may 7, bern //... I was up in our beloved Berlin last week, and had the chance to drop in on the 'family'... the good brothers at the Hip Hop Stutzpunkt, in Prenzlauerberg. great to see Don Zaza in the offices as well... founder of succesful street-writing project CubaBrasil (go to www.cubabrasil.net for some killer angles of Don and his team bringing the art to the Cuban people... and the authorities), and editor of last year's Backjumps graffiti catalogue. of course I miss wonderful Kiki, who originally introduced me to Akim and the boys and was a fixture of the project from the start, but is now in demand elsewhere. anyways last summer I helped Akim, Tobias and the organization to bring to life the Stutzpunkt in an old power generating facility here in the heart of East Berlin... and the friendships have stayed important to me. ok my knowledge of hiphop and beatboxing and writing is pretty limited but all together the experience was an important part of melting into Berlin and better understanding the street.

now, so many months later, moving around Deutschland and beyond, I still try to always find time to come in and chill in the office and relate about the challenges, good and bad, of the creative life. Akim Walta is easily one of the most inspiring figures I have met in the business, on either side of the Atlantic.

anyways, other than book publishing on street culture and graffiti, with From Here To Fame (www.fromheretofame.com), the building also houses the offices of On The Run (www.ontherun.de), a retailer of killer markers and art supplies for street writers. the scene seems to meet here and I am honoured to be something of an honorary member.    

on the left is brother Bjorn... I met him last summer at Stutzpunkt and respect this guy a lot. a fighter, a hard-worker and a smart dude all under one slanted ballcap. we have chilled a few times together with Gregor and have riffed for the last year on none other than the reputable Chuck Norris... I am a sucker for a Chuck proverb. like the one that Bjorn told me the other day: "When Chuck Norris falls in the water, he doesn't get wet... the water gets Chuck Norris." I have an undying appetite for these jokes and promised him that I would post this one with a picture of the man himself. word...