EVERYTHING YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT CHOB THE BBS (INTERVIEW)

There was a time when graffiti was a much smaller movement than it is today and train writers were a select elite that forged border-breaking alliances thanks to InterRail. Chob, a true revolutionary of Italian train graffiti, is one of the most important links in this network of stylistic and methodical influences that have made train graffiti what it is today.

Chob has been invited to contribute a new piece for the URBANA 2023 festival precisely because of his invaluable contribution to the history of European graffiti and especially to the Bolognese scene. So we didn’t want to miss this opportunity to interview him, providing a brief overview of the artist and checking in with some of his current pieces to see how his style is still as fresh as it was 30 years ago.

A TRIBUTE TO ITALIAN TRAIN GRAFFITI AT URBANA BOLO


Photos by @Adrian Lungu and archive photo from Mr. Chob

We follow you on Instagram and we see that you update your account with new walls and trains… How is your graffiti activity nowadays?

I’m not a big fan of Instagram or socials in general, but yes, I sometimes post new or old stuff.

Today my graffiti activity lives by ups and downs; maybe I don’t touch a spray can for months, but then I do tons of stuff during a random week. I try to fit graffiti into my everyday life, but it’s not easy to find the time and energy to paint like I’d like to. I miss catching a train or a plane and fucking off to somewhere to paint graffiti, like when I was younger.

How can you explain the evolution of your activity in the last 20 years?

I did my first piece back in 1993, and my first train in 1996. My style switched when I met Pum and Honet from Paris. They where interrailing through Italy and stopped in Bologna. I was lucky enough to meet them and paint with them. I remember finishing my piece and walking to see what the others where up to and getting totally blasted by their styles. I knew what they where doing because we had magazines and books but I didn’t realize the power of those new styles until I saw them with my own eyes.

That really inspired me to go further in graffiti: it wasn’t only bars and arrows, I could really do anything I wanted. That’s when I started drawing different letters, different loops and got a bit anarchic in the game. I guess it’s still the same today. I mix traditional graffiti elements, like 3Ds or arrows, with my own stuff, trying to give it a modernist feel and touch.

“…when I’m in a yard with writers that are more close to my son’s age rather than mine, it feels a bit weird. But fuck it, I still like it.”

When you were younger did you think you would carry on your graffiti practice today?

I don’t know. I don’t think I ever imagined myself painting at this age, but that’s the way it is today.

I sometimes feel a bit too old for all this and when I’m in a yard with writers that are more close to my son’s age rather than mine, it feels a bit weird. But fuck it, I still like it.

Once I got a bit upset when a young cop stopped me in the streets for a tag and said: “What the fuck man? You are over 40. Fuck off and go home.” I felt that maybe he was right.

Let’s talk about style. Yours has been very influential in the history of European graffiti. How did you manage to create it?

I’m not sure about being influential for European writers, but I guess I’ve been an inspiration for the Italian train writing scene. I’ve always done funky but clean graffiti. I love that outline moment, but I like to put some irregular stuff in it, I try to give my piece a few focal points too. I’m a bit color blind, so that makes it even more crazy! Nowadays I don’t sketch much but I always try to bring something new to my graffiti every time I go and paint. In these last years I’ve been doing graffiti with this “heraldic” touch, which looks like medieval shapes in a funky world. I’m enjoying it.

“I think it was cool when each country had it’s own style; (…) Today all writers paint the same except for a few.”

We have read that you got inspired by Finnish graffiti to build a style outside the limited canons of Italian styles. How can you explain that to somebody that doesn’t know much about Nordic graffiti styles?

I think the Scandinavian style was a big thing back in the day and I think it still is. The fact that in the 90s it was more difficult to paint compared to the rest of Europe. Therefore with less time to paint, their style got more simple and naive, and that gave birth to this crazy graffiti style, especially in Finland. Today some people could call it “anti-style” or “garbage-graffiti”, but it’s not the same thing. Their graffiti approach was real and pure. Check out writers like Fupla, Skip, CDC crew, Zello, Nug, Egs, Ribe and many others. I never get tired of looking at a Skip piece! The funny thing is that they can’t believe they’ve been inspirational for many of us over the years.

What impact did your style have on the Italian graffiti scene? How do you see the scene nowadays in terms of style?

I’m still in the game but I can’t remember all the writers’ names I’ve come across during all these years. Some come and go, some others are still here jumping into train yards after 30 years.
I think it was cool when each country had it’s own style; each city had it’s own style! Today all writers paint the same except for a few. I don’t see any style masters here in Italy at the moment, but there are lots of writers and crews doing nice stuff and making it run.

“Making real friends with people who have your same passion but come from different countries or different cultures is one of the best things that can happen in the graffiti game.”

Let’s talk about crews. As far as I know, BBS is a crew made up of Bologna writers, FIA is more related to the historical Milano scene, but THE was an international crew. Am I right? Can you make a short recap about the three crews?

• • THE was my first important and official crew. I met Trota, Vela and the Roman boys during a jam back in 1997. We soon became friends and they asked me if it was ok for me to join their new crew. The idea was to emulate crews like MOA or ALL, with everybody painting the same crew name. It worked out pretty well.Over the years other writers have become THE members. Lots of them are from Denmark and Berlin. Today THE is an international crew, but overall it’s a big family because of the frequent visits between crew members from country to country.

• • BBS is my local graffiti crew based in Bologna. We all grew up at art school together. We still see each other, even the ones that don’t paint any more.

• • FIA is my Milan crew. I lived there for over ten years and I feel a bit Milanese too.

In recent years I’ve became member of the WMD crew.

Can you explain the curious connection between Italy and Denmark that we find in THE crew?

I don’t know who met who in the beginning, but I’m sure the connection is a true friendship for many members of us. There is mutual respect not only for the graffiti thing. I think knowing foreign languages helps to create relationships and not many Italians know how to speak fluid English. This aspect has been crucial for us. Making real friends with people who have your same passion but come from different countries or different cultures is one of the best things that can happen in the graffiti game.

“Writers often get into beefs for stupid reasons just like ultras get into fights.”

Let’s talk about football. It is known that you have been a football supporter. Can we establish any relation between graffiti and hooliganism?

I think there is a connection, maybe in the attitude, the territory marking, and stuff like that, in some cases it is very similar. Writers often get into beefs for stupid reasons just like ultras get into fights. In some aspects a graffiti crew is the equivalent of a football firm. Not for everybody of course, but if you like the hardcore part of the game then there are many similarities.

I still go to the stadium, but I keep safe from having other problems with the law. I think I’ve had enough of that.

Is there a political component within hooliganism? And within graffiti?

In the ultras world there is a lot of political shit. Not all the clubs are in to it, but most are.

In Milan there is a graffiti crew that is into politics and does stuff in the streets, and maybe many other writers help the squats using their graffiti skills. But in general I don’t think graffiti is connected to politics.

“I was captivated by the ultras banners and flags: lots of skulls and crazy lettering.”

And finally, let’s talk about art. What artistic component can we find within graffiti? What differences and similarities does graffiti have with regards to other artistic practices? 

I do a podcast on Youtube with an old friend of mine and my girlfriend who films and edits the episodes, it’s called “Piede di Porco” (sorry but no subtitles in English, it’s all in Italian!) it all started during the Covid months but we still try to keep it up. We talk about graffiti through our life experiences and we basically have a good time. We talk about what art is or is not all the time.

I think the culture of graffiti is art, but a piece on a subway can not necessarily be considered art. The action of taking a risk to get your name up is art, but maybe the piece in itself can be quite bad, even through the eyes of a graffiti writer.

As far as I know, you have worked as designer. How do you develop your creative impulse outside graffiti nowadays?

My graffiti generation are all graphic designers. I guess writers today are more into doing tattoos.

I loved graphic design and illustration since I was a kid. I remember wanting to grow up to be a toy packaging illustrator. I remember drawing the “Masters of the Universe” logo when I was very young, and was inspired by heavy metal band artwork too, like Iron Maiden or Guns ‘n Roses.

Whether you believe me or not, the football thing started because my dad used to take me to see Bologna FC play. I was only eight or nine at the time, and I was captivated by the ultras banners and flags: lots of skulls and crazy lettering. I drew lots of them for my own Subbuteo Stadium when I was a bit older. See, it’s always the letters!