Five questions for five flicks 

Featured artist - SIREPS

SIREPS is a graffiti writer from Melbourne. He is an active member of MOC & ST6 CREWS. He started painting in 98 and hasn't stopped since. Travelling the world and painting panels has become the norm for him and with almost 50 systems under his belt it is a lifestyle he is clearly passionate about. 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 grew up in Noble Park and Dandenong, there were some real legends of Melbourne graffiti around my area at the time. My friend “Pounce” got me hooked early 90s when I was about 13 years old. It wasn’t unit 1998 when I did my first piece on a train and my life changed. I think when I first got into graffiti, the scene was pretty quiet and there was a lull in Melbourne around the mid 90’s. The internet didn’t exist and you used to be able to tell where someone was from by their style.

2. How would you describe your style?

I think I am sort of traditional, it’s all about letters. I love to have letters connect but it’s usually too confusing to do on an 8 minute panel. I have not painted a wall in a long time so my style is all about what works on a train in the time frame. I am terrible with colours but I like to think my letters usually stand up OK. There was a guy I grew up with that wrote “Sore”, he teased me very early on that all my panels were looking similar, like a “stamp”. Ever since then I have tried to keep things looking different, but again time determines that a lot.

3. Do you have a good chase story?

When I was a young kid I would constantly wag school to do loops. My Dad used to pick me up after school so at the end of the day I would get changed back into my uniform and head back to school to meet him. On one particular day I was about to head back, I was bombing one last train and there was no one in the carriage with me. I was going crazy when all of a sudden, I see an elderly man in the next car banging on the door. Luckily for me the door was jammed and the next stop was mine anyway.

I got off the train and saw the old man yelling at me, I yelled some smart ass, teenage angst shit back and ran off. Once I was a safe distance away I stopped in an alleyway and started getting changed back into my school uniform. I emptied the contents of my bag and laid out my clothes. I was standing there in my jocks when the old fella came roaring up behind me. Being tackled by a super citizen, 70 year old was not fun at all. We sort of wrestled and I was trying not to hurt him. I ended up having to hit him a few times to get him off me. After almost 20 years I still feel bad for having to belt a pensioner but he should have just minded his own business. Silly codger!

4. Looks like you have done a lot of travelling, can you tell us about your favourite place and mission overseas?

I love to travel, painting different trains is always cool and I have done almost 50 systems now. I have painted on every continent that has trains and met heaps of cool people along the way. Travelling teaches you so much and regardless of graffiti I would love to travel. My favourite cities would be New York, Buenos Aires, Chicago and Tokyo. As for missions I guess the weirdest was probably one night in Rotterdam with Iros andCoke.

We finished painting and took off on stolen bikes. It was dark and I was riding through a park ahead of the other two. It looked like a path in front of me but ended up being a dirty canal. I rode straight in and lost my bike, I was covered from head to toe in shit and it stunk! I made it back to the city and begged a hostel owner to let me shower as we were staying in a crappy squat house with no real bathroom. I threw out my clothes and ended up riding another stolen bike through Rotterdam at 2 am wearing only jocks freezing cold and looking really weird. The other boys thought it was absolutely hilarious!

 

 

5. What motivates you to keep painting?

I guess I am really starting to slow down, I have not done much in the last year as I have a baby now to look after. Being a Dad means I don’t have time, money or the ability to travel right now. My job also is getting in the way at the moment. When I do paint I really only do it for myself and my close crew mates, they are my motivation. 20 plus years has been a good run, but I will still do the occasional panel and I always love to travel and see mates. Thanks to anyone who ever had a couch for me to use, Shout outs to Bleak, Past, Iros, Exio and my crews TNB, MOC, ADN, JNR and Ruff Stuff. Also to my ST6 Family, I love you boys and I’ll come see you soon.

 

 

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