Oral History Interview with Steve Ogburn [Blade], Museum of Pop Culture Administrative Offices, Seattle, WA, March 21, 2001

Blade (Steven Ogburn) is a graffiti artist from the Bronx. He known as one of the most influential figures in graffiti in the 1970s and 1980s. He was introduced to the art world by famed photographs Henry Chalfant and Martha Cooper. In 1971, Blade started using tiny markers to draw his name on the inside of buses and the outside of post office vehicles. He tagged his first train at the Baychester lay-up in 1972. Like the majority of his colleagues, he started off painting with stick letters until switching to his distinctive "bubble letters" in 1974. He was known for his whole-cars and has painted more than 5,000 trains in his career.