Kelzo is a serious Graff-a-holic, he ain’t ever going to stop doing it, but why does he love it so? In ukhh.com’s first interview with a UK graff artist, Kelzo breaks down his life story and MUCH more, enjoy...
(click on an image for a bigger version for your desktops or whatever)


Kelzo - London (81K)


When did you first start writing then, was it a case of evolving from scratching on school tables or just being a straight up childhood tare-away?

I first got into graffiti when the Hip Hop culture first hit Britain back in 84. Films (Beat Street, Wild Style etc), Books (Subway Art, Gettin Up) were all the rage and the scene soon developed. Breakdancing, Graffiti, DJ'ing, MC'ing was the latest craze and nearly every kid in the city (Manchester) was involved.

How did the name come about, was it just nice lettering?

I first started writing DJ SONIC but chose the word KEL (subway Art) and put a ZO on the end as my mate wrote RIDZO.

What did you first illegal piece feel like, was it just mad fun, and have you ever got the same buzz as you did the first time?

I think your first piece is quite a special painting as its new territory. I had to wait until after school the next day to see it as I did it at 11.30pm. The piece came out ok and said SPIN. I got a photo but lost it soon after, as I did not give a shit at the time. Now I regret it.

Do you see Graffiti as a drug that just seems to make you want to come back to it again and again?

Definitely!!!!! I have friends like RIDZO who gave up graff in 88-89 and he still tags all over his workplace on tables and stuff. His letter style is totally graff orientated. That is something you can't change or stop, even if it is just handwriting.

Hulme must have been a bit of a scary place at times, what was it like?

Hulme was the craziest place I have ever seen. I was born and raised there and will always remember everything about it. What people have to understand is at first I started painting Hulme and nearly got arrested every day. We just kept painting until we were allowed cos we would have continued anyway. It had so much creativity and atmosphere. Forget NY’s ghettos, Hulme was fucked up. It was condemned by the council as early as 1985. For years university dropouts, travellers, junkies, thieves, muggers, used this place like it was a different planet. One time me, Karl 123 and Elk walked into this flat and the room was about 2ft deep in used needles. Most flats were the same.... You had to be cautious whilst out bombing as you could easily have been jabbed...it was a lawless society, the police would keep there distance. It was a graffiti, drug infested half a mile radius concrete jungle with very little sympathy. If you were from out of town and you strayed there it was most likely curtains for your wallet...


Kelzo - Train (46K)


What did it mean to you when it got knocked down, seeing the hall of fame just levelled must have grated?

At the time I thought well that’s it things don’t last forever. You have to move on. It has all been renovated and now the area is shit boring. Not many places to paint, no culture, no atmosphere and no people I a can relate to except my friends from old.

What does the whole Graffiti scene mean to you?

When I was a kid graffiti and the original hip hop culture was everything to me but nowadays with egos sky high and jealousy and envy rife throughout the scene, I keep a low profile. Too many nobodies dissing people they know nothing about.

Back in the day did you do much Peicing and did it ever really get out of hand, like you'd be spraying in mad dangerous places just to get the upper hand?

In 85 -86 I had my name on every bus in Manchester. Marker pens was my weapon as Holts car paint was shit. The old Hammerite was cool but that was a rare site. I didn't see it as dangerous places, just good spots to get your name. We used to bomb tramps backs with pens cause they would live in town, down alleys and walk round town every day so other people would see it.

How crap do you feel personally UK paint is, would you be prepared to travel across Europe just to get cans?

English paint apart from Hycote is shit. I get my European paint from good sources in Britain.

How much does the hiphop culture inspire within your movement?

My life is based around the true spirit of hip hop. The "UNITY" being the most important part. I have my own memories about the whole culture from 84 and going to the Rock Steady Crew party in 1995 was an amazing experience and I strongly recommend it. Also you don’t have to be into hip hop to do graff. Being creative is what life’s about.

What about being a graff artist in this country, does the whole scene differ greatly from that of the US?

The thing about the whole scene I dislike is big headed writers who think there cool cos they've done this and done that. Graff has always been about having fun and fucking up this greedy system we live in. But now the inevitable has happened. We have snobbery in the scene.... Don’t get me wrong there are a lot of writers I admire but there is no scene. In the states its different everyone’s "down". They look after you if you are from Europe. They take you to the cool spots. The freight system rocks miles and miles of line and the freights come and go from all over, full of pieces. You could do a piece in Boston on freight and then find out its in California the week after 3000 miles away. Well cool!


Kelzo (& Phew) - Manchester (170K)


Do you see yourself still painting in 10 years or will you eventually just give it up?

Never gonna give up! If I slow down on spray paint then I will turn to painting canvasses. That wont be for another twenty years when I am fifty and if you think "YEAH RIGHT!" then keep your eyes peeled...

Right, what do you feel about the fact that Art establishments seem to overlook graff as an art form? Does it make you mad when you see all that money being spent on the Tate Modern, then it being filled with diced cows and shit and totally over looking something that does take much more time and effort?

The art world is full of self-righteous people who have too much money and fuck all to do with it. The Tate modern might be cool but all that dissecting animals is fucked up and the person who did it should be dissected too. Art is time and effort, it always has been, Like oil paintings and sculpture. Beautiful!

What about the trend of taking graff skills onto a computer or setting up design companies? Do you see this as Graff evolving or selling out?

Graff evolves when we want to make it evolve. Progressions is what life’s about, people who still say "keep it real" make me laugh. Some of New York’s finest are now making serious dollars travelling the world gaining important life experience. Are they sell outs? NO NO NO! They are kings of New York. Raised from the ghettos and escaped into a better world for themselves and there families. You have to do what you have to do. I was born and raised in the biggest shit hole on the planet. "HULME". I never had money or fuck all. Now I work with young people and have my own clothing label. Am I selling out???? Am I fuck. I make enough money to travel now and then, meeting other writers and doing graff everywhere on trains, freights and walls, so I am keeping it real.

With your Clothes company, what are you aiming to achieve? Is it just for the money, or to try get you noticed on a bigger scale?

No it was just a laugh to see if I could sell them. Now they are on sale in Britain, Ireland and Japan. I don’t really put that much effort into it as much as I would like but my other work takes up my time.

Many Graff artists in the past have set up Clothes companies in the past, why do you think they always seem to fail?

QUALITY print, Design and Label. Successful clothing has to be done this way or they flop. My label is of a rebellious nature style. No gimmicks. If you like you buy if not you don’t.