Ex-Vandals part 2

In time, many of the older cats began to move on w/ their lives while others went on to form other crews like the Sultans. Instead of letting the brigade fall to the sidelines, the Ex-Vandals were instead revitalized. Wicked Gary took over as HNIC and opened the doors for membership to not only Brooklyn heads, but to cats from all the boroughs. At one point, there were reportedly hundreds of Ex-Vandals throughout the city. The legendary Phase II was even a member, serving as head of the uptown chapter ('71-'72, wrote CAD/Ex-Vandals).

By 1973, Wicked Gary was representing for them as a member of the UGA/United Graffitti Artists, which also included legends like CoCo 144, Flint 707, Mico, Snake 1, Phase II and Bama/Ex-Vandals (who served as Vice Prez of UGA). The elite organization was meant to take the burgeoning art form to another level by showcasing the best writers at the time in a gallery setting, putting the work on canvas instead of walls and trains. UGA even did work w/ Twyla Tharp and the Joffrey Ballet on stage, painting on a backdrop while the dancers performed in front of a live audience.

By 1975, Wicked Gary had gone away to school at the historic black college Lincoln University to study music, having played percussion (congas, timbales, bongos, etc.) since junior high. While it may have ended his career, he didn't stop writing.

WG: Graffitti did a lot for me. It got me popularity in school, attention, play from girls who weren't considering me before I started wearing my denim jacket (Ex-Vandals painted on the back); I had juice. What we did way back then set the trend for all these cats who came after us. I feel like a proud father. At the same time, we did a lot of damage, graf writers as a whole. Back then, because of the chemicals they used in the ink, when you wrote on a bus/train, it stayed up. Markers that used to say permanent were permanent. The ink seeped in, the paint seeped in. When you buffed a train, you were actually wiping off some of the metal to get it clean. Rather than have to go through that everytime, the city goverment just went to the source. They called on the paint and marker manufacturers to help fight the graffitti menace. They changed the formulas on the inks and paint so the people who had to clean could clean easier and take the stuff off. They started to create things to work w/ the formulas to make it easier to clean.

Since graduating, he's become a professional musician whose traveled around the world on tour and recorded w/ Roberta Flack and played w/ George Benson. He's also a wll known DJ who spins at various functions and produces a series of mixed tape/CDs featuring old school funk/dance classics. Not completly removed from the graff scene, he hosts annual old school reunions (dubbed "The Gatherings) w/ other O.G. writers and is working on a project called the International Writers Movement which seeks to bring writers together from all over the world for the first time at a historic summit for 2001 in NYC. Bama from the UGA is still representing in the galleries and on the streets, having just recently done a piece at the Fun Factory along w/ WG, DONA and others. COWBOY represents as a freelance fashion designer ( for MTV and others)and owns her own clothing line, Tribe; Quest for the African Indian. Dino Nod, who had been the primary inspiration for the organization, was tragically shot and killed in the late 80's on some street shit. Some say he lived as a hustler and the games he played eventually caught up to him. He's remebered by many many writers from back in the day as a cat who got up. God bless the dead.

RF: A lot of the older writers (who ain't so old) that i've met don't look so good. You look a'ight, like you took care of yourself.

WG: You gotta remember, the graff thing is an art form of the streets. The whole culture is of the streets, of the underground. If you get caught up in that, that's where you'll be. Drink a 40, get a bag of weed, go out and do some painting, go in the tunnels, breath in all that toxic stuff, runnin' from the cops, etc. If you get caught or get busted, your life goes another way. If that happens, you gotta deal w/ bail. There's a whole series of events that, if your lucky, you can avoid. If your not.... A lotta cats get caught up in it and their lives just reflect what they've been goin' thru. I was lucky; I've been chased but never caught.

Roosevelt Franklin (Black President) would like to acknowledge and thank VEGA ONE (WOW/X-MEN) for his inspiration and insight. Check for his book on the Ex-Vanadals soon come, seen? Wicked Gary can be contacted at WickedGF@hotmail.com.