Old Timers Converge at 5 Pointz

Saturday, July 19, is a smoldering hot afternoon out at 5 Pointz, but there are still groups of people cluttered around this concrete playground. The place speaks for itself. The history here is written on the walls, the trash receptacles, the floor and, inevitably - the rooftops. Familes, old friends, and emerging graffiti artists make their pilgrimage to 5 Pointz for "Old Timers' Day.” The ladders are out and the cans have been going at it since morning.

Many writers from back in the day have dropped by to relive their days in the limelight. They are the writers who used to scurry around in the underground subway tunnels, throwing up their tags. As PACL is filling in his piece, he tells me about why he switched over from the murky underground to throwing up in broad daylight, "[I just] grew up and out of it.” By writing out in the open, he says he gets to reach a larger demographic. With permission from his wife, PACL still tries to get out and put some fresh paint up. He may have started in East New York, but has currently settled down with his family, currently living in Staten Island with his wife and kids, while enjoying a career as a mechanic.

The older generation may be hailed as veterans, but at Old Timers Day, they always pay their respects to the newer generations. These newcomers have taken scribbling on a wall to new heights. PHASE2, one of the most innovative and influential artists of his time, is in awe as he comments on the evolution of graffiti. He retrospectively scans all the pieces as he speaks of graffiti's humble beginnings, reminiscing how the art form evolved from coded signatures to "bubble letters" to intricately woven lettering and characters. As the pioneer of the "cloud drip,” he added a new dimension to the original puffy letters.

For some writers, graf is a family affair. DEN1, formerly known as FAME1, assists his granddaughter as she stands on a bench to get a better spot on the wall. She fittingly calls herself, "BUG.” Getting her start when she was only four years old, she casually talks about how she's been using the cans from the time when her hands were big enough to hold them. DEN1 may have helped get the movement going, but BUG is the one carrying the torch. It must be in the blood, because her father busily works on his own piece about thirty yards away.

Sitting on the stairs are a bunch of teenagers clutching onto their black books. They reluctantly give the details on how they all started writing. For most, it was in elementary school. Later on in the day, SESO explains that he got into graffiti, because he "likes to destroy things.”

Old Timers Day is the time when graf writers make their pilgrimage to Long Island City from all over the East Coast. NEVER traveled up from Atlanta to claim his space at 5 Pointz. Oddly enough, he started writing to get revenge on his ex. It's the same old story with a whiplash ending. Girl cheats; boy gets upset and decides to write "TRUST" everywhere in sight. Fortunately, he has changed his tag and got over the amoral wench. There is a happy ending. He is here with a brand new, supportive woman. NEVER also managed to escape with a healthy vice to help "keep him sane".

Sitting next to the young couple is BOWZ. He regales me with the endearing story of how he got his tag. BOWZ named himself after Bowser from Super Mario Brothers, who was the last master in the game, which means he pretty much runs everything. Much like Bowser, BOWZ just wanted to bomb Boston. According to him, Boston was a modest conquest. Welcome to New York City, BOWZ.

Speaking of taking over the city, QUIK is racing all over the place. He started his reign in '72 and consequently, became one of the few to go all-city. He is also one of the few people to give me his real name: Lin Felton. Nowadays, he has made a successful career as an artist in and out of the United States. Felton is definitely a rarity in the graf community.

While the evening starts to set in, ROLIO and DANE2 are hovering over his graffiti catalog. The binder is filled from front to back with approximately a thousand different pictures of trains, walls, and rooftops tracing back to the early 80s. DANE2 has spent two years collecting pictures for the album. ROLIO places his son on his lap as flips through the pages. ROLIO mentions that his cousin is BLADE. If anyone were to ever drop a name, that'd be one to choose from. BLADE was and still is considered graffiti royalty. As ROLIO browses through the portfolio, he stops every once in a while to drop some history and dates.

Graffiti grew between the cracks of urban squalor and decay to define the state of the nameless. They remain faceless but the names they gave themselves are up in pseudo billboards across the city. The old timers got to get their hands dirty without risking time and an update on the transformations graffiti has been through over the decades. Everyone got what they asked for. Whether or not it is all about the recognition, the fame, the adrenaline, or the mass destruction - it's all love. This just goes to show how some things never change. Just follow PKONE's philosophy: "Get out there and kill shit."

Words by Linda Li. Photos by Shirline Chowdhury.