Interview with the Master of styles from Stockolm Mr Puppet. Pictures, videos and history.
Interview with the the legendary oldschool graffiti artist Mr Puppet from Stockholm, Sweden.
FC: Who is Mr Puppet ? Tell us about your first graffiti:
I was starting doing some tags in buses 1983 in my hometown. I was all over in them buses for a while... 1984, i guess you can say I am one of the Scandinavian pioneers.
I'm most known for my many big burners back in 1989. The Dragon Wall "i'll burn you all" and many others. But before i did a lot of graffiti that are still to be shown in my book one day! Since many years i've been doing a lot of experimental graffiti with different goals and different names. Bombing, Trains, throw-ups, wildstyles, simple styles and so on...
1990 "The Beauty"
1989 The Drag"
After been working as an art director for ten years, i got more experienced and that resulted in that Puppetindustries now have done many design works such as graphic profiles and logotypes for big companies like: Adidas, Coca Cola, Mtv, Nike, WeSC, and many record designs.
Today i'm doing a lot of travels, painting commission work and participating in many art projects all over the world. I'm working a lot on canvases, doing exhibitions with my work and i keep doing styles on walls because i love it.
I never consider my self as a king, more like a creative motherfucker who always touch base.
The last ten years i developed an alter ego: The Gridman. It's a style that i found when i saw my own sketches on the walls. I felt how much i loved the lines, one liners, no cuttings, so the style is now like a gridpattern always freehand and rough. I can twist it together to characters or landscapes or i can also put in my suggestive touch in it. It's my system, let's see how far i can bring it.
FC: Word Association : I'll give you a word and you give me the first thought that comes to mind.
- Graffiti : Subway
- Poska : 1986 /2010 molotow
- Bacon: pigs
- London : uk fresh
- Photoshop : friend
- Stockolm : water
- 50 cents : joke
- Jurrassic 5 : Yeah
- God : brain
- Drips: cool
- Ass: friend
- Police: and thieves
- peanuts: movie time
FC: Best movie?
When i'm coming home late, i start watching some movie on late tv, maybe in the middle of it, i'm not having any clue of what i'm watching , or why... and my brain starts to make it's own sense. That is the best movies..;)
The latest good movie i saw was "Le Prophet" a french movie.
FC: Best book?
wow.. still think it is Boris Vian the French poet, "L'écume des jours". I read it a few times back in the days. Still think it is inspiring in a surrealistic way. Really suggestive, romantic, sad, beautiful and psychotic...in a nice way.
FC: best album
Kiss.. 1st album, easy naive, stylish and powerful... just like the best graffiti.
FC: Favourite quote?
"we are here Now"
FC: Name an artist (or many) whose work you respect and admire (not only in the graffiti world).
Graffiti artists: They are a lot from time to time and for different reasons. Those who are touching base are always inspiring.
Alexander Calder was born in 1898 in Lawnton, PA and died in New York in 1976. I just love the way he focused on the asymmetric. And artists that are just easy going as human and complex with their art.
FC: If your style was a music band or a song? Which one would it be?
hehe... that's tuff. What i want it to be? Or what band other people would say i would be?... hum hum...
If i say special bands or styles like Jazz, Led Zeppelin, Opera, then i feel too pretentious. If i say underground supercool bands, then i feel too hipster. I just like when people dare to change styles, therefore I should say Beastie boys, in their best days they are always changing but keeping the flavour.
But hell no. I hope i should have my own band of course..;) "we are all Puppets".
FC: Do you need something particular to be creative?
Air, food, water... hmmm... hard to say. Yes, definitely a coffee!!
FC: What was your most adventurous and dangerous graffiti?
Wow, getting robbed in London. Fall of a train or tagging outside the boat between Dover and Calais hanging on one arm... very stupid. I don't know really, dangerous graffiti is not really important for me. Even though I love to watch actions, i'm not sure it always makes the better art.
FC: What was your best graffiti experience?
Many good ones, doing a wholecar by myself in 1988 was very special... Painting with Seen in the Bronx in 1990 was also a special moment for me. I try to stay open to any moment because you don't know when it's happening until after it happened.
FC: What are your worst and best habits?
Worst: i'm painting my life away.
Best: i'm painting my life away.
FC: Do you dream in graffiti and colours ?
My first 15 years in graffiti were like a dream in graffiti and colors. But in a real dream, i dream in color for sure, but graffiti never happened... sounds fun. Give me that pill.. now! Today i try to not dream too much. It's hard enough to be in the reality..;)
FC: Do you get to hook up with girls/men thanks to graffiti? We were told that body painting works pretty well…
Did that shit in the 80s. I painted some models in my studio back in the days. I think body paint it's very cheesy... but i just don't give it any attention.
FC: What would be the Perfect day ?
Waking up ordinary, with my girl friend on my side and the coffee on it's way. The sun is high in the sky, and i know that a big wall is waiting for me. That's good enough for me these days...
FC: 3 things to do before you die ?
1. Yeah 200 ladies sucking my dick of on top of the Eiffel Tower.
2. Paint wholetrains running in every city
3. Be Rich and Famous
hehe don't think so, just kidding. I don't have any thoughts like "i have to do something before i die". I just want to do easy things like travel more, one more coffee, and do another wall, keep looking for the swing, keep avoiding bad energy, maybe call up an old friend.
FC: Favourite 3 pieces of all time and why?
I don't really have a favorite piece. It's moving all the time, but if i should try to put up three that just pop-up in my mind now, let's say:
1. Seen, don't know why, but this one always catch my eyes. Maybe because it's so seeenish...
2. Bando's wall 1986 in Paris. Because he was putting my name on it for my birthday ;)
3. All subway cars from the NY subway era. Man, it looks so good every time i see one.
FC: 5 things to do in near future?
1. Get a nice spot for a gridexhibition.
2. Start planning on my Puppet book.
3. Paint another wall with my man Swet.
4. Hopefully go to Paris, Milano, New York.
5. Let my alter ego Gridman get loose.
FC: Any words of wisdom?
Dare... we are here right behind you...
Yeah... all answers up here was only for now. If you ask me again i will answer different!
Life is Now!
Puppet
FC: Thank you Mr Puppet
Stop Motion video, Mr Puppet and Desk7 (SUK) : "Free the Pigs!"
Mr Puppet in action during "The Last Bounce" show.
Bounce is the Sweden's most successful dance company of all time. They end their long and hit-filled career with one last grand farewell performance in Ericsson Globe. By themselves they have over a hundred guest dancers from among the Harlem Hot Shots and Spin Kings. Mr Puppet was invited to realize an amazing wall live on video.
1990 "Pantin"
