QUIK
DATE OF INTERVIEW:
November/2007
1- NAMES USED:
I used the names STAR X, QUIK and LIN most of the time when I painted trains.
2- YEAR STARTED WRITING? YEAR RETIRED?
I was scribbling as early as 1970, but did not augment my vandalistic childhood skills with spray paint until 1972. By that year I was at least a bit taller to go on the tracks and reach up to hit the trains!
3- AGE WHEN YOU STARTED WRITING?
I was scribbling on things as early as 1970, and I did get in trouble for that with school and the church choir.
4- WHERE?
Queens, NY and I did motion tags with my buddies SALWEEN and COOL COUNT riding the trains into Manhattan. We simply used cheap FLAIR and Dri-Mark pens.
5- WHY DID YOU START WRITING?
At first it felt more like an equalizer in the community where the gangs roamed the parks and major poor avenues. I felt as if I was one of them; a part of something. The street tags had a funk to it, not seen in Anglo-saxon scripts. Later, the magic of the colossal train masterpieces intrigued me enough to imitate the other better and more experienced writers. It was also simply a childish expression...
6- WHO WERE YOUR WRITING PARTNERS (IF ANY) ? STILL IN TOUCH WITH THEM TODAY?
TRUE 2, VINNY, UNCLEJOHN, COKE 67, LIL SOUL 159, KEO, SKATE, JESUS, MASTER, TEAR, SIN 158 were guys that first showed me the true "ropes" of the action of writing to really get up! Later I painted with several guys around the city. REPEL was an inspiration before I met DEMO, SACH, BILROCK 161 and others namely associated with the ROLLING THUNDER WRITERS Crew.
7- WRITING CREWS YOU FOUNDED OR CO-FOUNDED?
In the end it doesn't matter so much, because I was usually a solo painter until the last years when crews and physical strength became a factor, then one banded with others more. Yet, I tagged crews such as SOUL ARTISTS, 3 YARD BOYS, MASTERS OF GRAFFITI, PRISONERS OF GRAFFITI, The KILLERS, The MASTER BLASTERS and naturally RTW.
8- WRITING CREWS YOU BELONGED TO?
9- YOU WROTE YOUR FIRST TIME ON A WALL, BUS, TRAIN OR TRUCK?
Walls....then buses....then trains..then canvas.
10- YOUR FIRST TAG EVER - WHICH MEDIUM DID YOU USE, i.e. MARKER, SPRAY PAINT, PEN, ETC.?
11- WHERE DID YOUR WRITING NAME COME FROM?
So many people in gangs were writing with the Latino-style pyramid like "S" in their names, and I wanted to be a star of the writing underground. Many guys were writing STAR even before I saw how STAR 206 and STAR III began to blanket the subway lines. Thus, I jumped to STAR X. Later the writer QUANG 2 inspired my name QUIK. I also like his diamond styled "Q", and I knew I could rock and maintain that name, simply for myself and my duties in the subway.
12- WHICH WAS THE FIRST TRAIN LINE YOU TAGGED? (IF YOU TAGGED TRAINS)
I worked mainly in Queens, yet eventually became ALL CITY, as the terms go.
12A- WHAT OTHER MAJOR LANDMARKS DID YOU TAG?
14- WHAT YARDS & LAYUPS DID YOU WORK AT?
15- WHERE YOU 'KING' OF "SOMETHING"? (TRAIN LINES, WALLS, ETC.?)Check the photos, they don't lie.
16- WHO WAS YOUR MENTOR? (IF APPLICABLE) DID YOU MENTOR ANY OTHER WRITERS?
TRUE 2, JESTER and REPEL.
17- WHICH WRITERS DID YOU LOOK UP TO? WHY?
IN, JESTER, VINNY, TRUE 2, CLIFF, TEE, TI 149, TO 729, SUPER STRUT, DIZZY, MINGO, STEVE 61, FDT, COMET, BLADE, VOICE OF THE GHETTO/SH 149, OO ONE, AT, ZIBRA 139, B ONE, MOSES, SOUL SLICK, IZ, CLIFF, AJ 161, FINE 99, JAPAN, CHICAGO/RC, HERB 99, JACE 2, STAR III? STAR 206, STOP 700, SPIN and PHASE 2 .along with your MICO pieces were early inspirations that stuck in my teenage brain hall of fame! Those names were simply seemingly everywhere when they were up on transit!
18- DID YOU INTRODUCE ANYTHING NEW TO THE WRITING MOVEMENT?
IF 'YES,' WHAT WAS IT? WHAT YEAR?
Bad humor and the ugliest "throw ups" ever for an ALL CITY writer. That dark period was a renewal of my energies and disgust for the system, circa 1978.
Then again, when I came to your line, one didn't miss the action!
19- HOW LONG WOULD YOU GUESSTIMATE THAT EACH GENERATION OF WRITERS LASTED?
20- WHICH WERE YOUR FAVORITE COLORS TO WORK WITH?
Silver and Black! Krylon white and Cherry red smelled kinda nice too when working in the transit system.
21- WHICH BRAND OF SPRAY PAINT WAS YOUR FAVORITE TO WORK WITH?
22- WHICH MARKER WAS YOUR FAVORITE?
23- WHICH WAS YOUR FAVORITE SPOT TO TAG YOUR NAME IN
TRAIN SYSTEM? (IF APPLICABLE)
24- DO YOU HAVE IN MEMORY A "FAVORITE" MASTERPIECE THAT YOU DID? IF 'YES,' WHICH ONE? WHEN? WHERE? WHY?
I have too many memories and favorites, but ones that stick out were FUCKIN' QUIK & QUIK COUNTRY whole cars, sometimes in script with 3D. Also making mistakes; for example painting a QUILY alongside Zephyr, forgetting the letter "K"
25- WERE YOU EVER ARRESTED FOR WRITING? IF 'YES,' WHEN? WHERE? WITH WHOM? BY WHOM?
26- WHICH WAS YOUR FAVORITE PLACE TO GET PAINT FROM?
Sheephead Bay, where there could be 9-12 full trains some weekends! That combined with the salty sea air blowing in under the stars was a memorable adventure time and time again. Often I could easily put in 6-8 hours work without interference.
27- WHICH IS THE CORRECT NAME FOR THIS ART FORM:
GRAFFITI ART? AEROSOL ART? WRITING? GRAFFITI? WHY?
It no longer matters, I has mutated out of control. I do other things with my talent these days, yet the term GRAFFITI does disturb me. I often try to clarify my position and beliefs when lecturing or having a small interested audience.
28- ARE YOU STILL WRITING / PAINTING TODAY? IF YOU USE CANVAS, YOUR FEELINGS ON PUBLIC SURFACE -VS- CANVAS?
29- WHY DO YOU THINK IT IS THAT AFTER ALL THE EVOLUTION THAT WRITING HAS EXPERIENCED SINCE ITS BEGINNINGS IN ' 69-' 70, EVOLUTION THAT INCLUDES ACCEPTANCE AND ADAPTATION BY YOUTH WORLDWIDE, EVEN ACCEPTANCE BY SOME GOVERNMENTS OUTSIDE THE U.S., THE POWERS THAT BE IN THE U.S. STILL CONSIDER THIS CULTURE AS ONLY AN EYESORE? IS RACISM TO BLAME? CLASSISM? OR BOTH?
30- DO YOU CONSIDER WRITING AN "ART FORM"?
Art History!
31- WHAT DO YOU THINK OF SCRACHITI?
Nothing.....................
32- WHAT DO YOU DO PROFESSIONALLY TODAY?
I paint and teach, primarily in Europe.
33- ANY ADVICE TO YOUNG WRITERS WORLDWIDE TODAY?
Stop, I've had enough. There are many wild mural executions world wide.....yet, it generally bores me. The culture has been commercialized and sold, like rock n roll and the Blues musics. I am not like you all new kids, and the "writiers" scene has changed since my year of the dinosaur. Channel your energies into productive careers, the world is only getting tougher. Look out for your personal future, and that which affects family, friends and loved ones.
34- ANYTHING ELSE YOU'D LIKE TO ADD?
Simply photos wwhen you remind me!
35- YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION?
www.quiknyc.com
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