Five questions for five flicks 

Featured artist - DINOE

Instagram @dizzy_dinoe

 Dinoe is a writer from Sydney's Redline, He produces super clean pieces always with a fresh colour scheme. With graffiti already running in the family it only made sense that he pick up the cans and start on a journey of his own. We caught up with him for a quick chat and to ask for his favourite 5 flicks!

1. What got you into graffiti?

I knew both my brothers were writers when I was a pup but never really thought about getting involved until I saw all the burners in cooks canal around 2000 like BREN, SCRAM, ZOMBE, DOZEN (rip), pretty much anyone from TSC, TM, OSF on my bmx with a few mates.

All the colours and clean lines done with a can. I couldn't believe people could do that freehand! I did a few tags there and my bro instantly knew that Dino was mine somehow. So he took me down one day and schooled me from then. After seeing the whole process of him doing a piece so quick and easy, instantly I was hooked.

He gave me a few sketches and said do these and eventually you'll get better. My first few were ok coz he helped clean them up but when I was on my own they looked like cavemen paintings. So I did some research and found books from the early NYC writers flicks. I found SKEME to be the best with flow and letter formation. I noticed that the style that Sydney had, was influenced by NY public style so I jumped on board.

2. How would you describe your style?

Straight up public style with a few "DOO DADS" and arrows, like SEEN said in Style wars. I like wild style but could never pull it off. I'll give it a crack in a few years.

3. Which do you prefer, a chill wall with mates or the rush of a panel?

When I was younger I looked at panels as the elite level so never tried. I didn't want my toy piece rollin round Sydney for all to see. So I stuck to walls, trying to improve so eventually I could do a nice panel. When I got a little better I tried my 1st panel and didn't even get to touch the train coz we got spotted.

Getting to that point and seeing these big steel bastards pull in waiting for us to paint made me wanna try again! So I did, and the rush for me was better than jumping outta a plane (which I have done).

As you get older and its harder to get the boys together for a wall with some beers. I appreciate that time more now. So I guess I prefer walls. But if I could paint a train with no dramas... I would not hold back haha

4. Do you have a good chase story?

I cant choose 1 so I'll give a couple.
Me and a couple mates were painting a local canal that backed onto a new shopping development. Being young and stupid I parked in the car park and we jumped in from there.

We started painting and almost finished when some hero poked his head over. He screamed "Cops are on their way!" We thought if we jumped in my car we could get away quicker, so we scanned the car park for the hero and he was no where to be seen. We jumped the fence and as we started loading the car, the hero ran over screaming. He jumped pulled out his phone and said "the vandals are getting away I have the number plate".

I thought I was fucked. I turned the car on and put it in reverse but the hero stood behind my car. I said "move or I will run you over, think about your family champ". He wouldnt move so I reversed and he flew over my boot and I drove off.
When the adrenaline wore off I realised I'll get done for painting and running over someone. The call never came thank the graff gods.

The other is from New years a few years ago. I invited my mate WEZ and his missus round for a nice couples dinner celebration. Of course we got loose as fuck and the girls fell asleep after the fireworks.

Nekminnit the itch to bomb arrives and were out the door paint in hand. I thought we could bomb the stairwell next to Parramatta rd so it'll be safe with no way of seeing us. Come back home and wake the girls up like nothing happened. That was fun, but adrenaline kicked in and we crept onto the main road swapping as spotters.

Eventually we ended up doin our own thing ignoring the traffic. I heard a car pull up and of course it had to be the boys in blue. I yelled at my mate "COPS!" and we ran up those stairs like Usain Bolt. We were both over weight and retards at jumping fences but for some reason it took one leap and we were onto the train tracks haha.

We lost each other in the darkness and I hid in some bushes hoping the bacon didn't see us. A minute later, a car with a torch was scanning over the tracks. The light went straight over me but they didn't see me. The car drove off so I called my mate. After whispering on the phone we eventually found each other.

Paranoid as fuck, we agreed to hide for as long as it took to feel safe for the run home. After 2 hours of thinking every car that drove past was a cop car we ditched some clothes and walked home waiting for that WOOP WOOP that never came. We walked in to find the girls still asleep haha win!

5. What motivates you to keep painting?

At the moment I have very little motivation. Over 13 years I never got pinched, which makes you feel untouchable and stupid. Which led to my last panel attempt. Now I'm older and wiser.

The only thing keeping me painting a legal wall, that gets painted over straight away by some toy kid. Is seeing BONES, GOOZ, KAGE and the few people left of my era smashing the game with crispy pieces and not being apart of that.

Also Doing a piece makes me forget about the shit things in life you're going through and concentrate on what's in front of you. An empty canvas.