IZ Aqueduct (1983), Photo by Tod Lange
Pound for pound, Michael “IZ THE WIZ” Martin is the undisputed all-time, all-city king that made all the writers from Queens be extremely proud to come from this glorious borough. IZ’s shadow looms large in the annals of Graffiti in NYC and whatever far corners of the world this urban subculture spread to. I asked long time writing partner SAR TMB to give me some IZ-related recollections and stories, thank you for the insights buddy! (This article originally appeared in Queens Graffiti Legends Vol 2.)
Where did you grow up and what are your earliest memories of seeing Graffiti?
(SAR) I grew up in South Queens, Richmond Hill/Ozone Park. My earliest memories of graffiti was a DINO piece on Jamaica Avenue-98th St and VINNY/SHORTY13 pieces on all the garbage trucks that came up my block. My friend SIKE started writing and he was 3-years-older than me, so I wanted a name like his.
When and how did you meet IZ?
(SAR) 1978; I was with my friend NOVA (George O’Malley, Rest In Peace) and we were on the A layup tagging and taking pictures. We saw SACH, who we knew, he lived on my block and he was with IZ. They had did CT (CRAZY TODD )and CI (CRAZY IZ) throw ups. We walked up on them and IZ said; ‘Guys , what’s up?’ He said he was CI, and I told him, you’re IZ, I know, I wrote with SIKE, CI is short for Crazy IZ, he laughed and he said he was bringing back the POG (Prisoners Of Graffiti) crew and he was a recruiter, and he put me in POG. I was excited.
What are some of the earliest IZ pieces you recall seeing?
(SAR) IZ ‘THE MASTER OF REALITY’ whole car, IZ-IKE-SIKE whole car, FANE-IZ T2B whole car and my favorite all fed color ‘IZ THE WIZ’ with flames. I did a tribute to that piece when he passed away.
Did IZ serve as a mentor to you and other writers?
(SAR) He was a mentor by nature, a humble historian of the movement.
I know IZ didn’t start TMB, at what point did he take it over and put you down?
(SAR) IZ was TMB, period. TMB was started in the Lower East Side about the winter of 1975. Original members were WEO, AT, CISCO PEO, CAZ, CY, CL, CJ, FLEA, LEE TF5, IZ THE WIZ to name a few. Later was SACH, SAKE, MIN, QUIK, SAGO, PADE, SIR, KB, SIKO, MIDG, SAR, CAVS ,SIEN 5, SHONE , ASIS, KEY. IZ took it over in 1977 with CAZ. IZ made me Vice President in 1990. I run TMB today, I have a West Coast chapter: ZOKES, MOES, VENTA, CRAZY LARRY, GABY, DEGO—who do freights and keep it going.
What year do you recall IZ branching out from his home line and start bombing other lines?
(SAR) First of all I will start at the beginning. IZ’s first name was SCAT, then he changed to BENZ, then CLICK 2, then MIKE, then he dropped the M and wrote IKE and added 327 to it. Supposedly his locker number at John Adams High School in Ozone Park. Then the top crew 2 letter name influences like, TO, OI, he changed his name to IZ, but continued to write IKE as well. Before IZ wrote with the TMB crew, IZ wrote with Queens writers. He hung around the legendary 102 park on Liberty Avenue and played basketball. There he met the first writers from that neighborhood: VINNY, DUSTER 1, BLITZ, KICK 112, TRIP-1, SHORTY13, CAPTAIN AMERICA, FI-1, KZ, DEE, SI. DUSTER told VINNY that IKE was up and coming and that he should take him under the wing, so VINNY took IZ all city and showed him New Lots, Utica, City Hall, The 7 yard etc… VINNY slowed down by 1977, made a big comeback in 1980 and then quit. IZ kept on going. He teamed up with FI ONE, MICKEY, HURST, JEE, DEE, KZ. MONZA. He met FANE 2 aka PI-2 aka CIPPY, and they teamed up and went on a bombing rampage around the city. FANE 2 was also a TOP crew member from East New York. IZ lived in foster homes then to pursue bombing, he left home, lived in a friends garage, an abandoned ambulance and then ended up at the YMCA in the Lower East Side. That’s where he teamed up with CISCO and the TMB crew. IZ and CISCO went to the 6 line in 1977 and destroyed, giving TAKE 5 some competition. By 1977, IZ and CAZ were the only active TMB members and they continued to bomb together. Life came full circle, when IZ came back to Queens, where he met SACH in 1978. SACH had been tagging insides and had just started to learn to piece. IZ took him under the wing along with his friend SAKE. IZ wouldn’t let SACH use the good colors at the beginning, like me, we were bad, LOL.
Any memorable recollections of bombing with him?
(SAR) One of my favorite memories… IZ and I went to the A layup in the rain and did about 20 cars of insides. We had all different markers: minis, unis, pilots; we spent a few hours, bombed it. Another great night doing top to bottoms, and watching them run the next morning. While we were in the layup, JY and SAKE were drinking beers at 102 Park and came up and joined us.
Any memories of when Style Wars was being filmed & did you know he was going to be so prominently featured in it?
(SAR) Nope! Style Wars is a snapshot of 1982, NYC writers know that. The rest of the world sees it as an end all, it’s not, there were thousands of writers from 1969-1982, before that movie. Some writers featured in that movie did five pieces in their whole life, and they are memorialized like they were a king, but Henry did what was never done before, so it’s still important to document the procedure and history. Too much emphasis on that movie.
How many pieces do you think IZ painted during the train era?
(SAR) Millions!
Some IZ aliases: IKE, IZZY, CI ( Crazy Iz) & simply MIKE sometimes, any others you remember?
(SAR) I listed them up top: SCAT, BENZ, CLICK 2, CI, MIKE, IKE, IZ, IZ THE WIZ.
Question by SIAR: IZ had a brief war with SACH in the early 80’s, is it true it was over some stolen paint?
(SAR) Nope, QUIK instigated that during the filming of Style Wars.
As the train era ended, how did IZ come to be involved with the Phun Phactory (later 5 Pointz)?
(SAR) Pat Dillilo sought him out, he was an anti-graffiti advocate, who later embraced graffiti and got grants to start the Phun Phactory, where if you promised you wouldn’t do illegal graffiti, you were allowed to paint there, even though that was not the case. Pat ended being a fan and he had an amazing photo collection, he passed away about 10 years ago.
When did he move out of NYC?
(SAR) IZ worked with me as a bag handler at the airport until he got sick and needed a kidney transplant. Once he was too sick to work, his wife Kate left him when and so he moved to Florida with his step-brother Pete. In Florida, he met Brenda, he was with her for quite a few years, she was an ex-addict and lost her leg because of drug use. She dragged him to Ohio. He came home to find her with someone else, so he left and moved back to Florida, that’s where he passed away. He came up for a Tuff City show, but was very sick and probably should not have did all that, after the show he flew back to Florida and passed away the next day in his sleep. He was on a list many years for a kidney transplant. His high blood pressure hurt his kidneys, among other theories he believed.
Is it fair to say IZ is, by sheer numbers alone, the all-time biggest bomber in NYC Graf history?
(SAR) Without question or reservation.
How would you like IZ to be remembered?
(SAR) There were kings of insides, kings of a line, kings of bombing, kings of throw-ups, kings of style, kings of freights, kings for a time…. But only one king of kings. All-city from the beginning to the clean train movement; he did it all and dominated for decades. Galleries, movies, books; he’s memorialized. In his own words: “You Can Erase The Name But Not The Fame!!!”
