Won Kim (A K A Revise CMW)
GRAFFITI ARTIST | 28 | NEAR NORTH SIDE
Everyone has their own methods -- how to do things, how to get things done. As long as they get it done. I remember me and a friend took almost four hours to do just simple bubble letters 'cause we were watching our backs the whole time.
We had this crazy spot downtown where we had to rappel ourselves down off of one story. It wasn't that far down, but I suck at climbing. As I was going [back] up, my grip slipped, and I grabbed on, and the rope burned all the way down. It tore up my hand, but I had to get up, I had to keep going. It hurt, so I just kept falling. I'm like, 'Leave me here, I'll figure my way out somehow.' I had to put 20 Band-Aids on each hand. It was just raw. Another time, I was climbing up a spot on Fullerton. You know the razor-wire fence on the Fullerton Red line? I got caught in it, and I was almost hanging upside-down by the third rail, which isn't fun. I still have a hole in my leg from that.
The impression is we're terrorists or have no respect for anything. But so many people do follow a set of rules. I haven't seen too many people write on churches when they can, or public schools. A lot of people hit mom-and-pop shops, which I think is f----- up. To each their own, I guess. I told myself not to paint on public schools or churches, places that are trying to do good.
Cops get surprised, and then they start making fun of me, which is fine. 'Shouldn't you be good in math?' 'What are you, an accountant?' Blah, blah, blah.
I'm not old-school at all. I'm intermediate-school, let's just say. I started in the mid-'90s. Back then, there was a sense of, 'Hey, let's fight the system, the yuppies, whatever.' They won. They're killing us . . . It takes [the city] maybe 10 buffs to wipe out a whole f-----' wall.
I don't know where all my money goes. I think I'm living the artist's life by spending all the time and going out. It doesn't help that I DJ and know a lot of friends that DJ. You have to go out and support them. I'm starting to save now and be more of a hermit crab. I have all these projects I have to finish up. But nothing beats a good ol' f------ tag in the winter.
I have clients -- these are people who are like two years older than me that I grew up around, and they're yuppies now. They're like, 'Oh, man, I would love to have that [painting] in my house.' I'm like, 'Well, just so you know, that came out of me tagging your garbage can 10 years ago. Everything you think is so pretty used to be s--- in your eyes before. It's almost like I'm fooling them. I'm like, 'You know what? You should pay for it now.'
"This Much I Know" offers first-person accounts of unusual professions and life experiences. Got an idea for one? Email mthomas@suntimes.com.
