Full episode now on our Patreon . Born in Portland Oregon and raised in Oklahoma City, Nuge is an icon in skateboarding who made a name for himself with classic parts in videos like Foundation’s Cataclysmic Abyss. Born to Vietnamese parents who came to America for a new life, Nuge’s childhood was largely spent coming up in Vietnamese pool halls. Eventually relocating to California to pursue skating, his early days saw him living in a legendary skate-house on Melrose dubbed “Hellrose”, an apartme...
Mar 11, 2025•51 min•Transcript available on Metacast Mar 06, 2025•54 min•Transcript available on Metacast Full episode on our Patreon. Cheryl Dunn is an American filmmaker and photographer known for documenting New York City’s downtown art and graffiti scene. Starting in the 1990s, Dunn photographed and filmed urban life, from protests to skateboarding and graffiti. Her work chronicled the spontaneous creativity that arose in public spaces, making her one of the key visual storytellers of the era. Dunn’s films and photographs document key figures in the graffiti world, including artists like Barry M...
Feb 23, 2025•1 hr•Transcript available on Metacast Full episode on Patreon. Harley Flanagan is an iconic figure within the New York Hardcore scene. At age 13 he founded the Cro-Mags; one of the most influential hardcore punk bands of the 1980s and 1990s. At age 11, Flanagan began his involvement with music drumming for the New York punk band The Stimulators. Flanagan’s early years were spent in New York City's Lower East Side, where he lived through the realities of the time. By age 10, he was living on the streets, often staying in abandon...
Feb 18, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Transcript available on Metacast Full episode now on Patreon. Devon Turnbull is a designer and artist best known for his work in high-end audio and clothing. In the audio world, Turnbull is widely respected for his custom-built, DIY high-fidelity speaker systems. Much of the foundation for his approach to art and design stems from his time spent writing graffiti throughout the New York scene. His company, Ojas, specializes in handcrafted speaker designs, often using horn-loaded and tube amplifier setups that cater to serious au...
Feb 13, 2025•1 hr 15 min•Transcript available on Metacast Full episode now on Patreon. A-Trak is a DJ & record producer who, at the age of 15, gained wide recognition becoming a World Champion turntabilist in 1997. Coming from Canada, A-Trak and his brother Dave 1 were deeply influenced by the graffiti scenes of New York, Montreal and various European cities. He is widely celebrated for significantly contributing to growth of the electronic dance music scene during the late 2000s / early 2010s. Meanwhile, Dave’s band Chromeo became a trendsetting s...
Jan 22, 2025•50 min•Transcript available on Metacast Full episode on Patreon . Christian Hosoi is a style icon within skateboarding whose rise to fame stemmed from the style and power he approached skateboarding with. Skating at an early age with the likes of the late great Jay Adams, Tony Alva and Shogo Kubo; Hosoi turned pro at 14 years old and subsequently lived a lifestyle immersed in attention and glory from the media of the day. Hosoi’s career declined in the 1990s due to a long struggle with drug addiction, which culminated in his arrest in...
Jan 14, 2025•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast Full episode now on our Patreon . GREY PVC is a legendary graffiti writer who has suffered with severe addiction to various substances and today has reached a point of stable sobriety. Through methadone, GREY was able to get off of street-drugs and develop sound and stable routines; today, he is no longer on methadone. He speaks openly about his time spent in Kensington Philadelphia buying and using drugs. As the drugs consumed his entire life, he began aggressively shoplifting to fund his drug ...
Jan 07, 2025•2 hr 35 min•Transcript available on Metacast Full episode on Patreon . ZE is a legendary graffiti writer from South Brooklyn, known for his hardcore bombing style and partnership with the late great RUSH ACID. He gained mass appeal in the early 1990s for his aggressive straightforward approach to graffiti, hitting elevated tracks, motions on subway cars, trucks and streets with legible handstyles and classic New York style throw ups using primarily chrome paint. ZE is part of the ACID Crew (Attack Crush Invade, Destroy), a graffiti crew th...
Dec 12, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Transcript available on Metacast Full episode now on our Patreon. Erik Ellington is an iconic skateboarder who is one of the original members of the Baker Skateboards and Deathwish teams. Ellington, alongside his peers, revolutionized skateboarding with legendary videos like Baker 2G, Baker 3 and The Deathwish Video. These videos presented an unfiltered view of skateboarding at the time with energy that is nearly impossible to replicate. The footage often showed them not just skating, but also fighting, partying, and struggling...
Dec 08, 2024•56 min•Transcript available on Metacast Full episode on Patreon . Todd Francis is a renowned artist, perhaps best known for creating the Anti-Hero Skateboards eagle logo, one of the most recognized symbols in skateboarding. His work often combines humor, social commentary, and a gritty aesthetic, resonating deeply with skaters who embrace skateboarding as a countercultural expression. The Anti-Hero eagle logo, designed by Todd Francis, encapsulates the brand's identity: raw, uncompromising, and steeped in skateboarding’s punk eth...
Nov 26, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Transcript available on Metacast Full episode now on Patreon. Alexis Lacroix is a skateboarder riding for Vans and the Montreal-based skate brand, Dime. Coming from the Canadian skate scene; often participating in Dime’s innovative events like the “Glory Challenge” which blend skating with unconventional challenges. His free approach to skateboarding has drawn international attention. A few years back, Alexis would travel the United States and Europe, performing music on the streets to get by. This minimalist approach to travel...
Nov 24, 2024•54 min•Transcript available on Metacast Full episode now on Patreon. Back by popular demand, POST VSOP is a legendary graffiti writer who mirrors a walking encyclopedia of New York City history. In this episode, he speaks on the sneaker culture that grew immensely in the 90s, racking history, graffiti and more. He is interviewed by Tommy Rebel and Rabbit, two legends who greatly contributed to the culture around sneakers in New York City. http://patreon.com/livingproofnewyork http://livingproofnewyork.com...
Nov 21, 2024•1 hr 23 min•Transcript available on Metacast Full episode now available on Patreon. GIZ MTA is a prominent graffiti writer from New York City. After a lifetime of sacrificing his body, mind and freedom for graffiti, GIZ has arrived at a point where his work is revered from the streets of New York City to the galleries of London, Amsterdam and Paris. His story is one of pain, joy and experience. Coming up in a crime-ridden New York City, GIZ suffered multiple stabbings from robberies over gear, served time in prison and lost many friends to...
Nov 07, 2024•57 min•Transcript available on Metacast Full episode on Patreon. ZEPHYR, born Andrew Witten, is a pioneering figure in the graffiti movement, particularly known for his contributions to the New York City subway graffiti scene in the late 1970s and early 1980s. He grew up on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, where he became inspired by the vibrant graffiti culture that was emerging around him. His work, alongside that of his peers, helped shape the aesthetic and culture of graffiti during its golden era in New York City. ZEPHYR became ...
Oct 23, 2024•46 min•Transcript available on Metacast Full episode on Patreon . OJAE FYC is an iconic graffiti writer from the Upper West Side of Manhattan who cemented himself as one of the stand-out New York City graffiti writers to become renowned globally, past the reaches of the five boroughs. Coming from a troubled home, OJAE was separated from his mother at age 4 and transferred from foster home to foster home, dealing with abuse at each one. Finding a sense of freedom and relief within graffiti, OJAE fostered the spirit of effort. His appro...
Oct 16, 2024•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast Full episode on Patreon. Jerome Peels is a skateboarder originally from Florida who founded Citibike Boyz and Peels Clothing. Citibike Boyz is an informal group of riders in New York City who gained attention for their public stunts on Citibikes, the city's shared bike rental service. Despite using bikes designed for casual commuting, CitiBike Boyz push the limits of what these rental bikes can do, which has earned them a mix of admiration and criticism. Peels Clothing is a New York-based c...
Oct 15, 2024•1 hr•Transcript available on Metacast Full episode on Patreon. Distort is a writer most known for very large scale graffiti using rollers in New York, New Jersey and Philadelphia. He hails from New Jersey and has made a significant impact on the graffiti scene in the northeastern United States. DISTORT blends graffiti with fine art, often incorporating themes of politics, mythology, and the human experience into his work. http://patreon.com/livingproofnewyork http://livingproofnewyork.com...
Oct 10, 2024•52 min•Transcript available on Metacast Full version of the episode on Patreon. Labor Skate Shop for Living Proof Radio. Opened in 2012 by James Rewolinski, Labor was founded to serve as a core skate shop for New York City. Before the rise of mainstream media and the explosion of skateboarding into the global spotlight, skate shops were the center of the skateboarding community. They weren’t just retail spaces but epicenters of culture where people went to immerse themselves. Preceding Labor, Autumn Skate Shop, which opened in the ear...
Sep 27, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Transcript available on Metacast Full episode on Patreon. Originally coming up with the Shep Dawgs crew out of Southern California. Hawk, alongside Taylor Kirby, Rowan Zorilla and Jake Hill, gained recognition from the videos that showcased the raw energy of the crew. Those videos played a crucial role in his rise within the scene, eventually leading to him turning pro for the iconic Baker Skateboards in 2013, a brand known for shaping modern street skating culture. Outside of skateboarding, Hawk practices Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, ...
Sep 21, 2024•53 min•Transcript available on Metacast Full episode now available on Patreon. Taylor Kirby is a skateboarder riding for Deathwish skateboards. Originally becoming known for his involvement with the Shep Dawgs; a skateboarding crew from Southern California that gained recognition in the early 2010s for their raw, DIY, authentic skate videos. Members of the Shep Dawgs included now well-known pro skaters such as Riley Hawk and Rowan Zorilla. Through the videos, Kirby was contacted by Brian “Slash” Hansen to ride for Deathwish. He speaks...
Sep 17, 2024•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast Full episode now available on Patreon. Graffiti on Low or No Dollars is a novel written by Elberto Muller. Muller, who lives life mostly as a drifter, writes about his experience travelling throughout North America via freight train. The book reflects on the state of American life & society today; the scamming, drugs and unorthodox ways of making a living that much of the United States has taken up to survive and get by. This episode covers many of the ideas in the book that are encountered ...
Sep 15, 2024•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast Full episode on Patreon. Pedro Delfino is a skateboarder riding for Deathwish. After his Thrasher Magazine cover in 2018, Pedro went from being relatively unknown to gaining lots of attention from the skate world. In 2021 he went pro for Deathwish Skateboards, one of the most iconic brands in the industry whose videos profoundly influenced the skateboarding world, giving a glimpse into the partying, touring and lifestyle of the Baker and Deathwish teams. He has recently released his color-way of...
Sep 13, 2024•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast Full episode now on Patreon . POST VSOP is a legendary graffiti writer who mirrors a walking encyclopedia of New York City history. In this episode, he speaks on the origins of the gear culture that engulfed the graffiti scene in the 90s, The North Face’s rise in popularity from graffiti writers to mainstream culture, the practice of loot-racking, the miniature-economy created around Ralph Lauren and the trading of pieces, old school / new school graffiti and more. He is interviewed by Tommy Reb...
Aug 16, 2024•53 min•Transcript available on Metacast Full episode now available on Patreon. CASH RFC is a graffiti writer from New York City who was one of the original members of the legendary RFC crew; a group of graffiti writers, boosters, stick up kids and hustlers who heavily influenced the gear, graffiti and downtown scene in New York throughout the 1990s. http://patreon.com/livingproofnewyork http://livingproofnewyork.com...
Aug 08, 2024•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast Full episode on Patreon . Alehsy Lambo is a multidisciplinary artist born in south Spain, he moved to Barcelona in 2015 & now lives in New York. As a kid, he fell in love with the culture of tuning cars & street racing. He captures scenes and portraits of his favorites references and shows his world in the form of blurred visions, road dreams, and a fresh touch that persists in him since his youth. Inspired by Barcelona’s underground scene and subway graffiti, he began painting graffit a...
Jul 30, 2024•43 min•Transcript available on Metacast Full episode on Patreon . Chris DAZE Ellis is a graffiti writer & artist from New York City. Painting New York City’s subway cars in 1976, DAZE is part of the 2nd generation of writers to participate in the subway movement that went on to influence street graffiti & become a cultural artifact the world over. He remains one of the few artists of his generation to make the successful transition from the subways to the studio. http://patreon.com/livingproofnewyork http://livingproofnewyork....
Jul 22, 2024•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast Full episode on Patreon. Frankie Spears speaks on preserving his body as a professional skateboarder, riding for Adidas and Alien Workshop, coming up with Tyshawn Jones and more. Frankie Spears, Father Bop & Angel in conversation. http://patreon.com/livingproofnewyork http://livingproofnewyork.com
Jul 20, 2024•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast Full episode on Patreon. Coles speaks on riding for Vans & Alltimers, touring with Bronze 56K, video parts he came up watching, New York City spots & more. Segments on our website, Youtube, iTunes & Spotify. http://patreon.com/livingproofnewyork http://livingproofnewyork.com
Jul 16, 2024•51 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Organic Grill was a restaraunt originally located in the East Village of downtown New York City. Over the years it became a staple of the neighborhood, often frequented by people within the hardcore-punk scene; members of the Cro-Mags, Madball, Youth of Today and The Gorilla Biscuits. A genuine neighborhood restaurant created by people who had real passion for what they did. After over 20 years of business, the restaurant must close its doors. New York City’s rising prices have led another n...
Jul 13, 2024•1 hr 19 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
