FLINT... INTERVIEW ©2002, 2003 @149st Do not republish without permission. What year did you start writing? The year was 1969, it was the year of Woodstock, there were hippies around, yippies in the news, Black Panthers doing their thing and then then was me. To this young dude it seems that art, peace and music was everywhere. What inspired you to become involved in writing? Without a car(or even a license,ÊI took the trains a lot, to pass the time waiting late at night I would doodle my abstract designs on all the billboards on the platform and neatly sign my name FLINT... (the three dots meant "to be continued..." While never getting chased at this, people were looking at me funny! Pretty soon I did away with the designs and went undercover just tagging my name and one of my many sayings. How did you get your name? It was a long time coming, it was meant to be- even before I took it for my own I heard it (or something that sounded like it) a few timesand turned around as if to say "you talking to me" Note: please see my interview on MICO's web site for more details My name is FLINT, while it's not on my birth certificate, it's on my American Express card, my bank accounts and all checks coming in. Why confuse the pubic? What borough are you originally from? Brooklyn. What lines have you hit? Probably the D line I hit the most because it's what took me away to the other lines. What crews written for? I was writing with Chad for a few years before we started "The Rebels", TR for short. Funny, now I'm in a band with WG (WICKED GARY), BAMA aka ARML and STAN 153 called the "EX VANDALS". Who was your most successful partner? Well half my outlaw life I was a loner, FLINT... was my secret identity even if I was going by that in class not many caught on... it's like when Clark Kent puts on his glasses nobody recognizes him as Superman! CHOPPER 13 was my best friend, we did everything together, he wrote the music, I wrote the words... I wrote on walls, he wrote on walls and so it goes... When I started meeting real writers ie. LSD OM we got on famously, and the rest is history, but I also tagged along with many others including TRACY 168, DiINO NOD (r.i.p.), STAY HIGH 149, SAVAGE (r.i.p.) SCOOTER, PISTOL 1, LAZAR, SJK 171, even PHASE 2 and even this funny Greek guy named TAKI 183. I consider them all my brothers. Special note; I liked my name to stand alone and that's why you might not normally associate me with many of the above. You are famous for the three dots following your tag. Why did you incorporate that element to your visual identity as a writer? Anybody that knows me knows I do things differently, it's just me walking doing what comes natural, listening to my own drummer... The three dots have become a staple embellishment for tags worldwide.How do you feel about having influenced that? I'm very happy to have found my little crumb of immortality, Once you taste greatness, you never forget it... You wrote many catch phrases following your tag. Please list all yourcatch phrases. Couldn't ever list all of them, because there were plenty that I wrote only once but the well known ones were the fastest to write; FOR THOSE WHO DARE... , BAD, BUT NOT EVIL..., FOR LADIES ONLY..., THE TIME HAS COME... MINDS WERE MADE TO BE BLOWN..., AND WHY NOT?, BE ALL YOU CAN..., TELL THEM FLINT WAS HERE... What motivated you utilize catch phrases? The D train went through some of the better neighborhoods, so a lot of passengers were businessmen in suits and ties. I wanted to leave a message that looked neat and made them think, after all my name and saying will be staring them in the face for an hour while they ride to work. Small wonder I started seeing my phrases pop up in Madison Avenue ads! When did you quit writing? 1975-1980, took me a long time to quit (Got a marker?) Who were the most popular writers of your era? I was impressed by so many, there were so many kings, any day you ask me I will tell you some one else- but SUPER KOOL 223 really outdid himself by hanging out from in between cars and hitting every wall on the run! Are there any writers you feel made significant contributions to writing that have been over looked by history? PRAY and JESUS SAVES. Can't think of any writer more obsessed and dedicated then him except me! Are you currently involved in art in any capacity? www.flintfotos.com Any closing words? Yes live long and prosper and... Go out in a blaze of GLORY! Back to FLINT... main page FLINT.. Interview on MICO's Web site | Home |  Artists |  Crews |  History |  Links |  E mail | Glossary |