Five questions for five flicks 

Featured artist - DUBSE

DUBSE is a graffiti writer from Brisbane. He did his first piece in 99 and hasn't stopped since. He has traveled all over the world catching panels along the way with a fresh and unique style. We caught up to find out a bit more about him and asked for his favourite five flicks.

1. What got you into graffiti?


I saw a piece under a bridge in my hometown, and that was it. I had no idea really what I was looking at, but I knew I wanted to do it. Where I grew up graffiti was almost non-existent so that was a crazy moment for me. 

2. How would you describe your style?


Ahhh shit... Faux Post Graffiti Avant Garde? I don’t know. I paint however I feel on the day, good mood / bad mood / business mood. Whatever I feel I let it out. 

3. Do you have a good chase story?


Only one really crazy chase so far knock on wood, and to be honest it wasn’t even that crazy for me personally, but it was mad funny immediately afterwards for me that’s for sure.


We painted a spot that had popped up very fortuitously and we knew was going to be temporary as well; anyway, we go home that day and start talking  about it further and decide we should really go back there to do a wholecar. After rustling up a couple of friends who were also down we cruise back to the spot early the next morning so we can keep an eye on it for a few hours beforehand and make sure it’s not set up.


At the time my friend had decided that bleaching his hair was a good idea, and at some point he fell asleep, but with his bright fuckin’ haid of hair sticking out of a bush. The sunlight hit his head like it was a shining white light in the morning, but at this point I hadn’t noticed as I was further up the tracks.


The train pulled in, but it was so so wrong, I turned around to see if they were watching and saw my friend’s head, right there, like a spotlight. One of the others woke him up, and I was like “what the fuck” (shrugging emoji) 


I head back to where they are and we decide it’s no good, they’ve seen us. We were tossing up what to do when we saw a cop car belting down the side of the train, so everyone jumps up and stars sprinting away. One guy - no shit - runs straight at these nearby lumber yards, picks up a 2x4, slings it over his shoulder and walks straight down the road, waving at detectives that sped past him. Myself and one other guy leg it towards a nearby creek that’s wide enough to put good distance between us and the police if need be, but the BEST part is what the other guy does.


There was a cupboard in the middle - smack bang in the middle - of this field, and he runs straight at it, while my friend and I are yelling “WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING!?” He jumps under this cupboard and hopes for the best hahaha My friend and I park ourselves almost waist deep in water under an overhanging rock and stay still, we can hear them up above looking for us, but they give up because in the middle of the field is my great friend, the diversion. Apparently the police just tapped on the cupboard and laughed at him.


Everything turned out pretty well in the end, he only got a trespassing charge, everyone else got away, and we all had a good laugh at his extremely reverse stealth hiding spot hahaha

4. It looks like you have done a lot of travelling, could you tell us about a memorable mission abroad?


I did one in Karlsruhe in Germany once that was funny, but red hot and very stupid; give a man endless beers and a trailer of spray paint and what could possibly go wrong though...


I decided after many many many beers that it would be a good idea to go back to the yard I’d looked at earlier in the day, only I was so drunk I went to a completely different spot with my non-writer photographer friend in tow.


Everything went fine, but workers rolled in on a track work train so it was time to run. I bounced, telling my mate to hurry up, but he was hell bent on getting a photo, bit of a legendary move by him if I’m being honest. 


Anyway, I slide down this hill and there is a bike rack there and so I start yanking at bike after bike until I find one, and quickly pedal off back towards the bar we were at prior. After a ten minute pedal I stop and pull my phone out and start trying to call my mate, but as I’m on the phone I see him ride under this bridge nearby, he’d stolen a bike as well hahaha


I yelled out and we returned to the bar and festivities like nothing had even happened, the other guys were crowd surfing each other out the door, and a great night was had.


I don’t drink anymore, so no more of that.

5. What motivates you to keep painting?


Mental illness. If I don’t do it I get really angry, it’s annoying.

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