting fix and New York for the vibes. AC: Is battling important anymore? AE: If it's constructive then yeah of course. If people are racing each other for a line or shit like that then yeah go for it. But when it's just there for bullshit, well why bother. I really doubt any opinions are going to change on the strength or weakness of one piece. Consistency is what it is about! Most people just don't realize it. AC: Your style is highly developed and unique. What is it that you're most concentrating on in your own style now? ? Are you in an experimental phase or a refinement phase? AE: Basically just pushing it... bending and shaping the letters infinitely. Keeping the skeleton visible to some degree, but yeah, just pushing it... Of late I feel I have been getting closer to being more satisfied with what I'm doing. I'm trying to create a style of fills that matches the style of the letters. Over the last few years I've been trying to reach a level of style that is timeless. Timeless in that you can look at the piece a year or even 5 years later, and it still holds tight. I think DeroTFA mastered his shit to this exact level. I've actually even started drawing my sketches with lead pencil for the first time in about 5 years, along with actually drawing in a book. That's kind of new for me - really strange in a way.... But good though.... I am kind of surprising myself (to an extent). I've never been one to sit down and draw with colour markers and that whole blackbook thing. Even now it's just pen or text. I mean it's cool to see some of the books and drawings out there, but again for me personally I've always preferred to be out there painting instead. As of late, refinement is one way of putting it... being back in the lab is another. The thing with pencil is that you can forever be rubbing things out... kind of sucks in a way.... I just seem to find that I lose too much of the spontaneity of drawing. In another light though, it's a new technique of drawing that even by its appearance changes the overall look of the finished sketch. Again giving me another perspective and ideas in relation to executing the piece. AC: I notice that most of your angles between straight lines are 90 degrees or 45 degrees. Are these just the angles you feel are right or do you have another reason to do it that way? AE: I really have had no conscious thought about them while sketching.... It's kind of weird because at certain times while drawing "A" I actually think of B.Boy stances and bone constructions... how they would look bent this way and that way..... AC: What does it take for you to feel you've done a really good piece ? AE: I don't know. Sometimes you just have a really good feeling ..... other times I'm spending so much time goofing around enjoying the day that I do end up losing a little concentration on what I am doing. It's weird, half of the time I'm not really too satisfied with what I have just done. It's several weeks or months later when I come across the photo that I actually take the time to look at it closely and try and work out what it was that I was trying to do on the day.... AC: Who do you think was the greatest influence on your style? Is there some Case2 in there somewhere? AE: It's more like Case2's mentality than his style that influenced me. I was already of the feeling that this was something that "we" did. It wasn't for the adults to control or to even understand. With that...it was definitely guys like Case2, Nok, Mitch77, Dondi and a few others who confirmed those thoughts. Their pieces were like the ultimate language that unless you were a writer you would have no idea... they were just crazy shapes that constructed together formed letters....and messages. That's not to say I jumped straight into wild style, My first piece was actually a small block letter "funk" piece, and amazingly it's still up today. Very faded but still there. At first I was much more into bombing. Piecing was too easy. There was a layup right behind where I lived, so it was just easy to paint. Getting up was what it was all about. And getting up with mad tags. Clouds, stars, numbers, the whole thing.... It was ultimately the crew (the original IBS) that encouraged me to get into piecing regularly. That was about late 85. By then I had only done about 30 pieces and most were either smallish or on trains, so there was no real study of style going on.... After some time I just moved more into concentrating on letters. Using what I had learnt in tags and throwups and just adding things to the letters and so on. AC: You've said that there's a lack of originality in the writing of today. What's holding writers back? Has it just all been done? AE: Well yes and no. I mean guys like Delta and Sento (for example) are just amazing letter creators of the modern age. But for every one Delta piece, there are 100 cheap imitations. That's where I think the lack or originality comes into it..... It's almost all right to fully bite an established writer's style. You know... They just say, "he is my influence". It's wack. I mean, what people don't understand is that in order to innovate and or create, you have to have a complete understanding of the subject. It's easy to take a portion and just reproduce it over and over until you master it and ultimately get "known" for it. It's easy to Paint a 3d style when you have 20 shades of one colour enabling you to get the most exotic effect imaginable. Most writers who started in the last 5 years have started with the aid of mags, flicks, videos, and or computers, which of course is normal to a certain degree However, I do wonder how many of them can do fresh tags.... fresh throw ups... simple letters, etc., etc., and that too includes some of the so called "big names" Through that, you really can tell if someone has got that real writer's blood, or if they are merely artistically inclined and are simply here for the cheap fame. Don't be fooled by all that big colorful rah rah shit. That's just technique disguised as style. AC: There's a lot of discussion these days about technique vs. style. What are some of your thoughts on this? How or when does technique overwhelm style? AE: Technique will never burn style. That's like saying a clean blockbuster will burn a fully original piece with drips. Never going to happen. Technique is the means to an end. Style is what you should be trying to achieve. You know, you can paint and paint and paint .... Have mad skills, be technically crisp... but if you are just chomping someone else shit - what's the point. AC: How can true style be cultivated? Who's got it? AE: Through my experience, those out there who I believe have the dopest styles have the ability to pull off the funk with all elements of writing. Sento TFP is one of the best examples of this. If you look back to the bombed NYC subways and follow his progression, you will see it. He mastered tags to throwups, clean simple letters -- round and blockbusters, semis to wilds, and then applied them to all different names for further development. He has a complete understanding of each letter -- proportions, shapes, curves, structure etc. -- and applies that knowledge to the ideas he has. The end result you can see out there today. As for all this 3d style debating that's constantly going on, well I will continue to say this. Delta to me is the MASTER of it. The difference between his 3rd-dimensional pieces and others is that each letter has a style of its own -- the 3d element is incorporated to give further flow and further dimension. You could pull out each and any letter and it will still be able to hold tight. They're not letters that are merely blockbusters reshaped with a perspective that allows for the 3D to be exaggerated. On top of this, the fading of similar shades of colours is minimum. Often he uses colours that don't match at all and still pulls it off. They just seem more natural. This to me is the difference between STYLE and TECHNIQUE. One colour or a dozen Colours - in Delta's pieces, style is always apparent. There ain't no cheap shorts. These are only two examples, there are definitely a lot of writers out there who have cool styles, probably A LOT more than I even know of ..... Letter constructors. AC: Who are the 5 best writers of all time? Who are the 5 up-and-comers to watch? AE: Wooooh. Personally they would have to come from New York....and I doubt I have seen half of what's been done. From what I have seen my personal 5 favorites would have to be something like (in no order) Phase Two, Case2 TFP, Slave, Dondi, and Mitch 77. The reason for these over a lot of others is, when I see a lot of what they did more than a decade ago I still freak. The pieces \ style they were pushing have been timeless. AC: What do you think about doing productions? AE: Here's a touchy topic. If visually executed correctly -- they are dope. But as MODE2 once said -- "the scenery is really only there to attract the Norm". Realistically they don't understand the letters at all. So in an attempt to draw them in or juice them for jobs, big productions are done. It's definitely nice to see a big wall with a theme, it undeniably looks nice. Ultimately though, my focus is on the letters. Incorporating your letter -- manipulating skills into your name. A 2-colour fresh piece to me is still more appealing than a big production. I don't really care how artistically talented someone is -- or if they can apply 10 shades of one colour, or paint detailed portraits and all that other production-related shit. That's not having style in terms of writing, that's ability to apply artistic technique -- once again. The focal point should always be the letters. I mean really, how can one claim original style by painting 28 meters of scenery and a piece that's 1& 1/2 meters of struggle. Good art work probably -- but then again who is that person's audience - writers or $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$? AC: Since you've tried so many kinds, what kinds of paint do you prefer? AE: Some paints are definitely better than others, but all can be used. Personally Beltons pretty much have this shit locked down. Colour ranges - paint quality etc., etc., etc.... although Rustos are also really fresh paints for that fast blast on any surface. Marabus were considered to be the cream of the crop for a long time. They still have some fresh fresh colours though. The Krylon company should just blow the fuck up. All their paints just seem to be getting more and more watered down...most colours are just getting so shitty it's depressing. AC: What do you think about stickers? Anyone doing any interesting ones? AE: Pretty cool. Just another way to get up more than anything. I have seen probably the best ones in New York. They are just another medium used to reach the same final goal. Personally I don't have the time and facilities to pump out dope ones you know. As for tagging on stick it notes ... well I'm not too interested in that shit .... I thought we had markers with dope inks for that getting up type shit. Using the right equipment and you can really make some funky ones though, that's for sure. I've seen some cool ones...TWIST, DELTA etc. etc. etc.. AC: What else would you like to tell the world about your writing, your lessons learned? AE: NOTHING LASTS FOREVER. As corny as it may sound, make the most of the situation while you can. It's optimistic to think that raw graf will last forever. This whole thing is opinionated. Don't be so damn paranoid. If you take offence to a comment whereby your name isn't even mentioned, well then maybe you are guilty of the statement? You work it out. There are definitely rules and unwritten laws to follow. Finding where you fit in the overall picture and what kind of impact you are making is up to you. Striving as an individual in turn allows the culture of writing to strive. The petty bullshit of who is this or that, the politics of scenes everywhere is usually just bullshit. Concentrate on what you are trying to do, look out for you and your crew, and you will start to realize that all that effort and dedication pays off. Respect comes from those who first of all respect writing for what it is, and then of course respect others enough to let them be. Look around, the writers who not only have the dopest styles are those that pursued their efforts and avoided most of the nonsense. AC: What's important to you after all this time? AE: Pushing on.... Meeting more and more writers, painting, experiencing new and more good times ... traveling and seeing those who are close to me around the world. These guys are like family. Mmmm... There's still a lot more to see and do that's for sure. AC: Any advice for the shorties? AE: Letters letters letters. Work it all out. Keep pushing with them. Fuck all this colour money commercial shit when you first start.... Concentrate on developing your style -- logo -- symbol and the neatness and colour co- ordination will all come with practice. It's about letters first and foremost. Where you take it from there is up to you. ATOMEONE iBSTFP and you know I don't stop. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Well thats it freaks ..trade the file around and of course check the interview live on http://www.graffiti.org with flicks and all the mass bullshit! this time only trading it to you! ....peace my friends ... DIE KRANKEN BOMBER 1998 <<< << < > >> >>> sANE2 [ DIE KRANKEN BOMBER / SICK OF IT ALL ] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [EOF] - BBS ADDS HERE ... hehe maybe the first one is mine ..dunno ...2stoned! . . .....|.. . ... ... . ..|..... |::::| |::::| |::::| aBHO |::::| ______ __ _____ ____ _ ___ _ __ _ ________ __ __ : _) \_ _/ (_______ _/ __/___ \ \ _____ (__) \\_) ._ (_ (____) \ . \ · )) _ (_) _) / _\ \\ (_ _ \_ l/ _/_ _ \_ \_ \ \ _ (_ / _/.._.__ /_ .__/ _) .)___\ \_ ) .) /_______\/___/ _ /__________||_|-(_____|_ __\____|--/________/________| ...... /_____/ -[tHE yARD]- \/ -[100% lEGAL!]- / ...... |::::| [sTAFF] - sANE2 - rEZiNE - diPSWiTCH - [sTAFF] |::::| |::::| [gROUPS] - dKB uHQ - sOiA gHQ - wX wHQ - ddB sUPP - [gROUPS] |::::| |::::| [sLOT1] - 36k6 - +49.221.9348812 - 36k6 - [sLOT1] |::::| |::::| [sLOT2] - iSDN - +49.221.9348812 - iSDN - [sLOT2] |::::| |::::| [sLOT3] - iSDN - +49.221.9348812 - iSDN - [sLOT3] |::::| |::::| [tELNET] - 3 sLOTS - theyard.dyn.ml.org - 3 sLOTS - [tELNET] |::::| |::::| [fiLES] - aMiGA - aNSi'n'aSCii - gRAFFiTi - mODS - [fiLES] |::::| ·····:·· · -[tHiS iS gERMANY'S gRAFFiTi bOARD nO.1!]- · ··:····· - -- · - -------------------------------------------------------- - · -- -