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 that has made a significant mark in the New York graffiti scene, with members like the late great RUSH, HOJO, DECO, GOUCH and SOBER. ZE's partnership with RUSH is particularly noted for the style and visibility of their work across Brooklyn and other boroughs. The duo's consistency and dedication have cemented their legacy in NYC graffiti history.
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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 with the highs and lows of their lives.

Ellington has been open about his personal struggles with substance abuse and subsequent sobriety after years of living the lifestyle seen in the videos. His story of positive change and optimism has left deep influence on skateboarders world wide.
With involvement in art and design throughout the multiple facets of his life, Ellington was instrumental in developing pro model skate shoes during his time with Emerica and later Supra Footwear. He played a key role in popularizing Baker’s classic aesthetic, and as one of Deathwish’s creative forces, his vision helped Deathwish become one of the legacy companies within skateboarding.

As a natural expression to other interests in his life, he has been designing luxury footwear with Human Recreational Services, as well as working on ‘Ellington’, a clothing line which will launch in due time.
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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 ethos. The design is simple yet powerful, featuring a fierce eagle clutching a ribbon with the brand name. The eagle logo is instantly recognizable, even beyond skateboarding.

Anti-Hero was founded by Julien Stranger in 1995 as a response to the corporatization of skateboarding. It was during the early days that Todd Francis began doing art for Anti-Hero. The eagle logo became a badge of honor for skaters who aligned with the brand’s ethos of rejecting the mainstream, instead embracing the rebellious, street-level essence of skateboarding.

Anti-Hero's early skate videos, such as Fucktards (1997), Cow (1998), and Cash Money Vagrant (2003), are revered for their cultural impact on skateboarding. These videos embraced a no-frills aesthetic, authentically focusing on the raw realities of skateboarding. Todd Francis’s artwork can be seen in all of Anti-Hero’s videos alongside legends like Julien Stranger, John Cardiel, Tony Trujillo, Frank Gerwer and Peter Hewitt. The artwork of Todd Francis has left a lasting impact on skateboarding culture, inspiring a generation with flashing memories of Todd’s artwork side by side a stylistic approach to street and transition skating.
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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 and sustenance allowed him to live on the road for extended periods of time, living a life where he is guided by intuition. He attributes this time period of travel as an eye opening experience that revealed to him a spiritual side of life. With years of coming up skating hyper-urban environments, he now is drawn towards connecting with what he considers to be a more “natural” side of life. Placing importance towards raising a family, he is contemplating things such as moving away from the city and even farming; all in an effort to further connect with the natural elements of life.
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http://livingproofnewyork.com

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.
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http://livingproofnewyork.com

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 street violence.

As a key member of the MTA crew, Most Talked About, GIZ contributed to the legacy of a group that became legend; not only for their volume & visibility, but also the iconic figures within the crew, include the late grate VE, and DESA. 

GIZ transitioned from illegal street graffiti to fine art and sculpture by gradually adapting his techniques into formats that could be appreciated within a gallery setting. His sculpture work brings his throw-up into a tangible, tactile form, adding a new dimension to his art and allowing him to create pieces that resonate within both urban and fine art spaces.

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http://livingproofnewyork.com

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 known as one of the original graffiti artists who elevated the art form from a street phenomenon to a recognized movement. Alongside other pioneers like DONDI, Lee Quinones, and FUTURA, ZEPHYR’s subway pieces garnered significant attention as they traveled across the city, carrying his name to a broader audience. 

As the city began to crack down on graffiti and the subway era waned, ZEPHYR transitioned into the fine art world. He started exhibiting his work in galleries, becoming one of the key figures who bridged the gap between graffiti and the mainstream art scene. ZEPHYR’s ability to adapt his style from the streets to the gallery space allowed him to remain relevant and influential in both the graffiti world and the larger contemporary art world.

He has recently published: “ZEPHYR; GRAFFITI BLACK BOOK/ SCRAP BOOK: 1978 & BEYOND”, presented by BEYOND THE STREETS
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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 approach to graffiti in sheer volume had him surpass many from his era.
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http://livingproofnewyork.com

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 clothing brand known for traditional workwear garments. Rooted in a personal connection to manual labor with inspiration from his father’s profession as a house painter, Jerome started Peels to honor the blue-color work ethic. The shirts became popular due to their simplicity and high quality. The hand-sown patches onto work shirts have been worn by the likes of Mark Gonzales, Pete Davidson, Jonah Hill and Ishod Wair.

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http://livingproofnewyork.com

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.
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http://livingproofnewyork.com

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 early 2000s and closed in 2008, was one of the pioneering shops in the city. Located near Tompkins Square Park, it played a key role in nurturing the local scene, serving as the go-to shop in the area. Autumn created a community around New York’s skateboarding culture at a time when the city lacked these locations and commercialized skateboarding had not yet taken over.

The closure of Autumn Skate Shop in 2008 left a void in the Manhattan skate scene. Labor Skate Shop stepped in just a few years later to fill that gap, continuing the legacy of community-focused, independent skate shops that prioritize local talent and the spirit of skateboarding. In a way, Labor is the torchbearer for what Autumn Skateshop represented—a space for skaters to gather, share ideas, and push the scene forward in an otherwise commercialized urban landscape. Labor has played a critical role in shaping the identity of New York City's skateboarding and while there Brooklyn location has recently closed, the doors of their Manhattan shop remain open.

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http://livingproofnewyork.com