Ser - Graffiti Writer Interview

January 2010

Interview with Ser, a London based graffiti writer who began painting his name in 1983. Over the years Ser has been counted among and involved with most of London and the South East of Englands major players and he now runs the commercially successful Graffiti Kings Crew.

How old are you?

35 baby (no homo)

Where are you based?

London… you know: fish, chips, cup 'o tea, bad food, worst weather, Mary fucking Poppins… LONDON.

When did you begin painting graffiti?

I started in 1983.

How did you get into graffiti and what made you start painting?

There were two brothers in my junior school who were always up to date on new things and were always good at it before anyone else… bmx'ing, skateboarding, yo-fecking-yos, you name it. They both starting calling themselves by their new nicknames, "Turbo" and "Rocket", we would always see their names written on the park slide and roundabout and within weeks most of us at school had nicknames and were hitting up the manor. My new 'names' were Flash, Hassle, Blast, Zap and Sketch… all within 1 month! LOL! I settled with RAC about 2 years later which was the start of bus bombing for us, we would jump on buses with every chance we had bumping into many other writers who had ten times as much better style than us and they were the ones that really got us into wanting to be better… hopefully better than them.

Do you have any tales you could share with us about your early days as a graffiti writer?

Oh, these could fill a million page hardback or a 5 movie deal, hmmmm! There's a few that really stand and here's one of them…

My Saturday started out as every other Saturday, we would all meet up at the Care For Croydon wall and hang around for a hour or 2 meeting other writers, then go racking, do some bus bombing while on our way to Morden Tube Station jumping on and off the 157 bus at every other stop then jump on the tube doing insides and meeting more writers. By the middle of the day there could be up to 15 or 20 of us hitting up everything in sight while on our way to Labroke Grove to see all the new pieces in The Pit and under The Westway to empty our cameras. When the cameras was empty of robbed by foam (another story) we would repeat this whole process again on our way home, but this Saturday was different, one that I'll never forget and sounds like a cartoon.

We all met up at the Care For Croydon wall and off to do some racking we went, we went to the model shop as usual and racked 100's of Humbrol mini sprays and many Edding 850's, then we went off to the art shop for our Buntlack fix. We walked into the shop only to find that the rack of bunt has been moved to behind the counter… fuck, fuck! Then out of the blue I hear Fin asked to see a Colbalt blue, the shop assistant then gave Fin the tin and walked to the back of the shop, confused?!? She's gone out of sight and she's left us unattended?!? Within seconds Fin put the blue tin down his coat… "What you doing Fin? She's gonna know it's gone you doughnut" then out of nowhere, this is where it's all a blur, someone jumps over the counter and we all follow, we start shoving the bunt down our jackets, paint is falling on the floor and the other customers are shouting! The store woman comes running out from the back and goes into PMT meltdown, we all run for the door but couldn't open it… it was like the scene from "Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels"… the bookies scene LOL! Anyway the door finally opens and we are legging it down Croydon High Street towards our local hall of fame and we make it to the wall when someone shouts "The bull (police) are coming", now what happens next still to this day makes me shake my head!

We had been to this hall of fame everyday for about a year and know the area like the back of our hands, so when someone shouted "POLICE" we all dump our Bunt and jump over the wall into the spray paint factory, yeah believe it's a paint factory (another story) and we never did find out what paint it was as the paint we got from its skip never had labels!?! Oh yeah, so over the wall we go and run across the paint factory car park to jump over another wall, just like garden jumping, over the 3rd wall we come across another car park with a warehouse that says 'Art & Graphics Supply', "Hmmm… what's this?" we think. By this time most of us have gone in different directions and there's only me and a few others left, we go into this warehouse and it's full of arty stuff! We were like "OH SHIT!", this place was massive and there was no one about! We see one person at a desk over the other side of the warehouse and then spot another little room which was filled, I mean FILLED with Bunt… shelf, after shelf, after shelf… colours we have never even seen before! Well guess what? We then start to fill our jackets to the brim and walk out without even being looked at! We stash the paint and go back for more and more, yet still no one has seen us?!? Seriously, we have 100's of tins and call it a day. For months we empty the place to nothing and yet they still refilled the shelves until one day we walk in the room and it was filled with other shit. The next few months we were painting everyday with 100% Bunt!

You see, I'm not a graffiti artist with mad skills, I'm a writer that can paint good due to the amount of years I've been using a spray can.

Ser

How would you describe your style?

It all started with "Subway Art", the pages with the simple MOM pieces and Dondi, etc… all the pieces that was right away readable and so I guess my style is based around being quick and bold as I'm used to being on the edge and being in places where I shouldn't be so time is off the essence!

When it comes to chilling out with the boys on a Sunday when we meet up to paint a wall I don't have a style really as I'm always inspired by someone elses style and like to try something like theirs. You see, I'm not a graffiti artist with mad skills, I'm a writer that can paint good due to the amount of years I've been using a spray can.

How did you choose the name Ser?

I never… I think it was either Wish, Rip, Fin or Get that came up with it. Back in the day it was all about having a tag that was short so you could tag it quick!

You are part of a crew called "Graffiti Kings" who undertake various forms of commercial work, how did the crew come to be and who are the other members?

I started "Graffiti Kings" around 11 years ago but not as a writing cru, it's just for a commercial purpose. "Graffiti Kings" is mainly me, Jaz and Benjammin but when a job needs more peeps we call in the big guns!

Do you write with any other crews and if so which ones?

Over the years I've painted with near enough all the best writers in the UK, so as not to miss out any I shall not say any names, but it's near everyone based in London and the South of England.

As part of "Graffiti Kings" you must have done many commercial pieces, what would you say was the most well known project you have worked on?

Well at the moment our client list is getting bigger and better. Years ago I would of said Mr Patel from the local corner shop but over the last six months it's been:

• Diesel
• Microsoft
• Reebok
• Ed Hardy
• Gatecrasher
• X-Factor
• Paramount Studios
• Ministry Of sound

We have also been involved in many new TV shows being aired this new year but we are signed to secrecy, LOL!

Turns out my paintings inspired many new writers in Portugal and they have left my pieces up out of respect, if you can find any graff photos from Lisbon, Portugal from 1992 to a few years later, many of them are based on the styles of the London writers pieces I'd done…

Ser

Have you done many collaborations with artists overseas or travelled abroad for your art and if so then where is the most exciting or interesting place you have painted?

Hmmmm, I've painted in many countries but one that stands out was when I was commissioned by Pepsi Cola to go to Portugal and pimp out this 50,000 sq ft warehouse for a new years eve company rave to welcome in 2002. I was in Portugal for 1 month and I'm painting everyday but by week two my brain is dead with ideas of what to paint so I start doing pieces of all my mates names and in their style and by time I'd finished you would think the whole of London was out there! Years go by and I bump in to Remi (Rough) and he says "Thanks for putting me up", what Remi? What you talking about? Remi said "I've just got back from Portugal and I saw you put me up"… WOW… this is many years later and it's still there! Turns out my paintings inspired many new writers in Portugal and they have left my pieces up out of respect, if you can find any graff photos from Lisbon, Portugal from 1992 to a few years later, many of them are based on the styles of the London writers pieces I'd done… happy days!

What are you feelings on the graffiti and street art scenes in UK at present and the changes you must have seen since you began painting?

AHHHHH here we go, politics and keep me out of it, I love both.

Graffiti and street art, hmmm, two totally different things. In a nut shell I like all types of art and I don't give a toss what artists call it! It's all art… END OF! Doing a tag is art… nuff said. I own many a weird print or painting from the likes of:

• Don
• Goldie
• Sweet Toof
• Grotesk
• Pure Evil
• Eine
• Banksy
• D*face
• Petro
• Shepard Fairey
• Mistershrew

…and many more in my collection.

Ok, I never wanted to go down this commercial route but it fell on my lap like a brick and if it wasn't for what happened to my bro then today I could of been in prison or dead as my younger life was all go, go, go…

Ser

Is there any one point in your career you would class as 'your big break'?

Yep… when my younger brother JAE got arrested for doing jump downs!! Yeah really! Ok, I never wanted to go down this commercial route but it fell on my lap like a brick and if it wasn't for what happened to my bro then today I could of been in prison or dead as my younger life was all go, go, go… and not for some good boi, ya get me?

Ok, so I'm at home and my mum phones me, she tells me that Jae is down the police station and it's all because of me! She says you go get him out and deal with it. I get to the station and deal with police, turns out it's the same coppers that tried to nick me a few months back for doing choo-chooo's (another story) but before they release my bro they tell him to fix up and telling us "If you want to do graffiti legal there's a place in Mitcham that runs a graffiti workshop every week" and they give us the details.

A week later I turn up to this place in Mitcham expecting to walk away with all their paint, you see at this time I'm off the rails in my hayday as a writer. We walk into this room and there are nuff peeps, some of them I have met before, they have all been told about this workshop too and fuck… they all have come to get the paint too! So we're all standing there and this guys comes and says "Lads, come and sit down as I got something to say" so we all sit down and this guys starts to say sorry?!? Turns out he's been trying to get this workshop of the ground for months but can't find anyone to run it yet the local authorities keep sending kids to him each week, even when theres no workshop!?! He tells us to call him in a week or two.

As we were leaving he pulls me aside and says to me "Are you SER?", glancing down to a gold ring on my hand with SER on it, so I say "Yeah, I'm SER", the bloke jumps for joy and falls to his knees… "OH MY GOSH, I have been trying to hunt you down for months SER as every week when you graffiti guys turn up they all say that I need to get SER to run this as he's HEAVY", so the guy offers me the job on the spot and the rest is as they say… ker chingggggggggggg!

What is the biggest risk you have ever taken for your art?

HMMMMM, no risk really, just common sense and being a man by 99.9% giving up doing illegal shit and making money from it to put food in my kids mouth.

What are your thoughts on graffiti being just a likely to be found in a gallery as on the streets these days?

These days? Wasn't the likes of Crash and dem man dem doing this gallery shiz in "Style Wars"? If you asked me this when I was a kid I would of kicked ya head in and called you a SELL OUT, now I shake ya hand and say you clever boi.

Have you ever displayed your work in any galleries and if so are there any exhibitions that stand out from all the rest?

Not so far as it's never been my thing but in 2010 one of my best mates and artist George Ioannou from www.cultart.com is opening his own line of galleries and wants to rep the SER & Cru, so as it's a mate I said yes. At the moment me and Jaz are working on some pieces and as soon as they go live I will give you a holla.

There seems to have been a sudden surge of interest in graffiti and street art recently, why do you think this is?

I really don't know why but I can only guess it's because of the true UK Graffiti KING, and I'm happy to drop that I've painted a few times with him, the true legend that is Sir Banksy… once a writer always a writer, other writers may disagree but come on guys, give the man his dues for what his done… plus I love his stuff, it's great!

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

Simple, if it's done illegal it's vandalism… but it's still art.

Do you prefer doing legal or illegal pieces?

No comment, I have no recollection of the question in question.

Have you ever 'felt the long arm of the law' because of your art and if so can you tell us about it?

Too many times but touch my head and "never say never", only once was I banged to rights and luckily enough it was when I was 13/14 so I only got a caution. All the other times I've been caught the police have never had enough evidence to bang me up so I shall keep schtom (another story, maybe a film). HA-HA-HA Mr. piggy wiggys.

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

100% writer.

Which other artists work do you admire?

AHHHH too many… ok at the moment Jaz is blowing my head, in fact he blew it up ever since I saw his art work on the Genaside II covers in the early 90's while in my DJ'ing years here and there. The UK's top, in no order:

• Jaz
• Benjamin
• Mr. Met
• Dep
• Blam
• Bonzai
• Astek
• Wisher
• Char
• Shine & Qwest
• Tizer
• VOP Stars
• HA Crew
• Don
• RT Crew
• Jamie TML
• Soker
• Trans One
• Coz
• Brave One
• Shok1
• Dreph
• Temper
• Remi / Rough
• Sheone
• Zomby
• Rocket01
• Frame
• Seize
• Banksy
• D*Face
• Oker
• Eine
• Petro
• Seige
• Zoned
• Dier
• Snug

What is your preferred medium for making marks with?

Chrome and a fatcap.

What is your colour of choice?

Chrome.

What is your favourite surface to paint on?

I could try a big it up and make it sound kool by saying steel, but in truth I like a roughish sandy wall in a nice cream colour with a hint of yellow as the street light shines on it from above.

Do you have a favourite piece of all time?

Yeah it's the Care For Croydon wall, not seen a photo of it in years :( come on Steam156 hook it up bro!

What kind of music are you into?

What is the last album you bought?

"Pulp Fiction" sound track.

Anything else you would like to add?

Yeah, does anyone know how to say "12 months" in Estonian?

I need more artists to join the Graffiti Kings team and get paid work in your area. The Graffiti Kings need all type of artists - graffiti, marker, stencil, all artists. We also need artists that can work with people to run workshops. Email me via www.graffitikings.co.uk.

SER baby (no homo)

For further information about Ser please visit:

Ser Profile

Ser Website

Ser MySpace Page

Ser Flickr Photostream

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