Joker/ROF has the unique position of being and old schooler and newcomer at the same time in San Francisco, California. As an “old schooler,” Joker is one of the last representatives of the late 80s-early 90s graff generation that is still active. Coming from the golden era of bus hopping and yard bombing, he keeps that golden era style and attitude alive. It’s Joker’s way of preserving that time in San Francisco graff history. Here’s a few flix of Joker’s latest trucks.
I had the benefit of interviewing Joker about his trucks and the golden era.
MB: What crews do you currently rep?
Joker: Technically I’m pushing 4 crews right now: ROF, ICP, CA, and AJ Mob. Although I have ICP roots from the inception of that crew 1990, ROF is closest to my heart, because its the first “real” crew I ever got into back in 1987. I was still a toy then and didn’t rep very hard, but when I started writing again in 2009, some of the key people that encouraged me to come back out were my original crew mates from ROF: TANK, KOPER, and R.1, so it seemed a logical choice to bring that crew back into the game with me for my come back.
MB: What year did you start writing?
Joker: The first tag I ever did was on the back of a Muni (San Francisco Municipal Transit Bus) seat on the 6 Parnassus line in the Spring of 1986. I grew up a few blocks from Psycho City and was definitely a fan of graffiti starting around 84-85.
MB: Is there a favorite type of truck that you like to paint?
Joker: My favorite trucks to paint are the “Refer” trucks, nicknamed for “refridgerator.” Just like the refrigerated trains, “Refer” trucks have temperature control boxes directly right above the cab. They also have a big door right in the middle of the drivers side of the truck. I like painting over the doors. It makes me feel like I’m painting a train. A close second favorite is the mini recycled U-Haul trucks because you can go big and take out one entire side of the truck with 2 Rustos!
MB: Who would you say are your current partners in crime?
Joker: There’s a lot of people who have mentored me and influenced me since I started painting again. Everyone knows my main painting partner in crime is the infamous “CHEPH Uno.” He’s like me when I was his age. On the flipside, who I currently am now is who I believe Cheph will be when he’s my age.
MB: Any last words to shout out?
Joker: Coming back to the graffiti game as a “newcomer” gives me the advantage of having freedom with what I do and how I do it. I don’t have the baggage of all those years in between the early 90’s & the present of crew beef and politics. I’m trying to bring in a new era of unity among Bay Area artists and leave all that drama behind us. On large projects, instead of just bringing my crews in, I reach out to the other crews and writers from other cities to get involved. There’s nothing more boring than seeing the same old shit on every wall. Though I’m a funk purist with my own style, I love diversity when it comes to style, as long as it’s clean!
OG Mike Bam was one of the founders of the first graffiti union in Hawaii and started writing in 1983. After moving to San Francisco, he joined the Together With Style (TWS) crew. After spending several years in the videogame industry, Bam returned to the graffiti community to show the world his true love for the spray can. He is also one of the advisors for Hawaii’s 808 Urban program.
- OG Mike Bam fue uno de los fundadores del primer grupo de graffiti en Hawaii y empezó a pintar en 1983. Tiempo después se trasladó a San Francisco, lugar en que que se juntó con Together With Style (TWS). Tras pasar varios años como profesional en la industria de los video juegos, Bam ha vuelto a la comunidad de graffiti para mostrar al mundo su verdadero amor por el spray can art. Queda decir además, que es uno de los consejeros del programa Hawaii's 808 Urban. mikebam.com/ |
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GO JOKER GO!!!