In memoriam: James "Jim" Prigoff. 1927 - 2021
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I did not know Jim Prigoff well but was delighted to be able to ask him a few questions during the Urban Creativity Conference in 2020, when he participated in an on-line Q&A session together with Henry Chalfant and Susan Farell. Jim answered candidly and made quite a livelyimpression in spite of his respectable age.We stayed in touch after the conference via e-mail, discussing the origins and trajectory of style writing and were plannning an audio interview for my podcast. That was, sadly, never to be recorded but he did humbly devote the time and effort to type down some lenghty and super interesting answers to some of the many questions I had. I was planning to try and get it published as an article sometime down the line but learning of Jims recent passing, it feels more appropriate to make it available here, for free and as a tribute to his work.This interview was conducted on the 20:th July 2020. I am very happy that I got the chance to thank the man for producing works as Spraycan Art. A book that left an immense imprint on me, and so many other kids in the 80´ies with over 250 000 sold (racked?) units. It was tremendously inspiring to discuss various graffiti-related topics with a man of such insights and passion for art and culture As a graffiti writer and chronicler:I salute you Mr Prigoff! SGP: To graffiti-aficionados, I would claim you became a household name in conjunction with the release of the book Spraycan Art.By then, in 1987, you were 60 years of age.I would like to know what you did before this.What was your childhood like and what was your relation to art and expressions in the public space before graffiti came along? Jim: My life history was that of a middle- class child growing up in suburban NY. There was every expectation that I would go to college, get a good job, and have a successful business career. My mother took me to Museums and in general I was a visually oriented person. At age 40, I became interested in tracking and documenting murals and community art particularly as it had political reference. I began to see tags appearing and photographed some. As the art form developed and became more sophisticated, I incorporated it into my mural search wanting to give dignity and respect to this new burgeoning form of art expression. SGP: What are your earliest meetings with, or memories of (style writing)graffiti and what did you make of it? Jim: I remember seeing BIO, BRIM, MED, T-KID TAGS in the Bronx and then some of Keith Haring’s characters in the early 80’s. A Samo here and a Sane there. Going to Freedom’s tunnel on the west side. Tracking Lee, Vulcan, Daze, Crash, Blast, Phase 2, Tracy and so many others. SGP: How did you go about approaching it and learning more about it? Jim: In the early eighties I began to meet some of the writers, particularly on the west coast when I moved in 1981. The TMF crew, TDK crew and TWS, writers that I am still in touch with to this day. Also, many of the writers in LA like Slick, Hex, Chaz, Risk etc. As the writing moved from tags to pieces, I recognized the skill involved and became interested in following its development as well as to give respect and dignity to those creating the art. I watched the writers creating their pieces, talked to them about the culture to understand their motivation,creativity, and how it was becoming such an important part of their lives. I remember inviting the TMF crew to my home in SF. to do an in-depth interview with them. SGP: When did you first cross paths with Henry Chalfant and how did you come to work on the book together? Jim: Tony Silver came to see me when he was working on Style Wars, hoping I would have some ideas for fund raising to help finance the film. He mentioned his film partner, Henry Chalfant and suggested I should meet him when I was next in NYC. When I decided to do a book of how the art came above ground from
