Interview with MEWS from TITS Crew

Whats your favorite spot in LA to get some tacos?

Burrito King on Sunset and Alvarado in Echo Park. Their al pastor is my go to taco. I'm also loving Diablo on Sunset despite their tag line. Delicious 'fusion' tacos and great beer selection. Might just catch a few of TITS Crew relaxing there at the bar on any given day.

Favorite colors for a quick throw up?

You can never go wrong with black and white, flip it to white and black depending on the surface.

The last production you did with your crew mates, how would you describe it?

The last real production was probably at Graffiti House LA. It was Clown, Spe 136, Sket and I, along with our friends Seroe and Nick Sawyers. Last minute plans to paint there and we threw it together on the spot but we moved as a unit and knocked out the whole back wall. It's one of my favorite things we've painted together in a while. Things just clicked.

What has graffiti given to you that no other experience in life has?

It's been the best of times, it's been the worst of times. The friendships and comradery have been the best result. I've gained a whole new family that would do anything for me and vice versa.

What role has graffiti played in your career choices?

Skateboarding brought me into graffiti, and graffiti in turn led me to graphic design and illustration. I ended up working in the skateboard industry for years along with advertising and toy design. I owe it all to graffiti and the lessons I learned from it.

As we get older and wiser our motivations and influence change. What are yours currently?

Every member of TITS brings a lot of motivation and influence to the table for me. We're a pretty diverse group of people that all do different things outside of graffiti and I think it works out well to push each other in new directions and looking at things from a new perspective. Los Angeles has a great art and graffiti scene going down right now and I've been motivated by a lot of the amazing artists I've been meeting that have no attitude and treat people like real human beings, no matter who they are or their stature in their particular scene. That's the way it should be in my eyes.

Recently some member of TITS were painting live at the art walk in Koreatown, how was that experience?

Clown was invited to paint there with Rezoe and Flyer and I just came in on the assist like we always do for each other. It was a nicely done event, great response from the neighborhood and the guys at Novel Cafe that organized the event took care of us well. They're just getting started and I can't wait for the next one.

Are there any future plans that our LATACO readers be looking out for from TITS?

We recently launched an online store selling some shirts and beer coozies that will be updated with new products in the near future (timeistooshort.storenvy.com). We want to stress that we're not a clothing company, just a family of guys making things we enjoy and putting the funds into the greater good of the group. Other than that, as much painting and having fun as possible. We have big plans for lots of walls this Summer all over Los Angeles and beyond.

Use one word to describe each member of TITS:
Clown - bruce
Potna - ert
Slie - snapback
Mez - drop
Jay Smith - microphone
Zack Stover - glasses
Dease - entomology
Spe136 - beer
Sket One - bubbles
Pear - halen
Hesk - diamond
Drane - schwinn
Paydirt - potato
Nots - unicycle
Jaws - viking
Retro - pitbull
Money Shot - hammer
Seroe - plastisol
Hype - hyper

Being so well traveled where is your favorite city to paint and why?
Santa Cruz is probably my favorite place to go back to and paint now. Most of the crew is able to meet up there if they aren't already there and the whole town comes out and supports us. When we paint there as a crew, it turns more into a family reunion than just a bunch of guys standing around writing their nicknames on a wall.

Do you have any personal plans for DesignerCon this coming year?
I have a booth with my company, HACHI Supply (www.hachisupply.com). We make artist-designed dog collars, leashes, and beds. The roster for this season is Dalek, Tristan Eaton, SEEN, TADO, and UPSO. I also have a toy release and signing that I can't talk about yet. Sket and the company he works with, Bad Juju has some big things in the works, also.

Photos provided by Erwin Recinos and Clown TITS Crew. Keep up with TITS Crew on Instagram @therealtitscrew.