Perve One - Graffiti Writer Interview

Alright so thanks for taking the time out to do this interview, can you give us a brief introduction to who you are, what your history is in the graffiti game and what crew do you rep? Where did the name Perve One come from?

I write Perve one and I’m down with TM7,UPS,WST,PFE,YNN,LORDS,KAOS INC, AND GAC crew. I’ve been writing since the early-mid 90s but started taking graffiti seriously around 95-96. My instagram name “horrified nights” came from an old hip hop group, Swollen Members. They had a track named horrified nights. Great song.

When I look at your work I am blown away by the slickness of your wildstyle writings, they are really sick man! Who are the artists that have inspired you along the way and how did you discover your style?

From day 1 I was mostly attracted to the TM7 crew style. People like CES,IVORY,YES2,WEB,WIOT(RIP),ROLER were the folks i looked up to when i was coming up. Plus old Rhode Island heads like UPS CREW, Wizart, VA crew molded me in the beginning as well.

From looking at your instagram you have a lot of posts showing you hanging out during at various burners and BBQ events across the nation. For those not aware can you tell us alittle about these events? Are these festivals or just get togethers with friends?

My good friends Topr and Gus Cutty run the Burners and BBQ in Asheville,NC once a year. Great little getaway in the mountains with great people in a great scene. Its a jam but i mostly go for the folks. Painting with them is an added bonus. Ive been fortunate enough to go to different jams across the continent and hope to go to alot more!

What is your favorite documentary or book that covers the history or major players of graffiti and why?

My favorite book will always be subway art hands down. Ive had that book since I was a kid. Has senimental value plus it catches a time in the graff game that’ll never be duplicated. The Sento book and the Dondi book are fresh as well. Documentaries I’ll say Style Wars, Infamy, Piece by Piece, and Stations of the Elevated are my favs. They never get old to me.

From what I can tell you do a lot of traveling! It looks like you are acquainted and collaborate with artists all the way from Colorado to New York! So this has me interested, How did you find your way into this? Do you just go from city to city and find artists to collaborate and party with?
You seem to have friends everywhere you go, which is for sure a blessing.

Traveling is key for me. I was traveling and meeting folks for years. Before the internet was a thing. I always seemed to be at the right place/right time and got to meet the right people. Then AOL had a graffiti chatroom. That was i think 96-97. Got to meet a couple folks off that and kept in contact. Was off the radar for years then bout 2-3 years ago I caved and got Instagram. Before internet, it was people vouching for people and word of mouth to link with writers in other cities. Instagram has made it really easy to get in contact with anyone and find links in other cities if you dont know anyone in that city.

What kind of music do you listen to when you paint?

I have a wide music spectrum. I listen to everything. Good hip hop, 80s punk, hair metal, soul, funk. I love it all and either way I’ll be dancing!

Are you self taught or did you learn from an adjacent field, such as graphic design or fine arts? Do you do this full time or do you have a daytime gig as well?

Mostly self taught. Ive had people along the way give me pointers but the kids i started with in my city basically fed off each other. The people that gave me pointers along the way would be wiz, above, TM7 crew, themo, wiot, web1. I do graff/art full time as of now. Hustlin here n there. Trying my hardest not to grow up.lol

Any crazy travel stories you can share? Whats the longest road trip you’ve done?

Every roadtrip I go on is a fresh. Never a dull moment. Im a easy guy to get along with so anyone whos my road dog we have fun. Im actually doing a west coast tour next month wit my good friends Eaks and Tuke from Denver. Salt lake city, boise,portland, SF,LA,SD,Las Vegas then the Grand Canyon. This will be epic.

You’ve been in the game for awhile now, how do you think its changed since you started? Has the change always been for good as graffiti has become more mainstream?

I feel its changed for the good and its changed for the worse. Its changed for the good because you can see what people/your friends are doing across the world and can stay in touch easier. I feel its changed for the bad because its to easy to learn graff with tutorials and how to videos. What paint and caps to use. The internet has made graff easy and i preffered it to be more of an underground culture. You know what alot of folks look like now. But I guess you gotta get wit the times or get left behind.

Oh thats awesome a west coast tour! So what do you mostly do on these tours? Do you hit up jams and friends along the way and paint with them? Or do you other things other than painting?

Whatever city I’m in it’s usually painting during the day and partying/hitting nightspots at night. I’ll do the touristy stuff too. Sightseeing. Check out some bridges/legal walls. I’m not really a drinker but on spraycations I make up for lost time. Plus I like checkin out the good restaurants and hole-in-the-wall bars in the city I’m in.

Why is traveling key for you? What is your favorite place to visit and how do you think the places you visit impact your work?

Traveling is a must because it gives you time to recharge and get your head together. I like to experience other places and cultures. Graffwise, seeing how other cities do their thing is fun for me. Moving to Atlanta opened my eyes alot on how to look for spots that other people wouldnt normally look at where im from. I can thank hense, sever,detr and born and a few others for that. Also traveling to cities with great graff scenes makes you step your game up. Favorite places I been that I’d go back to in a heartbeat is Montreal, Toronto, Atl, Miami, NY, and Asheville, NC. I’m going out to Europe once the US are allowed to travel there so that’ll be on the list for sure!

So what does it entail being a full time artist, are you doing murals and custom pieces for people? Is there anything you’d like to plug where people can buy your work?

Full time artist is a struggle to be honest but at the end of the day you’re your own boss. I’ll paint commissions, canvases, design tattoos, paint kids bedrooms. My canvases etc I’ll put on my IG or an IG story for sale so be on the lookout!