Egroe and House RT

Egroe and House are two Charleston Based Graffiti Writers, I had the honor of conducting an interview with them a few months back, sorry about the delay in getting around to posting it, but i must warn you, i gave them full freedom to say whatever they please…But this is America People! So why not?! You know?

Enjoy.

Here’s the Setting..

Dim lit room. Case of Icehouse.  Empty PBR’s layin around. It’s fucking hot and someone’s feet smell…

Q: So you’ve seen graff interviews before, what do you rep, what do write?

House: House RT..

Egroe: Um, I’m the same thing..

“Can you hand me that febreeze, so I can spray my feet?”

Me: Yeah, sure.

Q: So RT, where did that come from?

Egroe: Originally, Random Thought, from eternal sunshine of the spotless mind and energy enhancing supplements, causing my brain to be very sporadic.

Q: What does it stand for now?

Both: Read This. Real Talk. Read That. Respawn Time. Rocket Taco. Raw Thrills. Risk Takers. ReTardoz. Rectal Thermometor. Rolling Thunder. Rusty Trumbone. And many more.

House: Really Trashed.

Q: What are some of your influences? Graffiti or non graffiti related.

House: Egroe. Quiet. Klever. Avoid. Bars. The Entire AWR-MSK Crew. Kadism. Cailey. Hating Life. My Parents.

Egroe: Avoid. Theme. Klever. Quiet. Malishus. Totem2. Revok. Ewok (New York.) My beautiful Girlfriend. My Mom?

Q: Egroe, why do you write, what made you want to start writing?

Egroe: I hate answering this question..fine arts got boring, and I don’t remember why I even started doing it, I think it’s because of the breakdancing thing, I just got into it. Before it started getting trendy and cool..back in 2000, or 2001, somehwhere around there..

Q: Houseones, same question.

House: I started doing graffiti so I could get black chicks, haha, nah Egroe actually got me into doing it, I hated doing the same boring, monotonous thing all the time, I mean, I failed all my art classes, and I hated life, oh, and I smoked a lot of weed and did a lot of drugs.

Q: So, do you, or did you, ever consider yourself a vandal?

Egroe: I did, or I used to. When I was younger I did. I never really thought of it as vandalism, after a while you kind of get numb to it, it almost becomes second nature, and you just don’t think about it, kind of like brushing your teeth everyday.

House: You never brush your teeth..anyway, yeah, I still am a fucking vandal, I still do dumb shit all the time, shit that I really shouldn’t be doing, I have to do it. It makes me tingly in my groin area.

Q: So you agree with what Egroe was saying, about how it becomes almost like second nature, and you don’t think about it?

House: yeah pretty much.

Q: Do you consider yourself an artist? Explain.

Egroe: Yeah, kinda, not really. Well I do draw and I do ‘art stuff’, I’ve been drawing since I was in kindergarden, so yeah, I will always be an artist.

House: No, because I’m not, because I get no respect, I’m like Ronnie Dangerfield yo.

Q: Do you consider your illegal graffiti art?

Egroe: um, no, I don’t, it’s ugly, and it’s just for me and my homedoggies.

House: no, because, my shit sucks.

Q: Do you consider your legal pieces art?

Egroe: Fudge yeah, I take a long time to do them, I put more effort into those than I do on the illegal stuff, because I don’t have to rush it, today’s tom sawyer.

House: Yeah, I guess it’s the same thing that Egroe said, but at the same time no.

ME: Why?

House: because it’s graffiti. I’m never going to get respect for it, and it’s all based on opinion, and in my opinion, it’s not art.

Egroe: If it’s not art what is it?

House: it’s just there.

Egroe: Yeah, it’s like semi permanent fame.

Q: How do you feel about Artist’s like Shepard Fairey?

House: He did what he had to do, he didn’t sell out, he bought in. He used propaganda techniques, and he’s from here (Charleston), so that’s what’s up.

Egroe: Tracer, He’s a fucking Tracer. But he’s good at it, I like his stuff, if I had that much money, I would do something like that too.

Q: I’m going to say one word, describe what comes to mind. Graffiti.

Egroe: Waste of time. Pointless. Fun. Retarded. Over-rated. Old English. Cocaine and Crystal Meth.

Q: House, same thing. But a different word. Addiction.

House: Painting. Alcohol. Cigarettes. Cocaine. Vagina. Titties. Shaving my balls, Heroin. Cailey.

Q: How has graffiti affected your life?

House: Headaches. Jail Time. Fights. Enemies. Stress. Relationship Problems. Can’t stop thinking about it. Won’t stop doing it. Good Friends. Good times. Bad times. No Sleep. Stealing. Lying. And uh, That’s pretty much it.

Egroe: Failed School because of it, but I did graduate. I’d go to school with about an hour maybe 2 hours of sleep. I became addicted to it, I didn’t think of anything but that, I didn’t do anything in any of my classes except for draw on everything. I failed my art classes as well. Fun times. I got to hangout with my friends. A bunch of drugs. Jail time. Definantly headaches. Fee’s and Fines. Hamster Style. It was fun.

House: So, to sum it up, fun.

Q: Any regrets?

Egroe: uhh, No, none, none at all. It happened. Everything happens for a reason. Bitches.

House: No. if I didn’t do any of the stuff that I had done. I definitely would regret it.

Q: If you could tell yourself one thing before you started doing graffiti, what would it be?

House: Don’t go out and paint when you’re retarded drunk.

Egroe:  Pass.

Q: What’re your top 5 favorite beers?

House: Icehouse. New Castle. Fat Tire, Mothership Whit. Modelo. Lion.

Egroe: PBR. Icehouse. Lion imperial lager. Tilt. Four loko.

Q: Any Last Words?

Egroe: Derp de derp de deedle le dee duh dhurka durrrbs.

House: Thank you everyone that has supported me. My parents. Everyone who has helped me out when I was broke with no place to live. Thank you to rustoleum. Thanks to Cailey for putting up with all my bullshit. Music. Prostitutes. Masturbation.

Egroe and House do not condone the act of graffiti, consumption of alcohol under the age of 21, and the consumption of illegal narcotics.