Oakland Graffiti Train Yards – The Scene back In The Day…
John from Mixcrate has been blogging some pretty awesome graffiti photos he’s taken in the Oakland, California train yards, great stuff (spot the ESTRIA pics…).
Being based in London, the Oakland scene in the 80s is pretty far away from what I know, and I wanted to hear more. So he answered some questions for me and let us put some of his photos up, what a dude.
WG – When did you first get involved in the Oakland Graffiti scene?
John – I actually grew up in Berkeley, California, just north of Oakland. I first started Writing, with a bunch of childhood friends. It must have been around 1983, I was about 13 years old.
Although I had met a couple of the Oakland Writers, though some of the Berkeley Writers like Kaos and Ham2, it wasn’t until 1985-6 that I actually started going out to the Oakland Yards.
WG – What attracted you to it?
J – What attracted me to Graffiti? At the time, I guess it was just the whole scene. Hip Hop was really just starting to bloom in Berkeley in the early 80s, and it was just what my friends and I were into at the time. I really don’t recall making any distinctions between the “elements” of Hip Hop, you just sort of did what you were good at.
I never could dance, and none of my friends were really trying to rhyme at the time, so I just started DJing and Writing Graffiti.
WG – Things can be pretty militant in the UK with the train lines and police now. Was it easy to get into the Oakland train yards and have time to paint?
J – Yeah, in the beginning, we had free reign. You could Tag all day long and no one really paid too much attention. It wasn’t long, though, before it did become a big deal and you had to be more careful. Either you went out late night, had someone watching out for you, or you found a “secret spot” where you could work without interruption.
The Yards in Oakland, well they are a different story. If you’ve never been there, it’s a little difficult to describe. They are huge, ominous, lonely, and at times, pretty scary. There are no fences, security, or anything… You can simply enter the tracks at any point they cross the surface streets. They go for blocks and blocks, and for the most part, you see very few people.
In the mid 1980s, we would go to the yards and paint without interruption or worries. I was out of the scene by the late 80s, so I really can’t speak to that era of Graffiti in the Bay Area, when it was getting a lot of press and media attention.
Recently, I just went back to the Oakland Yards, my first time back in 20+ years. From what I could see, other than the Artwork on the walls, it really hasn’t changed. In taking the pictures, I ran across a total of three people, all who couldn’t have cared less about me and what I was doing there…
WG – What paint were people using then?
J – Kyrlon and Rust-Olium were definitely the paints of choice. Krylon had the cool colors, but the Rust-Olium, could always be counted on for a good coat. We were just kids, and didn’t have the money to be buying all sorts of paint, so it was all racked. We used whatever we could get our hands on.
WG – Stencil art has exploded around the world recently; did it ever get a look in back then?
J – There was a little bit of Stencil Art back then, mostly in San Francisco. At the time, though, I really didn’t consider it “Graffiti”. Now, I can’t wait to get a peek at Banksy’s new film!
WG – You’ve had some time out from the graffiti scene, what sucked you back in?
J – My buddy, Chris, had been talking about doing the Mixcrate site for a couple of years. When it actually came to fruition, and he asked me to join him as a blog writer, there was no way that I could turn him down.
DJing is a fundamental element of Hip Hop, and becoming entrenched in the DJ industry via Mixcrate, has naturally led me to rediscovering many of my roots and interests in the Hip Hop culture, including Graffiti.
WG – Tell us a bit about Mixcrate…
J – Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Mixcrate.com is a community based music distribution platform that allows DJs to share their mix sets with their peers and fans.
If you’re into music, and especially DJ mixes, it’s a great site. There’s a wide range of genres represented, i.e. Hip Hop, Soul, Slow Jams, Funk, Old School, Disco, Reggae, House, etc…, so no matter your listening preference, you’re sure to find something to get you grooving!
Here’s a couple of links to some of the more popular mixes currently on Mixcrate:
“Spintronix Class of 92: Love Songs Mix” by DJ Alexson Lim
“The Shocker 2” by DJ C-Lo
“Reggae Roots Vol 1” by DJ Mr. E (Papalote Hi Fi) (WG are particularly loving this one…)
“Potholes (A De La Soul Mixtape) by DJ BPMZ (another beauty!)
If you haven’t already, take a minute and check out Mixcrate.
WG – You can only paint with 2 colors for the rest of your life, what would you choose?
J – Wow, with all the colors today… I guess I’d still have to go with black and silver: classic colors.
WG – Even back in the day, people like Keith Haring were getting recognition for their art that started on the streets. Was that something that interested some of the earlier artists? Or were you all in it for other reasons?
J – I think for the most part, here in the US, Graffiti is done out of passion. If Artists can eek out a living doing Graffiti, or something closely related, I think they’re pretty content. If something big comes up, where serious money is involved, I think it’s all gravy.
WG – I love bold bubble lettering and the classic look, what do you think of modern wildstyle graff?
J – I love it all! Like anything else, if you want to do it well, I think it’s really important to understand the roots and the people that came before you. Today’s Graffiti is a natural progression of the last thirty plus years, and there’s some really incredible stuff out there.
That said, being on the old school side myself, I have a special love for pieces that I can actually read: ones that show style and individuality. The letters need to flow, they need to be proportional, the transitions have to make sense… and it’s got to have style! I think it’s harder to do a simple piece, really, really well than it is to one that’s complex.
WG – Favourite painters when you first got into graff? Any new ones you like?
J – In the beginning it was all about “Style Wars” and “Subway Art”, gods like Seen, Blade, Dondi, Lee, etc… Locally, there were cats like Kaos, Fade, Dug1, Crayone, Dream, Estria, Guess, Mark Bode (just to name a few)… guys who really defined the Bay Area Graffiti scene.
Today, there’s a number of really great Graffiti Artists here in the Bay Area and it’s still a very active scene! There are a number of new writers, and a lot of old school guys who are still getting up regularly, but I’m really just starting to learn who’s who again. I’ve been connecting with a number of Artists, so definitely stay tuned for more on San Francisco/Bay Area Graffiti!
Cheers to John for taking the time out to talk, Mixcrate is awesome so go have a root around for some fresh mixtapes, listen online free… He’s putting up new graff now and then too, plenty more pics there…
Here is some more graffiti from San Francisco on World Graffiti.
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