by Napal Naps
Alla fine sono stato sempre un writer abbastanza atipico. Penso che le esperienze di vita mi hanno reso così: credo che ognuno nella vita sia il frutto delle proprie esperienze e delle proprie scelte. Ciò che ho creato con una bomboletta in mano in tanti anni alla fine è stato il frutto di questo. Penso che ogni writer abbia bene impresso dei momenti chiave del suo percorso, dei momenti che ha vissuto, delle esperienze che lo hanno fatto crescere, magari stilisticamente o mentalmente, passaggi segnati da un pezzo particolare che ha fatto o un incontro con un altro writer che lo ha influenzato semplicemente scambiando idee.
Cercherò di ricordare un po’ alcune esperienze che ho fatto negli anni e che sento sono state importanti per me e mi hanno aiutato a diventare il writer che sono oggi.
I primi anni di attivita' per ogni writer sono i più formativi, quelli in cui ti crei una mentalità che bene o male ti porterai avanti per sempre; oltretutto ho cominciato a dipingere quando ero molto giovane ed in un periodo quando a Roma neanche esisteva davvero la minima traccia di un movimento di Writing con cui rapportarmi. Alla fine ho sviluppato un approccio al writing molto personale e diverso dai canoni Newyorkesi. Le regole che andavano bene per loro e la loro mentalità non potevano assolutamente andare bene per me che mi trovavo a Roma in un contesto dove eravamo al massimo altre 3 o 4 persone oltre al sottoscritto. Andare a dipingere per la fama a Roma nel 1987 o 1988 non aveva assolutamente nessun senso. A nessuno importava nulla di questa cultura in quegli anni, quindi i motivi che ti portavano ad uscire ed andare a dipingere dovevano per forza di cose essere altre.
Sicuramente ciò che mi è sempre piaciuto del Writing è che l'ho sempre considerato una forma d'arte con una potenza ed un impatto unici, ovviamente quando fatto bene. Ed è questo legame che mi è sempre rimasto dentro negli anni e che mi ha fatto continuare a dipingere per un tempo che è andato oltre le mie stesse aspettative. Di sentire storie di fughe dalle guardie, arresti, di fama, di chi è king, chi è scrauso, sinceramente non me ne è mai importato nulla: mi sono sempre interessato e soffermato su cosa si dipinge, che è ciò che mi è sempre interessato di più, oggi come ieri. Per carità, quando dico questo non intendo noiosi discorsi sullo stile, loop, frecce ecc. che ti fanno sentire alle medie, ma parlare di cosa si dipinge con fomento e divertimento e con un’ ironia alla fine tutta romana. I contesti in cui mi sono trovato a dipingere negli anni, le crew che ho creato dal nulla hanno avuto come comune denominatore il fatto che si doveva dipingere bene e sopratutto ci dovevamo divertire sennò non aveva proprio senso fare certe cose per me.
Ho sempre sentito i treni come una parte di ciò che faccio, un modo di vivere il writing, e soprattutto neanche l'unico modo di farlo. Uno può cambiare, può evolversi quanto gli pare, ma nel mio caso sarò sempre un figlio degli anni ’80, da questo non posso scappare! Ho cominciato a dipingere nell’ '86 grazie a un amico più grande che si chiamava Defski, che materialmente mi insegnò le basi, come fare un outline, strutturare un pezzo e quant'altro. Il Writing a quel tempo non era il prodotto che è oggi, la mentalità di chi faceva queste cose era diversa, magari era più naif, più ingenua sicuramente, ma per un vecchio romantico come me aveva un fascino davvero irresistibile.
La differenza sostanziale rispetto al Writing di oggi era che prima semplicemente non potevi aprire una fanzine o accedere a internet per prendere spunto o cercare di capire come si faceva un certo stile o come si dipingeva in una certa maniera. L'unica maniera che avevi di apprendere le basi era lavorare materialmente per strada e imparare da altri writer: quindi eri per forza di cose figlio delle tue stesse esperienze e influenzato dalle persone che avevi conosciuto. Sono un “romano de Roma” da generazioni, però il fatto che ho trascorso la mia infanzia in Australia è stata una cosa che sicuramente mi ha portato a vedere le cose in maniera diversa rispetto a un pischello che magari ha passato tutta la vita nel quartiere di San Lorenzo. Quando sono tornato a vivere in Italia nell '87 avevo visto e vissuto delle realtà che qua ancora semplicemente non erano state neanche contemplate. L'incontro più importante che feci in quegli anni a Roma è stato sicuramente quello con Crash Kid. Mi ricordo quando lo vidi ballare alla Galleria Colonna e ci mettemmo a parlare, e gli feci vedere un book che avevo con sketch e foto e lui mi chiese di andare a dipingere insieme. Di lì a poco avremmo formato una crew chiamata gli L.T.A (Licensed to Art) dove cominciò un sodalizio dove ci scambiavamo idee e cercavamo soluzioni per realizzarle.
La differenza sostanziale rispetto al Writing di oggi era che prima semplicemente non potevi aprire una fanzine o accedere a internet per prendere spunto o cercare di capire come si faceva un certo stile o come si dipingeva in una certa maniera. L'unica maniera che avevi di apprendere le basi era lavorare materialmente per strada e imparare da altri writer: quindi eri per forza di cose figlio delle tue stesse esperienze e influenzato dalle persone che avevi conosciuto. Sono un “romano de Roma” da generazioni, però il fatto che ho trascorso la mia infanzia in Australia è stata una cosa che sicuramente mi ha portato a vedere le cose in maniera diversa rispetto a un pischello che magari ha passato tutta la vita nel quartiere di San Lorenzo. Quando sono tornato a vivere in Italia nell '87 avevo visto e vissuto delle realtà che qua ancora semplicemente non erano state neanche contemplate. L'incontro più importante che feci in quegli anni a Roma è stato sicuramente quello con Crash Kid. Mi ricordo quando lo vidi ballare alla Galleria Colonna e ci mettemmo a parlare, e gli feci vedere un book che avevo con sketch e foto e lui mi chiese di andare a dipingere insieme. Di lì a poco avremmo formato una crew chiamata gli L.T.A (Licensed to Art) dove cominciò un sodalizio dove ci scambiavamo idee e cercavamo soluzioni per realizzarle.
Per anni i nostri unici input erano i classici Subway Art e Spraycan Art, Beat Street e Wild Style, e una serie di foto di pezzi che avevo fotografato in Australia. Poi cominciarono i nostri primi viaggi in Italia dove abbiamo conosciuto altri writer di quella che oggi viene considerata la vecchia scuola Italiana. Nomi come Zart, Damage, Zero, Dayaky, e Grasshopper. Poter conoscere altre persone che facevano quello che facevamo e scambiare idee a quel tempo era importantissimo per trovare stimoli e crescere.
Poi, un giorno del 1989 andando a Ostia da solo vidi una cosa che non avevo mai visto prima, un pezzo di ferro tutto arrugginito, un treno abbandonato con sopra un pezzo! Cosa!?!
Non avevo mai visto una cosa del genere dal vivo: di muri belli dipinti ne avevo visti, ma questo aveva le ruote e stava su dei binari! Il solo fatto di averlo visto dal vivo mi fece venire voglia di farne uno. Sul treno c'era scritto "TIME" Bananen Crew, io per anni avevo pensato che l'avesse dipinto Zebster dalla Germania. Molti anni dopo glielo chiesi, ma mi disse di no, che non l’aveva fatto lui e che forse era di Can 2. Provai a chiedere anche a lui, ma mi disse che forse l’avevano fatto gli "Steiber Twins” … Insomma, chi è stato ancora non lo so, ma è ufficialmente la prima carrozza che io abbia mai visto dipinta a Roma, fu un primo input, oggi può sembrare scontato prendere degli spray ed andare subito a dipingere un treno, ma a Roma nell’ '89 vi assicuro che non lo era affatto.
Poco dopo, nel 1990 andai per la prima volta a Parigi dove conobbi MC Solaar, che mi portò in giro per Parigi a vedere i pezzi dei Chrome Angelz e molti altri: il livello dei loro lavori era semplicemente assurdo! Ciò che avevo visto e imparato in Australia era stata la mia prima influenza, però vedere Parigi nel ‘90 fu un’esperienza che mi segnò per anni. Penso che la cosa che tutti noi writer in quegli anni ci domandavamo inconsciamente era, anche se non eravamo di New York potevamo creare uno stile e un modo di viverci questa cultura che era nostra e non semplicemente una brutta copia di quello che vedevamo provenire da New York? Bando e Mode 2 insieme a tanti della vecchia scuola francese furono la risposta alla nostra domanda. Stalingrad per anni fu in Europa la mecca, le idee uscivano da quel luogo e si diffondevano in tutta Europa. Tuttora come writer sento che sono sempre stato in bilico tra queste due scuole di pensiero, l'approccio newyorkese con il forte legame con i treni e l'approccio dell'inizio della scuola europea, più legata alla strada e ai muri.
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| Metro A, deposito di Anagnina. |
Tornato da Parigi, fomentato dall'esperienza di aver dipinto con writer francesi come Rob e Sen2, e con in mente quel vecchio treno arrugginito che avevo visto pochi mesi prima, un giorno con un mio amico di San Lorenzo andai a rubare qualche Marabu in centro e la sera decisi di entrare nel deposito dello scalo San Lorenzo a cercare un treno. L'unica cosa che trovai fu un merci: ero talmente piccolo e basso al tempo che non riuscivo neanche ad arrivare sopra per fare l'outline! Il pezzo venne un vero schifo, come alla fine il primo treno di praticamente ogni writer al mondo. Su muro non avevo problemi a dipingere ma questa nuova superficie mi spiazzò. Se cerco di ricordarmi cosa esattamente pensavo quando dipingevo i miei primi treni posso dire che il pensiero più ricorrente al tempo era -"Cazzo sono altissimi! e mo’ come faccio!?"
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| Scalo San Lorenzo, 1990. |
Quando feci vedere la foto di cosa avevo dipinto a Crash Kid questa cosa lo infervorò! Mi disse - "Mortacci tua… hai dipinto un treno!?"
Io neanche gli avevo dato importanza, a dire la verità mi sembrava bruttissimo… Pero' a distanza di oltre 20 anni mi rendo conto che fu la scintilla che fece scattare a Crash la voglia di fare la metro. Il padre di Crash ci lavorava nel servizio della metro e fu proprio lui a dirci dove si trovavano i depositi, così cominciammo a fare di notte i primi viaggi per vederli.
Una sera a Ostia Lido, mentre io e Dext One facevamo il palo, Crash scavalcò la rete e fece un throw up argento su un treno con scritto PS113. I PS113 erano un’idea del Crash di fare una crew con tutte le persone che dipingevano al tempo a Roma; alla fine aderirono al progetto Fab 137, Breezy G, Coma P, Crash Kid ed io. Quindi ovviamente stiamo parlando sempre di pochissimi elementi. Di lì a poco, nel 1991, una sera siamo andati io Crash Kid, Fab 137 e Breezy G a dipingere i treni al ponte di Magliana, dove di notte lasciavano due treni. Ricordo che siamo arrivati lì e abbiamo discusso se dipingere un pezzo solo con scritto PS113 o fare tutti throw up e tag, diciamo che prevalse la scelta più compulsiva di bombare letteralmente tutto con fat cap e throw up. Questa cosa non venne documentata, uno perchè per assurdo neanche ci sembrava importante fotografare ciò che stavamo facendo e due perchè il giorno dopo io e Crash siamo poi partiti per una jam a Rimini dove poi la sera dopo finimmo in yard con Dayaki e Eron.
Una sera a Ostia Lido, mentre io e Dext One facevamo il palo, Crash scavalcò la rete e fece un throw up argento su un treno con scritto PS113. I PS113 erano un’idea del Crash di fare una crew con tutte le persone che dipingevano al tempo a Roma; alla fine aderirono al progetto Fab 137, Breezy G, Coma P, Crash Kid ed io. Quindi ovviamente stiamo parlando sempre di pochissimi elementi. Di lì a poco, nel 1991, una sera siamo andati io Crash Kid, Fab 137 e Breezy G a dipingere i treni al ponte di Magliana, dove di notte lasciavano due treni. Ricordo che siamo arrivati lì e abbiamo discusso se dipingere un pezzo solo con scritto PS113 o fare tutti throw up e tag, diciamo che prevalse la scelta più compulsiva di bombare letteralmente tutto con fat cap e throw up. Questa cosa non venne documentata, uno perchè per assurdo neanche ci sembrava importante fotografare ciò che stavamo facendo e due perchè il giorno dopo io e Crash siamo poi partiti per una jam a Rimini dove poi la sera dopo finimmo in yard con Dayaki e Eron.
Questa è un' altra bella esperienza, nel '91 Dayaki era un writer con un talento e uno stile eccezionale, solo vederlo al lavoro significava imparare tanto, mi ricordo che mi chiese di colorargli un puppet perchè avevamo poco tempo a disposizione e si incazzò perché sbagliai i colori, però alla fine rimediai al mio sbaglio e non la prese poi così male.
Io dopo poco avevo finito i miei spray, quindi mentre aspettavo che gli altri finissero, mi misi a fare un bubble letter con scritto LTA su un altro vagone con le bombole di Dayaki; lui poi mi disse “belli questi colori che hai usato” però mi sa che non si era accorto che erano i suoi...
Anni dopo, una sera parlammo poi in amicizia io e Fab 137 con Stand della nostra serata sui treni della lido, lui ovviamente non sapeva che a Magliana ci eravamo stati prima noi ma io a dirla tutta neanche gli davo importanza: i treni sono una cosa che ho cominciato a fare e per assurdo mi sono reso conto che li stavo facendo solo anni dopo, per me erano solo un’altra superficie da dipingere, e forse dal momento che ho cominciato a dipingerli non c'erano altre persone con cui uno si poteva vantare di averli fatti, non mi sembrava neanche una cosa così fuori dal normale o forse anche perché ho sempre visto le cose con giusta dimensione, perché ovvio sono contento di aver cominciato a dipingere i treni così presto, però mi sono anche sempre reso conto che se andavo magari da uno come Part 1 e gli avessi detto “Sai io ho cominciato a dipingere treni nel '90”, lui mi avrebbe detto "bello, però io nel '90 avevo già smesso e ricominciato di graffitare 4 volte..." Insomma, non è che dipingere sui treni l'ho inventato io, quindi c'era poco da montarsi la testa per come la vedevo io.
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| Vagone di Trenitalia, 2009. |
Per un periodo, ho dovuto anche ridimensionarmi molto e smettere di fare cose illegali, perché nei primi anni ‘90 ho avuto una serie di bevute e processi che mi avevano davvero incasinato e non mi andava più che i miei genitori dovessero pagare multe e avvocati per casini che avevo combinato io. Però purtroppo resistere al richiamo di fare un pezzo su treno è semplicemente tuttora troppo difficile: ognuno ha le sue motivazioni, io ho le mie, però stare di notte in una yard è ancora una sensazione che mi diverte e mi dà emozioni.
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| Linea Lido, 1995. |
Ora finisco qua questo racconto, non vorrei diventare noioso e soprattutto lascio che siano le immagini a parlare, però ciò che posso consigliare ai nuovi writer che si avvicinano a questa cultura è: non siate rigidi nella vostra mentalità, confrontatevi con altri writer, che siano famosi o non, che abbiano stili che sono simili al vostro oppure no, il confronto è sempre importante e serve sempre per trovare stimoli per andare avanti. Personalmente ho avuto la fortuna di poter dipingere con tantissime persone a Roma, tutte davvero con talento da vendere o con la loro personale visione del writing, nomi come le 00199, Maelo, Clown, Stand, Nico, Pane, la 23, SHM, THE, MDF, Mako, Cheecky P, Aeroes Crew, Wak Crew, Beat, Imos, Poison, e la lista per mia fortuna cresce di anno in anno.
Wane mi disse un giorno che quando cominci a dipingere e ti scegli un nome non saprai mai quanto lo porterai avanti e sicuramente io non pensavo nell '86 di trovarmi ancora qua, questo è poco ma sicuro.
Wane mi disse un giorno che quando cominci a dipingere e ti scegli un nome non saprai mai quanto lo porterai avanti e sicuramente io non pensavo nell '86 di trovarmi ancora qua, questo è poco ma sicuro.
Una volta chiesi a Duster “Per te chi ha inventato il wild style?”, e lui mi rispose “Dio ha inventato il wild style!”
Quindi posso solo dirvi con ciò che fate divertitevi e abbiate fede.
Peace!
Napal Naps
Kidz Diehard Family
English:
English:
Train Culture
by Napal Naps
I've always been a pretty atypical writer. I think my life experieces have helped create what I am today: I believe each one of us is the result of his experiences and decisions. All that I have created with a spray can over all these years is the outcome of this. I think each writer has the key moments of his path stuck in his mind, such as the experiences that helped him grow, stylistically or mentally, key stages marked by a particular piece, or an encounter with another writer that influenced him simply by exchanging views.
I'll try to remember some of the experiences I had over the years that I feel were important to me and helped me become the writer I am today.
The first years of activity of any writer are the most formative, during which you create a mentality that for better or for worse you'll end up bringing with you for ever. After all, I started painting when I was really young and during a period when there was not even the slightest trace of a Graffiti Writing movement with which to confront myself with. In the end I developed a very personal approach to graffiti writing that was different from New York standards. The rules and attitude that worked for them could absolutely never work for me living in Rome within a context where there were at most 3 or 4 people other than me. Painting for fame in Rome in 1987 or 1988 made absolutely no sense at all. Nobody gave a damn about this culture back then, so the motivations that pushed you to go out and paint had too be necessarily different.
Surely, what I've always loved about Graffiti Writing is that I've always considered it an artform with a unique powerfulness and visual impact, obviously when well-executed. It is this relationship that has always been a part of me over the years, and has pushed me to keep painting for a length of time that has surpassed even my own expectations. To listen to stories of escapes from cops, arrests, fame, who's king, or who's wack, is something that sincerely I've never really cared about: I've always been interested in what was being painted, both yesterday as well as today. For heaven's sake, I don't mean boring conversations about style, loops, and arrows that make you feel like you're in middle school, but chatting about what you've painted with excitement and zest, and an irony that is characteristic of Rome. The contexts I've found myself painting in over the years, and the crews I've created out of thin air, have had as a common denominator the fact that one had to paint well and it was important to have fun, otherwise it made absolutely no sense to me to even do such things.
I've always seen trains as part of what I do, a way of breathing Graffiti Writing, and moreover not even the only way to do so. You can change and evolve as much as you want, but in my case for example, I will always be a product of the 1980s, it is something I can't escape from! I started painting in 1986 thanks to a friend whose name was Defski, who practically tought me the basics, such as doing an outline, how to structure a piece and whatnot. Graffiti Writing back then was not the product it is today. The attitude of those doing such things was different, maybe more naive, surely more innocent, but for an old romantic dude like me it was just irresistible.
The substantial difference with respect to Graffiti Writing today is that before you simply couldn't open a 'zine or connect to internet in order to get inspired or try to understand how to paint a particular style for example. The only way to learn the basics was to do your homework on the streets and learn from other writers. Thus, you were inevitably the product of your own experiences, and were influenced by the people you met. I'm of Roman descent and have been for generations, but having spent my childhood in Australia brought me to view things differently with respect to, say, a kid that spent his whole life in the San Lorenzo neghborhood. When I came back to Italy to live in 1987 I had already seen a reality that had not even been contemplated here yet. The most important encounter during those years was definitely that with Crash Kid. I remember seeing him dance at Galleria Colonna and we started chatting. I showed him my blackbook with sketches and photos, and he asked me to go paint something together. Shortly thereafter, we formed a crew called LTA (Licensed To Art) which was the beginning of a partnership in which we exchanged ideas and searched for ways to carry them out.
For years our only influences were Subway Art, Spraycan Art, Beat Street, Wild Style, and a series of photos of pieces I had taken in Australia. We then did our first trips around Italy where we met other writers from what is now known as the Italian Old School. Guys like Zart, Damage, Zero, Dayaky, and Grasshopper. Being able to get to know other people with our same interests and exchanging ideas with them, at the time was extremely important in order to find inspiration and thus be able to grow.
Then, one day in 1989, while going to Ostia by myself, I saw something I had never seen before: an old, rusty piece of metal, an abandoned train with a piece on it! What??!
I had never before seen anything of the sort in person: I had seen many good artworks on walls, but this one had wheels and was sitting on traintracks!! Just the fact of having seen one made me want to do one myself. It was a "Time" piece by the Bananen Cru, and for years I thought Zebster from Germany had painted it. Many years later I had the opportunity to ask him, but he told me it wasn't him, and that maybe it was done by Can2. I tried asking him as well, but was told it may have been painted by the "Stieber Twins." Anyhow, I still don't know who painted it, but it is officially the first train car I have ever seen painted in Rome, and was my first input as well. Nowadays it may be taken for granted to pick up some cans and go paint a train right off the bat, but in 1989 I can assure you that it was not.
Shortly thereafter, in 1990, I went to Paris for the first time, where I met MC Solaar, who brought me around the city to see pieces by the Chrome Angelz and others: the level of their works was simply absurd! What I had seen and learned in Australia was my first influence, but seeing what was going on in Paris in 1990 was an experience that left a mark on me for years to come. I think that back then, the one question all us writers were asking was, even though we were not from New York, was it possible for us to create a style and a way of living this culture that was our own, and not just a bad copy of what was forthcoming from New York? Bando and Mode 2 together with many of the French Old School guys were the answer to our question. Stalingrad was for years the Mecca in Europe, where ideas were born and disseminated all across Europe. To this day, as a writer, I feel like I've always been in equilibrium between these two schools of thought, the New York approach with its strong legacy of train-painting, and the approach of the early European scene, more tied to streets and walls.
I've always been a pretty atypical writer. I think my life experieces have helped create what I am today: I believe each one of us is the result of his experiences and decisions. All that I have created with a spray can over all these years is the outcome of this. I think each writer has the key moments of his path stuck in his mind, such as the experiences that helped him grow, stylistically or mentally, key stages marked by a particular piece, or an encounter with another writer that influenced him simply by exchanging views.
I'll try to remember some of the experiences I had over the years that I feel were important to me and helped me become the writer I am today.
The first years of activity of any writer are the most formative, during which you create a mentality that for better or for worse you'll end up bringing with you for ever. After all, I started painting when I was really young and during a period when there was not even the slightest trace of a Graffiti Writing movement with which to confront myself with. In the end I developed a very personal approach to graffiti writing that was different from New York standards. The rules and attitude that worked for them could absolutely never work for me living in Rome within a context where there were at most 3 or 4 people other than me. Painting for fame in Rome in 1987 or 1988 made absolutely no sense at all. Nobody gave a damn about this culture back then, so the motivations that pushed you to go out and paint had too be necessarily different.
Surely, what I've always loved about Graffiti Writing is that I've always considered it an artform with a unique powerfulness and visual impact, obviously when well-executed. It is this relationship that has always been a part of me over the years, and has pushed me to keep painting for a length of time that has surpassed even my own expectations. To listen to stories of escapes from cops, arrests, fame, who's king, or who's wack, is something that sincerely I've never really cared about: I've always been interested in what was being painted, both yesterday as well as today. For heaven's sake, I don't mean boring conversations about style, loops, and arrows that make you feel like you're in middle school, but chatting about what you've painted with excitement and zest, and an irony that is characteristic of Rome. The contexts I've found myself painting in over the years, and the crews I've created out of thin air, have had as a common denominator the fact that one had to paint well and it was important to have fun, otherwise it made absolutely no sense to me to even do such things.
I've always seen trains as part of what I do, a way of breathing Graffiti Writing, and moreover not even the only way to do so. You can change and evolve as much as you want, but in my case for example, I will always be a product of the 1980s, it is something I can't escape from! I started painting in 1986 thanks to a friend whose name was Defski, who practically tought me the basics, such as doing an outline, how to structure a piece and whatnot. Graffiti Writing back then was not the product it is today. The attitude of those doing such things was different, maybe more naive, surely more innocent, but for an old romantic dude like me it was just irresistible.
The substantial difference with respect to Graffiti Writing today is that before you simply couldn't open a 'zine or connect to internet in order to get inspired or try to understand how to paint a particular style for example. The only way to learn the basics was to do your homework on the streets and learn from other writers. Thus, you were inevitably the product of your own experiences, and were influenced by the people you met. I'm of Roman descent and have been for generations, but having spent my childhood in Australia brought me to view things differently with respect to, say, a kid that spent his whole life in the San Lorenzo neghborhood. When I came back to Italy to live in 1987 I had already seen a reality that had not even been contemplated here yet. The most important encounter during those years was definitely that with Crash Kid. I remember seeing him dance at Galleria Colonna and we started chatting. I showed him my blackbook with sketches and photos, and he asked me to go paint something together. Shortly thereafter, we formed a crew called LTA (Licensed To Art) which was the beginning of a partnership in which we exchanged ideas and searched for ways to carry them out.
For years our only influences were Subway Art, Spraycan Art, Beat Street, Wild Style, and a series of photos of pieces I had taken in Australia. We then did our first trips around Italy where we met other writers from what is now known as the Italian Old School. Guys like Zart, Damage, Zero, Dayaky, and Grasshopper. Being able to get to know other people with our same interests and exchanging ideas with them, at the time was extremely important in order to find inspiration and thus be able to grow.
Then, one day in 1989, while going to Ostia by myself, I saw something I had never seen before: an old, rusty piece of metal, an abandoned train with a piece on it! What??!
I had never before seen anything of the sort in person: I had seen many good artworks on walls, but this one had wheels and was sitting on traintracks!! Just the fact of having seen one made me want to do one myself. It was a "Time" piece by the Bananen Cru, and for years I thought Zebster from Germany had painted it. Many years later I had the opportunity to ask him, but he told me it wasn't him, and that maybe it was done by Can2. I tried asking him as well, but was told it may have been painted by the "Stieber Twins." Anyhow, I still don't know who painted it, but it is officially the first train car I have ever seen painted in Rome, and was my first input as well. Nowadays it may be taken for granted to pick up some cans and go paint a train right off the bat, but in 1989 I can assure you that it was not.
Shortly thereafter, in 1990, I went to Paris for the first time, where I met MC Solaar, who brought me around the city to see pieces by the Chrome Angelz and others: the level of their works was simply absurd! What I had seen and learned in Australia was my first influence, but seeing what was going on in Paris in 1990 was an experience that left a mark on me for years to come. I think that back then, the one question all us writers were asking was, even though we were not from New York, was it possible for us to create a style and a way of living this culture that was our own, and not just a bad copy of what was forthcoming from New York? Bando and Mode 2 together with many of the French Old School guys were the answer to our question. Stalingrad was for years the Mecca in Europe, where ideas were born and disseminated all across Europe. To this day, as a writer, I feel like I've always been in equilibrium between these two schools of thought, the New York approach with its strong legacy of train-painting, and the approach of the early European scene, more tied to streets and walls.
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| A-line, Anagnina depot, 1993. |
Once back from Paris, and excited about having painted with writers such as Rob and Sen2, and with that old rusty train in mind I had seen only a few months earlier, one day a friend of mine and I decided to go rack some Marabu cans in the center of Rome, and in the evening decided to enter the San Lorenzo depot to look for a train to paint. The only thing we found was a freight train: I was so small and short back then that I couldn't even reach the top of my piece to do the outline! The piece came out really ugly, as probably everyone's first train does. On walls I had no trouble painting, but this new surface really caught me unprepared. Trying to remember what my most frequent thought was while painting my first trains, it definitely must have been, "Shit they're sooo tall! How the hell am I gonna manage it?!"
When I showed Crash Kid the photo of the train I painted, it completely excited him to the point where he told me, "Holy shit... you painted a train?!!"
I had not really given it that much importance, and to be honest it really looked super ugly... But looking back over 20 years later, I realize it was the spark that ignited Crash Kid's desire to paint subways. His father worked for the subway company, and it was he who told us where the depots were. So then we started going out at night just to check them out.
One evening at Ostia, while Dext One and I were looking out, Crash Kid climbed over the fence and did a silver "PS113" throwup on a train. PS113 was Crash Kid's idea to form a crew with all the people painting at the time in Rome; in the end the people forming the crew were Fab 137, Breezy G, Coma P, Crash Kid, and I. So we're talking here of very few individuals. Shortly thereafter, one night in 1991, Crash Kid, Fab 137, Breezy G, and I, went to the Bridge Layup near Magliana station to paint the two trains parked there. I remember we got there and discussed whether to paint just one "PS113" piece or bomb with throwups and tags. Needless to say we decided to bomb everything with fatcaps and throwups. It was never documented, because it didn't seem important to us to photograph what we were doing, and secondly, because the next day Crash Kid and I went to a jam in Rimini where the following evening, we ended up in a yard with Dayaki and Eron.
This was definitely another experience worth mentioning. In 1991 Dayaki was a writer with an exceptional talent and style, and seeing him at work meant learning a lot. I remember he asked me to fill in a character because time was running low, and he got mad at me for using the wrong colors. In the end I fixed my mistake and he wasn't that mad at me in the end.
Later that night, after having finished my cans and while waiting for the others to finish, I did a bubble letter LTA on another car with Dayaki's paint; he later remarked, "Nice colors you used!" But I don't think he realized I had used his paint...
I also had to stop painting illegally for a while, because by the beginning of the 90s I had a series of court cases against me that really messed up my life and I didn't want my parents to pay any more fines and lawyers for my mischief.
Unfortunately though, being able to resist the attraction of painting a piece on a train is simply too difficult: each person has his motivations as I have mine, but being in a train yard at night is still a feeling that both amuses and excites me.
I'm going to end this tale here, I don't want to seem boring, and above all, I want the images to do the talking, so if I could give a few suggestions to new writers approaching this culture, they would be: do not be rigid in your attitude, confront yourselves with other writers, whether they are famous or not, or whether their styles are similar to yours or not, exchanges are always important and necessary to find new inspiration to move forward. Personally, I've had the chance to paint with many people in Rome, all with a lot of talent or their own personal vision. People like 00199, Maelo, Clown, Stand, Nico, Pane, 23 Rec., SHM, THE, MDF, Mako, Cheecky P, Aeroes Crew, Wak Crew, Beat, Imos, Poison, and luckily the list grows year after year. Wane once told me that once you start painting and choose a name, you never fully realize how far you'll take that name, and to be honest, in 1986 I never realized I'd still be here, that's for sure!
I once asked Duster, "Who invented wild style?", and he answered, "God invented wild style!"
So with that, all I can say is have fun doing what you're doing, and have faith.
Peace!
Napal Naps
Kidz Diehard Family
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| Scalo San Lorenzo depot, 1990. |
When I showed Crash Kid the photo of the train I painted, it completely excited him to the point where he told me, "Holy shit... you painted a train?!!"
I had not really given it that much importance, and to be honest it really looked super ugly... But looking back over 20 years later, I realize it was the spark that ignited Crash Kid's desire to paint subways. His father worked for the subway company, and it was he who told us where the depots were. So then we started going out at night just to check them out.
One evening at Ostia, while Dext One and I were looking out, Crash Kid climbed over the fence and did a silver "PS113" throwup on a train. PS113 was Crash Kid's idea to form a crew with all the people painting at the time in Rome; in the end the people forming the crew were Fab 137, Breezy G, Coma P, Crash Kid, and I. So we're talking here of very few individuals. Shortly thereafter, one night in 1991, Crash Kid, Fab 137, Breezy G, and I, went to the Bridge Layup near Magliana station to paint the two trains parked there. I remember we got there and discussed whether to paint just one "PS113" piece or bomb with throwups and tags. Needless to say we decided to bomb everything with fatcaps and throwups. It was never documented, because it didn't seem important to us to photograph what we were doing, and secondly, because the next day Crash Kid and I went to a jam in Rimini where the following evening, we ended up in a yard with Dayaki and Eron.
This was definitely another experience worth mentioning. In 1991 Dayaki was a writer with an exceptional talent and style, and seeing him at work meant learning a lot. I remember he asked me to fill in a character because time was running low, and he got mad at me for using the wrong colors. In the end I fixed my mistake and he wasn't that mad at me in the end.
Later that night, after having finished my cans and while waiting for the others to finish, I did a bubble letter LTA on another car with Dayaki's paint; he later remarked, "Nice colors you used!" But I don't think he realized I had used his paint...
Years later, Fab 137 and I had a chat with Stand about our night at the Lido trains. Obviously he didn't know we had been to the Magliana layup before him, but to be honest, it wasn't even that important to me: trains were something I started doing, and as absurd as it may seem, it was not until years later that I realized what I was doing. They were just another surface for me to paint on, and maybe from the moment I started painting them, there was nobody to brag about having painted one. It didn't seem like something so out of the ordinary to me, or maybe I always put things in the right perspective, because obviously I'm happy to have started painting trains so early on, but I'm also conscious of the fact that if I went up to guys like Part 1 for example, and said things like, "I started painting trains in 1990," he probably would have responded by saying, "Yeah ok, but by 1990 I had already quit and started painting again 4 times..."
Therefore, it's not like I invented train-painting, so there was really nothing to brag about in my opinion.
Unfortunately though, being able to resist the attraction of painting a piece on a train is simply too difficult: each person has his motivations as I have mine, but being in a train yard at night is still a feeling that both amuses and excites me.
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| Lido line, 1995. |
I'm going to end this tale here, I don't want to seem boring, and above all, I want the images to do the talking, so if I could give a few suggestions to new writers approaching this culture, they would be: do not be rigid in your attitude, confront yourselves with other writers, whether they are famous or not, or whether their styles are similar to yours or not, exchanges are always important and necessary to find new inspiration to move forward. Personally, I've had the chance to paint with many people in Rome, all with a lot of talent or their own personal vision. People like 00199, Maelo, Clown, Stand, Nico, Pane, 23 Rec., SHM, THE, MDF, Mako, Cheecky P, Aeroes Crew, Wak Crew, Beat, Imos, Poison, and luckily the list grows year after year. Wane once told me that once you start painting and choose a name, you never fully realize how far you'll take that name, and to be honest, in 1986 I never realized I'd still be here, that's for sure!
I once asked Duster, "Who invented wild style?", and he answered, "God invented wild style!"
So with that, all I can say is have fun doing what you're doing, and have faith.
Peace!
Napal Naps
Kidz Diehard Family
