From the Platform 2: More NYC Subway Graffiti, 1983-1989 - Hardcover

by Paul Cavalieri (Author), Kenny Cavalieri (Author), Henry Chalfant (Foreword by)

This is a nostalgic, visual account of the best time and place to be a graffiti writer. In the 1980s, brothers Kenny, a.k.a. KEY, and Paul, a.k.a. CAVS, immersed themselves in the graffiti scene in the Boogie Down Bronx, dutifully photographing hundreds of pieces on now-discontinued MTA subway cars and capturing their proud comrades before, during, and after the act. "Bombing" "White Elephants" with their pilot markers and documenting them with their cameras, which they always carried, they were on the ride of their lives--until 1989, when the last painted train was removed from service. Tags by names like QUIK, IZTHEWIZ, and many others appear here in color exposures, and dozens of artists share stories and drop knowledge with no filter. A foreword by graffiti historian Henry Chalfant, coproducer of Style Wars--the seminal documentary on New York graffiti and hip-hop culture--kicks things off.

Author Biography

Brothers Paul (CAVS) and Kenny (KEY) Cavalieri grew up in the Wakefield area of the Bronx. Childhood friends Blist and Gin inspired the Cavalieri brothers to write their names and tag up. Since 1982 graffiti has been a big part of their lives.