Guest Blogger: DEADLEG 167

Wow! STAYHIGH's got his own website, how great is that. I generally
try to stay in the background of the graffiti scene but thought I'd
post a few thoughts about the old days. I took the name DEADLEG
167 back in 1972, it wasn't long after Wayne became STAYHIGH.
We hung out 'cause we're related, pretty soon we were writing together
- it was writing back then, not bombing or tagging. The writers I
first noticed coming up were BARBARA 62 and EVA 62, people don't
remember them. PISTOL and SCOOTER from Brooklyn, they were
killing every train in Brooklyn. LEE 163 was the first writer I saw
hitting fronts, that's where STAYHIGH got that from. And PRAY!
Damn, she was up everywhere. I was inspired by all of them.

I went to Alfred E. Smith High School in the Bronx and we had a
pretty good lineup of writers. There was HONDO 1, SKI 168,
TURK 62, PURPLE HAZE 168, I wrote with all of those guys. That
was when we were doing our first pieces, that's '72 - '73. Those
pieces had polka dots and candy cane stripes, that was something
HONDO came up with. Then the pieces started to get bigger and
wider and the fill ins had to be thick, our first pieces we didn't
really care, they were sort of misted in.

We hung out at the playground at P.S. 63 on the Concourse, we
also hung out at the writers bench. In 1974 we'd go down to the
bandshell in Central Park sometimes and we'd do acid there, that
was a good drug. I think LSD OM took us there, I know FDT 56
hung out there too.

I got busted by Officer Schwartz that year and was forced to scrub
stations, but they stuck me with a group of toys and they all offered
to do it for me. That was like a vacation for me, I'd hang out and
read the paper. Right after that I overheard the principal in my
school talking about how if they caught me they would prosecute
me and that DEADLEG - whoever he is, should think of transferring
schools. That's when I quit.

I was proud to be STAYHIGH's partner but I was also my own man
and I think people figured that out pretty early on. I still draw to
this day and sell canvas's to collectors. I hope to post another
message soon.

Peace,
DEADLEG 167