Flash ABC - Graffiti Artist Interview

November 2008

Interview with Flash, a graffiti artist from Chicago and an old school bomber who started back in 1982 writing with the legendary ABC Crew as well as FEDS Crew and MARS Crew. Flash provides a real insight into the history of Chicago graffiti!

How old are you?

41.

Where are you based?

Chicago, IL.

When did you begin practicing graffiti writing and for how long did you continue?

I started in 1982 and was arrested in 1987, after that I went away to serve in the National Guard.

Where did you paint your first piece?

1982 on Sawyer and Diversey in the alley, it was a piece for a friend that died named Georgie.

How did you get into graffiti writing and what made you begin painting?

At first I used to sketch gang logos and KISS pictures with other members of gangs in the lunchroom at Steinmetz. In the summer of 1983 Bboyb painted his name on the Sacramento and George viaduct, he pieced "BERTO AND TONY" with the Chicago skyline popping out. I went home running to get my camera little 35mm camera and by the time I got back a crowd of friends had grown by the viaduct. We posed all day with Bboyb. We all hung around the pieces so long that the cops came and asked who did it, Bboyb and Tony proudly raised their hands and they both got arrested on the spot for that. I was in awe after that and I knew what I wanted to do.

Which crews have you written with in your time?

Back in the day I represented ABC I started COCANE (Commission of Craze Artist Now Existing) with Hate after an incident with a cop. I was also a member of the FEDS Crew and MARS Crew.

How did you choose the name Flash?

I didn't choose it, the name was given to me by Seen ABC who I told one day I didn't want to be in ABC because I didn't think I was any good. Angel and Berto were both very talented and a young age and could project anything on a wall that anyone could sketch and at the time the crew was called Angel and Breto Crew. Seen knew I liked to take pictures and said "Your name is Flash and your going to document everything we do". That was in 1982 and after that I knew what my mission was, I ended taking pictures of everything I could find that was graffiti related.

Did you write under any other names?

In 1985 my cousin and I got real hot because of the rollers we were doing while we were battling a crew called TUFF. My cousin used to go bombing with me everywhere and we tagged Flash and Flair. It wasn't until some friends got pulled over and police asked them if they new Flash and Flair, well we didn't want to stop bombing so we came up with Read and Rath.

The ABC Crew has a long history dating right back to 1976, how did you all meet up and begin painting together?

Berti and I grew up on the same street, 2 blocks down lived Seen and Pilot, Scorpio and DJ Nonstop lived on the same block so we were all neighborhood kids and the majority of us knew each from school or the neighborhood. As we added members the name would keep changing.

In 1983 I was partying at the Humboldt Park Puerto Rican festival when I met this skinny tall kid that just came from the Island, his name was Cris and he had a sketch book. I told Angel about him and somehow Angel paid him a visit on Noble and Augusta where they painted a store front with a b-boy character at that point we changed the crew name to "Angel Berto and Cris Crew". As time went on and more members were added Bboyb would put it upon himself to bring us people that he thought were good for the crew such as Take 2 and Trixster. Bringing those 2 guys in the crew made us strong and artistic so that's when we changed to Artistic Bombing Crew.

Over the years the ABC Crew have been through some pretty turbulent times with members Repo and Hate passing away in the late 80's (RIP), would you talk a little about that?

Repo was shot because he left the gangbanging, to this day if you're in a gang then you know you are never really allowed to quit.

Hate, after settling down, fell off a roof top in an accident.

ABC Crew member Seen was shot but survived, was there much trouble between rival crews of writers back in the day?

The first time I ran the 2 mile for the National Guard in basic training I had it down to 15.10, the instructors asked "How did I learn to run?" and I told them "You ever run from a train?".

Flash

When Seen got shot we could all see the writing on the wall, we were not living right because to be a bomber you had to stay up at night and you did things that you were not proud of. I had finally been caught and with Seen recovering from the bullet I decided to go to the Army. After that Take 2 would carry the ABC name on his back by himself for a few more years, he bombed everything he could and single handed he made sure nobody else was using the crew name when we weren't around. I can not imagine going out there on my own when everyone else has quit, I give him the most respect for that.

We had rivals and we never fought anyone, we took it to the lines and just made sure we tagged more then the next person. CTA Crew (made up of Nick, Salsa, Fly105, Quick and AC1400) were our main rivals, if we fought we knew we would be just as low as the gang bangers we decided not to become and I think both sides at least knew that. They were older guys that came from New York, they were from Humboldt Park and we were from Logan Square. We lost to them at a place called Jenals where break dancers used to battle. We lost to them on canvas, but it inspired us to take it to the street like no one had ever done before in Chicago and after that loss nobody topped us on the rooftops or in the streets.

We never wanted to go backwards and we never wanted to fight, it was about getting up for us and we did it very hard for 5 years. We ran tunnels every other night, we would throw Cris over the wall behind the Mega Mall just so we could get 20 guys running the tunnels. We were a band of taggers and we wanted everything to have the ABC mark. You couldn't be in ABC unless you ran tunnels, tagging on all the lights so when the train passed by you could see your name.

The first time I ran the 2 mile for the National Guard in basic training I had it down to 15.10, the instructors asked "How did I learn to run?" and I told them "You ever run from a train?".

Which other writers have you painted alongside in your time?

I just painted with ABC and that's it, I knew about others but I bombed mostly with my shorties Flair and my brother in-law Free. I didn't trust anyone… even when I would meet writers on Sunday when we had super transfers. You could meet tons of writers just by riding the line but I loved bombing by myself.

Do you still keep in touch with any of the people you used to write with back in the day?

Yes, I talk to Seen in Florida and Cris (Drip) in Puerto Rico. I still hang with Scorpio and I help Berto with the Flypaper, which is Chicago's only underground newspaper with the center page always covered in graffiti. I enjoy doing shows and hanging with Pilot and Risk.

What do you see as being the start of the graffiti scene in Chicago and how did the scene differ to what was happening New York at the time?

Well a lot of cats were being shipped to New York because of there gang association, parents used to send thier kids to either Puerto Rico or New York and so that's where we would learn about the graff scene. We never really hung out with people that came from New York we were a Chicago crew and we were very proud of that. We acknowledge the Graff scene in New York and we knew it was the motherland but we had a whole city to ourselves that hadn't been tapped. Between 1979 and 1985 the only thing that dominated the streets were the gangs, there was a gang on every corner and you couldn't go anywhere without wondering what turf are you in. By the time I was 17 I probably went to about 10 funerals of guys from my 8th grade class. Once the Boyb craze of 1985 went into effect everyone was wearing pumas, jackets with graff on and those hats with the tails. We could go anywhere, say "I am just a graffiti artist" and just be left alone.

When you began writing graffiti who did you see as being the pioneers of the scene?

I would be lying if I didn't mention those CTA cats again. I would see Stane and Plee tags on the Howard line. Chicago forgets quick but there was this guy named Nota, he had a straight up B boy look with the Kangol and thick glasses. Nota was CTA but had a 'lets chill and paint' attitude, we were friends from the YMCA on Fullerton, I would see him up a lot and fact that doesn't get mentioned is a surprise to me.

One of the first local pioneers was KLTA (Keith L Turner Alexander) who used to do design with 2 inch rollers off the rooftops, it wasn't in spray paint it was just rolling paint on the roof. I felt no need to photograph it at the time because it wasn't graffiti and now it's one of the main things I regret not photographing because I have never seen anything like that in any other city. He went all city on all lines on any rooftop, painting on the black tarp of it. I also remember seeing Spy tags on the blue line (between Belmont and Logan) long before anyone else and he was not from New York, he was a student at Schurz High School who nobody knew about but we would see his tags in the study rooms, then along Addison Street and then on the blue line.

Between 1983 to 1987 you were heavily bombing the Blue Line (Chicago Transit Authorities O'Hare-Congress Service), how was the whole experience of painting trains back then?

We would ride in packs of no less then five and we started taking girls with us to go bombing so we be hitting the rooftops and they would have the task of hitting both the stops prior to the pieces on the rooftops.

Flash

It was fun because there was no police on the line, just what I considered phony guardian angels trying to stare you down… they would try to arrest us but they were slow and they didn't know the neighborhoods like we did so once you got them off the tracks they would stop following. We would ride in packs of no less then five and we started taking girls with us to go bombing so we be hitting the rooftops and they would have the task of hitting both the stops prior to the pieces on the rooftops.

When you were hitting the train lines did you ever have any idea how much of an impact the artwork you and your fellow writers were creating would catch on affect the generations to come?

No, I was just trying to get up more than the next guy! It was about getting up! As time wore on the gangs started to mess with us because they knew either we had paint or we didn't belong in that neighborhood, if the gangs caught a writer by himself back then they would beat him up. If a cop caught a writer back then the most he would get is a beat down and his face spray painted in the color they found him with, they did not want to waste their time. We were really the bottom of the rat chain.

I wouldn't realise the effect of graffiti until 2003 when I started coming back around and was stunned to see how the art had developed.

What are your feelings about the graffiti scene in Chicago at present and the transitions in styles you must have seen since you began writing?

Chicago is a beast! Everyone has there own style and it's handed down by others before them and if they want to admit it or not that's another story. Where as in New York there is a lot of solid colors and fades with do-dats a Chicago burner will have tons of colors and eccentric lines that look as if they are hiding secret treasure map in them. It's as if the pieces were thought of by Pollack himself. For a long time we were so stuck with black and blue or black and yellow that when kids found out we didn't have to follow that medium and you could use grape with pink we exploded. I used to wear Bermuda shorts with black and white checker Vans just because of all the colors!

Do you still paint graffiti today and do any of the other artists you used write with still currently paint?

Yes, I've painted with my crew at all the MOS. I've done both legal and illegal. Thanks to Breaker Ray for lifting me up on a roof in 2003, that was a task at 250 lbs!

For the last 5 years you have been involved in the "Cooperative Image Group", could you explain a little about the group and what it is all about?

Cooperative Image Group is a non profit group run and created by Mike Brancroft (Milc) who is a graffiti artist and a teacher and his sister Bridget. Cooperative Image Group have devolped programs such as "So Fresh T-Shirt Company" and "Chi Town Chef", which is a cooking show, both are run by kids.

How did you come to be involved in the "Cooperative Image Group" and are there any other graffiti artists involved?

In 2003 I got a permission wall on North and California. Milc asked me what was I going to do with it, I looked at him and said "Lets have some fun" so we got together as many artist that we could and tried to show the evolution of letters. The background was in color and every writer tried to do there pieces in black and white. The community fell in love with the mural, but the owner of the building hated the idea of having graffiti on his wall which in 15 years he had never painted. I have worked with them on many art projects, bringing artists either to perform at benifets, or to work on other mural projects. Any time I do something with them I try to bring any artist, whether they be a 15 year old bomber, or a veteran to talk to the kids.

The idea behind graffiti artists "getting up" and putting their mark everywhere, going out for fame or trying to be the "king of the line" is an interesting one - I wanted to ask you if infamy within the scene was a frustrating thing sometimes because of the need to keep your identity secret due to the illegal aspect? At what point did you feel it was safe to stand up and say "I did that"?

In 2003 I came back around. I came from a military family and so between 1988 and 1993 there was a lot of brainwashing going on. I had done bad and was always reminded of the trouble I got in, my parents are here from the island so getting arrested and being in so much trouble I felt I owed it to them to straighten my life out… I wanted to show them that even a graffiti artist has a place in society.

Finally I cut thru one of the yards and a plain clothes detective put a gun to my face, the ironic part is that I had bombed all over the city and got caught 3 blocks from my house!

Flash

Did you ever have a run in with the law because of your graffiti writing?

Between 1985 and 1987 I was chased about 10 times without getting caught. I knew they had radio and you would always hear Hispanic running with an army jacket, dime a dozen cats in my neighborhood had those coats and so I used to cut threw yards and chuck away my army coats to throw them off. In 1987 Spooky, a good friend of ours, told me the police had a sketch of me and that they were looking for Flash but I ignored it and went to bomb the Sacramento Bridge. At the time we had some guys crossing us out so I went there with a bottle of Griffin to take care it, the next thing I knew there was a cop chasing me. I jumped on the Metra tracks and crossed the highway running across it to the other side, the cops never ever came up on the Metra tracks but when I came down there were cops on every block. Every time I would cut through an alley there would be another cop car. Finally I cut thru one of the yards and a plain clothes detective put a gun to my face, the ironic part is that I had bombed all over the city and got caught 3 blocks from my house! The problem was the cops didn't know what to charge me with, there were no laws for tagging so they got me on tresspassing on the tracks and evading police. I did a week of probation in an old folks home and went off to the army right after that.

What are your thoughts on graffiti being commonly found in both galleries and on the streets these days?

There is a medium for both. I can't down an artist for wanting to explore his horizons and get involved. I question those that never really got out there to bomb but if you got the styles and a good piece then I cannot take money out of anyones mouth. If cats who are bombing are mad about it you can only blame yourself for not trying to progress your art.

Have you ever had your work displayed in any galleries and if so is there any one exhibition that stands out from the rest?

I did a show at "Revolution Tattoo" with Risk and Kingdom, we all three worked hard to make it look good and we filled the place and had a great time. Their friends really respect and enjoyed the art.

I paint empty spray paint cans and put my photos on them, this year I went to the Childrens Museum and took my cans and the children look at the cans as if they are aliens.

I also enjoyed doing the Barrio Arts Festival in Humboldt Park with Tsel, Blis and FLY105… I met Dzine ASC that day and until then I had known about all of his work but had never met him. Dzine has really helped put Chicago on the map. I was born in Humboldt Park so to be able to come by and show some kids there what it's all about is really the icing on the cake.

There seems to be a very fine line between those who see graffiti as art and those who see it as vandalism, what are your views on this?

Even the ugliest tag is art compared to what I have seen in some galleries.

Flash

The same people that give me dirty looks on the train are probably the same ones that go to these galleries, feast on the wine and then cheese me to death of how great the art is. "AS LONG AS IT'S DONE RIGHT"? How does something so simple become so complex? As I tell people, we are not educated artists but we are the grime that you throw away and we took that and made it our own! Even the ugliest tag is art compared to what I have seen in some galleries.

Do you see yourself as an artist or a graffiti writer?

I love to bomb the streets! I love seeing burners in the eyes of the masses and so I see myself as a graffiti artist. Everything else is cherry.

Do you have a favorite piece of all time?

I love the Goofy piece that we did on line in 1985. The piece was by me, Seen, Scorpio and Take 2 and it's a piece that represents all of us - not just one.

Which other artists work do you admire?

I love any Made U Look production, I can say I am a fan of them because those guys are clean and really push the envelope. I am a big fan of some individual writers such as Rome, Static and Tsel because their personality is totally different and it shows in their art. I love any good production.

Which other artists would you most like to work with if given the chance?

Its hard to say because I would paint with anyone who would want to whether they be 15 years old and paint for the first time or 20 years in the game. I can say I am a fan of this art and I am loving it. I would love to work with Rude DC5 again because I painted with him in 2003 and learned so much, it's a shame how people in your crew will effect how you are looked at.

Nowadays I am comfortable painting with Specs UAC, we get to paint in Evanston and I spend a lot of time there. Every time I go to Evanston there's someone different, whether it's legal or illegal those guys make it fun again.

What do you see as your greatest achievement to date?

• My marriage to my wife Diana of 18 years.
• The birth of my 2 kids, Natalie and Ariana.
• Going back to school so I could support my family and my ugly habits.

What kind of music are you into?

Alternative, U2, Smashing Pumpkins and anything that sounds good.

What is the last album you bought?

With iPods and all the digital access I can't remember the last album I bought.

What are you working on currently and what plans do you have for the future?

I would like to start a magazine for Chicago, with both graff scenery and showing the gallery after shots.

My goal with Tsel is to gather up some old school artists and create a book on Chicago graffiti, ever since I read his notes I've been writing my own journal in which everything is research for those who like to question. I've learned I am never going to make everyone happy, espically those that just sit there and question everything you do so and I'd like to work on my own book with people that care about Chicago.

Anything else you would like to add?

I like to send a shout out to the artists that have supported me in trying to represent Chicago, my crew members:

• Take 2
• Seen ABC
• Bboyb
• Risk
• Scorpio

…and to those I have met now:

• Defrock BTB
• Rome TCK
• Specs UAC
• Uneek CAR
• Gape TCK
• Tsel WRS
• Zore SB
• Gnome CMK
• Cure AIR
• Static RK
• Blis
• Nick Salsa
• FLY105
• Labrat PC
• SY Mars
• C3PO
• Greive
• Teel from MUL

…and of course the big man him Chumbly ACW.

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