MARVL US Interview Part 2

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MARVL US Interview Part 2

You have a very specific one liner bus hopper type tag. Is that where it originated? Hopping busses?

That was from scribing bus windows. There are elements to a graffiti letter, right? A. It has gotta look cool B. you gotta do it fast so you can get up in a sick spot and make it look natural. Another kid gave me props for being on so many bus windows. I always had a rock. I didn’t even use the little grinder, scriber  tool. That’s cool but in terms of not being caught with a pocketful of utensils or whatever, the best thing is to find a small rock with a sharp side to it right before you get on the bus and when you’re done with it you just chuck it. But basically it’s just from scribing windows and wanting to do it really fast and if you stop and start too much it will look funky.

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Hats Off To You, Your Honor By Jon Benito

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Hats Off To You, Your Honor By Jon Benito

So unfortunately, between a time span of four months or so, I got picked up by the police for graffiti. The first time I got ACD (charges dropped) in return for six months good behavior. However, the second time I got picked up, I was arrested and held for about sixteen hours until I saw a judge. The ordeal was entertaining to say the least. Outside of the Christian proselytizing with signage telling me to ask Jesus for forgiveness, and the amount of disinformation being proliferated by the police was... Well... Not really surprising. Regardless, I recently had my follow up court date this past Friday, December 19th.

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JURNE

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Tracksides. Tunnels. Rooftops. Over the course of five days, JURNE caught up with Selina Miles to explore the neighbourhoods, train tracks and underground tunnels found in Oakland, California. 'Science-ism' also offers a glimpse into JURNE's studio output, illustrating the connection between his work on the white walls of a gallery and the concrete walls of the city.

MARVL US Interview Part 1

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MARVL US Interview Part 1

In every city there are writers that affect the world they paint. Some perfect their pieces, others obsess over destroying property and there's a million in between. Not all of them gain world wide success but the savages always have an affect. Kill Pretty loves learning about the over looked writers of different generations. The ones that put in the work, and it that town they are a household name.

MARVEL US was a household name in the Bay Area. More like a legend. 10 years after he stopped writing we would still catch his tags hidden around skate spots and rusty old poles. US had it's own coveted place in the graffiti history of the bay (and still does) and MARVEL seemed to be one of the most prolific and mysterious names in the crew. 

Sitting down to talk to MARVEL was like stepping back into the early 90's. Everyone skated and everyone tagged. San Francisco was in the middle of a Renaissance that would last through the decade. Let's sit back and hear what MARVEL saw.

 

 

Tell me about writing in the early 90’s. What do you remember?

At the core of it, this is skateboard culture. We were all serious skaters. It’s this culture where you skate and you travel to all these different spots. As you travel to these different spots you hit up a tag. I saw other people doing that in ‘89 and I thought they were total degenerates. I was like, “Oh my god you did that right on that wall, you’re gonna fuck up this whole place for us.” Then later on I saw some more sophisticated graffiti and it was just one of those things. It was a whole new language.

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Graffiti Writer Killed by Cops - DEMZ RIP

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A Miami graffiti artist who was struck by a police car after he was caught tagging a building has died, police said.

Delbert Gutierrez, 21, died at Jackson Memorial Hospital Tuesday night, police said."This was a tragic car accident which has left both families devastated," Miami Police said in a statement Wednesday. "The Miami Police Department offers our condolences and prayers."

Gutierrez, who goes by the name "Demz," was caught tagging a building at Northwest 5th Avenue and 24th Street on Dec. 5, police said. Police said that once he saw flashing lights, Rodriguez ran.

When an officer turned the corner in his unmarked car, Rodriguez jumped out from between two vehicles and was struck, police said. He was taken to Jackson in critical condition with a brain injury.

Police said the car was traveling less than 15 mph when it struck Gutierrez.

Gutierrez's mother blasted the police saying Chief Manuel Orosa called the incident an accident before the speed of the car had been deterined. She texted NBC 6's Angela Pellerano saying, "Orosa hasn't had a problem in talking to the media. However, he has not found the time to give us, the family, a call or come to us in person at Jackson."

Javier Ortiz, president of the Miami Fraternal Order of Police, issued a statement Wednesday saying they are waiting for the outcome of the investigation.

"No matter how this incident transpired, the focus must be that a life was lost and we must keep his family in prayer throughout this difficult time," Ortiz said.

Gutierrez is the second South Florida graffiti artist to die in the last two years. Israel "Reefa" Hernandez, was killed after a Miami Beach Police officer shocked him with a taser after he was caught tagging a building in August 2013.