In this episode of the Cruel City Podcast, we catch up with Mayoe — a prolific U.S. graffiti writer known for his relentless tagging, spot awareness, and low-key personality. Balancing a regular office job with an active life in the streets, Mayoe describes himself as someone living a double life: staying anonymous in daily routines while spending his free time skating, exploring cities, and getting his name up wherever he can.

Like many writers, his entry point into graffiti came through skateboarding. Growing up in a small Midwestern town with little visible graffiti, he first encountered the culture during trips to bigger cities like Chicago and Los Angeles. Without a local scene around him, the early internet became his classroom — especially sites like Art Crimes — where he shared sketches and looked for feedback long before social media made graffiti more accessible.

Mayoe started painting around 2006 and spent his first years largely isolated from other writers. It wasn’t until he moved to San Francisco that he connected with a real graffiti community. The Bay Area’s dense, walkable environment and strong tagging culture had a huge impact on him, pushing him toward the kind of small, tucked-away “cuddy” spots that became central to his approach. That influence still shapes his work today, even after relocating to Chicago, where he notes a stronger focus on fills compared to San Francisco’s tag-heavy tradition.

Throughout the conversation, Mayoe is notably humble about his own style, describing it as something he’s still figuring out. Rather than chasing recognition through large pieces, he naturally gravitated toward volume and placement — building a reputation for being everywhere at once. He talks about the satisfaction of hearing that someone spotted his tag in an unexpected place, calling that kind of reach the highest compliment a tagger can get.

Surface and longevity also play into his strategy. He prefers aged, weathered materials — especially rusted metal and untouched brick — partly for their texture, but also because they’re less likely to be buffed quickly. That attention to spot selection, he explains, is just as important as the lettering itself.

Mayoe also reflects on the learning curve in graffiti. He describes his early years in San Francisco as being a “king toy” — someone with lots of spots but weak style — and sees that phase as common. In his view, writers either refine their work ethic into stronger graffiti over time or eventually drop off. For those starting out, he estimates it takes at least a few years of consistent practice to become solid.

Despite years of illegal activity, his encounters with law enforcement have mostly resulted in warnings or brief detentions rather than serious charges. One of his most memorable periods came from graffiti-related community service in San Francisco, where arrested writers were assigned together to buff walls — ironically creating a space where he met many respected figures in the scene.

When asked about influences, Mayoe points to high-volume taggers known for hard-to-reach placements and wide geographic spread. He credits seeing their work in unlikely places as a major motivation in his own approach, reinforcing his focus on coverage rather than single standout pieces.

At its core, his philosophy stays simple: graffiti should remain fun. He avoids scene politics, values respect between writers, and tries not to go over others’ work unless there’s real conflict. For the next generation, his advice is direct — take it less seriously, enjoy the process, and keep painting for the right reasons.

After nearly two decades of writing, Mayoe says he’d like to be remembered not for ego or reputation, but simply as someone who was cool to others — and who got up a lot.

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Out on the rails, where freight trains move through vast yards, a different kind of order once ruled – built not by laws but by unwritten codes passed hand to hand. This story unfolds in Who Regulates Graffiti: Inside America’s Freight Yards, a look at how taggers kept their own peace without police or policy. Now things shift; old ways crack under new pressures.

On freight trains, graffiti grew as rails spread across North America near the end of the last century. Instead of staying put, marked cars moved between areas, carrying images far beyond their origin. During the eighties and nineties, that movement linked artists across vast distances. Recognition came not by chance but through steady effort, smart spots, and honoring the spaces where crews tagged. Distance shaped influence; wheels turned walls into messages seen coast to coast.

In hidden freight zones, guarded by private oversight, authors shaped quiet agreements about behavior. Rules appeared over time – skip official track symbols, honor pieces already there, cause little fuss, grasp how each yard evolved. Standing came from years spent, not titles; newcomers learned by walking beside veterans, not lectures. Authority grew where effort showed, passed hand to hand without speeches.

Out in the rail yards, where Acet leaves his mark, old rules still shape how some move through these hidden zones. If someone paints atop essential signs, drops supplies carelessly, or covers up another’s piece without thought, he steps in – no warning. This kind of hands-on correction used to keep things running smoothly far from streetlights and oversight. What stands out is not just what he does, but how quietly it echoes systems long faded from official view.

Right off, screens changed everything – those old freight tags now flash worldwide in seconds. Yet that reach? It frayed the quiet handoffs between seasoned crews and kids learning names on boxcars. Fewer veterans stick around to explain where lines are drawn behind fences. Without those talks at midnight sidings, blind moves pile up. Yards feel looser now, edges sharper, respect thinner than before. Some spots run wild because basics got lost in translation.

Focusing on effort behind lasting freight graffiti, the film looks at gathering supplies, facing harsh conditions, coping when pieces vanish overnight, sticking with it across many years. Commitment shapes those who keep going – what matters most is routine, patience, showing up again and again.

A world runs beneath the radar, one shaped not by rules from above but by habits passed down through years of doing. This is how things stand inside rail yards across the U.S., where marks on boxcars carry weight beyond mere paint. Tradition lingers, though pressure builds from new players who don’t care for old ways. Some keep order alive – not with force, yet through what they know, whom they trust, and choices made long ago.
Time shifts; walls speak louder now, carrying signs of change written in haste or defiance. Yet a few hold tight to balance – earned not given, seen in every signature placed with purpose.

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10 minute freight train graffiti video with Route, watch him paint some panels in this video.

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A 13 minute postcard sent in featuring freight train graffiti. This video shows the USW Crew doing their daily duty in Leipzig, East-Germany.

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Freight train postcard sent in, watch a 10 minute video filled with freight train painting.

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5 minutes of freight train writing by Guld Vittring.

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Five minutes of graffiti, nature, thoughts about life by Swedish Guld Vittring, beautiful edited graffiti video.

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A 3 minute postcard sent in from Syter (VOk). Follow him through the Freight Train yards in California painting.

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Follow Resk12 and Parte as they spot a freight coming to a stop and decide to add some color to it!

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Let’s go to the Great White North (Canada) and see what T.C.C.S has got to offer us.

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