by CHRIS BARRY

Name: Paul Labonte aka Paul107

Age: 27

Occupation: Photographer/art enthusiast

Bio: This Verdun playboy has been closely involved with the local hip hop/graffiti community seemingly forever, as the former editor of graf rag Under Pressure and distinguished author of All City: The Book About Taking Space - a hot-selling title in which the vandalism aspects of graffiti are celebrated. Recently turning his energies towards the most disenfranchised of canines, the majestic pit bull terrier, within the next few months Paul will be unleashing a new literary blockbuster, Bully, in the effort "to give these dogs a PR makeover. Because that's what I do: I write books about things that are misunderstood in the mainstream. And the more I learned about these dogs, the more I realized they were living a super bad rep from the media." He also makes a few extra bucks doing "dumb" photo assignments for corporate advertisers.

Does he own a pit bull?: Yes, Marcy, a two-year-old female Staffordshire bull terrier.

Does his pit bull understand the word "attack"? No, but she understands the word "kisses."

Does Paul generally give the "kisses" command when his pants are down by his ankles and he's applied peanut butter to certain strategic areas of his anatomy? Apparently not.

One drawback to owning a pit bull: Home insurance rates go up. "They're classified as dangerous dogs, but you know what? There's not one recorded bite or attack on humans by Staffordshire bull terriers in Canada and there's never been a human fatality in North America resulting from a bite. I mean, old ladies from England have these dogs."

The percentage of all dog attacks on humans which are committed by purebred pit bulls: "0.89 per cent."

Is that because there are fewer of them around? "No, in New York City alone, there are 10,000 pit bulls up for adoption. And you know why? Because a pit bull is too much dog! You're buying a pro-athlete. A pit bull can do anything another dog can do and then eat that dog on top of it."

Why you should feel completely at ease leaving a pack of pit bulls to babysit your infant child: "Because for over 300 years, these dogs have been bred to have a super high threshold for pain and to not be human aggressive. They're the perfect family dog. They can handle a child biting it, kicking it, pulling on its testicles and still not react violently. It's the ideal family companion."

Has he ever pulled on any pit bull's testicles to test out his theory? No.

Is he the guy ad agencies call when they're looking to produce something, ahem, "urban"? "‘Urban' is just a white code for ‘nigger.' And yeah, I get a lot of stuff like streetwear shoots."

Does he think those ad dudes are more inclined to hire him because he's white? "Yes, and I find it very upsetting. They call me because they know I'm down and they're scared to be around blacks."

Last book read: Chopsticks Only Work in Pairs, by Du Shanshan.

Words of wisdom: "Foul hard."

Comments? dimwit@openface.ca