TOPDOGS

For the people who don’t know you, please introduce yourself. Who are the TOPDOGS and where are you from?
Dire: KAOS, SKIL, IKAROS, DNE, DIRE, ASSMA, PEN and SEAR. Stockholm, Sweden
Skil: SKIL, KAOS, ASSMA, IKAROS, DIRE, DNE, PEN, SEAR (Stockholm) and CESM (Germany).
Ikaros: We are just some guys who meet up sometimes and try to do something together. Mostly we paint with different people from other crews. This crew is more of a friendship gang. That’s what I really like. It’s not super prestige. Most of us are just positive people that like to make sparkling, colorful pieces. We all have different lifestyles. For most of us graffiti is not our priority in life.
Kaos: I write KAOS and I’m from Stockholm. TD is a bunch of friends that sometimes meet up for some nice burners or just hanging out.

When was the crew founded and who were the early TOPDOGS?
Skil: TD was founded in 1997 by KAOS, SKIL and ASSMA after some cold beers.
Dire: It was founded in 1997. The early TOPDOGS are basically the same members as now.
Ikaroz: It was in ’97. AZMA called me and asked if I wanted to join. He told me that it was a mix of different good writers from Stockholm. I was flattered and said yes of course. I had and still have my other crew NG together with DNE, but this was somthing else. Some of the guys were and still are my mentors in graffiti.
Azma: I believe that the members of the crew are still the same today as in the beginning in 1997.
Kaos: I think around ’96 we started TD with SKILL, SIN ,IKAROS, SEAR and some more that I probably forgot.

How did you find your names? Especially behind the name IKAROS there must be a story. A very special but also classical name which I think you didn’t get the normal way by looking in a dictionary or putting your favorite letters into one word, right?
Dire: I got my name from a friend of mine who writes CHEZ and who listens to the Dire straits.
Skil: SKIL comes from the tag LIKS. I just put the name backwards and there it was.
Ikaroz: I dunno. It just ended up like that. Sometimes I say that the name just found me. Not the opposite. I wish I had a better story …
Azma: I first started to write Astma but today I write AZMA because I hate the “t”.
Kaos: I am KAOS!!! That’s the story of my life. Total kaos every day ...
Dne: DNE, from Divine. The only name that could match my almost surreal belief in myself.

What was the motivation to start writing and what is the motivation to still do?
Dire: Other writers.
Skil: It was something new that happened in Sweden in 1984/85, and I wanted to be a part of it. I have always liked to do drawings and stuff, so it fitted me well. Everybody that I knew did it in some form. The motivation has always been to be better and to be creative.
Ikaroz: I started to sketch and do some ugly tags around ’85. At that time everyone did it. All the kids had this graffiti stickers from Denmark that everybody collected. The gum in the package was horrible but the stickers were just so fresh! It was amazing! At that time I came up whit my first name Magia. I still use it sometimes. My motivation now is the friendship within graff. Graffiti is my way of keeping away from being old and grumpy.
Azma: I don’t really remember exactly what got me started. I guess I wasn’t interested in playing football. And today it’s more a way for me to relax and the motivation that drives me is to do the perfect piece.
Kaos: Hard to tell, but everyday I wake up with an urge to paint. And it has been like that since the last 20 years.
Dne: It filled a gap and I still haven’t found anything else that can fill it.

Writing from Scandinavia has always played a major role in the history of European graffiti, and you are into it for so long. Did the face of graffiti change during the years?
Dire: Yes, around 2000 the climat got harder. It was more difficult to piece, so people started to bomb instead of doing burners. More fast stuff, more hardcore.
Skil: There have been many faces of graffiti! Both happy and sad ones!
Azma: Yes! Now we got spray cans developed specially for graffiti and the styles are more varied, which I see both positively and negatively.
Kaos: Yes, totally. Like everything else over a long time. Painting nowadays up here is more like a spy movie from the cold war with people everywhere trying to get you 24 hours 7 days a week. Back in the 90s everything was possible.
Dne: Sure, it went from the do-it-yourself rebel movement to a buy-it-all fashion bullshit, but it’s still love.

Isn’t it strange for you to see all those writers now all over the planet having the Scandinavian influence in their pieces? It seems that these days your style has a bigger impact on the outlines than the original NYC style had ...
Dire: I think that graffiti writers around the globe get inspired by each other, Scandinavian style has an influence from the oldschool NY, German, French and Italian style, to name just a few.
Skil: Everything developes in a way that fits the place and the circumstances. Maybe we have a faster and simpler style here up north, but in a way I think everybody got their influences from everywhere in the world. And it all started in NYC so that must be the main influence.
Kaos: Hard to tell. I haven’t looked at it in that way. But it’s fun that it attracts other people.
Ikaroz: I’m not a typical Scandinavian writer.
Azma: I don’t see it, but on the other hand I don’t read that many graffiti magazines.
Dne: NYC is the foundation we all build on. It’s just that right now our house is a lil’ bit nicer.

Do you think that Scandinavian writers get the attention they deserve?
Skil: I hope everyone gets their attention! Hehe!
Azma: No, I think that there are a lot of Danish writers that deserve more attention and credit.
Dire: Yeah, sure.
Kaos: I hope so, ’cause there are a lot of talent dudes and females out there who really deserve some spotlights on their work.
Dne: Yup. Too much in some cases.

Is there still a unique Scandinavian style? And if so, could you describe it?
Dire: Playful.
Skil: I actually don’t know if there’s a unique style at all nowadays. Maybe unique flavour on ready developed style.
Azma: Yes and I would describe it as playful with attitude.
Kaos: Playfull and easy nice combinations, with a touch of fast moves.

How would you describe your styles?
Dire: It’s a blend of different influences, oldschool New York, early Swedish, Danish, German and Finish writers, letters with attitude. Sometimes simple, sometimes wild. I think it’s important to master different styles, not just one.
Skil: A little bit of everything! NYC, Denmark, Finland and Germany maybe? Oldschool/newschool, sometimes heavy metal.
Ikaroz: It’s only dirty if it’s done right.
Azma: I would say colourful, with attitude and unpretentious.
Kaos: Hmmmm ... maybe a mix of everything, and pretty easy to read. Suits me fine!
Dne: Anything goes, as long as it’s got swing.

In the last issue of UNDERGROUND PRODUCTIONS (#38) I read some facts about Stockholm that made me think that it’s definitely really the wrong city to live in as a graffiti writer. It was about fire alarms that can discern between spray paint and fire gas, about 90 writers get arrested each month and police officers confiscating spray paint from customers of an art supply shop. Nevertheless, almost 3000 writers should be around. Why that?
Dire: The politicians think it’s important to keep a nice surface. Stockholm is clean as hell ... no evacuated buildings, no littering, no graffiti.
Skil: Stockholm is a nice city to live in but a little bit problematic to paint.
Azma: People connect better because those that are into graffiti really love it and share the interest that leads to a very dedicated culture.
Kaos: That’s Scandinavia!!! Never turn your guard down.
Dne: Perhaps, one part of the answer is that politicians, especially the right wing, keep cutting down on the youth. Now eat the fruit of that, bastards!

Stockholm is also known for its mad vandal squad, who invented bad tricks and stuff to catch up writers. Falk-Security was fired due to some illegal moves they did. Was it that strange or is this a wide-spread rumour?
Dire: No, they actually did break the law. Some of their employees used disguises and did not identify themselves. They also bribed  Kjell Hultman, chief of security for Sl.
Skil: Every city/country has its own method to stop or prevent graffiti. The polititians in Stockholm think that it is a huge problem that kids write graffiti, so they still spend a lot of money to stop it. Sometimes with illegal methods.
Kaos: Totally true … and they are back. They just changed their name, but it’s the same ugly faces.
Azma: It’s true and it’s not that strange since there is so much money involved.
Dne: They’re up on the same bullshit again, and will fall again! Pussies!

Does all that effect that you concentrate more on walls right now?
Dire: It takes a lot of work or luck to paint trains without getting caught.
Azma: No, I have a full-time day job to do and it’s more chill to do walls.
Kaos: Yes and no. You have to plan more and that takes time from producing more. But of course a lot of nice walls are getting done.
Dne: A lil’ bit but other shit plays in as well. In the end they die, we multiply.

Are there many halls of fame in your area?
Dire: Leagal, no ...
Skil: No legal ones.
Azma: No, quite few and they belong strictly to kings or better, ha ha.
Kaos: Maybe 3-5 semi legal fames, in my area.

If you browse through a magazine, are you more interested in walls, or is it still the train movement you put your focus on?
Dire: I like good pieces, no matter what surface.
Skil: Walls don’t come out that good in mags.
Azma: No, for me it’s the quality of the photo and the piece and especially the feeling in the picture.
Kaos: Good stuff! Trains or walls, that dosen’t really matter but of course some nice pieces on trains make the heart beat a little faster.
Dne: Trains. Now, then, always.

What do you think of Stockholm as a place to live?
Dire: In a graffiti point of view it’s fucked up.
Skil: A really good place with a lot of water in the city and four different kind of weather seasons. From -25 degrees celsius in winter time to +25 degrees celsius in summer.
Ikaroz: Easy living. No problems. But that makes it boring sometimes.
Azma: The best!
Kaos: It’s really nice, for me the ultimate place to live out my painting urge and play with stupid guards.
Dne: Boring. Cold. Surface is everything, with a lot of pretty motherfuckers scared to be different. Expensive if you have to pay for your shit, great if you don’t.

Did you do a lot of travelling? What was your best trip? And why?
Dire: I like Denmark, their graffiti scene is really inspiring.
Skil: The trip to NYC in 1997 and the trips to Copenhagen of course. The Wiesbaden Wall Street meetings and Aschaffenburg, and the Berlin trip this year were really good! I got really inspired to see other cities and countries. So many fresh styles everywhere.
Azma: I’ve been around in the Alps and I was in Japan this year to do some snow boarding. That was good. Me, Skil and Ikaros and some other people from the FAME crew went to Copenhagen this summer, that was a blast. I got some of my strongest impressions there. Nice weather, good company and a lot of painting.
Kaos: I travel for holidays and paint at home. So the best trip was when we biked around in Europe and drank beer.
Dne: Not enough. India is the best though. Fantastic people, weather, animals, food, charas, chai, trains ... Go there now!

Just these days there were some news that the German train company DB applied to run the Stockholm subway system in the future. Are you afraid of red subways with white doors?
Dire: No, not really.
Skil: No not really, ha ha!
Azma: Ha ha ha,  it depends on what happens when the white doors open.
Kaos: He he, sounds like a Santa Clause train. Ho ho.

Did graffiti (at any time) cause any troubles in your lives? What were the negative aspects of your graffiti “careers”? Are there any?
Dire: I got caught bombing a couple of times when I was young, no big deal.
Skil: Sometimes I get really tired of graffiti, that’s the negative part of it.
Azma: I have no negative experience from my graffiti career.
Kaos: It put some stress to the family, but otherwise no. Mostly fun and happiness.
Dne: Mostly trouble, with a few highlights.

So from the 2008 point of view, what would you like to say to the kids who just started to do graffiti?
Dire: First of all respect people’s work, don’t go over it if you can’t do better. When it comes to style, keep it simple and clean, work on your technique and don’t be afraid to be inspired by others, it takes time to develop your own style.
Skil: Be creative! Don’t give up.
Ikaroz: Go silent!
Azma: Respect kings and pick up your fucking cans when you are done with painting.
Kaos: Put your Filas on …
Dne: You will make it!

Is there anything you really want to do in your lives? Graffiti-related and personally.
Skil: I think everybody has dreamt of being part of the graffiti evolution in NYC in the 70s. But you can’t turn back time, eh?
Kaos: Paint more and then paint even more. With the dirty doggs.
Azma: To paint the perfect piece. Personally, I would like to make a record with Dave Grohl and Josh Homme, ha ha ha.
Dne: If I haven’t done it, I’m on it!

If you take a look at the future of graffiti writing. What will the whole thing look like in 2050?
Dne: Like Demolition Man. Split in two parts, with the regular graffiti being even more sucked into the mainstream culture of music and commercials and on the other hand the rebel movement with bombing, stealing and acting ignorant. The Wesley Snipers.
Azma: It’s more accepted and hopefully there will be more legal hall of fames.
Kaos: At that time I will be retired and sitting on some boat with Skill and fishing.
Skil: Time will tell!

And if you could decide how it should look?
Dne: The same, except that super efficient buff they got, coming out of the ground. Zapzapzap.
Kaos: Just as I told you.

The last words are on you. What else should people know out there?
Dire: I like to say what’s up to everybody who respects the game, keep on doing your thing.
Skil: Keep it up! Cheers!
Ikaroz: On your way to the top, treat everyone with respect, ’cause you’ll meet them
again on your way to the bottom …
Kaos: That there’s never a second chance, so just grab it and go on and do it.
Dne: Follow no leaders!