1. Where are you from and when did you start doing graffiti?
I was born in the city[San Francisco] and moved to the North Bay when I was around 4 where I was raised. I've moved back and forth across the Golden Gate Bridge a decent amount in my life. I don't know when I really started graffiti, I guess in 5th grade when I wrote "ASS" on a fence with orange hair spray.
2. What inspired the Ricky Rat character?
My dad is a cartoonist / artist, so we used to doodle together a lot. Mostly in restaurants on paper tablecloths waiting for our food. Ricky has been in my life as long as I can remember. First comic book he ever was in was "Mad Mouse and Rad Rabbit" when I was in 2nd grade.
3. Have you or do you plan to release a Ricky Rat comic book?
Yeah I released one end of last year (2019) called "A City Tail" where Ricky Rat basically saves San Francisco from the corporate takeover of Tech Tower. And a shit ton when I was a kid before I discovered weed and girls.
4. Who have been some of your main inspirations in graffiti and art?
I could write a lot to answer this question. My father mostly. He's Chicano and exposed me to Chicano culture at an early age and I really enjoyed the art of it. Peter Bagge is a big one. R. Crumb. Rat Fink, Stanley Mouse, Bill Waterson. Matt Groening. Keith Knight. Looney toons, Cartoon Network / Nickelodeon cartoons in the 90's, Drew Toonz. In terms of Graffiti I just loved it all. I didn't care if it was a tag, piece, throw up whatever. I hate bland blank spaces. A room with white walls is my goddamn nightmare. The more color, the more art, the better.
5. Do you have a preference between wheat pasting and painting with spray cans?
I don't really. I love them both. I respect anyone who makes a mark in a public space in any form.
6. What’s your favorite aspect of painting in the streets?
The temporariness. Buddhism is all about how everything is temporary. It's like life. We're all born, and we all die. Just like painting in the streets, your piece could be there for years, or painted over the next day. It doesn't matter. It's for the high.
7. How have you seen the graffiti and art scene change and evolve since you have been writing?
I mean I really started hitting the streets in March / April of this year, I was cartooning before mostly. For the most part from what I saw it was like 90% tags and 10% wheat pastes - when I started then. Because a lot of surfaces were available in public spaces with all the shops closing down and putting plywood over their windows. However as time went on I've been seeing a lot more wheat pastes going up and a good amount of tags still too, but the wheat pastes increase has been extremely noticeable. And as I answered in an earlier question I love it all. I hate blank walls. More art the better regardless how they do it.
8. What advice would you give to artists who are younger than you? Any tips or tricks you’ve learned?
Inspiration wise, don't listen to anyone or anything but yourself. If you think it's dope, it's dope, and if it is dope folks will take notice. Never make anything to please people. Do it because you like it. In terms of street art, learn your city and learn the rules. I mean there really aren't any rules which is the beauty of it. But you know, if you're not trying to start beef with folks don't go over other pieces. Even if you think it looks shitty, or old, or whatever. Doesn't matter. That piece you're thinking about covering might have been up there longer than you've been alive. Maybe it was written by a person who is no longer alive. That's where learning your city is important.. But if you wanna be a dick just to be a dick yeah do it, there's really no rules. You might catch a sucker punch one day so be careful. Also always be open to collaborating with folks. That's my favorite part. Learning tricks of the trade from other artists. It's like a musical instrument. You can always learn a new song, or something new about it everyday until the day you die and there will be still more you could have learned. And finally, never get attached to any of your pieces. You never want to get high off your own supply AND EVERYTHING IS TEMPORARY.
9. Are there any upcoming projects or shows you want to plug or anybody that you want to give a shout out?
I got a couple comic books coming out soon. First one is called "Dishwasher: a San Francisco Story." I personally didn't write it, my buddy who runs the @realbayarememes account is an amazing writer and he did. I just illustrated it. It's not even Ricky Rat, but I was down to draw it because the story was sick. The other comic book coming out I did write, and it is a Ricky Rat book. It doesn't have a title yet, but basically Ricky Rat is busting the Albino Alligator at the Academy of Sciences out.
Shout outs to @calamityfair who is the best wheat-paster in the city in my opinion, shout out to @ribityy who I think is the best graffiti artist in the city. Shout out to @cialuart who I think is the best overall artist in the city, and finally to my older step brother that I never had @seibot who is also a very talented artist in the city.
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