Moler.

     1. Who are you, where are you from and what crews do you ride for? 
“I’m Moler, I’m from Cincinnati, OH. I rep that dirty dirty UTL Crew.”
 
     2. How did you first start writing graffiti?
“I went to Scribble Jam 2008, it was one of the best days of my life. This was something I’ve never seen before at the time. Crews from all over the country coming together to drop burners in my hometown. I was introduced to some of the heavy hitters at the time. I saw one of the wildest group brawls to date. A dozen or so people beating the absolute dog shit out of each other. I felt right at home and knew this culture was something I needed to be a part of.”
 
     3. How was the graffiti scene/culture when you started compared to today?
“Incredibly different. It was so much more violent back then. This was back before social media. The only way you could connect with other writers was digging through forums like 12oz. There wasn’t much of a safety net with social media either, where you could talk shit and never get corrected for it.”
 
     4. Why the name MOLER? How did that name come about?
“My Ordinary Life Exits Reality. Before I wrote Moler, I wrote a different name for about 7 years. I got caught red handed in Chicago. I got sat down on a curb without cuffs on. While they were taking my info, the other writer I was with came down from the spot and started running off. The second the police took their focus off me and on him, I B-Lined it like my life depended on it through this alley, under a parking garage, into a movie theater parking lot. I sat down for a good 45 minutes. I got a phone call from the homie like, “Hey dude what are you up to tonight?” I knew he was in the clear, he picked me up at the movie theater. I never heard anything from that situation since. But it was in good intentions to change my name.”
 
     5. Who were your major influences? Where do you get your inspiration from?
“I like to think that my style is a combination of 80’s NYC Subways and New School Wildstyle.
Some of my key influences are Rapes(RIP), Hindue, Sofles, Skore, and Paser.”

     6. If you could describe your style as any motorcycle, what bike would it be and why?
“A dirty, beat up Harley Dyna, that doesn’t have breaks. Slow and loud.”
 
     7. What comes first, letters or scheme?
“Letters, I could care less about color schemes. If you can’t flex a black/white scheme your letters are weak.”
 
     8. Many artists experience creative block, what keeps you going and hungry for more?
“I edit my pictures. I rotate, flip, mirror so I can see my letters backwards and find new shapes from it. I also sketch my homies names to come up with new angles, lines, connections etc.”
  9. What is your preference as far as spots? Train/track spots, street spots, channels, bandos/warehouses?
“I came up strictly doing freights but now I see that as a desk job. Up until recently, I’ve only been doing pieces at chill spots. But nothing will ever beat underpasses on the highway with cars rushing right by you.”

     10. What is your favorite paint? Do you stick with the classics or mix in some new school brands?
“Rusto, Rusto, Rusto, Rusto.”
 
     11. Favorite cap?
“Sekt adapter + Boston Fat/Lego Thin.”
 
     12. How would you rate your hands?
“Mehhh, nothing too special. Just fat, simple, clean letters.”
 
     13. We know you for your pieces, but when catching tags, what is your go-to pen/marker/mop?
“I never got into all that specialized bombing shit, like making your own ink or pens or mops and shit. Flat Black Rusto with a fat cap for tags.”
 
     14. What differentiates your work from the rest?
“I try to combine different styles, add different connections. Try to kill negative space in ways no one else is doing. Every time I paint I try to add something new to my pieces.”

     15. Many people write to get their name out, some write for social media clout (Sad but true), some do it just to fuck shit up. What drives you?
“It started out as pure vandalism. No end goal in sight. I wanted my name everywhere, I didn’t care how ugly it was. Then as I progressed, I discovered art through graffiti, not the other way around. Currently the goal is to start selling more canvases, getting better with new mediums besides spray paint, get more mural deals, paint more legal jams.”
 
     16. Does painting freights fully nude help with creative development?
“I encourage everyone to paint something naked. It’s an awesome feeling.”
 
     17. How do you feel about copy cats?
“It’s flattering. Nothing but love, but we see you.”
 
     18. How important is fun?
“The second graffiti starts feeling like a chore is the day I’ll quit. I’ve gone through so many different hobbies in my life, but through graffiti I have a lifetime’s worth of fun and ridiculous situations.”
 
     19. How has graffiti positively impacted your life?
“I’ve been able to travel all across the country networking through people. I’ve met some of my best friends through it. I met my wife through it. I’ve been able to see parts of this country, parts of cities that barely anyone else has seen. It keeps me sharp, motivated and focused.”
 
     20. What was the craziest thing to happen to you while painting?
“God, I don’t know where to start on this one. I’ve seen cops fuck hookers, I’ve had to fight drunk people, I’ve had to take people’s cell phones who are calling the police on me and throw them as far as I could, I’ve seen countless bums having sex. The wildest shit that happened to me wasn’t too long ago. I got in a pretty bad chase and I ended up climbing a barbwire fence to get away. I heard the skin of my palms pop as the barb went through them. It sucked and I puked right away but I had to keep going.”
 
     21. Where do you see graffiti or street culture as a whole, in the next few years?
“Ehh, it’s getting more mainstream. Which is a good and bad thing. It’s being more accepted through murals and legal jams. But bigger clothing companies are starting to steal images without writer consent. It’s an ever-evolving subculture. you’ll always have gritty bombers, and you’ll have people who are selling out tickets to art galleries. It’s hitting the fashion industry pretty hard.”
 
“Shoutouts to the mother fucking Up Too Late, Urban Terror League, Undisputed Trap Lords.
RIP Bronko. Shout to the local Cinci boys who are always progressing. Kill snitches, knockout shit talkers on sight, lift weights paint freights, stack money, when I die bury me with bail money.”