Under the bridge Middletown NY Graffiti by Joe Marino

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti By Joe Marino

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti By Joe Marino Produced by: Joe Marino Art Direction/Graphic Designer: Joe Marino Project Manager: Sean McLaughlin Proofreader: Brian Crane Contributing Writers: WEZ, KASE, M2Z, SEPTER, FIZ, HUSH, PMER, PHENO, PHARAOH Photo Credits: WEZ, KASE, M2Z, SEPTER, FIZ, HUSH 47, PMER, PHENO, FILO, POET, DAONE, ACRO, ESOP, VOID, MASK, PHARAOH, JASO

Copyright ÂŠ2013 Joe Marino. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the publisher. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means - graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying or information storage and retrieval systems-without written permission from the publisher. The scanning, uploading and distribution of this book or any part there of via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized editions and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. For information, write: Web: www.joemarinodesign.com Email:Joe@joemarinodesign.com ISBN: Printed in the United States of America.

Introduction 04 Chapter • 1 08 Root of the problem

Chapter • 2 36 School Age

Chapter • 3 52 The battle; Graffiti is a crime

Chapter • 4 74 Rising in the city

Chapter • 5 WAL crew

100

Chapter • 6 130 PROP WEZ

Chapter • 7 174 Traveling circus

Introduction S

ince the early 1990â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s graffiti has had an everlasting presence in the city of Middletown, and neighboring Town of Wallkill. Middletown, NY is a city approximately 60 miles north of New York City. Far enough away from New York City to be considered

country and in the middle of nowhere, but still close enough to NYC that beginning in the 70â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an influx of New York City police officers and fire fighters began relocating their families there, as housing became affordable, and the commute was bearable. Although technically considered a city, Middletown and the neighboring Town of Wallkill still had cornfields, one-lane roads, barns, and small mom and pop stores. Many of the NYC transplants relocated their families to Middletown in search of a better life, away from the hustle and bustle of metropolis. As they began to inhabit Middletown due to its growing popularity as a commuter city, they brought the trends and culture of NYC, and what some may consider big city problems. Graffiti grew in popularity throughout Introduction

the 1980’s in New York City and other major cities throughout the United States, but it wasn’t until the early part of the 90’s that Middletown began to feel the effects of the urban art form, but when it finally did, the graffiti scene exploded. According to most accounts, graffiti in Middletown started in the early 1990’s through a combination of a few factors: new residents, who grew up through the 80’s graffiti movement in NYC, that were relocated to the “country” by their parents for what they perceived as a better quality of life; local teenagers who traveled to NYC and were influenced by what they were seeing on the streets; as well as the expanding popularity and accessibility of videos, magazines, and books geared strictly towards graffiti. These factors, along with a mixture of others, lead to the exploUnder the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

sion of graffiti in Middletown in the 90’s. These new graffiti writers found Middletown conducive to the illegal art form, with a network of 4 Metro North bridges within a ½ mile of each other, and several other large bridges further down the tracks that 5

pmer • revs

were all mostly out of the view of the public, but still visible to train passengers and highway travelers. Through Middletown’s close proximity to NYC, and the willingness of its graffiti artists to want to see the subculture flourish, the scene blossomed in the 2000’s. Once the last of the cities crews stopped painting in 2007, the graffiti scene in Middletown went through a steep decline. Walls that used to be painted weekly now remained untouched for years. In the past, local writers used to look forward to when the town or city would repaint a wall, thus giving them a fresh canvas. The newly buffed wall would barely dry before the writers targeted it for their next “fuck you” to the city. The newly painted walls may get a tag here or there now, but it pales in comparison to the amount of damage that was done from 1994-2007. What was once a great underground art scene that drew the likes of some of New York City’s most famous graffiti artists throughout the years seems to now have become just like any other small city throughout the United States; Void of anything unique. The best part of the whole Middletown graffiti

scene was that it came out of nowhere. Somehow, in a small city of approximately 30,000 residents in the middle of nowhere, this urban art form evolved and consumed the lives of all of the artists who lived there. Over the years, many writers have come and gone, some painted for a month and quit while others are going on 20 years still active in the scene. From the times when PMER, SHO, JASO, PHENO, pharaoh and MASE laid the first layers of paint to the bare cement walls, up until WEZ, PROP, NARC, KASE, SHYME and SEPT took what their predecessors started and took it to the next level by painting the bridges 2-3 times per week for years on end; from the illegal walls painted in broad daylight while commuter trains sped by, to the large scale production murals painted with the owner’s permission, this book seeks to provide an accurate and extensive look into the graffiti subculture and history of Middletown, and its surrounding areas, through photos and firsthand accounts of those who lived it. This is our homage to our city and its past. WEZ Introduction

Introduction

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

Chapter 1

Root of the problem

Pharaoh(Blackbook)1995

ssssppppiiiitttttt! That was the famous line from Ramo in the movie Beat Street. That movie that was my first glimpse into this cool art form done with cans of spray paint called Graffiti. The movie was a perfect marriage for me, blending art and the music I loved, Hip Hop. Shortly after seeing that movie, my family relocated to a small town where you could hardly get a clear Hip Hop station on the radio, called Middletown, New York. As a kid in a strange place with not a lot of friends, I spent most of my free time drawing, and watching Hip Hop movies and music videos full of graffiti by KRS-One and Fat Joe, wishing that I lived in the Bronx instead of Upstate New York. In the early 90’s I attended Orange/ Ulster BOCES for their Commercial Art program, and that’s where I met Showbiz

PHARAROH

(aka SHO, aka FUEL) for the first time. He was the illest artist in the class, especially drawing comic book characters with pen and ink. I don’t even think he was into graffiti at the time, but dude had so much talent, he pretty much picked it up right away. During these times, Showbiz worked at the local bookstore, and we discovered the book called Subway Art by Martha Cooper and Henry Chalfant. That book soon became our “Bible” as we studied it, copied it, and dreamt of bombing trains one day. After two years of drawing in everybody’s Black Book, we finally got the nerve to get a couple of cans and head down to the train tracks. Down there we noticed early works from PM & Yah, SB and JASO. We were nervous as hell, but we did our first Root of the problem

piece under a moonlit sky. It was horrible by the way, but the spark was lit, and we were hooked. From that point on, we were determined to use Middletown as the trains that we never had, our blank canvas. We wanted to keep improving and pushing the limits of what we could get away with. Little tags and throw-ups weren’t enough for us: we wanted more. We wanted to do pieces like in the Subway Art book, or, for me, like the ones in the Beat Street movie. Soon the spots around the train tracks weren’t enough. We wanted more visible spots, more “in-yourface” spots. We were the first to take it to the main part of town, we started bombing places like Route 211, Media Play, the old Caldor’s rooftop, and of course, the infamous water towers in Scotchtown. That one made our mark, and people started taking notice. Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

Pharaoh(Blackbook)1995

sho(Blackbook)1994

Pharaoh(Blackbook)1995

Jaso(Blackbook)1994

Soon after that, and with some high school connections, we met JASO. JASO said he knew PMER and would introduce us, and that’s how it all began. It was like a meeting of the Justice League in PMER’s attic room, with every writer in the Orange County area up in there drinking 40’s, and fruitflavored MadDog 20/20, drawing in Black books, looking at pics of other writers work, and getting ready for what the night

would bring us. Those were some awesome times, but soon things started changing in my life, and SHO and PMER grabbed the torch and ran with it. They took it to another level, even more than what Sho and I thought was the highest point. Even though my time was short lived, I feel like I put my stamp on it, and we inspired future generations of writers to go for it. PHARAOH Root of the problem

The Times Herald-Record 1994

Root of the problem

Pharaoh â&#x20AC;˘ Shobiz 1994

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

I ‘PM” pmer (M line) 1988

Revs

t was 1989, my parents made the move here from Brooklyn to save my life. I was a bad kid, reckless, restless, and angry, I didn’t give a fuck about anything if graffiti wasn’t involved. When I started, it was 1984 and I was 11. My brain soaked it up like a sponge. Once I had a tag and held onto a marker, I was done. Addicted at 11, strung the fuck out at 16. It was NYC Graffiti. The great years, and I was right smack dab in the middle. I painted ill missions, crossed paths with legends, and rocked everything for what it was worth. Every step of the way I carried a camera with stolen film. My photos don’t lie, I know graffiti and graffiti knows me. When I was a little white kid sitting on Rikers Island at 16, things changed. Middletown graffiti didn’t exist. There was nothing here but two tags near Park Circle. REVS was one of them (he said he passed through town en route to somewhere better back in ‘88). The other was FATE. He had a hard graffiti hand-style. He knew what he was doing. I liked it. As I got to know Middletown, I started seeing him up more and more. FATE ROCK is the originator, and first writer in Middletown. That dude is a legend.

PMER • SHO

I was up here 3 years before I started getting the itch. In that time I got my life together, I was older, somewhat responsible, but something was missing. I needed my first love. I wanted my bitch back. Graffiti! It was calling me. No one was doing anything. Even FATE slowed it down. No one knew what was about to happen, not even me. I racked some paint and went out one night, alone. I had one spot that I wanted, I’d wanted it for years, and that night it was mine. It was the highway wall near the old train station off of RT 17, the one that shouts to everyone getting onto Route 17. I rocked a black & silver PMER. It was solid and bold, simple and fuckin’ undeniable! The wall was clean, a virgin! I threw up YAH for my boy. I was hooked again.

yah • pmer 1994

Root of the problem

I started going out all the time. I was doing all these crazy spots, but it sucked being alone. I used to run with crews of kids from NYC that just went for theirs, and it was fun, there was competition. In Middletown, it was just me. I really wanted people to step up. Then they did. These pieces started surfacing all over town in the craziest spots I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen a lot. But even I was like WTF! Motherfuckas painted the side of Ames in a wide-open parking lot with nowhere to run. These elaborate toy burners, full of colors and characters, backgrounds and determination, were poppin’ up everywhere. They called themselves SHOWBIZ & PHARAOH. They did toy burners near my silver piece on the tracks and when they were done they took the left over bucket paint and threw it all over my shit! SHOWBIZ did a 2PHATMAT piece. It was him. The same paint he dissed me with was used in his piece. This was WAR, and I like WAR! I destroyed almost everything he did. I purposely left PHAROAH alone. Fuck SHOWBIZ! Around the same time my boy introduced me to JASO. He was a lot younger than me, but he was down. We did a few Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

pieces here and there, kept it simple. He lived in Scotchtown and his father was a cop. I’m driving a Yugo at the time, and I pick him up to hit some spot. He tells me he has to make a quick stop, and directs me into a crowd of dudes hanging out in Scotchtown. WTF! Dude just set me up. He gets out and tells everyone I was in the car. 20 dudes surround the car. Fuck it! I got out. The ringleader asks me if I’m PMER. “Yeah”, I said, “You write?” He said, “I write SHOWBIZ”, I said, “You dissed me!” He said, “You dissed me too!” Then he laughed. I’ll never forget it. I looked at all these kids and no one seemed mad. I should have got beat down, but they had no idea what the politics of graffiti were. I was cool with it if they were. SHO and I talked for a long time that night. Seeds were being planted! The show was about to begin. It was a new world after that. History was being made. My friendship with SHO formed instantly. We had the same mentality towards everything. We took off running, and the mayhem followed. A lot of people fell back when we met. PHARAOH kinda quit. He did a few things, but not with the same energy he had when he started.

Jaso 1994

Pmer • revs 1995

sho(Blackbook)1995

pmer 1995

No one else was serious about it. Kids came and went. In it to win it for a few months, get busted, change plans. When SHO & I met, the plan was rock solid, nothing was going to stop us. The year was ‘94. We started going off. We were on these vandalism sprees of nonsense. It was dope though, we just destroyed everything we could. We started numbering pieces and lost track. I see photos of pieces I don’t remember. We moved fast. We didn’t give a fuck. Then the focus changed. I had been there and done that. It was a step backwards for me, especially knowing how graffiti at the time was moving forward. We sat in my attic, sky-high, watching OJ Simpson and his trial on television, and decided to go out that night with a purpose. A message. Something the common person could understand. We rocked Route 17 with a huge “FREE OJ”. It had a character, bloody knife, chalk mark. It was stupid, but stupid enough to get it mentioned on the WPDH morning show the next day. We were inspired. The missions had to have meaning behind them. Substance. Thought out, mindblowing, reason. SHO even changed his tag to FUEL. We sought more of an audi-

ence, so we hit the NYS Thruway. A giant rock near Harrriman, that thousands upon thousands of people see each day. We blasted out these giant JOEYFUEL silvers you could see from outer space, and had extra paint for a “Feed The Poor” blockbuster. On the way back through Middletown we got pulled over by State Police, it was about 3am. We had a ladder sticking out of the window, and a hot chick in the backseat. Somehow they knew who we were, and within a half hour we were arrested, even the chick. They saw paint on our hands, the ladder, found a few cans, and even found some graffiti magazines in the trunk. Since they didn’t know where we painted, they hit us with a possession of graffiti instruments charge. They separated us from the girl, hoping she would talk, she never said a word. She confessed to us later that she was turned on by the cops and the cuffs, she loved it. Anyway, Judge Shoemaker hits us with $500 bail each. We got a Civil Rights lawyer, and our case was dismissed. It was all bullshit, but it was enough to knock us down for a minute, but then we got back up. PMER FYM Root of the problem

Root of the problem

Cezo, Zest, Prop 2000

“Free O.J”. Sho • Pmer 1995

The Times Herald-Record 1996

Cezo, Zest, Prop 2000

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

dr • Pmer 1995

Pmer • Sho 1995

Pmer • KAone 1994

Root of the problem

Sho • Pharaoh 1994

Pharaoh • Sho 1994

Pmer • Pharaoh 1995

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

Pmer • Sho • Pharaoh 1995

jaso • Pmer 1994

poz • we jix • Pmer • Sho 1995

Sho • Pmer • Pharaoh 1995

Root of the problem

Sho • Pharaoh • Pmer 1995

Pharaoh • Sho • Pmer 1995

Pmer • jaso 1994

Sho • Pmer 1995

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

Sho • Pmer 1995

Pmer • Sho 1995

Pmer 1995

Root of the problem

sho 1995

Pmer 1995

Sho 1995

Sho • Pmer 1995

yah • pmer 1994

Pmer 1994

‘this pmers for you” Pmer 1995

Sho 1995

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

“thats mr sho to you” sho 1995

Pmer 1994

Pmer 1995

SBone • pmer • poz 907 1995

Sho • pmer 1995

pmer 1994

Root of the problem

Revs • Pmer 1995

revs 1994

pmer 1995

pmer • revs 1995

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

Ra • Cas • Pmer 1995

Pharaoh • Sho • Pheno 1995

pmer • sho 1995

Root of the problem

Pmer • Sho 1995

“ESK” Phaz 1997

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

Pmer • Sho 1995

Cezo, Zest, Prop 2000

revs • pmer • sho 1995

Root of the problem

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

The Daily News Miner 1996

Cezo, Zest, Prop 2000

Pmer 1995

Cezo, Zest, Prop 2000

“The Juice is Loose” Pmer • Sho 1995

Root of the problem

Cezo, Zest, Prop 2000

pmer â&#x20AC;˘ sho 1995

Cezo, Zest, Prop 2000

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

PHENO • PHAZ

pheno 1996

ack when Home Depot used to leave their back doors open, it was easy to steal paint and just walk out the back. PHAZ was infatuated by a cover of Xylene which had a shopping cart filled with Krylon on it. He’d be like “That’s what we need, to rack a cart of paint.” So I’m like “Ok, lets do it.” I drove a 1986 Cavalier hatchback at the time, so I drove around back by the loading doors and opened the hatch, kept it running, with my eyes franticly scanning the area for security, or any witnesses to the impending crime at hand, watching out for PHAZ. In a couple more minutes here comes PHAZ, running, pushing a cart with like 8 cases of Rusto silver and like 4 gallons of Rusto black. I’m prepped and ready, got the back seat folded down and everything. He crashes the cart into the

pheno 1996

pheno 1997

bumper and in one motion we both lifted and flipped; dumped the whole cart in the back, slammed the doors and blasted out of there. Nearly pissing our pants laughing, we’re speeding out of the parking lot. Victory! It was awesome. We got back to the house, recapped for a while, and planned our next bombing mission. We both settled for a day piece under the bridge on Route 17M by ECS. PHAZ had a huge black gym bag, so we packed it up and set out. When we got there we chilled for a bit, smoked out, and picked our spots. PHAZ was a bit careless, so I would always keep my eyes and ears open extra to make up for it. Sure enough, I hear somebody coming, stumbling down the hill toward us. Now, the last thing I wanted was to get nailed at a hotspot. So we freaked Root of the problem

Root of the problem

spook • pheno 1996

and split up the opposite side of the tunnel, stashing the bag in the brush, thinking we’d come back to get it in a little while. Well, “sigh”, when we came back later it was gone. That sucked. All the risk, wasted. I mean, we still had some paint at the house, but the mother load was gone. There was a short plague of PHENO PHAZ pieces that had silver fills after that. So, a few weeks later, me and PHAZ are driving down to New York City to see a show or something,

spook • pheno 1996

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

and we pass through the Harriman toll; traveling south on the Thruway PHAZ spots a huge piece across the highway on the northbound side. Blasted across the rock face is JOEY FUEL ‘feed the poor’, and we’re blown away because we were thinking of hitting that spot one-day. They rocked it, literally. Those letters were 8 feet high with a silver fill and black outline. HEY, wait a minute, 8-foot letters? Silver fill? Damn it! That’s our paint!!! We got spooked by JOEY and FUEL that day under the bridge, and they found our paint that we racked, and blasted out the infamous ‘feed the poor’ piece! Easy come easy go, at least it went to good use. That’s how we support our local graffiti artists. PHENO 31

Pheno 1995

phaz 1995

Pheno 1995

phaz 1995

Pheno 1995

Root of the problem

Pheno 1996

phaz â&#x20AC;˘ Pheno 1996

Pheno 1996

phaz 1996

Pheno 1996

Pheno 1997

Pheno 1996

Pheno 1995

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

Pheno 1996

Spook • Pheno 1996

Root of the problem

Lucy • Pheno 1996

SB one • Pheno • pmer 1996

Pheno 1996

Eskey • Pheno 1996

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

Chapter 2

School Age

’m not sure what drew me to the life of graffiti in my teenage years. So many memories stick out as being fond. Was it the rush? The secrecy? The exclusivity? The comradery? The colors? The form? Why was it so damn addicting? When I was 15 years old, I never asked myself these questions. I was too busy experiencing them. But thinking back now, a lot of emotion bleeds out as I actually try and reflect on them. I actually remember

“Shym” Rome (Blackbook)1995

ROME • NARC the day I was introduced to graffiti. It was 1994 (I think), and I was a freshman at Pine Bush High School. One morning in art class, sitting across from me was NARC, who was secretly doodling in this little black book. As an aspiring artist, I quickly became intrigued by what he was doing. I would lean over the table trying to catch glimpses of his sketches. The way his hand was moving was interesting enough to draw me in. It looked like he was drawing

Rome • Narc 1998

School Age

blueprints of some kind. I pressed on, and after a few weeks, he eventually let me in. At first it seemed like scribble to me, nonsense. Eventually NARC educated me on how to read between the lines, teaching me to see the actual form and letters, all of it. The edges. The flow of the pen. The various styles and the fluidity of the marks. It reminded me so much of painting, but way cooler. I was instantly hooked. I loved it all. I was a graffiti fiend. I daydreamed about it all day in school. Classes went by one by one, and my notebooks became more enigmatic by the day, scribbled in, from top to bottomincapable of being studied from. Now you may ask me, “How does a kid from the woods get into graffiti?” Well, I would have to think about it, because I do Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

find it strange myself, thinking back now. How did I become so wrapped up in this clandestine inner city form of urban expression? I was just a little hillbilly white boy who liked to doodle Bart Simpson and Ren and Stimpy knockoffs. Meeting NARC was obviously a major influence in the birth of my own interests. But now that I think about it, I do remember a few occasions where I would see some small throw ups and pieces that were decorated here and there in my small town. I didn’t really know what it was, but I was drawn to it. All the color and the characters, and how out of place it all seemed to be. Eventually, I learned of the older writers like SHOWBIZ, JASO, and PHARAOH, and few others. I am pretty sure they are the ones who brought the culture upstate. 37

Narc (Blackbook)1995

They were connected with people in NYC, and obviously brought it back with them to share with our community. Eventually, NARC and I and his whole crew and more began painting all over the surrounding counties. We didn’t care what we painted, trees, rocks, dugouts, streets, houses. We just didn’t care. We just started marking all of our territory until we eventually pissed the entire county off, actually giving the police a purpose. Eager to catch us and stop graffiti, the pigs began their investigation, trying to figure out why these 90’s punks were painting everything under the hillbilly sun. Within a few months of meeting NARC, I became obsessive. I wanted my own style. I

wanted my individuality. I wanted a unique name. I skated through tons of aliases over the 5 years. I started with Enzyme (but that was too long everyone said), so I chopped it down to ENZ. Next up was Shyme, which I still like the best to this day. I eventually cut out the “E” and just wrote SHYM. Following that, around 3 years later, it became ROME, and then IMAC. The importance of names eventually faded for me. The thrill of just painting murals was enough satisfaction. I was a sketch artist before I started writing, so that’s what I wanted to paint, characters and figures. Plus, I was one of the only ones in my crew who had the drawing skills to paint figures. There was also PROP, who I eventually met much later in life. He was a prolific

Narc • Rome 1997

School Age

little writer, as you can see in this book. The kid never stopped. He was like a horny dog, marking every corner he walked by. But before those more mature days of painting legal walls, I did my time in the underworld of “cops and bombers.” What a thrill! I loved dressing in black and camouflage. I loved the late hours when people were fast asleep. We were like a small militia. Every weekend, we all met up and hit the suburban and country roads in the early AM shadows, searching for places to mark. The bond we had as a small crew was something unforgettable. We learned quickly to adapt to the pressures of outside forces, even still it felt like every time we went out painting we were running for our lives, trying to Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

escape the police, or some overzealous good Samaritan looking to catch us. I think that was what I loved most. It was that heightened sense of danger and adventure. And it was all in the name of art and personal expression. And as I look back at it now, I realize how important it was for me as an artist, and now filmmaker. At the time, it was just an endless rush of excitement. But I see it was more than that now. It was a way for me to be an individual. We all know how freaking hard this was as a teenager. I guess Instead of being a teenager lost in a world of social awkwardness and high school absurdities, I was out trying to express myself to the world outside, instead. But don’t get me wrong; I loved being a badass too. John Mattiuzzi

“Picasso” Rome 1998

“Shym” Rome 1995

Rome • Narc 1996

Rome 1996

Narc 1997

“Ice” Rome 1998

Narc 1996

Narc 1997

School Age

Rome 1998

Narc 1998

“Sy” shym 1997

Narc 1998

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

Pacer (wez) 1994

y obsession with graffiti started in 1994. I was 14 and in my freshman year of high school, and had just started to take the 20 minute walk from my house to the mall. I had been noticing graffiti around Middletown for a year or two prior, names like JASO, pharaoh, SHOBIZ and MASE, in sporadic places and, most notably, the SHO and pharaoh with Spiderman on the water tower on Tower Drive. There were other memorable walls too, the Marvin the Martian wall on AMES, Sonic the Hedgehog, Hawaiian Punch guy wall, and the dugouts at the town baseball field, all done by SHO and pharaoh and others. I can still remember walking to the mall and seeing the water tower up close for the first time and being blown away. I would usually be with my brother Narc and a few neighborhood kids, usually BOTZ, HURE, JYZ, RUNT and a few others. Walking to the mall we had to walk right past the Middletown train station, which consisted of four overpass style bridges, an underground tunnel and a large drainage pipe. Naturally, we began to explore these bridges and what we found would forever change and consume the next 20 years of my life.

WEZ

Pacer 1994

Under those bridges we found hidden graffiti, graffiti out of the publicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eye, graffiti only meant to be seen by those seeking it out. It was a totally different feeling back then. These days kids see new pieces on the internet. Nothing beats the feeling of exploring for your-self, and finding something not meant to be seen by the masses. That day we found pieces by pharaoh, SHOBIZ, PMER, SEEK, GAZER, JASO and others. It was mind blowing. We began to wonder who did these pieces, and how could we become as good as them? I began looking behind buildings, and would constantly come across new pieces. It became a mission of ours to find out who SHO and pharaoh were, because in 1994 they were putting up illegal pieces all over Middletown. The internet was just beginning to School Age

School Age

gain popularity and there were no forums or websites dedicated to graffiti, the only way to find out who other writers were was by some investigating and word of mouth. I can still remember the first time RUNT found out he knew pharaoh. We went over to his house and he did a black book page for me that I still have to this day. Around the same time we figured out that SHO worked at a book store in the mall. I still remember going into the store and talking loudly about graffiti, hoping he would strike up a conversation (He didn’t). At some point in 1994, I got my courage up and did my first piece on a basketball court down the road from my house. I wrote “KEEBLER”. It was a two-color fill with an outline about two feet by one foot, and it was horrible, but it was raw and illegal, and I instantly fell in love. I was now a graffiti writer! It wasn’t long before we started stopping at Wal-Mart on our walk to the mall and picking up some paint to write our names on the way to the mall. Back then the train station was one bridge down from where it is now, making the bridge that was built to lead to the mall completely desolate. We began to paint inside a large drainage pipe that was Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

right next to the bridges and a secret underground tunnel we found underneath the train tracks. We weren’t yet ready to paint out in the open. Sometime in the late 90’s the train station was moved to where the mall bridge was making the mall bridge virtually impossible to paint during the day. Over the course of the next few summers, those tunnels and bridges became our playground, and the setting of some of the best times and memories of my life. I would eventually link up with other Middletown writers and expand my skills, but nothing can beat those early formative years. In 1994-1995 we had started to take trips to New York City to what was then Soho Down and Under, but now known as Scrapyard for graffiti supplies. One day I picked up a magazine called Crazy Kings and it had a section with pictures from the 1994 Graf-a-thon in Paterson, New Jersey. I begged my father to take me and my brother to Paterson to try and find the school yard that was painted, since he knew the area. We eventually were able to find and access the school yard. That day would forever change how I looked at graffiti. I was able to see up close full scale burners with backgrounds

Pacer (wez) 1994

from some on NYC’s most notable graffiti masters. To me, there are very few feelings that could compare to that day, specifically my father embracing our love for graffiti instead of condemning it. Both my mother and father were supportive of mine and my brother’s love of graffiti, even allowing us to paint our bedroom and garage. Attending High School really helped to keep my love of graffiti alive. The fact that so many graffiti artists attended Pine Bush High school blew my mind. Black books were constantly being passed around and alliances formed. Over the next few years we would sporadically go out on piecing missions, but most of the neighborhood kids had moved on to other things. We were all about 17 by then, and it just wasn’t the same anymore. But it was always in my blood, and eventually I knew it was only a matter of time before I would return to what I loved doing the most. In 1999 when KASE introduced me to PROP we immediately shared the same passion for graffiti. I began to actively paint again, but now instead of just doing my name we began to try and incorporate some backgrounds and tried to make the pieces

PAcer • ace • jyz • joker • botz 1994

look uniform. The techniques were new to me and there were many times when I left a piece frustrated and unfinished. For many of my earlier pieces PROP had to finish my outline because I would become frustrated with how it was turning out. Just like everyone else I have had many names since 1994, like KEEBLER, MERAUD, PACER, ENUF, SHAM and a few others, but in 2001 I finally settled on WEZ. To this day I still do not remember how or why I came up with the name and it had no significant meaning. My brother NARC and his friend SHYM were painting a bit more throughout the late 90’s, and once I hooked up with PROP and KASE we all decided to link up and form the WAL crew. From 2000-2004 the Middletown bridges were covered with pieces from our crew.

Keebler (wez) 1994

School Age

Those were our years, and WAL crew ran those bridges. We were painting the bridges in broad daylight while the trains passed us in plain view. We didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have a care in the world. For the most part we stayed out of trouble with the law. The only time I ever had a problem was when PROP and I had just finished painting one of the track spots. We were both covered in paint and walking back to the car. An MTA officer rolled up on us and I swear it must have been her first day on the job, because when she asked why we were walking the tracks covered in paint we were able to convince her that we were art students walking to school. That was part of the fun, getting over. One other time, I was drunk in New Paltz and had to convince a bike cop that I had a paint huffing problem, and I was going to huff the spray paint he just caught me with. Paint confiscated. Got over again. Over 200 pieces, never arrested! In 2005 I reunited with an old writing partner who I went to BOCES Law Enforcement with in 1997. SEPT shared the same passion for graffiti as PROP and I, and we instantly clicked. SEPT and I would go on to paint across the tri-state area, linking up with other writers along the way. Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

Middletown has had an extensive graffiti history and I am proud to have grown up here. Although older now and far less daring I still find myself every so often wandering down to those bridges, looking for the next generations WEZ, PROP, NARC, SEPT and KASE, and always wind up leaving disappointed, and usually out of breathe. Unfortunately, it was a time that can never be repeated and will just have to be held in the memories of those who were there. I actually feel bad that now no one can go down to those bridges and get the feeling I got when I saw a new PMER or SHOBIZ piece, and now the internet takes all the fun away from it. The fun part was getting out and exploring and finding hidden gems right in your own backyard. Those times are gone. We are all older now and have full time jobs, kids, and other responsibilities, but hopefully one day everyone can get together again, put differences aside, and make Middletown remember our history. We were a part of Middletown as much as Middletown was a part of us. WEZ Keebler (wez) 1994

Botz 1994

Seek • Gazer 1994

Cronic • Mase 1994

mask • jusy 1994

seez 1995

Pacer (wez) 1994

Botz 1994

mesh • mase • pimp 1994

School Age

y family moved to Middletown, New York in 1994. I was 13 years old and I had no idea for the next 20 years I would be consumed with graffiti. As a young a kid sitting in the backseat of my parent’s car, driving up the Bronx River Parkway, I stared out the window. Looking in the distance, deep down in the overpasses looking at these bright color walls filled with graffiti. It was a great mystery. Who was doing it, how was it done? All these questions going on in my head, of course at the time I had no idea what it said. There was no way I could avoid seeing it. Highways, buildings, overpasses, etc, it was unmistakable. Love it or hate it, it was there. Years later, I found out that this was the 238th St. tunnel, a very famous graffiti spot. There was something about graffiti that I instantly loved. I was attracted to it right away. Time went by and my life stayed the same, until one day we moved to Middletown, New York. At first glance, it looks like any other normal town, supermarkets, shopping malls, grassy fields, your regular suburban town. With one exception: the streets of Middletown were covered with Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

PROP graffiti. Nothing new for me! I just thought it was funny that a small town in upstate New York had graffiti writers. Also, I knew something was a little funky when we drove past a Kennedy Fried Chicken. Seeing graffiti and a low budget fried chicken restaurant, I knew Middletown was not like any other town in suburban America. At this point in my life, I didn’t realize one day I would be part of the subculture movement. Back in the seventh grade I was fascinated with old school rap music. I would rock out to mix tapes that my older cousin had given me. I was new to school, and I wanted to talk to anyone that related to what I was doing. I met my old buddy Dan (SKILL, DAONE). We started messing around with spray paint, attempting to do what we called graffiti. We started a crew, GMW (Graffiti’s Most Wanted). Our story was similar to many other writers from this area: long walks to the store to buy cheap cans of spray paint, and the cans would be half empty before we got home. Walking along the tracks, trying to imitate the writers before us. Of course back then we could never attempt to do what others did, but we tried. Without taking the long trip to the

prop

prop 1996

prop (Blackbook) 1996

City, the only other way we could be influenced by graffiti was to pick up a copy of Rap Pages or The Source magazine. Once a month I would go to the store, rip out the page with the graffiti on it, and walk out the door. Throughout the years, I had quite a scrapbook of old clippings of graffiti. At this point I was obsessed with graffiti. I would take my mother’s camera, and take photographs of anything that resembled graffiti. Picture after picture, wall after wall, I was documenting everything. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on another graf photo. I would make my poor father drive around the Bronx, taking photographs of graffiti. Throughout the years I have probably taken thousands of photos of graffiti. The majority of this book is from my personal photo collection. I always try to document the pieces that I have done but unfortunately, in the early days there were a dozen pieces that I wasn’t able to take photographs of. Looking back nearly 20 years later, I would kill to have a photograph of some of my older work. reminiscing and seeing a lost innocence in your first graffiti piece. You as a little kid without a care in the world, determined to become a graffiti artist.

G.M.W. (prop) 1996

Just like every other writer, I couldn’t decide on a good name. I started writing GONZO then quickly move to PROPHET. PROPHET was entirely too long and corny. As you might have guessed, I shortened it to PROP. With my new name I was determined to show the world that I was a writer. At first I would do a piece next to an established writer, hoping that they would see who I was. Jocking spots for attention, and doing every toy move you could possibly think of. By the time I was in high school, other writers in school noticed me. DAONE introduced me to KASE WAL. KASE introduced me to many other graffiti writers in grades above me, NARC, HUR, MERAUD, WEZ, BOTZ, ROME, etc. Of course, being a young new writer, naturally there was beef. To this day, I still have no School Age

School Age

idea why NARC wanted to beat me up so bad, something about me bombing a trailer that he wanted to paint? God only knows. Soon after, we quickly became friends. Around ‘97-’98, I started to get a little better, doing full-color pieces with a lot more effort than in previous years. Back in high school, I was determined to perfect my skills. Countless nights, sitting in my room, sketching in Black books, studying and researching graffiti, looking time after time at photos and graf magazines. In late ‘98 and early ’99, I hooked up with a writer name CEZO. CEZO and I quickly became partners. We did pieces by day and bombing at night, endless nights of painting, causing all kinds of trouble with several police departments. Back in those days, I was personally responsible for a lot of damage done to many neighborhoods. The police

were not happy with me back then, they confronted me many times, now I was on their radar. They knew exactly who I was and what I wrote. They were determined to put an end to my graffiti career. One night, the Town of Walkill police caught up with me and took me in for interrogation. They held me for several hours, playing mind games and using tricks, but they were never able to convince me to confess. They had to let me go with a minor speeding ticket. They were pissed, suckers! We had a lot of fun back then! Climbing on rooftops, bombing streets, painting overpasses. Back then I had lots of partners: ZEST, DA, CEZO, FIZ, KASE, WEZ, just to name a few. I would go painting with any one that was down. Venturing off, trying to find different tunnels, anywhere we could find a good spot to paint during the day. Walking the Metro-North railroads, trying to find any surface that was worth painting. We had a couple of good spots that we painted two to three times a week. Little responsibilities, part-time jobs, just a lot of paint and free time. Getting into trouble was a way of staying out of trouble. My passion for graffiti kept me focused, and

prop 1996

Gonzo (prop) 1996

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

prop (Blackbook) 1998

prop 1996

away from temptations. Teenagers are going to rebel in one way or another. Some kids do drugs, others drink, and some drop out of school. My poison was graffiti, putting every ounce of energy I had into writing. My life wouldn’t exist today without graffiti. Unfortunately, nowadays I have little motivation to paint. Putting this book together I became very nostalgic, remembering all the good times graffiti has brought me. Through my love of graffiti, I became very passionate with art and design. I became a very successful and a sought-after designer and illustrator, producing and appearing in many national publications. Graffiti to me has come full circle. When I was in the tunnels, alone scared of my own shadow, when no one knew my name, I was determined to let every other writer know I was PROP. My goal was to paint with the big time graffiti artists. To paint as many

production walls as possible. I look back now and see my achievements. From being a little toy writer, to eventually meeting and painting with legendary graffiti writers. I look back at my career and find it funny; everything I wanted 15-20 years ago has no appeal to me now. I realize that for me graffiti only existed in one place: the underground. I would love to go back to a world without the internet, Facebook, or message boards. A time when the only way to become a real writer was to go out, steal a can of Rusto, and let people know who you are. Over the years, I had the opportunity to meet and paint with some amazing writers. Friendships were made and lost from graffiti. Graffiti runs thick in every writer’s blood. When you start writing, it’s for life. It doesn’t matter how dramatic your lifestyle changed, your head will always turn when you walk by a wall covered with graffiti. I suggest you keep an eye out under the bridges and underground tunnels, because one day you just might find me back they’re doing what I do best; graffiti. PROP

School Age

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

Chapter 3

The battle Graffiti is a crime!!!

W hush 47 2006

hush 47 2005

hen I moved to upstate New York the first writer I saw was PMER. Soon after I noticed PC.ONE, SEPTER, WEZ, and PROP. What got me interested in graffiti was driving up and down interstate 87, from Orange County to New York city. My exposure to many NYC graff writers gave me inspiration to write Graffiti. Writers like; VFR, MISS 17, TD, YES 2 and REVS were big influence in my graffiti. Naturally Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d doodle here and there in school with friends CASINO and EBO 2 both LHC crews. By the 9th grade I had started to take vandalism more seriously. Middletown, Newburgh and Suffern were favorite spots of mine to frequent, basically where I cut my vandalism teeth. I started to write HUSH until I found out the name had been taken by a fellow who called

hush 47 2007

himself HUSH SPORTS. I enjoyed the letters in HUSH so I had to add a number. My favorite writer at the time was MISS 17. I changed the 1 in 17 to 4 and there you have it, HUSH 47. Quick note to the younger folks who may be inspired by HUSH47. If you have the energy and really want to change things on a grand scale, get yourself into government or terrorism (well, I guess they are both really the same thing). HUSH 47 The Battle

The Times Herald-Record 1994

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

cezo 1999

The Times Herald-Record 1999

cezo 2001

cezo â&#x20AC;˘ Prop 1999

The Battle

The Times Herald-Record 1999

Sho • Pmer • Pharaoh 1995

Vic • Del • Cezo • Mesa 1999

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

Zest • Prop • Cezo 2000

Cezo 1999

Prop • Cezo 2000

Prop • Cezo 1999

Cezo 2002

Prop 2000

Cezo 1999

Cezo 2000

Cezo 1999

The Battle

Prop • Skill (DAone) • Cezo 1999

Prop • Wez 2001

Acne • Cecs 2004

Wez 2005

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

Cezo, Zest, Prop 2000

Prop • hush • “so” da 2001

The Battle

Cezo, Zest, Prop 2000

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

pmer

spook • sho • pheno

jaso

paz 907

pmer • sb 907

sb • span • vex • poz 907

sb 907

beep

pheno • spook

vex 907

sho

Introduction

jix

pmer• sho

joey• fuel

jix

“fuck you” pmer

sho • pmer • pmer

jesus

pheno • beep • spook

pmer • phro • sho

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

sho • pmer

prop • wez • “so” da one

prop

poet

acne

sen

acne

cecs

post

da one • prop

sept• wez

The Battle

prop • zest • les

prop • da one

poet

void

prop

les • void

prop

sept

narc • botz • “sk” da one

prop • zest

prop

prop • zest

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

saso

sept

narc

zest • prop

prop

nes

da one • zest

nk 3f

prop • pmer • mone

The Battle

prop • wez • “so” da one

poet

prop • wez • “so” da one

narc

hush 47 • prop

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

prop • wez • “so’ da one • hush 47

poet

Acro 2006

Acro 2005

“hater” acne • acro 2011

Acro 2006

Acro 2010

acro 2011

acro • prop 2007

acro • saso • septer • “nace” rip Sag 2006

The Battle

hush 47 2002

hush 47

hush 47 2006

hush 47

hush 47 2007

Acro 2011

hush 47

Cezo • soe • Hyph 1998

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

da 2001

Filo 2001

les 2001

les â&#x20AC;˘ sim 2000

sim â&#x20AC;˘ sol 1997

soe 1998

DR one 2000

filo 2007

Jam 2006

fiz 2000

Acelover 2010

sept 2007

The Battle

poet 2008

sho 1995

pmer 1995

vers 2008

Jam • vers 2008

soe • hype • cezo 1998

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

fiz • eon 2001

prop

kase

zest

wez

The Battle

“sean” wez

prop

saso

wez

sept

wez

prop

wez

zest

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

da one

The Battle

Cezo, Zest, Prop 2000

Cezo, Zest, Prop 2000 Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

Chapter 4

Rising in the city

joey • fuel 2002

he “Worldwide Genocide” wall blew the doors off graffiti in Middletown. We got permission for this entire factory and rocked every square inch. Everybody was in on this one. REVS, PEAK, ESPO, HENCE, POES, SB, SPAN, ZEO, DIVA, PHENO... It was a massive production. Middletown had never seen anything like it. FUEL and I made it into the Times Herald record with that wall. The wall was painted over in a month due to the owner getting fined by the City of Middletown. The owner loved that wall! Back in those days there were alot of fights and beef. PIMP and The ScheffMob were my favorite. Dudes would knock on my door and threaten my life. Roll up into FUEL’s job 20 deep. That all ended with a kid gettin’ choked and hit with a garbage

can. Yet most people seemed to like us. Every circle we crashed knew us as those graffiti guys. Middletown was growing, changing, we were young. Through the new internet all kinds of graffiti and fame was at your fingertips. You were watching magic unfold all over the world. Mad styles and creativity, the hardcore, the missions... We had to upgrade, take it a step higher. We started doing highly charged political murals. We would go into Caldors and Jamesway and walk out with shopping carts full of paint. We were ready for war. We had walls everywhere. Everybody was putting us down with productions, it was a busy time. Mad shit in NYC, The first graffiti piece in Alaska, burnin’ Vancouver, the entire Tri-State. We were rockin’ shit!!! Things eventually slowed down. We Rising in the city

“Graffiti is a giant step toward the ghetto” Mayor Joseph Destefano

revs • joey • fuel 1997

were getting older. New things were taking up our time. Drinking became our new hobby and we rocked that too! But with graffiti we always did something, even if it dropped to once a year. Things were quiet and then PROP came out hard. Dude was just bombing, mixing it up with pieces, blockbusters, tags. Ran with WEZ. These dudes pissed us off. We had no idea who they were and they were killin’ shit. Eventually our paths Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

crossed and walls got rocked. Things got quiet again, but hopefully with the release of this book it will inspire the next generation. The productions may have disappeared, and the tags are faded but there is new streetart to explore. Graffiti changes every ten years in Middletown. Only a few really understand that. It’s almost time. JOEY & FUEL had gallery shows and mad press. Features in books, magazines, etc... Life was good and we took advantage of it all. We also took advantage of the Middletown lifestyle. Sometimes Middletown is a pit of despair. It’s a scumpit full of drugs & thugs, whores and grime. If you live it here you love it. I love it, sometimes. It’s a canvas to me. The place my son will do his first piece. JOEY PMER 75

Cezo, Zest, Prop 2000

The Times Herald-Record 1996

“WorldWide Genocide” Joey • Fuel 1996

Rising in the city

Cezo, Zest, Prop 2000

The Times Herald-Record 1996

Cezo, Zest, Prop 2000

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

The Times Herald-Record 1996

Fuel • Joey • SBone 907 • Span 907 • “Marlon” pharaoh • “Tab” diva 1996

Rising in the city

“Bones” Pheno 1996

“Eye 2 Eye” Pheno 1996

Poes TPA 1996

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

Joey • Fuel 1996

Peak • Espo 1996

Hence 1996

l rock • Pimp 1996

Zeo • “ leave them kids alone” Joey 1996

Rising in the city

“pure suicide” Revs 1996

Pimp 1996

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

Revs • Espo • Joey • Fuel 1996

Fuel • Joey 1996

Zeo • Fuel • Joey 1997

Pmer • TLone 2000

Rising in the city

Revs • Fuel • Joey 1997

Fuel • pmer 1998

The Times Herald-Record 1997

Fuel • Joey 1997

Pmer • Fuel 1997

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

Pmer 1997

Zeo 1997

“Naeco” Joey 1998

joey • TLone 1999

Zeo 1997

Sho 1997

Rising in the city

Fuel • joey 1999

“rage” Joey • Fuel • Zeo • Prop 2000

Joey • Fuel 1999

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

Pmer • Prop • Fuel 2001

“Joe vs Joe” Pmer • Prop 2006

Wez • Pmer 2007

Rising in the city

Pmer • Prop • Fuel 2001

Cezo, Zest, Prop 2000

Cezo, Zest, Prop 2000 Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

Fuel 2007

Cezo, Zest, Prop 2000

Cezo, Zest, Prop 2000 88

Introduction

Cezo, Zest, Prop 2000 Prop • Fuel 2003

Cezo, Zest, Prop 2000

“Homeland Security” Joey • Fuel 2006

Joey • Fuel 1996

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

Joey • Fuel 2002

Joey 1997

Cezo, Zest, Prop 2000

Prop • Fuel 2006

Cezo, Zest, Prop 2000

Zeo • Prop • Fuel • Pmer • Poet • Wez 2006

Rising in the city

Cezo, Zest, Prop 2000

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

Zeo • Fuel • Prop • Pmer 2005

Maze • Prop • Pmer • Wez 2006 Sho • Pmer • Pharaoh 1995

“Weapons of Mass Deceptions” Prop • Fuel • Zeo 2002

“Signs of the Times” Joey • Fuel 2001

Rising in the city

Prop â&#x20AC;˘ Fuel 2007

Cezo, Zest, Prop 2000

Cezo, Zest, Prop 2000 Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

Pmer â&#x20AC;˘ Prop 2006

Cezo, Zest, Prop 2000

Cezo, Zest, Prop 2000 94

Introduction

Cezo, Zest, Prop 2000

Cezo, Zest, Prop 2000 Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

Prop • Zeo • Pmer 2007

Cezo, Zest, Prop 2000

Cezo, Zest, Prop 2000 96

Introduction

Prop • Fuel 2006

Cezo, Zest, Prop 2000

Prop • Zeo • Pmer • Fuel • Mone • Ghost 2002

Cezo, Zest, Prop 2000

“Mission Accomplished” Joey • Fuel 2006

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

prop • zeo • “joseph” pmer 2007

pmer 2006

vex • joey 1997

“subterranean” pmer 2006

“suicide ride” Joey • fuel 1997

“joseph” pmer 2001

Pmer • zeo 1997

Pmer • fuel • revs 2008

Rising in the city

Prop • zeo 2002

Sho • Pmer • Pharaoh 1995

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

Chapter 5

Writers at large

narc • prop 2001

100

ASE, and his brother L-ROCK, had a crew called WAL (Writers At Large). I always liked the sound of the name. It had a good ring to it. We started representing the crew pretty heavily around 2000-2001. KASE was an old friend from high school, and we started painting more and more. I continued to steadily paint, while some of the other writers that I knew started to get the itch to paint again, WEZ, his brother NARC, ROME, etc. We had a tight little group of writers. Friends from high school got together and started painting daily. We were painting everything during this time. Highway overpasses, walls, fences, handball courts, people’s bedroom walls, basements, abandoned buildings. From 2000-2004 the Middletown tracks were covered with pieces from the WAL crew.

Up and down the Metro-North train line, every overpass that the train went through was covered with burners. Those were our years, and we rocked those tunnels. Around this time we were promoted from the dark dangerous underground tunnels and bridges, and moved to the surface world. We started to get permission to paint legal walls. Of course, legal walls were nothing new for graffiti. This was our first attempt to show the public our unique form of art. I teamed up with JOEY and FUEL a couple years’ prior, and I had contributed to their productions. In 2001, in the height of our graffiti careers, the WAL crew was knee-deep in paint when a national tragedy happened, a day that will live in infamy, the 9/11 tragedies. People always ask, “where were you when 9/11 happened?” I can honWriters at large

estly say, I was in WEZâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s basement painting a PROP piece. We were all young college students, filled with rage and aggression, and wanted to express this through artistic talent. Despite this horrible tragedy, deep down inside I just wanted to paint. This was a perfect excuse to go to any store and ask permission to paint their wall. KASE and I were determined to find anyone that would let us paint his or her wall. Obviously, this is a pretty common thing in New York City and the larger metropolitan areas. On the other hand, in upstate New York, when a bunch of young kids go up to a storeowner and ask if they can graffiti their walls, you can pretty much count on them to get their shotgun and tell them to get the hell off their property! Eventually, we found a small mom-andUnder the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

pop business that was willing to let us paint a mural on the side of their building. KASE and I painted a 9/11 mural. It was very patriotic, with a large American flag and United We Stand as the title. The town officials had mixed reviews, but the town people seem to like it. Eventually we would start linking up with writers from NYC and the surrounding tri-state area. As the years went on, we started to part ways. KASE move to Texas, IMAC moved down to the city. NARC stopped painting. ZEST went off to college. The camaraderie and friendship had faded away, leaving behind hundreds of photographs and memories that will last forever. I will always look back at this time and say: we were the crew in control of the walls. Prop wal 101

Cezo, Zest, Prop 2000

Cezo, Zest, Prop 2000 102

Introduction

Cezo, Zest, Prop 2000

Cezo, Zest, Prop 2000 Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

103

The New York Post 2001

Cezo, Zest, Prop 2000

“united we stand” prop • kase 2001

104

Writers at large

Cezo, Zest, Prop 2000

The New York Times 2001

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

ne of my fondest memories painting was with PROP, KASE and a few others. It was a little time after 9/11, and I came across PROP a street from my home, painting the side of a massive Deli. When I bumped into him, he had just started putting the first coat on the wall. He was planning to make a tribute/memorial for the victims of The World Trade Center. His idea was to create a bunch of superheroes that would protect the NYC skyline. PROP painted Spider Man, the backdrop, and most of the lettering. I worked on Thor,

Captain America, Silver Surfer, and the badass Hulk! Damn I was happy with how the Hulk came out. Everyone was impressed by how immense he felt up close. But I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t take all the credit. In those 3 weeks we painted, PROP taught me a great deal about the actual painting techniques. This was something I never learned running around with other crews. If you actually look at the mural, you can see the technical progression I had from Thor, to Silver Surfer, to Captain America, and then finally, to Hulk. 105

The Times Herald-Record 2002

Cezo, Zest, Prop 2000

“city of heroes” prop • imac • wez • kase 2002

106

Writers at large

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

107

Prop • Narc • Kase 2001

Prop • Kase 2003

Wez • Prop 2002

“Happy Holidays” Wez • Prop 2001

108

Writers at large

Zest • Wez • Prop 2001

Prop • Narc • Wez • Kase 2001

Kase • Narc • Vocab • Wez 2001

Kase • Newse • Prop 2001

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

109

Cezo, Zest, Prop 2000

Cezo, Zest, Prop 2000 110

Introduction

Cezo, Zest, Prop 2000

Cezo, Zest, Prop 2000 Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

111

Wez • kase • prop 2001

Prop • wez • kase 2001

Narc • Prop • wez • kase 2001

Kase • Narc • vocab • prop 2001

112

Writers at large

Kase • prop 2002

KAse • prop 2001

Wez • vocab • prop 2002

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

113

prop • narc 2002

les • zest • prop • wez 2001

zest • prop • wez 2001

114

Writers at large

Cezo, Zest, Prop 2000

Cezo, Zest, Prop 2000 Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

115

Cezo, Zest, Prop 2000

Cezo, Zest, Prop 2000 116

Introduction

Cezo, Zest, Prop 2000

Cezo, Zest, Prop 2000 Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

117

Cezo • Zest • Prop 2000

wez • prop • narc • imac 2001

kase • narc • Prop 2001

Kase • Narc • prop • wez 2001

118

Writers at large

Narc • prop • kase 2001

prop 2002

kase • prop 2003

Kase • prop • shym 2003

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

119

imac • prop • wez 2002

prop • wez • kase 2002

prop • narc • zest 2001

narc • imac • prop • wez 2002

120

Writers at large

zest • wez • prop 2002

imac • wez • prop 2002

vocab • wez • prop 2002

wez • narc • vocab • kase 2001

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

121

prop • kase 2002

prop • “Lost it” tmh 2002

prop 2003

122

Writers at large

prop • kase 2003

Cezo, Zest, Prop 2000

prop • kase 2003

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

123

Tmh 2002

Prop • Zest 1999

“kaliced” tmh 2002

Tmh 1998

Prop • Fiz • Zest 1999

zest • prop 1999

124

Writers at large

zesto 2000

zesto 2001

zesto 1999

zesto 2001

zesto 1999

zesto 2000

zesto 2001

zesto 2000

zesto 2001

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

125

KASE

kase (blackbook)1996

kase 1996

126

Living in the woods of Blomingburg, New York how did you enter into the graffiti scene? KASE: I was first turned onto to the scene in the late 80’s when my parents were driving to Mets games in Queens. In the early 90’s the upstate New York scene took off and there were several writers that lived nearby. There was an abandoned structure across the street from my house where some local writers were piecing on a daily basis, and I picked up a can and was immediately hooked. Local writers Newse and Mesh lived next door and always let me rock their Black books, walls, and urged me to keep getting up. We started hopping the train to Manhattan at least once a month to pick up supplies at Soho down under, AKA Bomb the system. At the same time my older brother El Rock attended school with two of the most dominate writers in Middletown during the 90’s, Showbiz and Pharaoh. So I started paying close attention to all of their pieces and was determined to rock like they rocked. During that time PMER and REVS were also putting up pieces in the local area, and also became an inspiration. Once Fuel

kase (blackbook)1996

and PMER started killing all of the local spots, every other writer around wanted in and started bombing all over the place. In the late 90’s with the scene reaching its climax, we started the WAL Crew and the rest is history. Myself, Prop, Wez, Narc, and Shym were the main member’s, and each recruited new heads as we saw fit. Later we also got down with Sept and the Vandal Kings Crew. Kids from

kase 2013

Writers at large

Pine Bush, Bloomingburg, Scotchtown, Graff Heads all over the place out here, so and Middletown united to paint walls and I have been busy putting up pieces every chance I get. have a good time. What’s your current status in the Graff game today? KASE: I moved out of New York in 2004 and lived in Texas for 7 years during which time I did only a handful of pieces. The Dallas scene was OK, but there the legal walls were mostly dominated by abstract artists who weren’t keen on sharing their space with a graffiti artist. One thing a non-writer will never understand is that once you’re a writer, it’s in your blood for life. So until I moved to Florida in 2011 I painted mostly in my garage, to keep my skills as sharp as possible, and satisfy my need to get up. Upon moving to Orlando, Florida I discovered a scene unlike anything I ever expected. Old school New York subway artists like Tekay, Kies, and Pner of the TNR crew were busy putting up pieces on legal walls throughout the city. I also met up with OPUS, who is also from Middletown, and we get up on a regular basis. There is a huge network of New York Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

What can we expect from you and your crew in the near future? KASE: I’m going to continue putting up pieces and representing the WAL and VK Crew’s! Hopefully the whole crew can get together and rock some walls in South Florida sometime in 2013 or 2014. Anytime I’m in New York I will at least make an attempt to represent somewhere. I visited the area in 2012 and was pleased to see several spots where our names have remained up for the better part of a decade!

kase 2013

127

kase â&#x20AC;˘ opus 2012

kase 2002

kase 2009

kase 2001

kase â&#x20AC;˘ opus 2013

128

Writers at large

kase 2012

kase 2009

kase • nags • opus 2012

riot • kase • opus 2012

kase 2012

kase 2001

prop • kase • opus 2012

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

129

Chapter 6

Prop WEz

S wez 2005

tepping over the yellow line, walking up and down the Metro-North Railroad tracks, daring to enter where others feared, as commuter trains speed by and the mist of spray paint filled the air, two names stand out among others, WEZ and PROP, two words synonymous with Middletown and upstate New York graffiti. The WAL crew had disappeared. Several members of the crew had moved away to different parts of the country. WEZ and PROP were the only two acting members still representing their home town. After years of friendship and

prop 2006

130

prop 2002

painting experience, it was only natural that these two would become close partners, and take over the entire graffiti scene. From the coldest New York blizzards, to the hottest summer days, no matter what the situation, WEZ and PROP where always able to produce some of the freshest burners Middletown has ever seen. The longevity and production they have put out through the years, along with the sheer volume of pieces, has not been matched by Prop Wez

anyone in Middletown prior to or since. Both PROP and WEZ have done easily over 150 pieces in Middletown alone. Whether it was huge silver stompers and blockbusters, full color walls complete with characters in full view of the highway, or pieces in hidden Middletown spots that maybe only five people have ever seen. This duo has been representing The Middletown graffiti scene for well over 15 years. Where PMER and SHO left off they picked up. Frequenting the Middletown tracks during the early years, they would eventually branch out and begin painting all over the tri-state area. Their artwork takes a critical view of social, political and cultural issues. WEZ and PROP explore the varying relationships between popular culture and fine art. Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

wez 2006

Having engaged in subjects as diverse as the civil rights movement to their controversial views on current political parties. Their work reproduces familiar visual and aural signs, arranging them into new conceptually layered productions. Although there has been a brief hiatus in productivity the last few years, WEZ and PROP will always remain at the top of the Orange County graffiti scene. With nearly 20 years of graffiti history under their belt, the skyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the limit for this team. 131

Cezo, Zest, Prop 2000

Wez â&#x20AC;˘ Prop 2002

Cezo, Zest, Prop 2000

Prop 2004

132

Prop and Wez

Cezo, Zest, Prop 2000

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

133

prop • wez 2004

wez • prop 2002

wez • prop 2004

134

Prop Wez

wez • prop 2006

prop • wez 2002

wez • prop 2005

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

135

prop • wez 2005

prop • wez 2003

wez • prop 2005

136

Prop Wez

prop • wez 2005

prop • wez 2002

wez • prop 2005

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

137

prop wez 2004

prop • wez 2004

enz • wez • prop 2004

prop • wez 2004

138

Prop Wez

“Happy st. patty’s day” wez • prop 2006

Cezo, Zest, Prop 2000

prop • keph • wez 2005

Cezo, Zest, Prop 2000

“writer at large” wez • prop 2005

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

139

prop • wez

prop • wez 2007

wez • prop 2005

140

Prop Wez

wez • prop 2004

wez • narc • prop 2004

prop • wez • sept 2007

prop • wez 2005

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

141

prop • poet 2003

prop 2006

poet • prop 2006

poet 2005

narc 2001

142

wez 2005

poet 2005

Prop Wez

maze • prop • wez 2005

prop • fiz • filo 2007

wez • prop • pmer 2006

poet • prop • wez 2006

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

143

speak • prop • wez • enz • omek 2004

maze • rage 3 • royl (rip)• wez • prop 2005

maze • cavs • wez • prop 2005

144

Prop Wez

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

145

Cezo, Zest, Prop 2000

keph • prop • wez 2005

Cezo, Zest, Prop 2000

prop • wez • M2z • narc 2006

146

Prop Wez

Cezo, Zest, Prop 2000

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

147

prop • wez • cavs • kirs • maze 2006

148

Prop Wez

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

149

Cezo, Zest, Prop 2000

prop • sept • kasso • wez 2007

Cezo, Zest, Prop 2000

prop • wez • juse • enz (ks , fua crew) 2004

150

Prop Wez

Cezo, Zest, Prop 2000

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

151

obese • sept • awoke • fiz • akts • wez • prop • narc • vers 2008

152

Prop Wez

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

153

Sho • Pmer • Pharaoh 1995

royl (rip) • wez • prop 2005

Sho • Pmer • Pharaoh 1995

akts • wez • prop 2011

154

Prop Wez

Sho • Pmer • Pharaoh 1995

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

155

Cezo, Zest, Prop 2000

prOp • wez • repo • poet • kc one • lou 2008

Cezo, Zest, Prop 2000

156

Prop Wez

“bunk” wez • prop 2008

Cezo, Zest, Prop 2000

prop • fuel 2006

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

157

158

Prop Wez

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

159

160

Prop Wez

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

161

tatu • xmen • seik • phil • wez 2008

162

Prop Wez

Sho • Pmer • Pharaoh 1995

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

163

164

Prop Wez

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

165

166

Prop Wez

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

167

168

Prop Wez

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

169

170

Prop Wez

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

171

172

Prop Wez

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

173

Chapter 7

traveling circus

septer 2008

174

n 2005 social networking was in full swing. Myspace was the most popular social networking site on the internet and was used widely by many graffiti writers to meet and exchange pictures. It was through Myspace that I reunited with an old friend who I painted with once or twice while we attended a vocational school for Law Enforcement in 1997. SEPT and I began painting pretty regularly, along with his friend SASO, and I began pushing SEPTâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S crew, Vandal Kings. As Myspace grew in popularity we began to meet a lot of other writers from surrounding states. As we began to link up and paint with other artists, friendships were formed. Many of the writers we linked up with were put down with Vandal Kings. Some of the main members of Vandal Kings are WEZ, SEPT, SASO, PROP, KASE, NARC, AKTS

and FIZ along with many others. One of our favorite spots to paint was Bridgeport, Connecticut. It was a huge empty foundation behind a Burger King that writers from all over would come to paint. On any given weekend you could bump into a large variety of graffiti writers from old-school legends, to kids doing their first burners. Through painting at the Bridgeport spot we started to link up with even more writers. From 2005-2008 we spent many weekends traveling around and painting different spots throughout the tri state area or having other writers come to our Middletown spots. In 2009 I relocated to Arizona for a few years and many of the crew members slowed down painting. Through the use of social media and technology we were able to meet so many writers that we Traveling circus

would of never had access to living in our neighborhood. Traveling and hooking up with other writers was fun, but presently I would be more than content with having a local wall where we all could just hang out and paint.

SEPTER V.K.

I grew up in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, and was exposed to graffiti at a very young age. I was small, but remember riding trains

in the late 80’s and seeing graff on them. The subway train scene was dying out, but they were still getting bombed. I was only about 10 years old, but something about it excited me. That’s also about the time when the writers started hitting the streets, Greenpoint being a very industrial neighborhood seemed to be a Mecca for writers. The factory blocks were filled with burners and fill-in’s. A lot of the factories on the Brooklyn waterfront were abandoned and

“vandal kings” septer • wez 2007

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

175

Sept (Blackbook) 2008

176

some burnt out. My friends and I used to hang out in them and play manhunt, we would constantly run into older guys doing pieces and murals. One factory stands out in my mind, a spot called the “Candy Factory” or “The Piece Factory”. This place was awesome, almost a museum of graffiti. We started going there just to try to meet writers and watch them paint. It was about 1993 when my friends and I decided we wanted to paint too. We used to ride to the city and go to Pearl Paint on Canal St., and buy black books and Rack markers, always visiting “Bomb The System”, now “Scrap Yard”, to pick up caps and magazines. At that time I was hanging out with a few different writers, Can, Boost, Dim, Goat, Rus, Rask. We used to hang out in Winthrop and McCarren Park. We would climb into the closed McCarren pool and paint during the day, then go out and bomb the neighborhood at night. I started hanging out with some older writers from my neighborhood. They started teaching me the ropes about bombing and piecing. I also started learning different spots to paint, such as Bushwick Junction Freight lay up, the tracks under the Green-

“vandal kings” septer 2007

point Ave. Bridge, Grover Cleveland High school, and a few other spots. In 1995, while attending high school in Queens, I was introduced to a whole new group of writers from all over the city; black books were always getting passed around. A couple of my old friends attended the same school as well as some other writers from my neighborhood that I had not previously hung out with. During those years I was hanging out and still painting with Goat, Rask, Slak, Kef, Merc, Vocal, (K.E.D) and ID (UGG) from my neighborhood, as well as occasionally chillin in Middle Village Queens and Forest Park, where I crossed paths with some FTR writers who were cool with my boy Slak. It was around that time that I also de cided to start a crew, “V.K.”, which stood Traveling circus

Traveling circus

for Vandal Kids or Vandal Kings. The crew didn’t have much time to take off in Brooklyn, because in 1997 at the start of my senior year in high school, I moved upstate to Orange County, and thought my graffiti career was over. At school, I met a few people, also from the city, who were writing, but most of them were not serious. A couple stuck with it such as EIRE who is now Hush 47 and Saso. I was also attending BOCES where I met another graffiti writer who later became Wez. We painted a few times together and became cool. I also put him down with my crew. Upon graduation from high school, Wez and I lost touch for a few years and I was away in the Marines. In 2005 I returned to New York, and immediately had an urge to paint. These would become my comeback years. I started painting regularly again with Saso, and eventually hooked back up with Wez. He introduced me to his crew in Middletown. Saso and I were doing a lot together. We would go out almost every night and hit the tracks, painting all the tunnels, putting up stickers, catching tags, and even got into wheat pasties for a little while. I started going to Middletown and painting Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

some spots they had out there with Wez, Prop, Kase and Fiz. We also started to travel and paint in other towns. In my travels I met a lot of other writers and crews, and to my surprise, a lot of them knew who we were. A lot of our walls were also getting posted to websites, which helped spread our name. Some of the people I met also became members of VK, such as Akts, Fiz, Vers, Kasso, Imp, Jam and Repo. I’m glad I was able to experience the graff scene in the NYC and upstate NY. I feel like it has made me into a well rounded writer, and although I’m getting a little older now, I still feel the same way I did when I was ten, looking out those train windows. I love graffiti, everything about it, from sitting around black booking with friends, to the thrill of sneaking around into train yards at night. My dad also says to me, “when are you going to stop this crap?!” He still gets the same answer he always got.... NEVER!! SEPTER V.K.

FIZ

Prior to doing graffiti in Middletown, I was involved in skateboarding. Middletown

fiz (Blackbook) 2008

177

wez • fiz • filo 2007

wez • fiz • repo 2007

fiz • septer 2007

septer • wez 2006

178

Traveling circus

dusk, all the street creeps had awakened, and we happened to be at West Main and Monhagen, by the former Cody’s bar. We were secretly tape-recording the few bar patrons. One bar goer we recorded told the story of how he crashed his Ferrari, while holding a sign post to stay up straight. Then he said, “My Corvette, driving itself, is picking me up”. Another painting adventure was when fiz 2008 Filo and I were walking down the street had its classic lone wolf writer, Til Dawn, and noticed an amazing landmark spot. We who blessed scripts all over Middletown. In hopped the 6 foot fence, with the chain link the 90’s and early 2000’s, Middletown had barbs at the top. We both were careful to so many writers that crossed paths one way avoid the razors on the way in. We quickly or another. Ace Lover, DRone, Void, busted two-color block letters out, then Pimp, Filo, Del, Vic1, Sieone, Les, when leaving, hopped the same fence with plus many more writers who slipped from the chain link barbs at the top. Filo got over no problem, but when I tried, my shorts got memory due to the stretch of time. Yes, there were many scary, hilarious, caught on the chain link barbs on top, and I and satisfying adventures, all based on spun upside down for a couple of seconds, the thrill of painting. Painting had been dropping all my pocket change across the an alternative to drugs and violence in the sidewalk. With my shorts ripped and skin streets. One particular paint adventure was punctured, mission accomplished. Yes, fun, from the 96, I woke up that morning, got exciting memories, that I hold dear. FIZ dressed, and met up with Ace Lover. Combined, we had two cans and a box radio, which set the day off right. By

fiz (Blackbook) 2008

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

179

Sho • Pmer • Pharaoh 1995

sept • kase • wez 2006 Sho • Pmer • Pharaoh 1995

180

Introduction

scet • nast • wez 2007

septer • wez 2006

repo • wez 2007

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

181

saso • septer • wez 2006

sept • kase • wez 2006

wez • septer 2006

obese • akts • “reuse” wez 2007

182

Traveling circus

septer • saso • wez 2006

saso • septer 2007

credit • wez • vek3 2006

ease • akts • wez • obese 2007

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

183

Sho • Pmer • Pharaoh 1995

septer • wez 2006

Sho • Pmer • Pharaoh 1995

serene • “30hirty” wez 2009 Sho • Pmer • Pharaoh 1995

wez • credit 2007

184

Traveling circus

wez •simpl • blame •serp 2008

serene • wez 2008

septer • wez 2006

wez • credit 2006

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

185

saso • wez • septer • credit 2006

credit • veks 3 • “ bum” wez • revenge 2006

186

Traveling circus

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

187

septer 2007

Star Ledger 2007

wez • poet 2007

septer • wez 2007

188

Traveling circus

septer • fiz 2010

septer 2007

septer 2008

“crisp” sept 2008

septer 2008

saso 2008

septer 2008

septer 2010

saso • septer 2008

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

189

190

Introduction

Under the Bridge Middletown New York Graffiti

191

Poes Maze Grabr DIVA Acelover Poet Memo Hence D-nice Acro Poz Mesh Hex Dr Akts Prop Messiah Hure Em Beep Que Mone Hush 47 Envy Bes Ra Narc Hyph Enz Bim Revs NES JAM Enzo Botz Riot Newse Jaso EON Buelo Ripmonster NK Jucy Esop Bus one RUEN Obese Jyz Esp CAS Runt Omek Ka Espo Cavs Saso opus Kase EURO Cezo Sb Peek KAST Fate Chase Seek Pest Kers7 Filo Clops Seez PharAOh Les Fiz Coe SEN Phaz L- rock Foto Cronic Sens Pheno Maes Fuee Da one Sept Pimp Mase Gazer Del Sho Pmer Mask Ghost Des Anyone else who ever picked up a can and scribbled on a wall, sorry I forgot you!

Shym Sieone Sim Sime SOE SOL SPAN Speak Sure13 TL Vandal Vers VEX Vic 1 Void Wez Zeo Zest

This book started as a nostalgia project between PROP and myself, but as the project grew in size, we wanted to push it further and further and include as much history as possible. I can honestly say it was great to reconnect with some of the older writers that I grew up watching, and later emulating. They were my influences and many helped contribute to this book. We were all a tight knit group, mostly everyone knew or knew of each other and I truly appreciate those who were willing to share their stories and pictures. With the release of this book I am hoping that some Middletown property owners will come to realize that this art form is more than gang names and tags. It should be embraced by the community and my hope is that the Middletown area will see a resurgence of the art form I have come to love through owners granting permission for their property to be painted. Too bad corporations own everything now. WEZ