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Bombing Science: State your name player.

Berst

Bombing Science: Where are your stomping grounds and what crew do you ride for?

Berst: I’m located in Auckland, New Zealand and I represent Gbak and Tmd.

Bombing Science: You guys have been making mad noise lately. Lots off epic shit coming out of your side of the world. Tell us more about what’s been going on recently. Seems like it has been busy and exiting.

Berst: Over the last two years there has been a huge shift within the graffiti scene in Auckland. There have been a lot of new approaches, ideas, processes, experiences and collaborations between me, Askew and a handful of other writers. I guess it all started from growing tired of doing the generic formula of a piece which is usually a three color fade, black outline, highlights,

and bubbles. I mean don’t get me wrong, that is an absolute CLASSIC formula that we all know works and I wont dismiss it but to do something different I had to stay away from that. I believe that a lot of the epic work that’s been coming out of Auckland is the paintings that have the writers collaborating in a different way. This collaboration usually consists of both writers working on each other’s pieces or each person being assigned to a certain bit on the wall according to their strength and skill. So far it’s worked well for us but we still have a lot of exploring to do.

Bombing Science: Too much swag. It’s all about style with you. The dimensions, the letter structure, the colors, and the textures - you go all out. Tell us more about how it all came about. How did it go from your first straight letters to this complex style you rocking these days?

Berst: When I first started I was really influenced by West Coast graffiti and the local writers in Auckland such as Phat1, Askew and

Berst

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Gasp. Through my earlier years and still to this day, I’ve always discussed style with my boy Haser (Gbak) and we usually have the same interests within graffiti. We both took on ideas of what people like Revok and Aroe were doing with each letter having a color scheme and in Auckland we coined it as a «style smasher». We certainly do not claim it, but from there we tried to flip it into each letter having different effects or even more color schemes within one piece. Eventually I linked up with Askew and over time we did a couple of style smasher walls. Then, we tried to take it even further than that. We worked on more collaborations, which we coined as Netch (Upper Echelon - Next Level). Now, instead of each letter having a color scheme, each shape had a color scheme. Things started to look more complex and the walls took longer to paint as well as having more people involved on each wall. Ultimately; to break everything down, I’ve been trying to come up with different formulas for pieces. This includes the drawing process, approach to painting it, and every other aspect of it.

Bombing Science: I see you have been playing with different words and other writer’s names a lot. Are you bored of writing Berst or is it something you’ve always loved doing?

Berst: Over the last year or so I’ve been painting other people’s names more as a tribute to the writers that I am either in the same crew as, friends with, respect or look to

for inspiration. I call it the Dedication Series and what I am ultimately trying to do is have a huge collection of other writer’s names that I’ve painted whilst still exploring everything I would do in my Berst pieces.

Bombing Science: In your opinion, tell us what you think makes a dope writer.

Berst: A dope writer definitely needs good letters. No matter how much you hide the letters behind effects, if you have bad letters you have bad letters. I’d like to think that even if I do a lot of effects within my pieces that I still have a good enough knowledge of general letter structure to formulate a nice a piece. There are hundreds of dope writers out there but I don’t think people should aim to be a dope writer. I think that people should aim to be an inspirational writer and do their best to set some sort of benchmark what ever it is.

Bombing Science: It seems like collaborating on walls is a big part of your creative development. I can see recently people are networking like crazy and people are getting down on walls from all over with all the best writers out there. So far, who have you enjoyed working with the most out side of your crew?

Berst: Absolutely, working with other people is a huge part of personal development. You might learn anything fromdifferent styles, techniques, down to the execution of the ideas. When working with others, its important

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that you guys are kind of on the same wave length technique-wise and idea-wise otherwise you will see that different ideas or styles don’t gel together so well. At the moment I’ve only really had the chance to work with local writers from Auckland on larger projects but in the future I’d like to do more large-scale murals overseas.

Bombing Science: Anybody you would love to collab with that you have not painted with already?

Berst: I would like to do some large-scale walls with people such as Sofles, Os Gemeos, Aryz. There are so many great artists out there at the moment and I’d love to travel and collaborate with them or alternatively they could always come to New Zealand.

Bombing Science: The future of graffiti. Where do you see the movement going in the next decade? Also, what do you see yourself doing in the future? Any long term plans?

Berst: Graffiti is certainly changing and moving far more rapidly, lately. I think that with Graffiti these days, people can take inspiration from anything out there as you’re not limited to just looking at graffiti letters. We need more people to be brave and break the boundaries of Graffiti on every level. I’m always going to be doing Graffiti but my vision is further than just painting it. I’m working on some sculptures at the moment and trying to explore as many

options as I can.

Bombing Science: The internet… I know it’s a played out question but it’s interesting to see how different writers react to it. How did the internet help you so far?

Berst: I think that the internet is great. People can hate on it as much as they want but the internet has made the development of writers happen a lot faster and networking a lot easier. I’m not saying look at somebody’s work from the other side of the world then copy it and expect nobody to notice… but give people time and they will eventually flip it into their own thing or they will stop altogether. Everybody gets inspiration from something or somebody so nobody is really exceptionally original. The question is how you can make or do it better than the next.

Bombing Science: Words of wisdom to the young guns who look up to you guys?

Berst: Paint hard while you are young as it will pay off one day.

Bombing Science: Any shout outs or last words?

Berst: Love to my family and my girlfriend. Shout out to my crews GBAK and TMD and to everybody out there that has ever supported me and helped me out

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bombing science: First things first.. who is Nesar?

Nesar: I heard he’s a 6 foot tall Albanian with a tattoo of an ice cream cone on his cheek like Gucci Mane. For all our friends in law enforcement, he resides on 2683 rue Ontario E in Hochelaga. Google that shit, my duke.

bombing science: Talk to us about your upbringing.. what was it like for a young mook growing up in Montreal?

Nesar: I am the definition of a Montrealer. I live this city. You can find me uptown in CDN eating a Pho, getting my hair faded in St-Michel, drinking beers on the Rosemont tracks with the goons and playing dice in front of a Plateau club all in the same day. Growing up in a multi-cultural and vibrant city like Montreal made me who I am. It’s the upbringing that makes me able to travel anywhere in the world and get along with people as soon as my foot hits that pavement. It’s this city’s street training that permits me

to drink beers in any type of public setting or be able to paint throwups or tags without being spotted by 5-0. It’s the 514 mentality that makes me celebrate a Habs playoff win by throwing a chair through a window out of joy not hate. It’s the hometown pride that makes me represent my city everywhere I go in the world… Expos fitted real low and Connaisseur Ticaso in the Ipod.

bombing science: Big Nesar.. why do you have a Hindu name for a tag?

Nesar: Cause the name ELI-PORTER1 was too long to write.

bombing science: I know you are in a bunch of legendary Montreal crews such as SVC JKR TFB along with NYC based crew TFO and rumors say you where recently put down with GSM.If you had only one crew to rep out of them all which one would it be and why?

Nesar: Being a professional chilleur and an all-around coolcat, I’ve been put down in

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many crews and accepted to push them out of respect and love for the people who represent them. Basically, to me a crew is more about friendship and brotherhood than it is about graffiti status. On top of the crews you named I also rep for my YKW vandals, DC from the Bronx and have affiliations with TSP in Paris. I show love for all those crews and the people in ‘em and will rep hard from the bottom of my heart till that nail hits the coffin. But in all honesty, before all of that I’ve been SVC since the dawn of my graffiti career cause it represented a legacy to me. SVC is one of the oldest crews in the city and the torch was passed down from generation to generation to people who all came from the same area and had the same state of mind. BACER put me down with the fam back in the day and I haven’t looked back since.

Bombing science: You have been consistently one of the most up writers in Montreal thoughout the last decade.. what’s your secret?

Nesar: To tell you the truth I don’t really keep track of those things anymore. But I guess my ”secret” is: Alcohol abuse, fast legs and a complete disregard for the law. Oh… and occasionally I use spray paint.

Bombing science: Can you share any funny bombing stories with us?

Nesar: I was at a house party in NDG where I drank 2 Big Bear forties. I decided to go do a fillin on the corner of Sherbrooke a few blocks down from the spot. As I’m filling in my letter all drunk, I hear someone creeping up next to me. I look to my right and I see this Spanish guy all mad and shit, looking like he came out of the Blood In Blood Out movie. The next thing I know homeboy is swinging a bike lock chain in my face! I throw in a few punches but I’m way too wasted to fight so I get the fuck outta there, face all bloody and shit. Back at the party, I’m all salty about the situation so I grab a brick, write my tag on it and go back to the building to throw that brick through his

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window. As I’m winding up my throwing arm, the same dude comes running out of the building with all his MS-13 looking friends and they’re all wielding baseball bats and pipes. I Usain Bolt my way outta there and call it a night. Moral of the story is: don’t drink 2 Big Bear forties.

Bombing science: Ive seen Nesar thowups from Italy to Costa Rica. Seems like you get up abroad more often than in Montreal these days. Tell us more about your bombing adventures during your travels.

Nesar: Travelling is what keeps me sane in this crazy world. It’s all about moments. Whether you’re having a beer on a breathtaking beach in Costa Rica or talking shit with 20 thugs in a Paris housing project courtyard, it’s these little moments that you remember for the rest of your life. Brand new cities are brand new territory to leave your mark in and I try to do my thing worldwide. It makes me smile when I hear people have seen my shit in the

middle of nowhere half way across the world. I want to give them a feeling that the world is a small place after all as soon as they see my throwup staring back at them in the middle of Portugal or Prague. It’s that warm feeling you get that makes you think of home when you’re lost on the other side of the Planet. I know grown men who’ve never stepped on a plane in their life and the only body of water they’ve seen is the St-Laurent River. Shit is sad, they don’t know what they’re missing. I’ve always said… when I hit the millions I’m going on a World Tour and I’m taking the whole hood with me.

Bombing science: How do you rate a writer?

Nesar: I don’t really rate writers, I rate humans. On the real, I’ll chill and paint with anybody as long as they’re on a good vibe and they know how to act. Graffiti to me is much more about life experience and living the moment than fame or recognition. I don’t give a fuck about how many magazines you’re in or how

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many clean trains you’ve painted, if you’re a conceited asshole I won’t even bother shaking your hand. But if you come to me with a good attitude, you wanna chill hard and you got a lotta heart then I’ll be more than happy to drink some forties and hit mop tags with you.

Bombing science: Looks like handstyles are a strong point for you. Tell us why you think having a good handstyle is important.

Nesar: Handstyle is the skeleton of graffiti. Without a skeleton, you can’t have a body. It’s the first step to becoming a writer and should be the step you need to master before moving onto pieces or throwups. You can tell a lot about a writer just by looking at his tags, it’s the most personal trait any graffiti head will ever have. You can tell someone is on a

legal piecing tip and hasn’t paid his dues if his hand is garbage or if he takes twice as much time doing a tag on a busy corner. Handstyle is something you learn in the streets from years of stamping your name on different surfaces, with different mediums and under all types of pressure. It doesn’t get any realer than that.

Bombing science: What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear Montreal Graffiti?

Nesar: SIKE, SOAK, MERSH, CASE, FLOW, CARM, SI THROWUPS, ZECK, MAINK, DESTAR, BEAM and PUNX NOT JUNX on the corner of St-cath/St-Lo.

Bombing science: I heard rumors that you survive on beer and rice. Can you confirm if this is true?

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Nesar: Yes, put in the occasional Wendy’s Baconator Burger and Cisco Grape Liquor and I’m good to go till the world goes boom.

Bombing science: What do you think of writers that take graffiti very seriously?

Nesar: I think there’s a limit to everything. I respect writers who go all out and give their heart for graffiti, doing shit proper and keeping it illegal. There’s nothing more pure than being a dedicated writer, risking life and jail time for something you do for free. On the other hand, when graffiti starts fucking with your ego and the way you act towards others I think you’re taking that shit too seriously. At the end of the day, it’s just writing on a wall and life’s too short to be mad and jealous all the time. I see cats always trying to claim King and trying to prove shit to others for respect.

Well my friends, if you want a long career in this game then give respect and get respect. If you’re a true king you don’t need to claim that on your own, others will let you know. It doesn’t have to be lonely at the top.

Bombing science: Any shout outs?

Nesar: Shout outs to all my Montreal and Worldwide mooks hopping barbed wire fences in brand new Air Max’s, running from taxis without paying, drinking Colt-45’s in night buses at 4AM, going to Court dressed in Stop Snitchin’ long tees, tagging homeless vagrants with silver spray paint, bum rushing into clubs with 3 beers crotched in your pants and hollering at shorties with Cam’ron punchlines. And Rest in Peace to my main man Colonel Sanders, I’ll see you when I get there.

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