In memoriam: James "Jim" Prigoff. 1927 - 2021

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