Stay High 149 Interview
Image courtesy of stayhigh149.com
What do you write and are you in any crews?
I write Stayhigh 149 and Voice of the ghetto, I'm in a lot of crews but I only hit up the ex vandals.
What year did you start writing, and why did you start doing it?
"I was 20 when I started writing in '71 so things like the Vietnam war were very real for me"
I started a little late in 1971, so there were some Manhattan guys before me. I was a messenger and noticed the trains getting hit and I wanted to be a part of it.
Many people wish that they were around in New York in the golden years, for those of us can you describe the feeling of the time back in the day?
I'm older then most writers, I was 20 when I started writing in '71 so things like the Vietnam war were very real for me. Drugs were everywhere and I was called Stayhigh before I started writing it. The city was a mess, the riots, the blackout, segregated neighborhoods, gangs, the $2 a bag heroin; it was fucked up.
Who were some of the people in the begining that you would see up on a regular basis on the IRT?
Superkool 223 and Lee 163 were the top dogs in the Bronx. Phase was a few steps behind but he wound up running the Bronx and creating style.
Did you have any rivalries or any battles?
No.
Images courtesy of stayhigh149.com
Can you tell us about a close call or any general crazy story of something that happened to you because of graffiti?
Not really, but, I think about getting chased a lot and running across the tracks during the day and that was crazy; happened all the time.
When your art appeared in Norman Mailer's 1974 book The Faith of Graffiti what went through your mind?
It was cool. There was a long time that I couldn't go to the bench because people wanted me to sign that book.
"the $2 a bag heroin; it was fucked up"
I see that you are selling merchandise. Where can people go to purchase it?
Just go to Stayhigh149.com and bring money! Ha!
What music are you listening to these days? Top five of all time?
Music. I just go with the flow. I prefer 60's and 70's music to todays stuff. Motown, Funkadelic, Marvin Gaye -- that's my generation.
Any shout outs or fuck you?
A big shout out to the whole graff community, particularly the older cats! I'm so lucky man, I've never really had beef with anybody. B-ONE has been helping me out with my business, I'll give him and Frank 151 a shout out! Oh yeah, Freedom and Sky Farrell are working on a book about me - gotta' shout them out!
Thank you for your time!
