FAUM 72: The Life of a Diabolical Dubstar

 

London has always been a city that breathes graffiti — the steel veins of the Underground carrying stories, names, and whispers through the tunnels. And few names are more deeply woven into that mythology than FAUM 72. Born and raised in Tufnell Park, North London, he came up surrounded by giants — SHU 2, REAS, SUB ONE, REACH 2, CARL, and the late great KING ROBBO — a cast of graffiti royalty that defined an era. His introduction wasn’t through galleries or art schools, but through chaos, curiosity, and the restless pulse of a city that never slept.

There was a disused shed by the Finsbury Park line, known by locals as D.L.R, long before those letters meant trains. It was a hangout for kids who had nowhere else to go — a makeshift benching spot where windows got smashed, walls got sprayed, and names began to mean something. At just twelve / thirteen, still in school, FAUM was already deep in this culture — sneaking through tunnels, inhaling fumes, and feeling that electric rush of rebellion.

Those were the early ‘80s, a time when the rules hadn’t been written yet. There were no smartphones, no social media, and barely any cameras to document what was happening. It all lived and died in real time. Around that period, FAUM started going to “Jams”  with KLIF KTC who was a class mate who was also into Graffiti. These raw, homegrown hip-hop events pulling together dancers, MCs, DJ’s, and of course, Writers. These events inspired FAUM greatly in the early days and one of the real early Jams he went to was KURTIS BLOW with his two DJ’s AJ SCRATCH and DAVY  D at the Kentish Town Forum and seeing legends there like FUN BOX and TILT.

Before Subway Art became the bible, it existed only as photocopied black-and-white pages, sacred prints passed from hand to hand. FAUM was running with a writer named CARE in those days, not the West London one, but a North London original with a slick handstyle. Together they bombed up Archway, Holloway, and anywhere else they could reach, learning the codes, chasing that first rush of fame that came from seeing your name on the move.

By 1985, things were getting serious. The first proper yard mission went down in High Barnet, sneaking past trellises and weak fences, waiting for cleaners to leave before hitting the lines. The adrenaline was heavy; they were kids inside a forbidden playground of steel. “Seven or eight trains, sitting there, just waiting,” he states. “You could just take your pick.”

Then came Farringdon Yard, where he met London legend P.I.C and stepped into the real scene. “The place was absolutely smashed,” he remembers. “Couldn’t even find space for a tag”, CASBEE, NOISE, SHU 2,  the lot. Every inch was covered.”

By 88, London graffiti was at fever pitch. Everyone had a tag, even kids who weren’t writers. Tufnell Park was mentioned in newspapers as one of the most bombed-out areas in the city. Buses were coated like layered canvases — the backs fading into middle panels, every surface filled. It was reckless, creative, and pure. But as the decade turned, things shifted. The early ’90s saw crackdowns, crews went quieter, and the city started to fight back. But legends don’t fade — they adapt.

That’s when FAUM found himself at the heart of something monumental. 1993 — the birth of DDS (Diabolical Dubstars). He was there at inception alongside SUB ONE and SHU 2, when one day SHU walked through the door and dropped the name: “Put DDS up — Diabolical Dubstars.” It stuck instantly. Three writers, one spark, and a movement that would rewrite the rules of London graffiti.

The vibe was raw, creative, and deliberate. SUB was the recruiter — the general with the eye for talent. SHU was the visionary — a creative force with deep understanding of letters and structure. Together they built a crew like a dream team: DIET, STAX, IRISH, KEDS, RATE, TEACH, and many more  heavyweights, each with their own lane, all united by that relentless DDS energy. Meetings happened wherever they could — SUB’s place, TEACH’s place, stairwells, rooftops. They’d plan missions, compare paint, sketch ideas. This was the core — the epicentre of a movement that defined what London Bombing meant.

Looking back, FAUM laughs remembering when his mum told him, when they’d just moved from Tufnell Park to Whetstone,  “You’ve turned Whetstone into Tufnell Park — 72s everywhere.” She wasn’t wrong. Construction walls, hoardings, and new developments — all became extensions of his identity. That number 72 was born from his birth year, simple and honest, but it evolved into something more. A symbol of his legacy, a throw-up that came to represent raw, unfiltered London.

For FAUM, graffiti has always lived between Art and Vandalism. He loves tags — the movement, the rhythm, the personal expression — but he’s clear about the fundamentals: “You’ve got to have a handstyle first. That’s how you really show skill.” He never claimed to have a great handstyle, but his evolved naturally — fluid, functional, expressive. His respect goes to stylists like FURY, SHU 2, STAX, ELK, TEACH, MEAN (PFB), RATE — those who make a tag feel alive.

Back then, paint was hard to come by. You didn’t buy it — you racked it. FAUM remembers Bunts and Belton’s as gold dust, high-quality gear for the lucky few. The rest had to make do with Car Plan — “You could piss thicker than it” he laughs. But that was part of the culture — use what you have, make it count.

In those formative years, while others were deep in the train yards, FAUM was bombing bus shelters along Holloway Road, honing his repetition, sharpening his identity. Every mission was a lesson. Every wall was a stepping stone.

When he wasn’t painting, he was experimenting with the rest of the culture — breaking, DJ’ing — but graffiti was the one that stuck. He states “I tried breakdancing and nearly broke my neck”grins. “Graffiti though… that I could do.”

“He once did a piece that read ‘SILENCE’. It was inspired by an old East End gangster, he was close to, and it was a protest against the government’s crackdown on the ‘right to remain silent’ which was a big issue at the time”.

He talks about the Farringdon Yard entrance, describing it like a gothic horror scene — “Cobwebs, shadows, old bricks — it felt fake, but it was all real.” That was the rush — urban exploration, adrenaline, artistry. London was a playground of tunnels, yards, and rooftops, and FAUM treated it like a living museum.

He loved that explorer side — the urban archaeology of graffiti — those forgotten Victorian tunnels and secret lines under the city. The real heads never reveal locations, out of respect. And that secrecy, that code, that trust — that’s what keeps the scene pure.

DDS ( Diabolical Dubstars ) grew strong and spread deep, with members representing other legendary crews like VFL, PFB, MTS, BFL, TKS — an interwoven network of talent and history. He laughs, remembering his late friend ASET (ATG) and their running joke: “You put up DDS, I’ll put up ATG.” It was humour, respect, and mischief rolled into one — the perfect reflection of London’s graffiti spirit and softening the beef between the two crews at the time.

FAUM admits he never did loads under ‘FAUM’ — most of it was just “72!”. In that loose bubble funk style that became unmistakable. It’s repetition, he says, but it’s ownership too. That’s what graffiti’s about — presence, consistency, and identity.

Through the years, he’s painted alongside some of London’s finest — FUME, TEACH, ZOMBY, TOX, P.I.C, 10 FOOT, SEIZE, BAS DDS, HEAR DDS, PIXIE, HEATOH  — and many many more. All of whom carry the torch of that classic style. One of his favourite memories was a full-colour blockbuster, window-down, clean and heavy, that didn’t get to run for too long. “I’ve done top-to-bottoms” he mentions but, he laughs, “but I’m short — I can’t reach the top without the proper gear.”

In the ‘90s, he and SUB ONE were relentless — yard after yard, night after night. They made their own markers, mixing inks, sticking felt pads together, even gluing two phone cards to widen the tip. It was pure invention — raw creativity in service of destruction.

Now, years later, FAUM says he wishes they’d taken more photos. So much history, lost to time — missions that live only in memory. But the culture’s being documented again thanks to the new generation of Benchers, Documenters, Photographers, and Archivists who understand the value of history.

​Throughout his London Graff career, FAUM has kept it absolutely true to the craft, a real-deal, grimey London Underground Graffiti Writer to the core. He is the very essence of a proper London underground icon, no fake sheen, and his legendary 72’s, done in that iconic funky bubble style on pieces and throw-ups, they’re  still lurking out there to this day. 

Still to this day, he’s producing massive, high-impact trackside blockbusters—the ones laced in reflective paint— such as the one in Willesden Junction a few years back, running alongside London’s finest  FUME, 10 FOOT, and BAS DDS. He stated “That was a proper mission, at least a six hours”, he said, with active tube trains rolling right past, almost waving to the tube drivers as they shot by, pure, classic FAUM energy—cheeky, laser-focused, and completely unstoppable.

So, if you're ever in this city or anywhere else, always keep your head on a swivel for FAUM and his iconic 72. This is a man who can genuinely speak on behalf of the Underground because he lived that life, a true staple etched into London Underground history. From all the different crews he's rolled with to every writer he's worked alongside, through all the changing styles and techniques, he’s kept it 100% FAUM's style the entire ride. From his deep-cut urban explorations to the relentless, repetitive ‘72’  throw-ups hitting London's tracksides and tunnels, he remains an undeniable, gritty force within that dark, grimey London Underground Graffiti World. 

Because that’s what this is — History, Living, Breathing, Evolving.

Still a Diabolical Dubstar, through and through.

 FAUM 72, we salute you ! 

 

INTERVIEW

​

Phase I: Origins & Foundations

 

Easssyyy FAUM 72 - First of all, Welcome to upinthespot.com , and thanks for getting involved in the Archive and creating this Amazing Miniature Graffiti World ! 

 

Yes yes good to be here, thanks for having me ! 

 

1. First off, What was the single defining moment or piece of music / art that first made you pick up a spray can in the early 80s?

 

Probably listening to Hip Hop B-Bop and Boogie Down Bronx by Man Parrish on a Walkman one day, which changed me for sure, and staying over at SAKER’s house (Me and him went to the same secondary school). He used to get WBLS and Kiss FM tapes from New York ( RED ALERT, MR. MAGIC, AFRIKA ISLAM Shows). Those shows blew me away. I still listen to those old tapes now.

 

2. Where did the name “Faum 72” originate, and how, if at all, has its meaning or feeling changed for you over the decades?

 

I honestly can’t tell you. It makes no sense. It’s a stupid way to spell Form, but it looks better. People still get it wrong and call me Fawm or read it as Fam. I remember around that time going through a dictionary looking at different words and it might have been a mixture of words with letters I liked.

The 72 is my year of birth and that came a year or two later. In them days a lot of people had a number, but my house number was 22 - it sounded crap, Faum 22. My next house was 1522 - that was even worse. Faum 1522 sounds like a can of beer. So I went with something different. I liked the idea of my year being my number, it was different. It balanced out the tag and gave me my throwie, as I didn’t have one with Faum so that’s where the 72 was born. It took a while to work out the one you see now, they started off pretty square and developed into the bubble.

As there wasn’t much of a meaning, the feeling hasn’t changed regarding it other than it’s my name and I adopted it like my own. I tend to prefer using the number more than the word at times so I guess it means more to me.

 

3. How did the British scene in the early 80’s differ culturally and technically from what you saw emerging from New York at the time?

 

I’m not sure it did. We tried our best to emulate the States the best we could. I never went there, and having no internet and little TV coverage meant a lot of guesswork and hearsay. Basically, you wrote on everything possible.

The U.K. took a while to get it’s own identity because of this. I think the styles definitely differed from what I know now, and that was largely because of people not having much to go on - there was nothing. Subway Art was released in 1984; I never saw it till 1985, I’d say. That book changed a lot and we all bit styles like rabid dogs.

But largely the U.K. style stayed U.K. The leaders of the scene like the London Giants and South East Vandals had this real blocky style which dominated for a bit. In the North, you had North London Arts and NWA (New Wave Arts) that I knew of. I wish I had taken a few more photos of that time. There was a lot of bombin’ happening and it stuck around a lot longer than today.

 

4. Can you describe the vibe, the danger, and the camaraderie of the London Underground scene when DDS (Diabolical Dubstars) was formed?

 

Just before DDS was formed it was a strange time for London (in my eyes). The hype of the 80’s had gone; a lot of the heavy hitters from then had left the scene or calmed down. It felt to me like the bubble had popped in London.

I still saw writers like CHERISH and ELK going hard on the Mets. PFB were still out there - SIKE, ROZER, SHUN SBS, DIET, KLIF , LONE, ASIA, TUBE, ACME. But it felt quiet on the lines in comparison to the end of the 80’s.

When SUB ONE got out of prison it was like he was still in the 80’s and brought some of that energy back with him. He was charged up to do what he felt he had missed, being in prison for the past three or so years. His brother came up with the name Diabolikal Dub Stars, and both SUB ONE and SHU 2  went and started bringing in writers like DIET, STAX, TEACH, RATE, IRISH, KEDS, BUS ONE, SAKER, NOISE.

 

5. You came up surrounded by serious names — SUB One, SHU 2, EXCEL, BUS ONE, SAKER, SEN, CAR 138 NWA, REEZ, REACH 2, ROBBO NLA, P.I.C, DOZE WRH, SEIZE, CARL, SINE S.T. ,  just to name a few.

 

In the early days for me, these people were larger than life. The first people I met were P.I.C and DOZE. Later on, I met SHU 2  - ROBBO I never met till years later. But all these people in North London were hitting up just about everything that could be wrote on.

EXCEL and SHU 2 would do walks through London and you could follow the damage - a barrage of silver tags and throw-ups running through streets and track sides. EXCEL was one of the best bombers from North London back then, and he got about.

I met up with a dude that wrote 2TONE who was a good artist, and through him I met SEIZE, another very good artist who still does amazing productions today, but back then was larger than life and had amazing style. We all painted a few times together, which was blessed.

The first time I met SHU 2 when I was with P.I.C and we had just got into Farringdon Yard, which had been completely taken out by the likes of SHU 2 , SEN, CAR, and I always remember seeing a crisp CAZBEE Whole Car. The trains were so battered there wasn’t much left to hit up.

Somehow me and P.I.C caught up later that evening with SEN, EXCEL, SHU 2 and a few others, and I always remember SHU 2 disappearing and then, somehow, he’d climbed up onto a bridge and was hitting us all up - but in all our individual styles as well. That always left an impact on me. This dude had skills.

CINE was another guy I used to see around Tufnell Park. Him and SEIZE used to always paint Tufnell Park hall of fame as CINE lived in the estate, he was always painting the place. Nice dude and a hell of an artist.

 

6. What was the unspoken energy or competition like between writers back then?

 

It was pure bravado. Everyone was out to outdo, burn, be one above - literally to the point of putting your tags above your rivals. The taller you was, the better. Me being short, I should have taken a step ladder about to get those high tags at the right spots. I bet you someone did. Halls of fame had all burners in, showing off who the style masters were. There was no room for toys - if your shit was whack it would get dogged or gone over.

I got into graf thinking it had no rules, I could make them up as I went, and boy was I wrong. I got there a few years too late for that. The first yard I did was with CARE, and we hit it a few weekends on the trot causing a lot of friction with some of the bigger names. We were told to keep out as we were hotting the yard up. We didn’t listen and carried on. I think CARE got into a scrap over it, but CARE had a big mouth and seemed to like getting into scrapes.

 

Phase II: The Art of the Mission

 

7. Describe the atmosphere of Farringdon Yard on a typical night back in the day. What did it feel like stepping into that darkness?

 

Farringdon was a playground. I found getting in as much  fun as painting there, whether it was through the meat market which was like a cob-webbed gothic cathedral with high arches, or the car park onto the overground tracks.

It was always fun. I have many good memories and only got chased out once in all the times I’ve been. I remember the first time I met TOX (01) when he started. Me, FUME, BAND, RATE and a few others were there and he was painting by himself, and there was not one bit of him that was happy we were there. Most new writers would have been ‘ Wow, you’re FUME, you’re RATE’ and a bit gassed. Not TOX - he couldn’t have cared less who we were and he was pissed we had interrupted his painting session. I liked him from that moment.

Farringdon had so much history. Every writer worth a shout did that yard and at one point it was almost like a legal hall of fame - it was getting painted most days. There was a rope ladder into the yard and it stayed that way for a while.

It’s funny going there now. I was there a few months back and I walked into the yard through the old door at the back. There are still a few old ROME ACR and NOIZE NWA tags. The BR tracks have gone but the windows you used to hop through are still there. It’s like an old amusement park - the rides have been taken down but you can see where they were. You stand there and you can hear the ghostly noises of laughter and tins rattling, the stones being kicked. It’s now dark and quiet other than the Circle and District trains rattling past.

 

8. DDS became a movement — not just a crew. What made it so unstoppable?

 

I think having writers from North, South, East and West London made the crew get up fast, but also everyone involved, just lived to paint - going out in the day to get paint, then out painting or bombing in the evening. Everyone had that hunger to get out there and get up. Everyone was at that point where they just wanted to go out and go nuts.

Before DDS was a name we wanted to get up for ourselves. The crew just developed because of our hunger. But I had (and still have) great friends through that crew. It’s what crews are about - being together and doing what you love, whether it’s together or apart, then coming back and saying, check this shit out. We all did it.

In the early days I ran with SUB ONE mainly. We used to drink hard and have a lot of laughs. He had the magic in meeting good writers and meeting them up with SHU 2, and SHU 2 putting them in the crew. He was like a talent scout. They were fun times - meeting up with different writers, going out painting, getting paint to go out again. 

A year or so later the people that were in DDS were SUB ONE, SHU 2 , SAKER, BUS ONE, NOISE, KEDS, IRISH, STAX, DIET, PABS, AKIT, DRAE, FIZA, PETRO, MONEY, COZ, TAKE, TOUCH, CHOP, IDEA, BOSH, OUCH, FUME, TEACH, HEAR, BAND, ZONK… 

There were a lot of other writers I knocked around with at the time like SEIGE 52, SHAM 59, CROK, ASHE, ASET ATG, KLIF, REFA, THOR, AGRO, DONKER, STOR, FOU (just to name a few) but that was the DDS lineup at its height in the 90’s and we were spread out all around London.

 

9. If you could freeze one night — one mission — in time forever, which would it be and why?

 

One that really sticks out was at Gloucester Road ( The Famous G ) Yard, when a lot of us got in and did a whole train. FUME was good at getting as many people in his car and rounding up as many people to paint as possible. This was an epic one.

I painted next to a good mate and fellow painter THOR MTS, and the other side was RATE, who was writing FIZA then. Others there, which I can remember, were EROK MTS, DONKA MTS, TEACH DDS MTS (I’ll have to shake THOR  for a better recollection).

We all got in off the street, crawling across this very high wall which led to a ladder which we climbed down. I did not like the look of this crooked wall that looked like it was about to collapse at any moment as 20-odd people walked and crawled across it.

THOR always tells the story about me having brought a blunt, and while we were painting we were puffing away, laughing like we were sitting at home watching a comedy.

 

10. What’s something about the sound or smell of painting that takes you back?

 

Not paint really, unless I come across an old tin of something like Spectra, Belton or Decorative maybe, as paints have changed a lot over the years.  But Pentel pens - even the silvers - smell the same as they did and take me back to the days of socking pens to get the ink out to fill better markers, as certain pens were easier to rack up back then.

Pentel and Edding both still haven’t changed and bring back soooooo many memories of tagging up as 12 year old, also pens were a lot easier to get when I was a kid so the smell of a Pentel is one of the few things that really takes me back there.

 

11. What were the biggest missions or challenges you faced?

 

The biggest challenges back then were:

1. Getting enough paint, finding the plots to rack up and plots that weren’t hot. It was wasted time turning up at a plot that had security turned on or had been raised to fuck and only had shit paint left.

 

  2. Going out bombing and not getting too pissed, being bait and getting nicked.

Me and SUB ONE used to drink hard and go out on the lines and enjoy doing hit-and-runs. Crazy when I think now how pissed we would get, waiting for trains to stop, then staggering over the tracks and doing throwies and tags on the panels while they stopped at the station, as 12-year-old school kids.

Pretty much everything I did was throwaway, tags, throws and dubs. I had a few good spots in high-profile locations which stung a little when they got cleaned. But everything eventually goes; you learn to get easy with it.

 

12. Which wall, train, or spot that you painted do you wish still existed today — untouched, preserved like a museum piece of your life?

 

I’m not sure it still exists, but up until a few years back I had a 72 dub from the 80’s under a bridge in Stoke Newington, painted with old Hammerites and stone chip. Stone chip was a great paint that lasted. There was also a  72 piece I did in a park in Mornington Crescent back in the 90’s that stayed there for years, up until they knocked the box down, I wish that still remained; that was a nice piece and weathered well. It’s always nice to see something old of yours but it’s rare today like I said, between the cleaners and the newbies, it gets gone over.

 

13. Everyone talks about ‘the rush’ — but what was your ritual before a mission? Did you ever get quiet, or was it all chaos and laughter?

 

I drank before anything - that was my ritual. It calmed my head. I didn’t really have a ritual as such.

For me, being in the yard with the sound of the generators switching on and off, and the heightened awareness of anyone about other than the crew you’re with, was more the rush. The thrill of being at the train and what you had planned to paint and doing it, working it out while keeping your wits about you and listening out, I would regularly duck to see under the train to make sure no one was creeping around and just staying alert. There were times that the yard was so dead you just knew there was nothing to worry about. Those times you just got on with your paint and got merry.

 

14. What was the wildest close call you’ve ever had on a mission — the one that still makes your heart race when you remember it?

 

Parsons Green was probably one of the worst because there were so many of us. I think this was another of FUME’s whole trains. I had recently been raided in a yard, arrested, and was on bail. So when this raid happened and it looked like a lot of torches were heading our way, I was at the back of the train and knew there were a lot of writers in front of me and just one rickety ladder back out to the abandoned warehouse we got in through.

This is what got me caught before in the last raid - blindly following everybody else. So I went my own way, which was back towards a tunnel to either Fulham or High St, Kensington. I was hoping to find a get-off along the way but nothing, so I had to go in the tunnel. The problem with jumping out at a station is the risk that LT’s or Cops are gonna be there waiting.

Along the way I bumped into CHOP and we took the tunnel together. It was still early so the trains were still running. As we hit the tunnel we heard the track rattling, so we picked up the pace. We could see someone ahead of us and the station in the distance - that person was SHU 2.

As we caught up we heard the whistle of the train behind us. It wasn’t stopping but blowing its whistle wildly. Soon we made it to the mouth of the tunnel where it cuts onto a ramp where you can exit onto the walkway off the tracks. Then, and I’ll never forget this - SHU 2 just hit the deck and looked up as I was making my way onto the platform, with the train rolling up, tooting its horn like a madman.

I couldn’t work out what was going on. SHU 2 looked like he’d given up. I found out a few days after, he got shocked and crawled up onto the platform and was arrested by an off-duty copper. We must have just missed him.

We got out onto the street and hid out for a while. A few people from the mission got nicked. I later saw a video of the whole thing and there were a lot of police and workers involved in that raid.

 

15. Is there a specific colour palette you gravitate towards, and if so, what emotion or energy do those colours evoke for you?

 

No, I wasn’t bothered about colours and you could tell - I racked up anything. I used any colour combo that was at my disposal.

My favourite colour paints were an electric blue by maybe Car Plan or All Paints, and most of it was shit. Blushing Pink (covers all), Signal Red and Arctic White by Japlak (silver and gold also) were my go-to dubbing paints. Auto K had some really nice colours.

I remember the first time I saw the paint they were using in Europe - this stuff called Flexa that was a game changer. The colours were amazing and the can control was too, as you could push and pull the nozzle back to control the flow, plus low pressure. It never sold here, unfortunately.

Paint in the U.K. back in the 90’s was pretty shit compared to Europe. The paint here was very inconsistent - some colours were great, covered well and had decent pressure, and others were awful, so you had to know which ones were worth taking. That went throughout all paint here, from Dupli to Belton. Hammerite was pretty consistent, but there were only six colours - primaries, black and white.

 

16. What is the most significant technical development in graffiti materials (cans, caps, paint quality) that has fundamentally changed how you paint?

 

Lower-pressure paint, plus the different caps you can buy. Probably the spray caps above all.

Paint itself is more consistent, you still get colours you steer clear of because it doesn’t cover well, it’s watery or it clogs caps. But the range of colours is much better. Buying paint is pretty shit though, I think I’d go back to the lack of colours and shitty stuff if I had the time to nick it again.☺

17. What do you look for in a writer’s style that tells you they’re the real deal?

 

You can see the time someone has spent developing their style in the outline they do. It’s a sure line that’s been practised and confident. That’s outside of whether I like the style or not. You can see it’s been perfected, same with the tag, the flow of the letters, the confidence and creativity - nothing typical. I love seeing people putting up their tags when they take a bit of time and really make it look good, you can see they’re in control of how it looks. 

 

18. You’ve got that deep love for handstyles. What’s one tag or name — or both — from someone else you wish you’d written first?

 

I’ve never thought like that. I’ve seen some great tags but never thought, I wish I wrote that, and I would have never given it the justice of the original artist that owned it as one of the reasons I liked the tag was because the person who did it made it look so good.

I started off writing RAGE and a week or so after I started I found out there was a West Side Writer who was big and I had to stop. I liked that tag. He didn’t write it that good, but I was a toy, and he was known and wrote with a real west London legend who wrote RICH , who’s still about. RICH is a good tag and there were a few I loved the style of when I was a kid, like SKRIBLAH, SHAM 69, FURY, PRIME, SEIZE, BANDO… 

 

19. You paint with an incredible mix of generations within DDS — TEACH DDS, BAS DDS, RATE DDS, FUME DDS, HEAR DDS, 10 FOOT, and many more. What do you enjoy most about collaborating with this diverse group?

 

It always blows me away the amount of work that goes into looking for and finding trains and plots, finding keys to get-ons, get-ins and get-outs. These guys put in the work and seem to know more than people who actually work down there. Going out painting with these lot is always fun – they’re good people and they know what they’re doing. We all just get along and get things done and if it fails for some reason, we go home and everything’s good. Nothing worse than going out with people who are shook or unsure or complain about shit which can really make a mission hard work or fall apart.

 

20. How does the dynamic within DDS now compare to the early years, and what advice do you give to newer DDS members, if you do?

 

I can’t fully answer that because DDS got too big by certain writers getting put in the crew by people who had no right to put people in. SHU 2 disappeared from the scene and people took the piss, putting randoms in.

When we started the crew we were all Writers who had made our name first, then we made the crew. I saw writers putting up the crew just to big themselves up, riding on the hard work we all did back in the 90’s and 2000’s.

For a long while I barely put the crew up because the heart of the crew died when SHU 2 and SUB ONE, FUME, STAX and some others disappeared. I started seeing random, weird writers sticking the name up - it was fucking lame.

But it’s good to see some old faces returning like ZONK, HEAR and FUME, and others like 10 FOOT, BAS and TOX getting involved, also SHU 2, which is real good to see. I ain’t got no advice for these youngens in the crew, as they’re doing shit I never dreamed of. I think they’ve got advice for me. 🙂

 

21. What do you respect most about this relatively new wave that still keeps the flame alive?

 

The bollocks they have. London is in a new wave of Graf - a lot of Underground trains are getting painted. I’m so surprised at the revival of graffiti on the Underground. Also the mix of Graf and Street Art on the streets. There’s a lot of painting going on right now - more than ever.

I think the younger generation has a lot more freedom than we had. We had a lot to live up to when it came to style. A lot of new writers I see don’t seem to be bothered with style like we were; they’re just doing their own thing. In some ways that’s nice - no stress and just going out doing whatever you can do and not worrying about getting shit for being toy. 

The writers don’t seem to be bothered to burn other writers (it’s like the competition ain’t there for them) or have the knowledge of the past and what graffiti is about to move forward as a real writer with the same rules we went by. In some ways it’s good and in some ways not so good. But what do I know- I’m not out there like I used to be, but when I am there’s a lot of people who ain’t got a clue just getting on with it with the rest of ‘em.

 

22. What distinguishes the current generation of London writers from those who emerged in the 80’s and 90’s? Is there a central ethos that has been lost or gained?

 

I think that through social media a lot of the local styles have gone, because you get influence Worldwide online - unless those writers are being schooled by someone local.

But the ones I’ve met going out painting trains and whatever, they are machines. I think with all the surveillance going on here in London, there’s a lot more to take into consideration, but these guys know nothing else and deal with it and get away like we did when there was none to speak of. I’ve got nothing but respect.

Like I said before, I think a lot of our history has been lost to the younger lot and they don’t seem that bothered. When I started out I thought it was a free movement to go and do what you want, but I was soon to find out that wasn’t the case. There was a hierarchy and rules you followed if you didn’t want to end up in countless fights or getting your stuff dogged out left right and centre - which now isn’t so bad. It all seems a bit less aggressive here now, which like I said ain’t a bad thing. Some people who went through the early years of rivalry, like I did, say it’s taking away what made you get better in the competition. Maybe there’s something in that..

Kids seem to do their own thing without too much shit from others. Don’t get me wrong, you can still fuck up going over the wrong thing, which I’ve seen and done in the past - kicking up a hornet’s nest. Going over a tribute piece is never the one, I did it in Italy ( by complete accident ) with ZOOW and FUME, and I’m guessing everything I did in that city got taken out after that.

Or old tags that have been there 25-odd years and had a few legends on - that never goes down too well. It’s easily done if you’re clueless, and some of these younger lot are. I was to begin with and I guess you learn by fucking up.

Personally I kinda like it the way it is now, not so aggressive.Kids should be able to paint whatever they want ( I sound like a proper hippy ) but why not?

Plus the shitter they are the better my 72’s look ☺ keep it shit kids!! I might make some stickers saying that…

 

23. If you could have a dream collaboration with any writer, living or dead, who would it be and why?

 

Someone like REVS or DONDI I guess, because one, they were there from the early golden era and have those stories, and two, they were real characters from what I heard of them and I admire the stuff they did.

REVS did all the underground stuff. That guy was a tunnel dweller for years, writing stories in tunnels, and not just any tunnels - some real hard-to-get-to places. I loved that, exploring the city under New York and then writing stories along the way. I think exploring tunnels and new places was just as fun for me as actually painting.

DONDI seemed like a real nice dude and was an amazing graffiti artist, I loved his book and his ideas with RAMMELLZEE - those two were far out with the whole defence against weaponised letters and symbols, which was RAMMELLZEE’s concept, and that guy was pretty far out not only as an artist but in his ideas. I could listen to his far-outness all day.

 

24. What makes a piece truly “successful” in your eyes? Is it public recognition, personal satisfaction, or something else entirely?

 

The fact that I finished it these days is a success ☺, but back then the location was paramount. The more seen the better, which usually meant it was more trouble painting it.

Some parks and bridges were great as at night you were out of the light and out of sight at night, but in the day it was a good spot, well seen. Track sides are the same - once you’re on them, it’s a walk in the park, no one bothers you and most walls are clearly seen. We found backs of gardens and locations backing onto tracks are the best as they’re not LT property so left alone.

There are a few spots that have always been great to take when they get cleaned. One place most writers in London would know is the Royal Oak ledge near Ladbroke Grove. There are good spots around the West End - high roof spots that people look out for. I was never good with heights. 

 

25. What role do social media and digital platforms play in your approach to graffiti today, and do you feel they diminish the mystique of the Art?

 

When social media first appeared, I got into it and posted photos. Now I go through phases of posting, but I think because I grew up in the era where it played no part, it’s not important to me and I can take it or leave it. The Graf I do is for the place it’s done, not for pictures. I was never great with remembering camera’s either. There’s lots of stuff I could have snapped and some stuff I wish I had.

Social media sparked a massive change in Graffiti. People could become something without having to do a great deal, and be more of a public personality also, which is kind of the antithesis of what a writer was. We were unknown as a person but known for our Art and Tag. People also talk a lot of shit and become whoever, evolving from the tag or pseudo name to the pseudo character or avatar rattling online to their followers. None of that is what I consider Graffiti to be about. But things change and I’ll never be that fucking purest guy who is gonna cuss people out for not doing things the way I do them or the way they was. Like I said earlier I started out as an 11 year old thinking that Graffiti was freedom of expression, something new and had no rules, and I was 15 years too late for that. Saying a writer should do it the way we want would be bullshit. 

 

26. What is the greatest misconception the general public holds about graffiti Writers, and how would you counter it?

 

The biggest misconception is that it’s gang-related, and this has been the misconception (made by the lying scumbag TV news and certain toilet newspapers). They used to say the Central Line was gangs sending messages from East to West- what an absolute load of bollocks.

TV will always show Graffiti alongside crime or drugs, so people see Graffiti being connected to that. Immediately people look at you like you’re into crime or drugs, or they say that painting a wall attracts crime and drugs. It’s ridiculous, but people are that stupid. I always counter that by talking to people if I’m out doing stuff in the streets, breaking the supposed mould or image that you’re a wrong’un or a criminal. When I was young it felt like I was breaking the law painting and hiding in the shadows, but as you get older and see what’s going on, painting a wall seems very far from breaking any law.

Graffiti in the grand scheme of things is nothing to do with anything bad or damaging, even on the level of painting trains. Although it costs a bit to clean, that’s their decision. There could be much better ways to tackle Graffiti, like letting people paint the trains and having shutters on the windows. But in our society there’s no middle ground, just wrong and right and no mediation or common sense. I always felt if it was completely legalised, a lot of real vandals would stop as there’s no wrong being done, and it would mainly be the artists that would stick at it.

So like this sick society always does, it creates a crime to create criminals to lock up. Criminalise drugs, then lock drug sellers and users up. Make Graffiti illegal and lock them up. I honestly don’t see a problem with any of it, the problem is how you deal with it. 

 

27. What’s your take on Graffiti documentation — Benchers, Documenters, Photographers, Archives?

 

Yeah, it’s important. I don’t watch much YouTube stuff and I should a bit more - I just don’t have the time these days. I’ve seen a lot of the old NYC stuff, like Watching My Name Go By, and of course Style Wars and countless 90’s DVDs other writers played. They were the early social media giving you happenings in other cities. I love Photography, definitely the old stuff like in Subway Art or Street stuff from the 70’s and 80’s and archiving in any culture is important in showing the development and is fascinating to me.

 

28. Beyond the act of painting, what was the most crucial skill you learned as a young writer in the 80s that you still rely on today?

 

Always being aware and listening out. I was painting on tracks a few months back and the trains seemed to have sped up on certain lines and were kinda quiet.

Also, keeping my head if things go off. When chases happen, keeping calm enough to avoid disaster is so important, as you can get hurt on the lines if you’re not aware of things going on around you while needing to get away safely. These things have saved me on many occasions. 

One in particular: I was painting under a bridge in Hornsey, North London. There was a bend in the tracks and I wasn’t aware of the high-speed trains on those lines at that time of night. Before I knew it, the train was too near to dive across the tracks. Fortunately, I had the wherewithal to hit the deck. There was a three-foot gap between the wall and the tracks, and if I had backed to the wall I would have been sucked into and under that train. It’s a common mistake people make. If in doubt, deck it and lay low till it’s gone - definitely with any high-speed vehicles.

 

29. As an active Writer for so long, how do you manage the physical and mental toll of remaining active and “on mission”?

 

The long nights are the ones that get to me. I don’t do them much anymore - once in a blue moon. I prefer the early ones these days as they’re less stressful, which makes things easier overall.. but I don’t want to get too easy about things because that’s when you make silly moves.

I find the things we do are a lot more fun and less stressful now. Physically, I’m not much different. Mentally, I’m more calm. I don’t tend to worry like I used to, but I guess I’m not doing a fraction of what I was doing before, so that’s going to have a great effect all around.

 

30. What is the ‘high’ or deepest satisfaction you get from painting today, and how does it compare to the adrenaline rush of your youth?

​

I think it only comes these days from doing something I really like. There’s not a lot I like of my own stuff, but when I do it’s a grand ol’ feeling. Maybe a spot that’s a bit different or when you travel to different places and find a really nice spot there, those times feel great. That’s not the same as adrenaline but it’s as good as it gets today.

 

31. When that rush fades — what replaces it? Is it pride, nostalgia, or something else entirely?

 

In the past it was joy and relief that I got away with it or away from the chase- a similar feeling to winning, relief, and accomplishment.

I like the adventure now. It’s the whole thing - meeting up with people and doing it together, not just the thing we were supposed to do. After, I feel like it was a good night out, whether what we set out to do got done or not. Maybe I enjoy the release as well.

On the odd fail, where it’s shitty weather or track works combined with a late one, it’s “Thank fuck that’s over”, followed by the feeling of “That’s all, folks.” 

 

32. How has your relationship with risk changed over the years?

 

I’m a lot more easy with the lifestyle. I don’t find it so risky - like heights: at first you’re really wobbly and crapping your pants, but give it time and you pull yourself together and start to get over your fear. After a while you’re not scared at all; it starts to become normal.

But don’t go getting cocky, because you will fall. Fear is very necessary - it shows us what might happen. It’s good to get through that, but not to forget it. Just be aware and take care, and the rest should take care of itself. As the saying goes, chance favours the prepared.

I’ve definitely learnt by my mistakes and am not so gung-ho like I used to be.

 

33. Looking back, do you think Graffiti saved you — or do you think it just gave your chaos somewhere to live?

 

I’ve heard writers say that a lot. Yeah, it definitely gave my chaos somewhere to live- I really like that.

Writers are weird and I always was a weirdo, or let’s just say strange. The community is a melting pot of strange / different people, ranging from the criminal element (straight-up vandal/thief) - all the way to the slightly autistic artist, to the obsessive-compulsive bomber.

Graf is a real mixed bag of characters, which I’ve always loved about the scene. Not sure what I’d have gotten into or done if Graf hadn’t have made its way here but I know for sure if I hadn’t had an outlet for my madness, yeah, I may well not still be here or in the loony bin, so yeah, maybe in a way it did. It most certainly made me into who I am, as it’s been a big element in my life for a long time. Met a lot of good people on the way through.

 

34. Looking back, is there a “mission” or piece of Art you didn’t do that you now regret missing the opportunity for?

 

Yeah one mission in particular. I’ve missed out on many things in my life, either (back in the day) from being stoned, or later in life (post-pot) just plain lazy.

This one in particular was a mission to Northumberland Park Vikki Yard in Tottenham. I think those dudes walked past my house to get there, and I must’ve blanked the call.

There’s been a few online pictures that have been floating about with them in front of the trains with masks on, and every time I see it, it stings a bit. As I said, I’ve missed a lot of things, but this one bothers me more than it should.

 

35. If you could transport a single element from the 80s London graffiti scene (a location, a sound, a feeling) to the present day, what would it be?

 

Queensbury Warehouse, where a lot of pieces were being done in West London off the Jubilee Line. Big writers from that era used to paint there, like SNED from the Giants, and KAST and SEIZE, who introduced me to the place. It was a big building with a lot of space and loads of nice pieces in it. I miss the abandoned warehouses of the 80’s and 90’s- they were great to paint.

 

36. London has changed massively. How do you navigate a city that’s constantly trying to erase its rough edges?

 

It’s a never-ending project. You stop writing for a few months these days and the majority of your stuff will be gone by council workers blacking walls and boxes ( they basically black everything: phone boxes, cable boxes, walls- just blacking anything with tags )

If it’s not council workers, it’s other painters coming along and taking you out, and also a lot of Graf tourists who go crazy taking everything out.

I see it as a blank canvas, primed and ready for something fresh. I remember around 2012 when we had the Olympics, there was a massive clean-up. We had shutters that still had tags from the 80’s that no one would go over - like gallery paintings from the classics - but then over six months everything went.

 

37. Outside of writing, are there any current projects, dreams, or goals that take up your creative energy?

 

I’m slowing down with age, I guess. I go through phases of painting and not painting, and right now I’m just getting on with life - walking the dog, maybe throwing up a few tags on the walk. I do enjoy a brightly coloured paint pen for the walk. Fuck me, this sounds lame right ? But right now I guess I’m on staycation.

I wish there was something more exciting I could let you in on !  🙂

 

38. Given your experience, if you had to predict the next major stylistic or cultural shift for London Graffiti in the coming decade, what might it be?

 

I think maybe Graffiti and Street Art might merge more, more artistic writers working to up their artistic skills. I’m gonna be hated for that comment, as the two don’t really get along.

There’s always been a divide, but I ultimately see them as the same thing: you’re going out and painting where you want. Street Artist’s tend not to be so out there doing illegal stuff in general, but there are some, and the whole point is to street paint. Maybe we should rename it free painting, which would be even better if you stole the paint as well. Free paint — “what do you do”  “I free paint, man!! I free paint out of the tin, dude…”

Street Artists are looking for the same thing Writers are - notoriety. But Graffiti artists are much more aggressive in the pursuit of fame. Graffiti might need to be a bit more developed in production on the whole. So much of it, like my own, is throwaway, which I guess is born out of the time you have to do it and how long it stays up. Because it’s throwaway, it’s seen and treated like junk by the general public, and the media also portrays it as shit done by delinquent kids.

Maybe if it wasn’t done so quick, with more time, it wouldn’t be treated the same way.

Don’t get me wrong, there are some good Writers out there doing amazing stuff, but that’s diluted with a lot of shit stuff. There’s also the young factor - lots of kids get involved, and like the Writer ‘LADY HEART’ out of Subway Art said: “A lot of writers quit as soon as they get good.”

It happens a lot. That age from 12 to 18 - someone develops their style, then starts a job, has a kid, or can’t face any more criminal convictions and gives up. That factor you can’t help in Graffiti’s development, but the people who do stick to it do evolve and really develop their Art.

So maybe the two will merge. But whatever gizmos come out to revolutionise Graffiti - and I’ve seen some ridiculous Inspector Gadget inventions - you can’t change what it essentially is. If you did, it wouldn’t be Graffiti.

 

39. What does the concept of “legacy” mean to a Graffiti Writer, whose Art is inherently temporary? What do you hope your contribution will be?

 

That’s a question and a half. Legacy to me is style and concept that you adopt from whoever or wherever. The temporary side of Graffiti is its strength, as it’s continuously developing because you’re not holding on to past efforts.

When we went to Rome in 2003 - Me, FUME, STEAZ, ZOMBY, TEACH, COZ - We all went out to paint trains not knowing it was fucking hard to find carriages that were buffed. So they had pieces we worshipped from JON 1  and some other NYC Writers and Old-school, well-established Euro writers, plus their own. Some of those carriages had been running for a year or so - I shit you not, the paint was peeling off.

We had no idea and went in like bulls in a china shop and pissed off a lot of Italian writers. They hated us. But this is the point: if London didn’t clean it,  it would be harder to paint and stuff wouldn’t develop like it does. In some ways it would be nice to have some old stuff still about, but then it doesn’t make way for the new.

My take on legacy is what you pass down - maybe through word of mouth, meeting, but more so through what I’ve done and how I did it. I learned a lot through what I saw and worked off that, maybe even reverse-engineered some stuff before the days of YouTube.

My original Faum tag was partially taken from FUTURA 2000, who I met for the first time last year. I didn’t have the bollocks to say “I ripped your F off”. But his legacy, without his knowledge, helped me. I loved that guys work from day dot. He was very different.. some people said he was more Street Art - I think he was a good fusion of the two.

 

40. Finally — when it’s all said and done, and someone stumbles across an old “72” on a wall thirty years from now, what do you want them to feel?

 

Hahahah – “oh no, not that c**t again”… jokes aside.

I love when someone hits it so hard that you start to basically say that: “fuck me, it’s you again - you are crushing it”. You see this happen from time to time - someone really does the legwork, going All-City, which takes time and effort in London. 

WISE did this for a while, to the point it got annoying hahaha- that’s when you know someone's done a good job, when they annoy you with another reach or throw up or dub -they’re all over the place.

I think you’ve got to be an obsessive-compulsive character to go all out like that, impressive.

It’s a good feeling when people recognise you for all the effort you put into Graffiti and getting your name about. Not that I originally did it for that. I was oblivious to the recognition for a long time. I kept myself to myself, and painted places I would pass by, just for my own amusement, and one day some other writers were like, “shit, that’s you”.

I was surprised by the recognition because I hadn’t looked at it that way at the time.

It’s a strange feeling because I don’t see it. But when I see others and their effort and tenacity, I do.

 

Wow Just Wow - Thank You so much FAUM 72 My Brother , What a journey ! Now would you like to give some shout outs to your Friends / Family , Fellow Writers, all that jazz ??

​

Yes Sir I’ve got a few… PIXIE GOT / XMEN , TWISTED, ASET, ATG, MONGO and KARTA MUD FAM, HEATO, ITS, WELS, SUB ONE, SHU 2, DIET, SAKER, TEACH, BAS, 10 FOOT, FUME, ZOMBIE, HEAR DDS, CROK TBF, RUST DDS, BUS ONE, MEL, NOIZE, MGM, THOR MTS, KLIF, PLUG, MEAR KTC, EXCEL 502 NWA, DOZE, P.I.C, JET 97,WRH, POW, STAX, ZONK And all the friends i’ve missed…you know who you are ! 

 

⁠Finally, UP IN THE SPOT would like to thank you for taking the time out to get involved in the Archive - Where can people see your work ? 

 

Hopefully on a trackside near you soon…🤪 

Instagram - @faum72