Episode 63: July 4th

A conversation between Mike Giant and Rime. Recorded in Rime's RV in the parking lot of Mike Giant's studio in Dayton, Ohio on September 11, 2026. Topics discussed include: Big Dog energy with Dax, what it means to be an artist, crafts, parental encouragement, the Art of Cycling, dancing, expression and focus, letting go, the Egoless State, backing away to free up space to freely create, social media as a job, aliases, flexible personality, the Dayton underground, Boom Bap monthly, the stress of overhead, working from home, New York City, RV life, plants, overhead costs, Flock cameras, the future of road travel, The Death of American Dream, the timelessness of graffiti writing, the increasing value in hand made things, screen time, 1980s movie visions of the future made real, hoverboards, political division, the commonality of fashion/graffiti styles worldwide, Philly style tagging, Italo Disco, pizza, traveling foodies, real world experiences, long form videos/podcasts, RFK Jr, Elon Musk, the power of voice/communication, young men’s lack of romance/passion, dating apps, hookups vs deep connections, marriage, life after raising children, life transitions, manifesting as a human, Dash Snow, freedom to change, violence as entertainment, personal rebellion, “What If/If Only”, Ayahuasca, cannabis, psilocybin, writing in the dark/sketchbooks, 2-day ceremonies, Peruvian-style, prep for ceremony, death/rebirth experiences, submission to the process, connecting physical ailments to spiritual difficulties, appreciating contrast, seeing beauty in decay/unused spaces, imagination, Paris catacombs, emerging from long periods of darkness, the ritual of sleep, waking up from a nightmare, the origin of Rime, Respect IN Me, evolving from graffiti writer to fine artist, the joy of creating work on the street, being in the moment, improvisation, the gift of life, what survives after death, Bashar (Darryl Anka), channeling, The Path is the Goal, a meditative lifestyle.

A conversation between Jason Revok and Mike Giant. Recorded live on Saturday May 9, 2026 at The Contemporary Dayton in Dayton, Ohio (the second museum talk during his exhibition at the museum). The museum director, Heather Jones, is speaking at the beginning and a Q&A with the audience at the end. Topics discussed include: The Tower Records magazine rack, WCA/AWR crew, K2S, STN, TCF, Mystik, AM7, Krenz billboards, Riverside, getting kicked out of his home at 15 in 1992 for writing graffiti, moving to Nashville in 1994, tag banging, Tacks AM7, Beno MSG, LA, Atlanta, moving to San Francisco in 1997, buffing walls to start, Dubose Tunnel, racking, messenger bags, Amaze basket racking, public perception changes, pressure from law enforcement, doing graffiti in public, California 3-Strikes Law, raids/financial pressure, Site, Gkae, KUK crew, Kamala Harris/RICO case, bike messengers, Abhor, Sleazer, punk rock graffiti, Dystopia, Fate AWR, getting doored, the AWR Invasion of the Bay, Bles, Gone, Fable, Lone, Kept beef/race, “legal eagle”, legendary diss, climbing to avoid the buff, Oiler, Ayer LTS, falling from freeway spots, obsessive/compulsive, Tie, broken legs, Tie’s murder, Felon, Wane, T-Kid, painting NY subway trains, Ket, international legal pressure, learning how to survive as a freelance artist, Primary Projects, scavenging materials from the streets, cut wood assemblies, Nekst, renting a loft in Detroit, attending a show in disguise, broken water pipes, removing ego from artworks, “the instrument” devices, making your own tools, Twist’s racking jacket, On The Go magazine, H&M lawsuit, donations to Detroit non-profits, MOCA Los Angeles disguise, Art in the Streets/Roger Gastman, drawing in black books, Saber convinces Revok to freestyle his pieces (1996), gestural sketching, unfinished pieces, ephemeral nature of graffiti, removing his hand from his work, simple movements/marks, crossing out enemies, Anti-Trump posters, graffiti removal, redacted documents, political commentary, social media bans, ownership of illegally produced works, Banksy, Jean Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring and Twist.

Mike Giant interviews Nalla Smith at his home in upstate New York. Recorded April 26, 2026. Topics discussed include: Learning how to tattoo from Nalla, informal apprenticeships, piercing at Body Manipulations (1989-1991), Daljeet’s on Haight Street, Freddy Corbin, odd jobs, Spaghetti Western, Greg Kulz/Erno’s, ReSearch/Modern Primitives book, Jaime Trujillo, Dave Lum, Realistic Tattoo/Ed Hardy, Tattoo City, Eddy Deutsche, Dan Higgs, Jef Whitehead, Dungeons & Dragons, Kevin Howard, Japanese tv shows (1978), Art and Design high school, graphic design, Josh Humphries, Elf Quest, getting his first tattoo from Fineline Mike, early 1990s blackwork style, alternative sex scene, Greg Carroll, Everlasting Tattoo, Aaron Cain, Primal Urge, Marcus Pacheco, Grime, East Side Inc, Patrick Conlon, Jason McAfee, Scott Campbell, Andrea Elston, Hells Angels, flat shader needles, Allison and Tracy, Roseland Tattoo Convention, Dan Trocchio, move to LA in 2002, Shamrock Social Club/Mark Mahoney, True Tattoo/Chris Garver, Miami Ink, Kat Von D, stories behind tattoos, how women changed the tattoo business, off-the-street tattoo shops, shop lighting, Inkstop Tattoo, his father’s death, Goose Tattoo, learning new styles, John Poverty, Chris Welk, blackout tattoos, self tattooing, Derick Montez, Hudson River Tattoo, Sticks and Stones (formerly Peter Tattoo), thriving in our 50s and being inspired by love. @nallasmith @sticksandstonestattoo

Mike Giant in conversation with Morning Breath, the graphic design/fine art studio of Doug Cunningham and Jason Noto based in Brooklyn, New York. Topics discussed include: Working at Think Skateboards in the 1990s, vouching for Doug, Chris Cycle, Doug getting arrested painting freight trains, TMF crew night at Cafe Babar, Dave Schubert (Evade), punk fliers, drawing as a kid, access to surplus paper/pads, copying imagery from tv, Cholo culture, Teen Angels, Lowrider, making art for friends, Subway Art, Pratt Institute, Kevin Game, The Drawing Board, Def Jam “Jeep Room”, community college, Academy of Art, diplomas, getting hired at Think, working as a team, Ben Lovejoy, learning how to use computers, Jason moves to NYC, Craig Costello, working with major record labels (JayZ, Eminem, Kanye), mistaken for the weed guy, perfectionism, Desert Sessions, Q-Bert, moving into creating personal work as a team, showing work in magazines/galleries, Mike Davis, balancing personal and commercial work, the impressiveness of going all-city, Bles AWR, San Francisco pits, Shotsie Gorman, Elio España, Nalla Smith, Colin Stevens, Doug tattooing at 12 years old, Dig Dug video game, first tattoo at 14, Eddy Deutsche, Igor Mortis, the legendary Ed Hardy’s Tattoo City, Grime, Dan Santoro, copying of styles, old school printing imperfections, Drew Jorstad, paste-up compositions, light box, painting heavy metal jackets, airbrush, New York City, rent prices, raising kids in Brooklyn and saving money. morningbreathinc.com @morningbreathinc

Conversation between Mike Giant and photographer Bee Gats. Topics discussed include: photographic aesthetics, the beauty of decay, Estevan Oriol, Boogie, opening doors for the next generation, the Tulsa series by Larry Clark , The Americans, playing with cameras as a child, Kodak cameras, hip-hop album covers: Mobb Deep - The Infamous, Thrasher and Transworld magazines, discovering Big Brother at 13 years old, magazine shops, Life Sucks Die, While You Were Sleeping, Mass Appeal, F.E.D.S. and Don Diva, Arme, The Wire, learning lessons from law enforcement/forensics shows, moving around, finding parallels in Buddhism, early love of guns, Miami Vice, Knight Rider, Dirty Harry, GI Joe, The Punisher, burglaries at 8 years old, picking locks, the register button, grand theft (first felony at 12), TICO, skate/punk houses, Camu Tao, The MHz, preferential treatment from police due to his mother’s murder, racial inequality, Don Pendleton: (Mack Bolan, The Executioner, Phoenix Force), learning to shoot at 10, Boy Scouts, Raven handgun, stashing guns, getting jumped, finding the courage to fight back, learning how to box, libraries, free pizzas for reading, learning dynamic framing from comic books, biting, “standing on the shoulders of giants”, reading the room, Mindful Listening, body language, Steve Jobs, unforeseen advantages, an eye for choosing interesting subjects, building an audience through authentic work, feeling grateful, artistic process, Meas, Flaks, flow state, the quest for greatness, punk ethos, punk house, comfort of regularity, gambling on yourself, learning from exes, having the hard conversations, “Don’t believe everything you think”, How to Think and Grow Rich, Gabe/Mortal Machine Gallery, seeing tattoos at 8 years old, first tattoo at 16, subcultural connections, BJ Betts, Huero, Dave Calvelli, Jesse Strother, Instagram as a curated portfolio vs lifestyle feed, mutual inspiration, Frank Miller (Sin City), and life goals without expectations. Recorded on March 1st, 2026 on Mike Giant's studio in Dayton, Ohio. Instagram: @beegats

Mike discusses his experiences with psychedelics. Topics discussed include: early experiences with marijuana, friends smoking with their parents, propaganda films, first gravity bong experience, effect of cannabis on color, meth labs in the woods, shrooms, peyote, early experiences with lsd, varieties of paper acid, liquid lsd, dipping process, “bad” acid, tripping with friends at Juan Tabo Park, audio recording of trip, DMV trip, buying 10-packs, shipping in blackbooks, Western Union, black gel pyramids, dips, friend gets arrested by Feds, deckled edges, The Family, Sunday solo missions, inability to describe lsd experience, All Is One, the lineage of Seekers, E, meth, Tweaker Girl, Morgan, Terence McKenna video, breakup sex, tripping at work, lsd on graham crackers, meeting Dalek in Las Vegas, the heaviest trip of my life, Crossover, Brandon, Jack and Cokes, dry heaving in public, clean comedown after 11 hours, shrooms, DMT, timelessness, psilocybin capsules, creating a good atmosphere, psychedelic virginity, the meditative realm, the importance of sharing your experience and discussing it with fellow trippers.

A conversation about tattooing between Mike Giant and Big Meas, both of Dayton, Ohio. Recorded in Mike's art studio on December 5, 2025. Topics discussed include: Seeing biker tattoos at 10 years old, flash, JD Crowe, line sheets for stencils, Boog, Jack Rudy, BJ Betts, trades, apprenticeship under Brian Brenner, lettering, Mr Cartoon, Bobby Tribal, Baby Ray, broom handles, Swindle magazine, Koolsville/Beatniks CC, Brian Everett/Route 66 Tattoo, Guy Aitchison, Paul Booth, East Side Inc, Seen, Kingpin seminar, respect among professionals, politics of opening a shop, Seventh Son Tattoo, Tattoo City/Ed Hardy, drugs, Norm, Art Work Rebels Tattoo, Jason Kundell, Grime, Primal Urge (Tim Lehi, Jef Whitehead, Jeff Rassier, Scott Sylvia), Everlasting Tattoo/Mike Davis, paintings of tattoo ideas, Josh Cook, specializing in lettering, moving into Asian themes, Angel Bustos, Nathan Kostechko, Filip Leu, Bill Canales, Mick Tattoo, Erik Reith, Horiyoshi II and III, cultural appropriation, Chris Trevino, Dave Lum, Horitaka, constructive critique, Javier De Luna, tattoo preservation, rates for tattooing/discounts/specials and social media difficulties.

Mike recites a written piece in homage of the Declaration of Independence.

Mike recalls memories from his early adventures in San Diego, California from 1984 to 1992. Topics discussed include: Michigan weed, CHiPs, Charlie’s Angels, Spring Break in San Diego, Disneyland, Universal Studios, Battlestar Galactica, skateboarding in 1984, orange plastic skateboards, first attractions to women, Padres game, Pacific Drive skate shop, Sims Kamikaze deck, Bones Brigade video show, slappies, Hamel’s, Tano’s, Sea World, Old Town SD, Guadalajara, fish tacos, Action Sports Kamikaze skateboard, Skate City, pro models vs shop decks, Punk, City Streets two-tone wheels, curb tricks, Dogtown Web deck, Independent trucks, Alva Rocks wheels, Del Mar Skate Ranch, Eric Dressen, parking block tricks, Dave Crabb, Uncle Wiggly skateboards, Gullwing orange, Sick and Twisted Animation Festival, MTV, Heavy Metal magazine, Taliesin West, Europe trip, Thailand trip, MC Rock in the Navy, Dyse, Sero and Cheno, trading photos in the mail, Phil Kosaka, roadtrip with Vez, G St and Woodlawn, Dyse’s mom, racking with Crims, Euclid Yard, small vs large pieces, Zodak, Sake, Vapor, Quasar, graffiti legibility, Bobby Ruiz/Tribal Gear, streetwear, Penal Code 594, DJ Daze, Lath, Dyse/Zodak vs Sake/Quasar battle, Hex vs Slick battle, Laban Pheidias, Jim Prigoff and a run-in with Border Patrol.

Mike recalls more memories from living in San Francisco in 2000. Topics discussed include: 214 Clara, Damon Soule, Adrian Sanchez, The Loft Invasion, web developers, Valeria Hursyz, Tweaky Pete, basement studio, rat hunting, dead junkie, Sketch group show, blackbook art, Millennium Blackbook Project, JUICE, Pagina Vilot, Skulls Press, Art Crimes, Dibs, roller fills, Defenestration Building (6th and Howard), Slim, dissed by a crackhead, East Side Ink, frustrating tattoo session, Mr Went, Mahakala, tunnel bombing with Vez, MTA jumpsuit, taxi escape, Alex Grey, Chapel of Sacred Mirrors, Percept One, Concrete Jungle, Body and Soul, John Copeland, Everlasting Tattoo on McAllister (Aaron Cain, Mike Davis, Troy Denning, Kimberly Hooper), Everlasting on Divisadero, Jaya Bonderov, Newskool Tattoo, chubs, moonshine, LOR sleeves, Bears, George Campise, funky crotch, shop tunes, metal shows, Amoeba records, Anthony G. Morris, getting sleeves from Chris Conn, Temple Tattoo, staying balanced, filler tattoos and the Applied Science group show in Baltimore.