Interview by DE DONE-101 TSF/TS5
Bombing Science: Tell us about your early days hanging out. What did you and your crews do on a typical weekend?
Priz: As a kid, I lived on 137th St in Manhattan. Then my family moved downtown. I had already become familiar with the local uptown spots. So it wasn’t uncommon for me to hop on the No.1 train and head out to bench at 125th Street. Me and the crew would set up a time and place to link up that Friday night or to paint that upcoming weekend.
Stan: I grew up on Tieman Street which was a block away from the 125th street station so you either found me benching there or chilling out on the Columbia University campus. Sometimes we would all meet there and go downtown to Times Square 40 Deuce Street (42nd St) and catch a karate flick or go to Bonds’.
BS: What and who got you interested in the whole Writing game?
Priz: I was hanging out with a neighborhood friend who wrote Sam (The Mosquitoes). He introduced me to a lot of the writers who also lived on 83rd Street and Amsterdam. The prominent crew residing there was BYB (Brandeis Yard Boys) which later became (Bad Yard Boys) I met cats like DEAN, JEAN-13; ROOK aka SEAN (R.I.P), BLAZE, BAD and SAN-ONE. However, JEAN-13 was one of the biggest influences to me in those days. I saw a lot of his early works on the walls of P.S. 9, handball courts of Amsterdam and black-books. By the time I got to the subways, it was a reality check. The numerous, multicolored letter styles woke up all my artistic senses. I soon went from writing on the neighborhood walls, to motioning in trains and then learning the in and outs of the layups and yards.
Stan: I grew up in the same neighborhood where the early TSF and later TMT crew members conjugated. TEEN-125 gave me style as well as my capital “N” that looped over to the right that I still use today. This inspired me to get better and get up everywhere too.
BS: When and where did you do your first piece?
Priz: In the winter of 1982 in the 1 tunnel. I graduated from Pilot marker tags and throw ups to a simple window down PRIZ piece with a slew of Krylon paper label burner colors.
Stan: In 1980. In the 1 tunnel with DE-DONE. We did a ROB-MANNY window down whole car in Jungle Greens and Baby Blues.
BS: How did it all begin for you as a writer?
Priz: Hitting black books, spending long hours benching with my spiral notebook in hand and being introduced to local veteran neighborhood writers. I soon developed a style from just watching and observing the form and function of the letters on walls and the exterior of the trains.
Stan: I saw what the older writers were doing because we all lived in close proximity to one another. When their whole trains rolled into the station. I always took notice.
BS: Who were your mentors?
Priz: Unfortunately, no one mentored me. I was self taught. I admired the writers who were consistent and skilled in all levels of hand styles, throw ups and pieces. I was inspired by crews like BYB (Bad Yard Boys), TMT (The Magnificent Team) and RTW (Rolling Thunder Writers). I still remember seeing a black and white “Joey Miserable and the “Worms” posted flier done by ZEPHYR and saying “that’s the way it should be done.”
Stan: My mentors were the first generation TSF/TS5 (The Spanish Five) crew. LEO, RATE, TEEN and then TMT (The Magnificent Team). They handed the old TSF/TMT letter prototypes down to me.
BS: What was it like seeing your first window piece down roll by?
Priz: I remember in the summer of 81 I did these chrome “PRIS” (short for PRISMA/PRISM) throw ups on the outsides with some racked generic spray paint. The stock caps on the cans were so bad that the paint ate right into the black Krylon outline. Sh*t! I had so much of that paint that I decided to just hit the set of parked cars on the uptown track from 145th to 137th. Those trains were the old high ceiling, square window R-15 cars. To my dismay, I didn’t realize that when the windows were raised, my “i’s” would be get cut off or just linger above the throwie like a halo. The following Monday on my way to school, I saw that same set running before they got split up and re routed to the 2 and 3 lines weeks later. The payoff was when I finally saw them pull into 96th street on the local track; I had a euphoric feeling that lasted for hours even though the throw ups looked pretty toy.
Stan: It was a STAN-DONE whole car in 1980. That weekend, we kept getting interrupted by work- bums that were walking in and out of the Downtown side of the 1 tunnel. DONE and I had a lot of laughs between all the spraying and interruptions. So when I finally saw that car pull out, I was completely exhausted but satisfied.
BS: How did TSF/TS5 crew form?
Stan: The Spanish 5ive crew had been around since the mid 70’s. I began to see less and less of the member’s tags and whole car productions. In 1978, I approached RATE-125 (vice pres) (First generation TSF) and LEO (pres.). I asked them if I could take over TSF crew and bring it into the 80’s. By this time, my confirmation that the crew was fading out and that most of the members had joined up with TMT crew was true. They granted me the presidency of the crew. I then started recruiting new members for the second generation like DONE, CHAZ, SON-ONE and PRIZ etc.
Priz: I officially got down by Stan prior to the weekend I was going down to paint with him. I already knew the members personally and seen them up on Broadway. I didn’t realize how big and diverse TSF crew was till I started painting with them.
BS: What do you think you’d be doing if it weren’t for writing?
Priz: Back to Boxing, Commercial Art or Comic book freelancing.
Stan: Martial Arts, Computers or Video Games.
BS: Looking back to the early 80’s, would you have done anything different?
Priz: I would have linked up with a consistent, self motivated partner and then just cranked out piece after piece on the 1’s.
Stan: I would not have retired in 1984. I would of kept painting.
BS: Did you always draw as a kid, did you have any formal art training?
Priz: Yes, way before I tried my hand on the 26 letters of the alphabet. I had no formal training. I was drawing as far back as first grade. As a pre teen, I would draw comic book characters from Mad, Eerie, and Creepy Magazines. Then comic book characters like Batman, Sgt Rock and then Bode. When I took a vacation from writing, then I went to college and received a B.A. in Fine Arts. I taught contemporary art classes for high school students.
Stan: I watched and drew a lot of Saturday morning cartoons as a kid. When I retired from Graff, I started doing acrylic, oils and airbrushing on canvases.
BS: What things did you encounter or see while painting in the 1 tunnel?
Priz: I saw a lot of great paintings come out of there. Artistic grace under extreme pressure. Creativity and nerves tested.
Stan: Fun. Friendship. Vicking, vamping, raids and numerous encounters between writers.
BS: Any final words?
Priz & Stan: Thanks DE, FRED and BOMBING SCIENCE for giving us a chance to ramble about the past. Much love and respect to my brothers of the MTA, TMT, TSF/TS5, TDS, CAC, OTB, BYB, MAFIA, P.O.G, N.O.G.A, TPA, CREWS.
