WOBLE x HOE
W O B L E and H O E
Ah, the infamous daring subway duo WOBHOE composed of writers WOBLE and HOE from Norway. I must admit I have ambiguous feelings about doing this interview, putting out these photos and making the WOBHOE video. Every atom of my being tells me this is a very stupid and risky idea, for all parts involved; but I have been wanting to get some juicy illegal vandalism up on Tarestyles.com for a while, so here it is, come of it what may, I am ready. I hope you enjoy the ride! And do feel free to give me extensive ruthless feedback on the video; I need to work on my editing skills! ;)
– Please introduce yourselves, what you write, what crews you represent and where you come from.
Woble: I write WOBLE and I am from the Norwegian STS and American K** crews.
Hoe: I’m a homeless man, I live in the tunnels and around the yards of Oslo, Norway. One of my street names is HOE, which I actually stole form another writer in Norway. He used Hoe to shorten down his other name (Yahoe) some times, but did not claim it as a word so I took it! I represent two crews, one that I have been in since it started (OGS), and one which I have only just recently joined even though some of the guys in STS I have known for a loong time.
– How and when did you start painting?
Hoe: I started painting when I was 2 years old… Doesn’t everyone do that? hahaha.
My first “piece” (was actually a throwie). Everything was done with one black Quick (the local Norwegian brand) can; lines, shadow, second and effects. This was in the beginning of high school late 1999’s. After this insane debute the snowball was set in motion. And after that, it’s been a steep downhill and the snowball has grown and is still rolling on… I think I got into graff just because the older guys in my hometown were doing it; and as a kid you look up to those guys, right? Shit, when I think about it, I can’t believe I actually looked up to those guys. But everyone starts as a toy, and you get smarter as you get older.
Woble: I did my first bitten “piece” in the summer before secondary school. That was the year of 97.
Long before that I was into spraycans. Stealing them from my mum and other neighbourhood garages.
Doing damage on stones and walls around town.
I got into crews in secondary school, but i didntt really understand and get into it before I came to Oslo in 99.
Then I saw graffiti as it should be.
– Tell us about the Norwegian graff scene.
Woble: Legal: I used to love it, then I hated it; but now I think it is going forward.
You get sick and tired watching the same buffed backgrounds with pieces and an easy background.
(Stuff you should be able to pull off on a trackside etc…) Nowdays people have more style and people pull off good burners.
Illegal: I think Norway has always been about illegal graffiti. Loads of tags, throw ups, big ass trackside silvers and trains have always been a big part of the scene. I really love tags, but I prefer not to do loads of tags on nice old “bygårder”. I think you should pull off something that is better than what’s already there. And heeps of tarblack block letter tags is something anyone can do. There are of course people who pull out amazing tags here, but most of it looks like shit to me. (Well, a city still needs graffiti though!)
When it comes to pieces I think they have been top dollar since the beginning. The subways have always been done with style and size.
Hoe: The Norwegian graff scene is divided into 3 categories.
1: The legal painters who always know the best way to use a can, different styles and techniques. As I call them: Mr. know it all!
2: Street bombers which some of them actually are great graffiti artists but are too lazy/stoned or drunk to give a shit. Mostly silvers or fast pieces.
3: The subway painters. These are the guys who actualy plan every mission and push the limits of graffiti. Most legal painters will use 6-7 hours on one piece, while a subway painter uses 5 minutes and it will often be the same quality as well!
There are of course crews and people that are representing all three catogories at the same time, which I respect alot!
– Your personal goal(s) in graffiti?
Hoe: I’m not sure I have goals in graffiti like I have in life, but of course I always try to push my own limits. One thing I haven’t done yet is a one-man wholetrain; so maybe that should be a goal!?
Woble: I want to keep on pushing myself to do better stuff as long as possible.
With all these good fellas around me I´m sure I will be able to get better and do more crazy stuff.
There are trains/subs, cities and ideas that will be done in the future…
Spraycations are such nice experiences, with nice atmosphere, crazy actions and good laughs.
– What are your views on Streetart…?
Woble: Not my cup of tea. But as long as it is something nice and well done I don´t really care. It beautifies the city from time to time.
But I’d rather see a bunch of writers getting the commission walls done, than some guy that studied the internet for 15min and ripped off Le´ rat, Obey or Banksy.
Hoe: HATE IT!! It’s “graffiti artists” who don’t have the balls to paint subways!
– Interrail stories…?
Hoe: I’ve been to Copenhagen a couple of times, and it ended with two one-man wholecars and some panels; nothing special about that since the system over there is practically legal compared to Norway. I’ve just started to take interest in the European systems, so watch out Europe!!!
Woble: Three and a half full color spacy wholecars in Italy. Over 1 hour painting, 140 cans and in traffic for a day or two. Bellissimo.
Still a legendary train in the Italian city.
– Hairy missions?
Woble: I´ve had some awfull ones here and there, but I had a couple in Berlin some time ago that were hectic.
Thrown to the ground with a gun pointed at my head and a driver watching us paint for 20 min while we thought it was our checker.
Hoe: I’ve had som hairy ones, but I’ve never been caught!
I painted a commuter train once, and right next to the train was an office building with overview on the train we painted. The workers opened the windows and started to shout at us and told us that they had called the police. We decided to finish what we started and get the fuck out of the yard. But just as I jumped over the fence and landed on the other side and looked up, I saw straight in to a police car. I started running along side the road, this was a highway so the police car could not turn in front of me because of the fence between the road and the sidewalk. So i was running like hell with a skimask and a bag full of cans, and the police car was just cruising alongside me. When they finally had the opportunity and speeded up to cut me off, I just turned around and jumped back into the yard and disappeared between some block buildings on the other side of the yard.
– What are your style influences?
Hoe: Shit, everything around me is an influence, but mostly it’s the guys I paint with. The ones I looked up to when I was younger im not such a fan of now. But the mid 2000’s swedish graffiti I think is one of the coolest styles around. The wildstyle is just too american!
Woble: I got influenced by Tes, Kid, Loze, Hoax, Goal, Coderock, Ease and guys like that in the beginning, then I moved on to a bit more street/illegal style.
Guys like Ater, Xeqt, Goofy, Log, Color, Ridder, Foks and over to international guys like Moas, Tpg, Drm, Wufc Sdk, Tsk – mixed up with satanism and rock’n’roll.
Nowdays it is everyday life, nature, the city and guys smashing it. I like Stör´s way of painting; Sgee´s, Banos’ as much as Roids, Smash or Sofles killing it. The scene is so open and big now these days that the city-specific styles vanish more day by day.
I like it because the level is so high now, but i don’t like it because so much style is lost and it gets boring looking at a lot of the same stuff everywhere.
– Heroes…?
Woble: Woaaa… The list is too long. But people that are killing it in their own way and always have done. All hail the kings.
Hoe: As mentioned over, ones style evolves and you get new inspiration every year, and the ones you looked up to back in the days aren’t as good as you thought they were. But still there are some people I have big respect for in Europe: Keger, Wufcsdk, Moas, Moses and Taps. Back home there’s only a handfull of people I respect for what they have done.
– What are your motivations?
Hoe: I’m my worst enemy. I’m like a kid in a candy store. I’ve been painting trains and subways for 12 years now. I’ve had some unwilling breaks from the lifestyle, but I always get pulled back into the game. The biggest motivation is to stay in the game and prove that it’s possible when everyone else tells you its not!
Woble: What others do and don´t do. Like geting a phone call in the morning….. Jealousy gets stuff done.
There is so much motivation around the world. Awfull things, beautiful things. The buff.. It is a competition innit?
– What do you see yourself doing in ten years?
Woble: Hmmm… Dead or doing my thing somewhere.
Hoe: I’m insanely rich, and still painting subways! No, I’m not sure…
– Future plans, travels, dreams… Projects?
Hoe: I’m going to travel alot, and as I mentioned earlier, watch out Europe!
Woble: I have a bucket list but i will keep it for myself. When it comes to projects you will have to ask one of my schizo twins.
I´m more into damage.
– Definition of your style…?
Woble: It changes all the time, but it´s a mix of everything. Smooth chewie to agressive and satanic.
Graphic and minimalism to Naturism and maximalism. I like to do different stuff all the time.
Hoe: I have different types of styles. I can’t describe my style with just one word, but I try to mix it up. Back in the days I used more time doing sketches and my pieces were more detailed, but now I don’t care so much about connections between letters or which colours I use. I paint for the fun of it and not to please anyone else. I do my thing; I love doing it, and I’m going to keep on doing it.
– Favorite food, favorite color, favorite movies/series/books…?
Hoe: I love lasagna and dirt food. Favorite color is blue
Movies: Snatch, Show must go on 3, and soon to be released Control The Time.
Check out the teaser trailer here
Woble: HAHAHAHA, fuck off. I like minced meat and roastbeef. Color: BLACK. Movies: Dirty Hands and Oslo Alive. Book: Papillion.
– Any last words (no pun intended…) or shoutouts?
Woble: I want to thank my family for giving me life. My amazing girlfriend for putting up with my shit! Tes´n´Tare for everything. My man Olivr and his dirty kids. My crews (don´t get sleepy).
All my friends and all the ones I have done stuff with earlier. Last but not least the Oslo crime syndicate doing it now.
Thank you for showing me how to.
Hoe: I want to thank my lovely wife for sticking up with all my shit. OGSTS crews (keep painting!). Tare, for great service on delivering cans to support my dirty hobby. And last but not least all the other guys I’m painting with at the moment: Møe crew, Me crew, Rps crew, All crew and the people I forgot.
* Check out the feature WOBHOE video under (best viewed in HD, full screen)
** And here are the 44 feature flics for the interview.
