UncouthYouth caught up with Skore and asked him a few questions.
If you are hoping to see the usual questions like why did you start writing? then you are probably best off reading this interview that The Real State did with him.
UncouthYouth: You grew up in the country, what was it like doing graffiti outside of a city?
Was there much of a scene where you were from?
Skore: Good question. Well back when graffiti started, there were so many writers around that it was a very active scene wherever you were… so in that sense it was no real disadvantage. There were probably 150 writers hitting the BRs coming in and out of South East London from Kent so there was plenty of competition and a healthy scene. Naturally though I wanted to come into London and get involved.
I was coming into London from a child. Where I lived was a hop-picking area so many families had London roots. My dad had relatives in Lewisham & Bermondsey, and my writing partners family were from Peckham/Brixton/Oval so I was used to coming in. There was a really good scene in Bromley, and we used to spend a lot of time walking the streets around Peckham marvelling at the tags as well.
The only diadvantage of coming from out of town was being a bit green at first to the aggressive nature of London writing scene. Although where I came from was far from Middle class, you wouldn’t get robbed on the way to school at knifepoint, which happened a couple of times in and around London.
Skore Circa 1988
UncouthYouth: Do you have any amusing old tags or crew names?
Skore: My first name was ‘Crazy King’ which was held over from breaking days. After that I got up quite heavily with the name ‘TUA’, which stood for ‘The Unseen Artist’. That’s pretty embarrassing. Lol. Other names I toyed with were ‘Demand’ & ‘Stylist3′…
UncouthYouth: Would you say graffiti is an addiction?
Skore:Definately. It taps into a psychological need for attention and self-affirmation. it builds confidence and becomes like an alter-ego that you can’t let go. I almost feel sometimes that I only exist through my pieces. It’s what makes me stand out from the crowd.
UncouthYouth: What do you think of the current graff scene compared to what it was like when you first started?
Skore: To be honest I am unaware of what is going on on the ’scene’ nowadays, if there even is one. I’m just doing my thing.
UncouthYouth: How do you think the internet has changed graffiti culture?
Skore: The main difference is that it is all there for you now. Google has made information available at the drop of a hat. Information was power and you didn’t give up your secrets easily. It has also made the need to go all city to see what is out there, spread your name… in a sense it had destroyed the London scene completely.
No one rides the lines, there are no benches, no individual scenes. Nowadays Everything is one thing. Mono-culture.
UncouthYouth: You did that whole thing with Adidas along with a load of other writers what was that like? did you make much money off it?
Skore: Lol. A little bit. Not as much as you’d think. No where near what we should have got.
UncouthYouth: I walked into a sports shop in Copenhagen and saw your shoes and clothes. Was it weird being able to walk into sports shops around the world and find your sketches on shoes and clothes?
Skore: Yes. totally. I saw my shoes in Copenhagen, New York, Germany, Italy and Australia… It was a bit of a trip I gotta admit.
UncouthYouth: Whats your opinion on street art?
Skore: I like what Banksy has done and a few other guys but I think it’s all a bit crap that there’s not one person out there that I’ve seen that is doing anything true to what we do on the street on a canvas…. A lot of it seems like Banksy rip-offs or one of the other few successes (Shepard Fairey, Twist etc)….. I hate the shallowness of the whole thing. The whole gallery scene is full of sychophants, hangers-on and wannabe trendies. A lot of them people make me cringe. I can’t deal with all that psuedo-intellectualising and bullshit.
UncouthYouth: What do you think of the jail sentences being handed out for graffiti these days?
Skore: I think it’s inevitable. Pointless but inevitable. People are led in this country by sensationalist media. There is a real herd mentality here that there’s no point raging against really. Infact a lot of it is kinda funny (The mentality, not the kids going to jail obviously). Sending kids to jail solves nothing. Writers are not criminals in any sense that makes sense. Yes the act is criminal damage, but the mentality behind that is not really criminal. Nobody is trying to damage anything, they’re just trying to get up!
UncouthYouth: Would you encourage younger generations to go out and paint illegal graffiti?
Skore: Yes. Definately. I and every other older writer I should hope, regret we didn’t do more (however much we did do). Live your dreams. Do as much as you possibly can whilst you are young, cos you only get so many chances……. and when your older other shit gets in the way. Enjoy it!
UncouthYouth: Have you ever regretted being a writer?
Skore: Never. Writing is the best thing I have ever done. No contest. I have had the most mental times, been in the most mental situations, and travelled to the most mental places all because of writing. I have had so many positives from writing. I have learnt so many life skills through my determination to dominate in the writing scene. It’s been amazing.
The only negatives have been the house-raids, the time sitting in cells and the court appearances. They were traumatic and horrible but they come with the territiory.
UncouthYouth: I can image you will be still writing for a good while yet, what do you think will make you stop?
Skore: Bad health I guess. Hopefully no time soon. As long as I’m breathing and can move, I’ll be writing.
UncouthYouth: Any final words?
Skore: Thanks for asking me. Good luck to all writers out there. Keep pushing this forward. Keep getting up. Strive to keep taking it to the next level. And most importantly respect each other and respect the art.