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IZ THE WIZ: THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME!!


Zed_Eastwood

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IZ THE WIZ All time all-city king

 

Aliases: IZZY, CI (CRAZY IZ), IKE 327, CLICK

Started: 1972 Primary affiliations: TMB, POG, TOP, 3YB, TC Local origin: Queens, NY

Main lines: ALL CITY

 

IZ THE WIZ is without question one of New York City's most prolific writers. IN aka KILL 3 is credited with the most extensive all-city bomb in NYC during 1975 and 76, but IZ was the longest reigning all-city king in NYC history, taking the title many times throughout the 1970s and 1980s.

 

IZ was well known for his throw-ups in the mid 1970s on the IND and BMT subway divisions. In the late 1970s he broadened his focus by working on top-to-bottoms, burners and scenery whole cars on the presteigious 2 and 5 lines of the IRT subway division. During this period he silmultaneously maintained all-city throw-up king status.

 

He painted for a variety of top level crews. He has served as president of The Master Blasters and the Queens division of Prisoners Of Graffiti. He has also painted for The Odd Partners, The Crew, The Three Yard Boys and others too numerous to mention. IZ appeared in the documentary film Style Wars and portrayed a transit police detective in the film Wild Style. His work has been displayed in museums and gallerys throughout the world.

 

What year did you first start writing?

Started street taggin' in '72.

 

Who got you in to it?

EPIC 1&2, VINNY and The 102 Park Boys. Seeing VINNYs and CLIFFs.

 

What was the first line that you hit?

Did a couple of throw-ups on the As. First started ragging E coal mines.

 

Where did you catch those at?

E Yard, Linden Boulevard right across from the housing projects. Never seen a little ol' white boy like me running around the fuc*in' neighborhood

 

Which writers were most inspiring to you for pieces and throw ups?

TRACY was already out. He had some nice sh*t. Dean was very influential in like me doing window downs de-de-de-de-de-de (Referring to families) I brought that to the As 'cause it was like on the IRTs.

 

Oh, so that originated on the IRTs then?

IN Originated it. I just keep his hope alive, his dream goin' you know. It was really a whole bunch of guys COSA, DIZZY ONE, TEAR, UNCLE JOHN. A whole bunch of guys.

 

Who were like your main writing partners from that era?

My first writing partners. I used to write with EPIC 1 & 2, I used to write with FI 1. I used to write with VINNY, EVIL 13. I went bombing once with JESTER. That sh*t was sweet. It was me, JESTER, WIZZ ONE and 00One (Double O One). And it was like me and JESTER, we were the die hards we kept on bombing till there was no more paint.

 

How many whole cars do you think you produced?

Whole cars? You mean like burner top-to-bottom jammies? Oh I don't know, I never counted but I know in the years 81-82 I did no less than 25, and that was just in that time period. I mean, there are people who who have pictures of my whole cars that I don't even have that I forgot I did.

 

Which writers do you remember as being the first real kings of the As?

Well besides VINNY, you had BOD, he was up. TEE and STIM were up a lot after VINNY faded away For a little while CLIFF 159 was the man when those Ding-Dongs came out. Forget about it! He had every single panel. Raggin' them shi*s.

 

CLIFF even had a PAZ 2 tag running on an A Ding-Dong up till 1982.

All due respect to you, I understand a PAZ 2 tag is exciting to you, but I'm talkin' every fuc*in' Ding-Dong had a CLIFF on it, on the middle panel. Every car, alright. I don't think he missed a single train.

 

He must have been on a serious mission.

Not even VINNY did that sh*t!

 

I remember FLINT 707 on plenty of Coal mines. I mean these guys were my heroes. Ya know what I mean. Piecing on a fuc*in' E train next to a TRUE 1 piece. Know what I mean. That's an orgasm for me.

 

How did you meet CAZ 2?

I met CAZ through CISCO. I thought he was a nice guy, but the fellas used to say CAZ was a sucker, but he wasn't a sucker because he didn't believe in stealing paint. You know if he was down to bomb, but anyway for about ten or twenty cans of paint I bought a Corderfeild coat off of him when Corderfeilds were in style with the fur collars. So that's how I met him. He wanted to trade cans for his coat. His father found out about it and was pissed. I had to give him his coat back. He said he would owe me some cans. I said don't worry about it. Let's talk to these other guys see if we can do something. We did something. We did a lot of something!

 

Yeah. I remember all that bombing all-city.

He supplied the get-high and I supplied the paint ya know. It was a pretty good partnership. Ha ha.

 

from...http://www.at149st.com/index.html Interview by SPAR

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IZ THE WIZ..THE PASSING OF A LEGEND!

WHEN I 1ST STARTED WRITING ALL THOSE YEARS AGO..IZ WAS ALREADY A LEGEND..BUT NOT A LEGEND THAT HAD RETIRED..BUT A TRUE LIVING LEGEND..STILL BOMBING HARD AND WITH NO INTENTION OF STOPPING.

I REMEMBER I WAS A SOPHMORE IN H.S...I HAD JUST STARTED BOMBING HARD ON THE A LINE WITH THE KSW CREW AND I WAS ON THE ROCKAWAY BLVD STOP TAKING PICTURES..THIS OLDER GUY WALKS UP 2 ME N THE KID I WAS WITH AND ASKED US IF WE WRITE..HE LOOKED LIKE A COP 2 ME..SO I DIDNT SAY NOTHING..I JUST KEPT WATCHING THE TRAINS..MY FRIEND FOR WHATEVER REASON STARTED TALKING TO HIM AND HE TOLD US HE WAS IZ THE WIZ..I JUST GLANCED BACK AND SAID WHATS UP..BUT INSIDE I WAS LIKE.."OH SHIT./.THATS IZ...HOLY SHIT".I WENT BACK AND TOLD HIM I WROTE DEMER AND HE WAS LIKE "OH YEAH..SEEN U GETTIN UP WITH MEGA AND AZ..NICE WORK"..THIS FROM THE ALL CITY KING...WE TALKED FOR A BIT AND HE GOT ON THE TRAIN AND LEFT..A FEW WEEKS LATER ME,AZ AND MEGA BUMP INTO HIM AGAIN AND THIS TIME HE INVITES US TO GO HIT THE GRANT AVE LAYUP WITH HIM..WE WENT AND IT WAS A GREAT MOMENT FOR ME IN GRAFF TO GO BOMBIN WITH IZ...

OVER THE YEARS WE HUNG A FEW MORE TIMES THEN WE LOST TOUCH..HE RETIRED WHEN THE TRAINS DIED AND MOVED DOWN TO FLORIDA..WE HAD HEARD HE WAS SICK BUT IN GRAFF UNLESS YOU HEAR IT FROM THE PERSON YOU NEVER KNOW WHATS TRUE..

WHEN I SAW HIM NEXT I COULD SEE THAT HE WAS THE OLD MIKE I REMEMBERED PHYSICALLY BUT THE SPIRIT WAS STILL THERE...WE TALKED AND WE BUGGED OUT ON THAT 1ST MEETING HOW NON CHALANT I WAS IN MEETING HIM..

AS ALWAYS WHEN SOMEONE PASSES YOU THINK DAM..WISH WE HAD HUNG OUT MORE AND THIS IS NO EXCEPTION...

 

IZ THE WIZ..THE MASTER BLASTER..A TRUE LEGEND IN A TIME WHEN THE WORD LEGEND HAS LOST ITS MEANING BECAUSE ITS SO OVERUSED AND UNDERESTIMATED..

YOU WILL BE MISSED MIKE..MY BOMBING HERO...

 

DEMEROCK WALLNUTS

VICIOUS STYLES!!

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Rockn in paradise! Play some black sabbath and enjoy those trains up there. We will hold it down for ya here and let them know you're still around from time to time. The master blaster thankyou. You were one of a kind. True legend and king you will me missed!

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Rest in paradise... I dont know IZ personally but i am thankful to him becouse he is one of the reasons that i am doing what i do now... I will awlays remember a true legend like IZ the WIZ!

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I just found out about this this afternoon, and I was sadened. I was fortunate enough to meet Iz and talk trains, etc, past present and future at the Steel Wheels show this past October. He was a humble, down to earth guy, and I didn't even feel worthy to be in his presence, but he made me comfortable, and had no ego, like a lot of people I've met over the years who couldn't even accomplish an 1/8 of what he did. Pioneer, Legend, and King, he will be missed, and remembered always. God speed my friend, R.I.P.

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I just found out about this this afternoon, and I was sadened. I was fortunate enough to meet Iz and talk trains, etc, past present and future at the Steel Wheels show this past October. He was a humble, down to earth guy, and I didn't even feel worthy to be in his presence, but he made me comfortable, and had no ego, like a lot of people I've met over the years who couldn't even accomplish an 1/8 of what he did. Pioneer, Legend, and King, he will be missed, and remembered always. God speed my friend, R.I.P.

 

 

BUMP!

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lucky to have had a short conversation with him in ATL last year.. CLASSIC CAT...

 

Man........I remember reading about dude in magazines growing up and then to have even been on the flyer for this last Steel Wheels show with IZ on the flyer too......I tripped out! Not for the sake of being a dick jockey but I looked at it like a chance to pay my respects in person in a sincere fashion.

I sent some stuff but didn't go and now realize what a reminder it is that people CAN die on a minutes notice! It happened to my father with no notice.......and death is iminent. Relish the moment and remember the missions with your boys!

 

Rest In Peace IZ THE WIZ

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