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Introduce yaself Diagram AKM. Australia Who were your mentors, influences ? I don't really have any. I started by myself and thought myself, but early influences would be my friend Devise, Smerk, and of course New York style. How's the graff scene in Australia and what do ya think of it ? Basically on the east coast of Australia ya got 3 different states, capital cities. Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. Melbourne is the capital of graffiti in Australia. They're the freshest writers, they do the freshest panels. Next to New York, Melbourne has the best graff i have ever seen in my life. Sydney is the second best in Australia. They have fresh writers too but they don't do as many trains or not that quality trains. In Brisbane a lot of walls get done, trains get done too but it's usually not high quality as it's a little bit harder. But they manage to do'em on regular bases. In the rest of Australia it's more walls related as i know it's extremely difficult to paint trains there. Obviously it's too hard and discourages a lot of writers. But over all i think Australia scene rocks and it's a pitty that the rest of the world they really don't know what's going on down there. Do you think that graffiti is still a major part in the Hip Hop culture ? I think it's the most major part. There was graffiti before there was breakdancing, rap music, or before it even became a culture. So graffiti was the first and i think it is the most major part still. There is milions of writers around the world to prove it and there is more writers than there's rappers or breakdancers or mc's or whatever ya wanna call it, so writing is the most major part. What do ya think of New York (old school, new school) ? I think New York is the mecca. I think every train writer who considers himself a train bomber, a trainpainter should go to New York and paint a train there once in their lifetime at least. When ya do a lotta trains sometimes it gets a bit boring. Ya do a lot, it's still funny everytime but it's not like that first time. When ya do your first train in New York ya get that first feeling again. It was like that for me, maybe not for all writers. When i did my first train in New York it was umbelievable. I saw it running, people say it doesn't run in New York. All mine have run and that's fuckin fresh. What makes you paint on trains especially ? Walls are a lot easier and safe. So why risk ya balls for a quickie on train instead of a wild style on a wall ? Basically I do trains because that's where it started in New York and after I did my first train I couldn't stop. Trains ya know, there's not a better feeling than seeing it running. I just love it. They're adrenaline rush. I can do that wall writers can't. What do ya think about graffiti on walls ? Is it where everyone has to start or just the difference between men and boys ? I think walls are cool, (!!!) I do a lot of walls myself but only because where I live it's a small place where we don't actually have trains. So because I have to travel to do trains I do more walls because it's a hassle to travel to do them all the time. Also there are a lot of talented wall writers in the world but there's less hardcore train bombers. What motivates you, what's in ya head telling you to go out and paint a train ? Doing a piece on a train at night time motivates me because, ya go and do it, ya're working in the darkness, create a fresh piece hopefully, and then when ya see ya work running the next day with people walking at the doors on platforms, some look at it, some look at ya taking the photos, some stare it, some smile, some wave. That's motivating to try to make a more colorfull piece. Do ya feel guilty ? :-) About the damage ? No I don't, there's no reason to feel guilty. Where does your style comes from and what makes ya draw letters in a way instead of an other? I draw my letters like New York style because I think New York has style, mainly the old school kinda style. Also the old school guyz doing their new school style but it's still the same flava. I suppose my style is influenced by that. Do ya visit other countries ? What do ya think of the scene outside your country ? I think the scene is very fresh outside Australia. Personnally I like australian styles better than european but when it comes to the trains in Europe they're real hot. In New York I think that the train scene has die out. There is very very little writers who do panels. Some do scrap trains, to pass it off as real which i think is FAKE. FAKE FAME. Very little writers in Europe do scraps and the scene is getting very busy down in a few new countries i've visited. But even if the train scene is dead in NYC it's still my favorite with Stockholm, Rome, Barcelona. Do ya live a graff life only or do ya have other interrests in life ? Do ya feel different from the other dudes of ya age (outside graff) ? I pretty much only do graff. I sort of feel different who don't know I am a writer. I might be talking to'em normally and they wouldn't even know the thangs I do. The wouldn't have a clue at all. In 12 hours time I might be in a train yard and they'd be like sitting at home or going to sleep. I think that graff writers are like secrete service and they just move in the shadows. Is there an "after-graff" for u ? I am sure there's gonna be an after graff, at the moment I dunno when it'll be but I know I am not going to do this till the rest of my life. I am sure I will paint somethang for the rest of my life. Some sort of art, somewhere in the future, creative, that comes from the heart. What about the Vandal Squad ? Have ya met each other ? No we haven't had the pleasure of meeting each other yet only because there's no vandal squad where I live. Still it's easy to paint but sort of to get away. We might have to leave sometimes pretty often but we are always safely away before the police arrives. It's very rarely we get trapped. Do ya care about the reaction of the public, or it is just for u and ya homeboyz ? I don't really do it for the public I do it for other writers, but the public's reaction is always interresting. What would ya think if ya were 'mister everyone' seeing a freshly painted panel on the train (usually clean) driving u to work ? Would ya be angry ? Against who ? (The company that hasn't cleaned or the lil bastard who did the shit ?) I can't really answer that question because I am not 'mister everyone' so the way i look at it now is like no matter what I see on a train wherever it's toy or not i still think "hey, it's cool there's someone who tryied to do it" Seeing graff as a second family, do ya have lots of bros - connections (like a mob) - around the globe or is it just u and ya crew ? I have a lot of connections throught the world. New York and at least 10 countries in Europe. Last words, dedications ? Well, just keep bombing trains ! keep it real ! Shoutouts to AKM crew, Sinoe, Dvise, Syna, Pubes, Acids, Dieks, Skelt, Darbs, Ron and Kayow. |