Pose MSK: The First 48
The Infamous Archives: Issue 3
Philadelphia’s Encrypted Script
Comet
From the Gun Hill layups of the 1970s to the galleries of 2011, Comet has been there, done that, and has the t-shirt.
Interview by Boots119
What do you write and how did you come up with your name?
Comet: My name is Comet and I started writing in October of 1970. I was living up on Gun Hill Road and staying out with my friend Joey. One day in school he says, “I’m starting to write Ajax on the wall with a little magic marker.” And I said, “Maybe I’ll write too. I’ll be Comet. We’ll be cleansers, you know?” That’s how that started.
What crews do you push, or did you push?
Comet: First crew I was in was The Mob. It was me, Ajax, Silver Tips, Shake, and that was the first group I was in. After that I joined the Ebony Dukes. Staff 161 put me in the Ebony Dukes at Gun Hill Road on the Third Avenue El, on the platform. And I bought my first Nee-Jee from him, a marker, for one dollar. Then I joined 3YB – Cliff 159, one of my old partners, put me in the 3 Yard Boys. The Crazy Five – that was Vamm, Crachee, Blade, Tull 13, and Death. They put me in The Crazy Five. Those are the crews I was in through the years.
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Dasar
In the ’90s there were few people in Philly who held it down in all categories. From hands to throws to pieces, DSR did his thing-thing.
What did you write? Did you always write that, if not what were some of the other names you wrote?
Dasar: Dasar. It’s the only name I got rep with. I’m sure in the beginning I drew cool names like “Laser” or “Knife”, but Dasar is what I got up with. I used Lemon714 as a train name and to mess around with, paying homage to some hippy graffiti this one dude did in my neighborhood. While everyone was writing band names, he was drawing the pill and writing Lemon714 next to it. The bottom of the L turned into an arrow. Way ahead of anyone he was at the kegger with… then there’s always “Line, King of Walls.” That’s an inside joke between Nope and me. I would walk down a block and just spray a line across every building, hence the goofy name “Line, King of Walls.” It’s an inside joke with Nope and co. – I’m aware that it’s silly, but it will give a few people a laugh…
What crews were you associated with?
Dasar: I’ve had the pleasure of doing this graffiti business with a lot of thorough writers and crews. In the best chronological order, the crews I’ve pushed and been a part of are HAR 1, YM, NAA, IAO, AIA, KMD, AFU, LAW 1, IX, NSF, ICON, KTS, MSP and HM.
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Serval
Rocking it all from tags, throws, burners, trans, and more, the Swiss writer SERVAL is doing his thing.
Interview by Nyce OAL
Where are you originally from and where do you currently reside? What brought you to the States?
Serval: My family is from NY, but I was born and raised in Switzerland. I live in Geneva. I stayed in Philly from ’95–’99 for school.
What sparked your interest in graff and were you into it before you came to the States?
Serval: I started writing graffiti in 1992 in Geneva, I was already painting a lot when I came to Philly, but mostly street bombing and some trains.
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Tober
Picking up a can for the first time in 2005, Tober is an upcoming graffiti beast who has caught Philly writers by surprise with his ups.
Photography by Matthew Gallaghger
What’s the background on your name?
Tober: It started with Tobe (“too-be”). I liked the letters and felt that it was a name no one had written before. Unfortunately, everyone thought it was pronounced Toby. Tober eventually progressed from there.
What is the scene like in Philly?
Tober: The scene here is mostly hands, which this city is known around the world for. Walking routes through the city is an important part of the graffiti scene. The buff here in Philly is vicious.
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Lazz: Freak Out
One of the original gangsters of street bombing in Philadelphia, Lazz has dope hands, which he describes as weird and un-orthodox but original.
Photography by Michael Francis
Crews: LAW1
Location: Philadelphia
Experience: 1978
Arsenal: Rusto fats
I write… Lazzix aka Amazon Man, BraKad, Kalar, Vexed, LX, VX, Lazz.
Lazzix stands for… Leonard as zany zaltar is xtraordinary.
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TD: Total Dominance
One of the Boogie Down’s most prolific bombers, TD talks about the game and how it’s changed.
Crews: BTC, KD, GOD, BRT
Location: Boogie Down Bronx
Experience: 22 years (in 2011)
Arsenal: Rusto fats
I got my name… From my best friend, John. He gave it to me and that was it. I never wrote anything else.
I got started from… My boys from 170, once I seen them bombing I said, “One day I will take it to another level,” and, sure enough, I did.
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Myth: Steady Rolling
Myth has been lacing freight trains with style since before the Internet showed you what graffiti is.
Crews: VTS BA AMF
Location: Northwest
Experience: 16 years (in 2011)
Arsenal: Rusto Fat
When did you start writing?
Myth: I don’t remember what year it was but I was in fifth grade when I found a can of spray paint and painted the ‘rat bones’ logo in front of a Safeway near my house. I saw it every time I went to the grocery store with my mom and I knew it pissed people off, which I thought was pretty cool. I only saw graffiti in the background of photos in Thrasher magazine and “Yo! MTV Raps” at that time. A few weeks later I found another can of paint by a dumpster and wrote my initials everywhere I went that day until it was gone. I heard people talking about it right away and it seemed to cause a lot of attention. I kept doing it and within a week there was something written in the local paper about it and they referred to it as “graffiti.” I think that was the first time I heard that word. Instantly other people started writing my initials, too, with no clue as to what it meant and two different kids that went to my school got caught writing it inside the library.
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Enue: Ill Minded
With pieces based on traditional foundations but with his own twist on it, Enue has one sick style.
Photography By Luke Shirlaw
Crews: COD, FC, NSF
Location: NYC
Experience: 18 years (in 2011)
Arsenal: NY Fat
What crews are you currently down with?
Enue: COD. FC. X-MEN. KAOS INC. NSF. UPS. KMS.
What do you like most about rocking pieces?
Enue: When I was a kid, probably the fact that I could do it (even if it was whack…) These days, it’s an excuse to not think about anything but what you’re painting for a couple hours and it keeps me from turning into a jaded old fart.
Where does your inspiration come from?
Enue: Just whatever I’m feeling… stupid jokes, maybe some lyric stuck in my head or just my general mood.
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