Stories about London, Culture & Creativity

So this week I had the pleasure of meeting Roger Gastman, the man behind the Beyond the Streets exhibition which toured the US and is now over here at Saatchi gallery from the 17th Feb, quite a ground breaking show to be seen in our city.
The show he’s put together is the amalgamation of his time and experiences and education within the graffiti culture and the broad depths its shown him, and that’s perfect for an inquisitive person like me, right up my street.
I’ve known of and probably you’ve known of Roger from the books he’s made, shows he’s put on, films he’s made, magazines, interviews and various curations his name has been beside for the last 20+years, a real inspiring body of work on a part of the culture that is really what I have tried to be about for the last 20yrs also, and he’s done it big, representing at a very high professional level, this was going to be an education. I got the hook up on email through another culture stalwart, the author and artist Caleb Neilson whom, I helped a little last year on a project he was putting together with Roger. I knew Roger was in town for the show, I hollered, and he kindly accepted. I met him at the set up at Saatchi’s in a room full of people I’ve seen in photos and film and read about, quite a privilege, and we then took a walk to his Airbnb to sit down and have this conversation, this is some of Roger Gastmans, Bethesda Maryland Washington, culture and creativity story, enjoy, this is F24.

Photos of the Beyond the Streets show London by Martha Cooper 2023.

This week I had Krek, TJ Dolan, who kindly came down from Manchester to visit the studio and have a chat. We’d never got to meet before and I have loved his work from the start, loads of style, courage, playfulness and colour in his work from his letters on steel and cement to his paintings on a variety of mediums.

It was great having him round, I learnt so much about him and loved the vibe he brought.

This is some of TJ Dolans culture and creativity story, enjoy..

What a mad time though hey, worlds changed, places have changed, we’ve changed!

But what stays is culture, a constant, a forever, and I learnt a lot about that and its strengths, even though I preach it, from this conversation, so it was a great one to kick off what we’ll call season 2 of F24.

Mode2 was in town.

We’d be talking a little via message for a while and also had my friend Kash co-signed me which got me a big step closer to this conversation.

A dream come true, after the first, where he put me up at Carnival this year after I set him some paint.

I’d never properly met Mode, never had the chance to have a conversation.. He’s been a name in my life for nearly 30yrs and undoubtably yours too.. I haven’t heard many interviews with him so I didn’t know how this was going to go.. Some of you maybe used to a format I’ve developed in these interviews, this was nothing like I expected, its an amazing in-depth conversation full of analogies and historical fact about culture and cultures.

He lives a life full of intrigue and interest, a natural flow, an understanding of his surroundings as well as his foundations. An absolute pleasure and dream come true having this time with Mode, our mutual friend Kash was in the studio with us while we had this very interesting conversation, this is some of Mode2’s culture and creativity story… enjoy..

Last week I had Hana Sunny Whaler, a sign writer residing in South London. I met Hanah through a shared client in maybe 2016/17, we spent a couple days together working on a large wall painting directed by her then painted. It was a nice way to meet and we chatted freely, with Hana telling me about some of her plans and what she’d been up to so far. She was about to move to London and take on the Sign Writing world here, connections had been made and plans set.

Since then Hana has taken London by storm and has a great team by her side, really great to watch and also met other shared friends.

We have a lovey chat around her choices and route to get to be the dope paint slinger she is today. He life in her home town, through college and Uni, sofa surfing and hand to hand hustling her business. Real dope having her round, this is some of Hana’s London, via various places, culture and creativity story… check her @hanasunnywhaler on Instagram whilst you listen, Enjoy this is F24..

In October last year Pavan and I were working out how to meet up but things kept coming up and we had to keep re booking until one day in early December I’m scrolling Instagram and I see a sleepy faced Pavan, head resting on some boxes in a car basically saying goodbye to the UK. I didn’t want to get to him right away I thought I’d let whatever happen lie for a week or two and then we spoke, Foreign Beggars had dropped their last album, and this meant his visa was done… He was heading back to Dubai..

We chatted, it was a bit of a mind fuck for me, I’ve known Pavan for maybe 15yrs not properly but in stores, shared friends, jams etc, loving the music from the iconic Asylum Speakers album but you’d think I’dda known that he was on a visa, I’m nosey.. I needed to know and wanted the story for the archive, Pavan has done so much!. We booked a date, opened up skype and got chatting, its dope, honest, inspiring and I now have a complete new found respect for Foreign Beggars after having this chat.. they worked…. This is part of Pavan’s story and some of his interactions with London, culture and creativity, enjoy this is F24.

First of the F24 Podcast for the 2020’s and the first in the new studio, Kid Acne… He came and visited whist on a trip from Sheffield his home town to the city, I was amped, it was gonna be a dope Monday afternoon.
Ive seen his work since I started painting and was always impressed by his unique style, really different to what I was seeing in London and in magazines, it always stood out..
We’ve crossed paths over the years at various shows, jams etc.. Kid Acne or Edna has been
Been in this culture for 3 decades now and has been dropping this unique style for nearly 25 years of that, that’s an incredible amount of work and it was a pleasure him coming round to tell us about it.. It as always isn’t their full story but this is great in-site to Kid Acnes, Sheffield, Culture and Creativity story. Enjoy this is F24.

So, this week.. actually, lets jump back a touch, I remember the first time I met Fuel, it was at my gallery in Brighton, one of those jaw dropping moments when you realise who’s in front of you.. As he was walking off, I nudged Vibes who was hanging out as usual and said a bit too loud, You V, that’s King Fuel.. I felt a little embarrassed as I think he heard, but I didn’t care, he’d graced my shop.
A couple months ago I had the pleasure of going South of the River to have a coffee with King Fuel, who for as long as I’ve been in the scene has had his name come along with folklore, rumour and legend.
We chatted over a few coffees for hours without noticing the time go by. We spoke about loads of stuff, the culture, London, parenthood, mind and soul, therapy music, smoking, adventures.. a whole bag of goodness, it was amazing, mind blowing and an absolute treat.. I had to ask him, come over to North Acton and jump on the podcast, he agreed. We left it a bit of time so that conversation wasn’t fresh in our minds and he came around on a Monday after lunch, I bunked work silenced my computers and phone, its King Fuel for fucksake.. and we chatted for another 3hours, it’s an amazing story, a deep journey hearing about Fuels life so far and his choices, experiences, memories and thoughts, and feelings about our culture, its meanings, reasons, everything, it was amazing.. and yes, I say amazing and wow about 50 times, sorry, but I mean it..
A massive privilege having King Fuel over, this isn’t his whole story, the timelines not perfect but it’s over 30yrs of being Fuel. What an honour.
This is King Fuel’s London, Culture and Creativity story.. enjoy, this is f24.

Im in Scotland, Elie in Fife to be precise and wow we’ve been lucky, beautiful sandy beach, amazing walks, great food and the weather.. goddam! Ive got a tan, although that’s pretty easy as I’m half Egyptian.

Anyway, a much needed break and rest from work, I’m back in the city Monday to crack on with the rest of the year.

Before I left for my holidays Australian Tom Gerrard came and visited me. Another artist Ive known for years and years.. We’ve painted, drunk, smoked, looked after each others friends

with space to stay and also now both do a podcast about these creative lives we are living.

Tom travels, like serious adventure travelling. Its been him and his wife’s thing since meeting 20+ years ago. He’s from and based in Melbourne Australia and Tom gets us into that and tells us what it was like growing up there the 80’s and 90’s, a bit unconventional and quite dangerous for a 16yr old. He tells us what school was like, skating and his first graffiti experiences, friends and how those teen years went. We chat about the chance encounter with his to be wife, travelling the world and painting and the different paths he took until he gave in to the pressure and stepped up and went full time artist.

It’s a dope story, Toms lived a full life so far and it was great catching him whilst he was in town preparing for the show hes curated at Stolen Space featuring his work alongside two other Australian artists.

As Ive said, I’ve known Tom for years and it was great to fill in the gaps within the time I’ve known him over a couple beers and a smoke.

Enjoy, this is F24.

Back again and its the 50th recording!  The achievements this guy has hit in his life are one of rare occurrence. I’ve known him for nearly 20yrs.. He’s been a creative force since I met him and he also mentioned my son in a couple tracks he was on when he rapped which made him invincible to me, another Norf Londoner, Actor Ed Skrien.

Ed and I, we chat every so often on the phone, real great in-depth conversations that I truly look forward to and thoroughly enjoy so getting these 2 hours face to face was amazing with my brother was great. It’s been a minute. We get into loads of his history in London and specifically the influence of Camden, his unorthodox introduction to Hip Hop and how that passion grew through school years and his choices over the rest of his education. We chat about the great impact growing up in a multicultural city is like, meeting like-minded people and how Ed put his hand to many creative projects but always stayed himself. I have some great memories of the times him and the crew spent at the shop in Brighton.

He’s achieved great things for him and his family and also for the culture has from, it’s been amazing watching his come up, his music, energy on the mic and now acting in major roles around the world.. Big up Ed this is some of his story // enjoy this is F24. — Listen right to the end for a surprise throwback to 2006!

Well this recording came off the back of a really nice phone call I received earlier this year.. I first met Insa in early 2004, he had a show in Brighton and visited the gallery with from what I remember Anie, our shared acquaintance.. That year has turned out to be a very important year for Insa, wasn’t too bad for me either actually, but in 2004 Insa stated to paint his iconic heels.. 15 years ago.. geesuss that felt fast! So, the reason for the call, Insa Studios were making a film about 15 years of the heels and they wanted me to interview Insa on it and do a little voice over…Check me out! Insa’s all was lovely, we chat maybe yearly by bi yearly, a few coffees over the years, couple of business explorations and he’d been listening to the podcast and thought I was the guy for the job.. We agreed to him doing the podcast also and I got on a main line train outta St Pancras on a sunny Thursday morning down to the south coast to visit Insa at his studio and get these recordings done.
What a space! Amazing, the first things I see are 2 Japanese custom vans, one of them a gorgeous mint green / teal like with a slight diamond dust filtering the colour ever so slightly.
Then over to some old used, battered, paint splattered large wooden doors which open into his space, the perfect space, high celling, open plan with a couple of metal pillars holding the floor above. There’s a work bench, 2 paint racks, a boat, a water ski thing, paintings, signs, toys, books, sofas, a fridge, filled with Insa branded beer.. There’s an office set to the left of the space, it was an office, but the walls were covered with paintings, parts of installations, his Chris Offlie High heels, gundam robots, mad toys.. We went upstairs, where he stores most of his collection of pieces, one of each piece of clothing he has put out, shoes, trainers, heels, magazines, lighters! He collects lighters.. and finally, a photoshoot room.. it is an amazing space; one you dream of.. especially for a graffiti writer, it was a full museum telling Insa’s story all in one space.. and I was about to get the words to go along with it.. We go in with Insa, I wasn’t expecting this depth of conversation, but I shouldn’t have been surprised, standing in his studio, seeing all these achievements over the years.. of course, it was gonna be full on.. We start with his early years, family, where he grew up, school life, his interests in those early years and the run up to him moving to London. So much happened there from teaming up with some of South London s finest, iconic trackside paintings and his trip to HMP Brixton. Insa goes into depth about the experience, thoughts and his change of attitude during that spell and then how the following years panned out. We talk about his family life, adventures with his partner Ethel, being a dad, traveling the globe and setting world records and producing work in the most unlikely situations for the strangest of clients. It’s a long conversation, inspiring at many stages, rammed packed end to end with an amazing human story.. Big up Insa for having me over, a real privilege to chat to such an iconic artist, especially after all the years I’ve watched.. Go check him @insagram whilst you listen.. it’s a great one.. and its his Birthday! go holla!