HESH & DAIM - graffiti artists from Germany
from The Bomb Hip-Hop magazine Issue #46 (April/May 1996)

Bomb: How and when did you get into graffiti?

Hesh: I first started doing graffiti in 85. I was impressed by two guys in my neighborhood who did a lot of tags and throw ups. So I wanted to do what they were doing... a week later the whole hood was bombed with my tags. One day I found a message on a graffiti wall that those two guys wanted to meet me so I went to meet them. They were fucking cool so we built a crew to bomb the whole town.Daim: I first photographed graffiti in mid 89 and then made my first script following the photos, which I sprayed together with two friends. At the beginning of 1990 we founded our crew, Trash Can Design, and did our first work order.

Bomb: The books Subway Art and Spraycan Art inspired a lot of kids here in the states. Did those books ever reach Europe and did they have any effect on the movement?

Daim: Those two books had been a bible to us. They have been very important in helping us find our style. Thru those books we got to know where graffiti was coming from and the New York writers earned a lot of respect. Without those books graffiti would have taken years longer to develop in Germany and Europe. Nevertheless I started spraying very late so I was also influences by German & European writers, so those books were not my only source.

Bomb: Did the movie Wildstyle and the documentary Style Warz have a influence out there in Germany?

Daim: Those movies influenced Europe the same way Subway & Spraycan Art did. They had been very important in showing a sprayer what is possible to do with a spray can.

Bomb: Were there any writers that were your mentors or that you looked up to at that time?

Hesh: In 1985 I was one of the first guys doing graffiti in Hamburg and there were no mentors. But we looked up to the whole New York movement, after watching the movie Style Warz and reading Subway Art.

Daim: Basically all other sprayers had been kinda a mentor to me. Later on you realize which direction you are going. It was always very important to me to try technics to get to know different styles. I still wanna try a lot of things, but know I will not be influenced by others anymore. Finally, I have my own style.

Bomb: Which writers out there today do you respect?

Hesh: I give respect to everyone. I do not care if someone is doing good or bad graffiti - I just hate fakers and enviers. I think what graffiti needs is guys that do throw ups and tags and others that are able to do big walls with wild styles and characters.

Bomb: How do you define your style?

Hesh: I am doing a JD Boogie Style with shadow and light effects.

Daim: I am doing a Realistic Style with shadows, lights, and 3D effects.

Bomb: What other countries have you painted in?

Hesh: Italy, Yugoslavia, France England...

Daim: Denmark, France, Czecheslovakia, Switzerland...

Bomb: In your opinion what is the difference between styles in Germany and styles in the US?

Daim: I think that there is no clear difference. I think it is diffences between cities and countries, whether it is Euorope, Australia, or the US. But I think over here in Europe you will find the most bombed trains.

Bomb: Are there a lot of "Cross Out" wars out there?

Daim: There are not that many cross out wars here in Hamburg or in Europe for that matter. There is more respect and a lot of exchange between the sprayers. If trouble occurs it is mostly wiped out peacefully.

Bomb: What kind of paint are you using?

Daim: We are using Belton, Multona, Auto-K, Sparvar, Eisodur, ans Marabu. Krylon is available in some cities in Europe but not in Hamburg. We can choose between a few dozen cans and between a few hundred colors.

Bomb: What are your plans for the future?

Daim: I want to travel to a lot of different cities and countries and possibly spray in places all over the world and get to know more people.

Hesh: To rock the whole world with my name HESH and meet a lot of cool people and writers.