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You seem to do basically characters, how come you don't make pieces with letters, and have you always been doing mostly characters?
In my whole "career" I've done 3 or 4 pieces with letters. They were the first pieces I did, and they looked like garbage. If you got a God-given talent for playing ping-pong, it's kind of silly trying to become a champion chess player. Play ping-pong, for Christ's sake. I found it much easier and much more fun to do characters. I'm probably not so strong on abstract thinking, so characters are something I can understand. If they smile, they're happy.

Please tell a bit about your illustration studies. Did it learn you alot about technicues or have you learned most of it on your own ? And if you hadn't studied illustration do you think you would have studied something else?
I haven't really studied illustration as such - I went to a 2-year basic art school around 93-94, learning a little about the stuff you probably need to know, such as colour, composition and things like that. After that I tried to get in to Kunst- og håndverksskolen (Norway's biggest art school), but they didn't want me. I was disappointed, but I figured that if they didn't need me I didn't need them. I've been working on my own since then, and most of what I know I've learnt by myself. It's OK, but you get a little stuck in your own ways - which is what people think of as "style", I guess. If I hadn't become an illustrator I'd probably be a carpenter, hammering wood all day long.

Most writers have alot of memories from when they've been out painting. Do you have any good or bad graffiti memories that you can share?
Nah... I like finding a nice big quiet wall, bringing a couple of boxes of cans, some music, orange juice, Maryland cookies and cigarettes, and paint until I'm finished. I guess I'm a cowardly, take-no-chances kind of guy. I'm not into running from the cops down the trainyard kind of stuff. Not that there's anything wrong with that, of course. I could, though, tell about the time I stood in front of a really good wall, my sketches were nice, the birds were singing and the sun shone and I had all the paint I needed. That's a good graffiti memory. It just doesn't make a very interesting story, that's all.

Is spraycans still your main tool or have you gone more over to airbrush and acrylics with brushes?
Pencils have always been my main tool. I've always considered myself a draughtsman more than anything else. Still, I've painted quite a bit the last few years, honing that craft, and spraycans are definitely the tools of choice for the discerning craftsman. Indeed. I like to be able to do anything, I use acrylics or watercolors or markers or a Macintosh, it doesn't really make a difference as long as it suits my needs, rings my bell, blows my whistle, honks my horn, squeezes my lemon, pleases my eye, whatever.

Do you have some kind of idea about things you want to express with each piece, and do you have something that you express most often lately?
The overall theme of all my pieces of late is, I think, my all-pervading sense of human ugliness. I'm honestly planning to do some happy, feel-good stuff too.

Many writers seem to travel a lot around in Europe painting in other cities. Do you do this too?
No, I don't like travelling. It's a hassle.

You are very experienced and your paintings are on a pretty high level. Do you still have others that you look up to and who would that be?
That's the most irritating part of all: No matter how hard you work, no matter how good you become, there's always some fucker better than you. It's annoying, I can tell. But it's true: Once you start comparing yourself with others, you end up dissatisfied and miserable. So I try not to. Some of the best stuff I've seen in years is "Eightball" by Daniel Clowes. It's so good I wanted to quit drawing. So I quit reading his cartoons and kept on drawing instead. Now I'm happy and ignorant.

What is a normal day for you like. Do you work for a company or freelance illustrations mostly ? And is there types of illustration jobs you say no thanks to?
I wake up too late, eat my breakfast, read the news, sit around staring at the walls for some inspiration, fail finding inspiration in the walls, get frustrated, sleep some more, eat some dinner, read a book, go out and drink a few beers, then a few more, go to sleep too late. Wake up too late, eat my breakfast etc. I work as a freelance illustrator only. I don't want a steady job. I get bored by repetitive tasks, and I don't like bosses. I usually turn down illustration jobs that are boring and underpaid. Come to think of it... Almost all my illustration jobs are boring and underpaid. Damn. Well then: I don't do drawings that involves children or animals. I only draw consenting adults.

How do you see your own future?
Bright. Glorious. Thousands of female fans tearing at my mansion doors. Talk shows. Jet planes. Gallery owners in large cities praying on their knees to exhibit my work. Lung cancer.

If you would be able to change something in the graffiti culture or in society in general what would that be?
That's a big question, now isn't it? I'd like to see The Official Separation of Writers and Vandals. They haven't got anything in common, so why not live happily each on their own? If that's too much to ask, I'd wish the bombers would spend a little time working on their tags. If they're determined to bomb the fuck out of everything, you can't stop them, but at least they could do it with a little style. Oslo is drowning in shitty tags. As for society in general: I think world peace would be nice.

Do you have any tips for others trying to learn to make characters?
Hard work. Can't beat it. And if you bite - do it so good no-one notices.

Any last words or something special you want to say?
Spray paint is just a tool.

Questions answered honestly and truthfully by Coderock via e-mail. Thank the Lord for the blessings of the Modern World.

Coderock can be contacted at: coderock@start.no