B to Z

Inking Life: Stories and Stigma with Nicholas Reichel

May 08, 2024 Brandon and Zach Season 1 Episode 13
Inking Life: Stories and Stigma with Nicholas Reichel
B to Z
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B to Z
Inking Life: Stories and Stigma with Nicholas Reichel
May 08, 2024 Season 1 Episode 13
Brandon and Zach

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Ever find yourself captivated by the colorful stories behind a person's tattoos? Nicholas Reichel joins me, bringing a kaleidoscope of anecdotes from his life as a canvas of ink. We journey from the humorous to the profound, as Nick peels back the layers of stigma attached to his extensive tattoos, even those gracing his face. From his first mark of rebellion in juvenile hall to becoming a seasoned collector, Nick's narrative is a testament to the profound connection and transformation that comes with every etched line.

Embark with us as we tread through the gritty path of a tattoo apprentice, confronting the trials and tribulations that shape the artists of this craft. I'll regale you with tales of resilience, from apprentices standing up against peer pressure to the mentors who push them to their limits. Our discussion traverses the boundaries of tattooing, from comical musings on inking the uninkable to the nuances of identity politics that intertwine with the art on our skin. We don't just scratch the surface; we explore the depths of what it means to wear your story.

As we wrap up, I reflect on the societal perceptions that often accompany my own face tattoos, sharing personal insights on fatherhood and how it's reshaped my perspectives. From the potential of AI in designing tattoos to a heartfelt discourse on identity and self-expression, our chat is as multifaceted as the ink that adorns us. Join us for a candid look into the lives touched by the tattoo needle, through laughter, earnest conversation, and the unexpected tales in between.

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Show Notes Transcript Chapter Markers

HIT US UP!!! Send a message.

Ever find yourself captivated by the colorful stories behind a person's tattoos? Nicholas Reichel joins me, bringing a kaleidoscope of anecdotes from his life as a canvas of ink. We journey from the humorous to the profound, as Nick peels back the layers of stigma attached to his extensive tattoos, even those gracing his face. From his first mark of rebellion in juvenile hall to becoming a seasoned collector, Nick's narrative is a testament to the profound connection and transformation that comes with every etched line.

Embark with us as we tread through the gritty path of a tattoo apprentice, confronting the trials and tribulations that shape the artists of this craft. I'll regale you with tales of resilience, from apprentices standing up against peer pressure to the mentors who push them to their limits. Our discussion traverses the boundaries of tattooing, from comical musings on inking the uninkable to the nuances of identity politics that intertwine with the art on our skin. We don't just scratch the surface; we explore the depths of what it means to wear your story.

As we wrap up, I reflect on the societal perceptions that often accompany my own face tattoos, sharing personal insights on fatherhood and how it's reshaped my perspectives. From the potential of AI in designing tattoos to a heartfelt discourse on identity and self-expression, our chat is as multifaceted as the ink that adorns us. Join us for a candid look into the lives touched by the tattoo needle, through laughter, earnest conversation, and the unexpected tales in between.

Support the Show.

Speaker 1:

Good morning, actually good evening, good evening, good evening, hello, hello, hello. This is Zach Batista with the B2Z podcast, along with my co-host, as always, brandon May. Hey, what's up everybody, and today special guest Nicholas Riekel. I didn't do too bad on that it don't matter, and how because you explained that to me already. What is, what's the origin of your last name?

Speaker 3:

okay, so we don't really know. Um, the legend has it that so my dad's family's from finland I don't know exactly like the town or some shit but his like uncles and like great uncles ended up in the I can like ended up running with the russian army and their last name was lions. But when they entered the dungeon it was uh, I guess it's now that abomination of the last name, um, but it was like Reich or something along those lines. And so when they came from Finland, um, they didn't want to be associated with any bullshit, so they like added the E-L to like Americanize it. But now none of us know how to fucking pronounce that shit. You know, I don't, I just I go with what my mom's told me my whole life.

Speaker 1:

And I'll spell it for everyone. So it's R-E-Yi.

Speaker 3:

R e I, c, h, c, h e l e l, that's how you spell it.

Speaker 1:

Um, yeah, but I thought that was.

Speaker 3:

I thought that was a cool little and it's actually unique last name and if there's any assassins, don't come find me because of my last name.

Speaker 2:

There you go, there you go. So today I wanted to bring Nick on. Man, he's one of these people that we always talk. I've tattooed Nick since the beginning of my apprenticeship. He has some of my first few tattoos that we always laugh about. He always makes fun of me, of this switchblade mosquito.

Speaker 3:

It's a cock fly dude.

Speaker 2:

The switchblade mosquito that I thought was so fire that it's just absolutely horrible. I'll put a picture up of it so you guys can laugh at me, but he's been around in my career since the beginning days. Every time we talk, every time we get in a session together, we have a great time. I see him in the most peculiar situations. I remember this one time I was driving behind burlington coat factory and he was back there getting ready to beat up some, some bombs, some bombs.

Speaker 3:

Dude, I threw change out, I'm driving by with my dad. Yeah, and they wanted to fight and this fool pulled up on me. It was like.

Speaker 2:

I was like hey, what are doing? I was like 19,.

Speaker 3:

dude, he's like I'm about to fuck up these vows. His dad's all like, hey, what's up?

Speaker 1:

That's all casual, just chilling.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, he used to bring me plates from the little synagogue and stuff like that, like the bombest plates from at the end of the shot.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, he's with the. Yeah, I don't know how I came about because I was like I don't, I don't think I was like beat enough. Yeah, dude, like my parents are cool, but like I came up as like fucking rowdiest dickhead on the planet right.

Speaker 2:

As you guys know, uh b to z podcast is about life, arts and culture, tattoo, uh, industry all of the things that we're interested in and uh provocative conversations. We wanted to bring Nick on today to kind of with a topic and that's a stigma. Nick is heavily tattooed. Maybe you know 90 percent of his body is covered with tattoos. About 90 percent of his face is covered with tattoos, and we just wanted to bring him on to give his perspective of the stigma of tattoos, of someone who has been heavily tattooed for a long time, not when it was just cool, you know what I mean. Like he's been doing this for a long time. He's been a collector in Riverside County and gotten work by all of the greats out here. So here's Nick hello, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 3:

What was your by all of?

Speaker 2:

the greats out here.

Speaker 1:

So here's Nick, hello, hello, yeah, yeah, well, take us into that. What was your first tattoo? What was your most memorable tattoo?

Speaker 3:

I think in like juvenile hall.

Speaker 2:

I got the inside of my lip tattooed. That's horrible.

Speaker 1:

You still there, still there.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, still, there Looks great my dude great my dude honestly, so let me take a picture so they can see.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, yeah, there we go fantastic um, so shout out to my boy, zachary peacock. He actually gave me my very first tattoo in his living room. It was a. It was a pair of fucking grenades. Um, I think I was like 16 we just interviewed him I love that, I love him, um, but he honestly got me started and then, um, you know, when I turned 18, I like sold drugs and like saved up money and I started my I'm not going to say the shop, cause those are the ops, but they started my sleeves.

Speaker 1:

Okay.

Speaker 3:

Um, but, dude, they did like 80% of, like my, like my upper torso, you know. And then, um, some shit happened and I ended up at a gym workshop and what's that rogue elephant at the time?

Speaker 2:

No, it was still Elizabeth street.

Speaker 3:

Okay, and I think Dylan, my buddy Dylan, was getting tattooed and I ended up just like venturing in cause. I've known Jim since he was at Electric Chair and that shit was like 20 years ago.

Speaker 2:

Dylan like rapping. Dylan, the white boy, the tall white boy.

Speaker 3:

Dylan, yeah, yeah, dylan Russell, I love you if you're listening, yeah yeah, he's good people go ahead so I sit down with Jim and I'm like what the fuck? So he ended up doing my feet, some of my first tattoos on my face. God damn it. Jennifer listening. Finish my bag, dude, but I got, I got a bag that I need to do. You know it's like half done. Jim is dope.

Speaker 1:

Oh yeah, we ran to him the other day too.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, we're going to have Jim more fun. His episode is going to be about arts and culture and stuff like that. He did my whole stomach. Yeah, we got little man too. We got his generation here with him today.

Speaker 3:

Baby, you know, bring your baby to work today.

Speaker 2:

Right, we're family friendly, you know, even though we're explicit in there.

Speaker 3:

Nah, dude. So I just kind of ventured out. Then I ended up meeting B b. I didn't have really shit on my legs and this from like literally ankle to ass, this dude's done, you know yeah, but um yeah he still he. He just recently did my gym it was.

Speaker 2:

What was it? What was the first tattoo? Um besides the so.

Speaker 3:

So after that I didn't really do anything small. I went like literally straight into my smile, my biomechanical arm and then for my cell drugs to pay for this.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I was so remember how much you paid then um.

Speaker 3:

So for my left arm I paid 2500 and it was straight up front and it was four 10 hour sessions, okay. And then it was my birthday and because I was going through him, so much.

Speaker 2:

What year was this?

Speaker 3:

Like 2009.

Speaker 1:

Okay, and Jim did this, or who? No, I don't want to say who's Craig, but he's a kid. Yeah, but why? And died? Okay, and jim did this, or who?

Speaker 2:

no, I don't want to say who's craig, but okay, okay why, why?

Speaker 3:

okay, so I used to like. So I was supposed to apprentice under these dudes and this woman and I was in college and, long story short, they bought all these fucking tickets to lana del rey and I didn't fuck with. I don't fuck with that shit yeah and so no, it wasn't lana, because I fuck with her, it was adele, and so they buy these fire no, dog, don't sue me um but so, anyways, I don't want to go, but they pay like 500 for these like front row tickets.

Speaker 3:

So with this money I buy a fucking bike because I don't have a car, yeah, you know. So they like blacklisted me out of this shop and it's been like 50 fucking 2008, 2009, you know. But, um, they did my chest, both arms, my hands, like my neck, my whole neck. Jim did. Jim covered up craig's work actually, um, but yeah, so and how do you?

Speaker 1:

how do you feel about that? Because I too, that's what we share in common. I feel like we're both collectors. Uh-huh, I have gone to different artists too, so how do you? How to? How does that transition come about, like when you go to another artist?

Speaker 3:

okay. So, like, honestly, people who've tattooed me have honestly only been like close friends. Okay, um, I've had like some apprentices through brandon, tattoo me, but that's only because it had brandon. Like, if you, if, if it wasn't brandon, I wouldn't let fucking random kids tattoo me. You know what I mean? He co-signed for it.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, yeah, pretty much and we appreciate that too. You know he's been a pivotal part in both of their apprenticeships. You know he was their first tattoos and stuff. Yeah, rip apprentices.

Speaker 3:

But no, like it's. It's honestly been like I've never, I've never, walked into a shop and not known somebody. You know what I mean. Like you won't find my fucking ass walking into a random shop. You'd be like yo, what up? Because I don't, I'm not, I'm, I'm from the fucking hood, dude, like I stick with my people, you know, but um have you ever been?

Speaker 2:

uh, are you done? Yeah, have you ever been discriminated against? Like as for any of your tattoos? Like because of my face tattoos? Yeah, because of your face tattoos dude.

Speaker 3:

Just today. So reagan's birthday is tomorrow, so I walked through walmart just to find like some little, like things to put in this little bag. You know, and this, this old lady, comes down the aisle and she sees me and she, she does like the left and the right and like she, literally she leaves, she leaves her cart, and she goes down the complete opposite aisle and like starts to like fucking look around, like what the fuck dude, like I'm not gonna fucking rob you, but all the time, like I have people ask me all the time like do you work, like how do you take care of that baby?

Speaker 3:

and I'm like well, I have a pretty good job. You know, like I feel like it's not, um, the way you look, it's more of like the way you present yourself, and I mean outside this place. I'm not that big of a scumbag. You know what I mean. I just play one on the internet, do?

Speaker 1:

you have any. So you mentioned you have some cover-ups. Do you have any tattoos that you regret all the way or that you still want covered up?

Speaker 3:

um, no, I have some that I want to finish, but not, um, not technically. Like dude, I'm not like okay, so people call it a collector. Like I'm out here trying to put the dumbest shit on my body, you know what I mean.

Speaker 1:

Like let's collect something. So right? Not really, I feel like dude.

Speaker 3:

I got carrots tattooed on me but I feel like the dumber the tattoo, the better. You know what I mean because their story. So I got carrots tattooed on me, but I feel like the dumber the tattoo, the better you know what I mean, because their story.

Speaker 3:

So I got stories, dude, like the noose on my finger, like the lights went out and he still like tattooed it and it's, it's all fucked up, but it's still like a story behind it. You know what I mean? Yeah, but like the whole regret thing, like the tattoos, no, because I'm still doing dumb ass shit. You know what I mean?

Speaker 2:

so, not really what's the last tattoo you got?

Speaker 3:

my chin. You did my channel on on new year's night, I think it was. We were bored and somebody like flaked on him and I've been bugging him, dude, since, like a year ago, like, hey, dude, let's cap my chin.

Speaker 2:

You know then I had drawn it up too, but I didn't he wouldn't do it.

Speaker 3:

He's like it's fucking stupid dude.

Speaker 1:

So on New Year's.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, I think it was, wasn't it?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, it might've been.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I don't remember you were tattooing the chin yeah.

Speaker 3:

Before that he did a big ass V on my shin.

Speaker 2:

No yeah.

Speaker 3:

Cause I'm Josh tattooed you. And so did the other two.

Speaker 2:

He's stupid bro. He's laughing at the apprentices just because it didn't work out. There's stories behind that, but I'm not going into that because it just doesn't show everybody in their best light To everybody listening.

Speaker 3:

I can walk into this man's shop and tell you the first hour if you're going to make it or not, and that's real shit. I know this guy like the back of my fucking hand. So next apprentice, fucking good luck.

Speaker 2:

Right and I use I use Nick in part of the journey for my apprentices to test them. That is his job within the apprenticeship is because you know, know, they always want to. When you let them tattoo, they bring in their family and everybody's like, oh, you're amazing, you're amazing and I bring him in and he's going to be like bro, like, hurry the fuck up.

Speaker 1:

You know what I mean. Like, damn, like. What are you doing? Digging me out?

Speaker 2:

Like so he, he's verbal, you know, and he's been tattooed by many, so he knows exactly where they should be. He knows if they're too heavy. He knows, you know, and sometimes he'll tell them and then sometimes he won't sometimes he'll fuck with them.

Speaker 3:

Sometimes he won't I think I, I think I got like the like the last one, not josh, but the last one fired because because we're sitting dude, like so we're sitting in the room and he's like tattooing me and he's taking fucking forever and I'm like, hey, bro, give me the machine.

Speaker 3:

You don't fucking give nobody the goddamn machine dude and instead of tattooing myself instead of I tattoo some like janky-ass shit on my leg and then at the end he has to go and explain it to this guy and he's like fuck dude. I'm like good luck, like I already know what's going to happen. Like within like the week he was fucking fired.

Speaker 2:

Sorry dog.

Speaker 1:

I'm going back to you, brad. I think you're more. I think you're more military minded than you think. You like inserting your little incel operators, you know, just to get you more detailed about a person. That's, that's, yeah that's pretty.

Speaker 2:

If you're going to be tested, I want to. I want it to be by somebody that I can get like Intel from. Oh yeah, you know what I mean If. If you're going to be pushed, I want it to be in a controlled environment first, before it's like somebody who's punking you and I find out you're like a bitch or something like that. Oh yeah, but that's exactly what I'm looking for is like for somebody to lose control of the procedure and fuck up like that.

Speaker 2:

And that and that happened. You know what I mean. Like he knew he was doing.

Speaker 3:

He knew. I learned that shit with pride too. I'm like this little, these little letters got someone fired, dude.

Speaker 2:

Oh my God, yeah, because he brings the tattoo in, yeah, and I'm like like he got the. They did a yin yang, and then? It said lsd, right, right, and it was like a little blast over. That was the original tattoo, which I okay, everything and we go through. There's a lesson for everything yeah and he brings it back and I'm like, oh, that looks good. You know, the tattoo looks good and I was like he's just lettering over the top.

Speaker 1:

I'm like what the fuck is that? Like what is that?

Speaker 2:

And he's looking at me, nobody's saying shit. He, this fool, starts laughing and shit, I'm like like, no, like what the fuck is that? Yeah, yeah, you know, like, like I know you my machine and tattoo himself with my fucking machine, you know, and he's like. Well, he said he wanted to I'm like what the fuck he said he wanted to. Yeah, and I was like what the fuck does that even mean you know, he

Speaker 2:

got letters written on his shit and I'm like, what does it mean? And he won't tell me what it means I can't tell you yeah he won't tell me what it's mean, because he's over here in his punk little world of being an asshole and shit at the moment.

Speaker 1:

Right, he's wrapped up in his little tornado of punk rock, and fucking anti-national Mike Anarchy. He's a little ball of anarchy fucked up.

Speaker 2:

Flame it on so he's like I'm not going to tell you, just fucking riding the situation out, and I'm like, alright, well, Sends him home, he sends us both home.

Speaker 3:

I was like get the fuck out of here. Get the fuck out of here.

Speaker 2:

I was like are you serious? I was like man, part of this job is controlling the circumstances and being able to speak up for yourself when somebody is pushing and doing something that you don't want to do.

Speaker 1:

That's why he is here I'm the demolition man.

Speaker 2:

Because people come in and they're naive to what world that they're looking into. Everybody just assumes that it's the shit they see on the internet and the tv. But there is a subculture you might, you know, depending on where you work you know with, even within my shop, you might find yourself with somebody who is not the nicest or might just walk out on you because he thinks you're a punk. You know what I mean like and I can't be there to save you. This isn't, captain, save a whole tattoo. You know what I mean. Like I can't, I can't save you. So, yeah, he got exposed, he got sent home and then he kind of quit on himself after that. You know, people get sent home in their apprenticeship. But you're you're supposed to fight your way back. You know you're not, you're supposed to take nothing for like nose, don't compute, you just get through whatever it is.

Speaker 3:

Show up right now and tattoo me. God damn it, right, right.

Speaker 2:

Right. No, that's for real, though If you really really wanted it, he would be in the room today. You know what I mean and that's what we're trying to see, because I don't want people to take it lightly. You know I had to work hard for this and you know there's too many people taking it lightly in the industry. And, yeah, I am going to put people in your face that you know are going to test you, are specifically to test you.

Speaker 2:

You know he had he had another apprentice pissed off because he wanted a tattoo smaller. You know he was like oh, you know, we're going to put it on his leg. He wants to get the tattoo. And he's like can you shrink it down? But the apprentice was like dad said, I'm doing it a certain size. He had figured it all out. And the dude got pissed off and, excuse me, nick is like he can, he can sense that. And he's like and I was like well, you know, after the tattoo's done, I go back and review it. I'm like well, how do you feel about him? Like, cause we literally like sit back and review it Like all right, well, how was his hand? How was like sit back and review it like all right. Well, how was his hand? How's this cross-contamination, because people operate differently. When I'm not, in the room.

Speaker 2:

Oh yeah, you know what I?

Speaker 1:

mean like when your boss is around, you're, you're, you're, you're everything but when, when he's gone.

Speaker 2:

You know that's when you get lazy and that's when I can count on him because he's he's like here for fun. You know what I mean. Like he's not here to like. You don't assume he's watching you or he's paying attention, but he got more hours than me and everybody you know let me add something not only was he pissed, but he was also wiping my leg with the alcohol the whole time as in, even though he came in, was like, hey, bro, like Nick's telling you you're wiping with alcohol, yeah, yeah, kept doing it.

Speaker 3:

And then he takes the dirty gloves and then he grabs the, the witch hazel, and we're like, no, no, what are you doing? He's just like, oh my god, but he was pissed. He wanted to do like this huge nelson on my leg and I'm like, dude, like you did a skull and it took you like 11 hours, you know. So, like I can't, I got a kid dude I got sitting for that long day he was pissed.

Speaker 3:

He like got up and like had to smoke and like didn't come down. Then we follow him down there. He's like in his car, pouting, like hey, dude, like one of the things that you want as a like somebody to tattoo. You is dude. At least have some sort of good vibe. We got to sit. We have to sit with each other for fucking eight hours. You know what?

Speaker 1:

I mean, no, it isn't. I will say it really does matter. You really should get that relationship and we've we've touched on that in past episodes too.

Speaker 2:

Gotta get that, that tattoo uh to tattoo receiver relationship, down pretty well yeah, I swapped, swapped elbow tattoos last week with a tattooer and Temecula Captain Tattoo, rocky Tat. Oh yeah, rocky Tat, and we swapped elbows and I've been around her for years. But you know, now I feel to the point where I'm like, all right man, I feel a hundred percent comfortable sitting in her chair and just letting her do her thing. I know she's got me.

Speaker 1:

you know a girl named Rocky, had a Captain sitting in her chair and just letting her do her thing.

Speaker 2:

I know she's got me. Who tattooed you Girl named Rocky, out of Captain Tattoo. She did my elbow. She did a checkered flag on my elbow, yeah, so yeah, I mean camaraderie and tattooing is dope. You know All right, Nicholas, how has Did this nigga, just say, nicholas.

Speaker 1:

No, just kidding. I think he just said Nicholas, can we start over?

Speaker 2:

No, just kidding. No, please don't leave it yeah just roll right into that one. Roll out the tongue. You just got a new nickname.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I went a little too fast with that one, right, yeah, how has it been in the workplace.

Speaker 3:

So dude like construction's cool, like all those dudes are tattooed um.

Speaker 2:

Fuck, I've done like 7 000 warehouse jobs, not really, but um not the job like are you facing any troubles being tattooed and getting a job?

Speaker 3:

oh, no, no, no, no, no so um, so the myth is not true no well, I mean, if you present yourself as a schmuck, I feel like you're treated as one um. You're boy in a schmuck, no um have your.

Speaker 2:

I'm gonna keep it rifling questions at you just because I want to keep, keep it you know, keep it. Yeah, I want to keep uh, have your tattoos ever fucked up any relationships with like any girlfriends or?

Speaker 3:

oh dude. So so when I first heard oh dude, this is like 10, 20 years ago. So my very first girlfriend else out of high school, her name was erica and um, she fucking was like against hand tattoos and like I'm going to the shop and I'm getting because I'm like living with her hand tattoos okay, yeah, yeah, so and she's like was your?

Speaker 1:

what else was? Was your neck or face tatted at this point?

Speaker 3:

so we did both my arms and my chest and then we did my hands, just because I I feel like the older, like dudes that were tattooing would keep it like more nowadays dude. These fucking guys like have their whole face tattooed in their hand and that's it yes, I always was with the traditional thinking too, you gotta earn it yeah, yeah, hands neck face, you gotta earn even like I see like people like numbing their shit, yeah I'm like dude, you're getting fucking.

Speaker 3:

That's like an ancient, that's something ancient. I feel like you should feel what you're doing.

Speaker 1:

Oh yeah, you know what you're in some spots are more than others, oh fuck.

Speaker 3:

And some spots I can sit, I can cruise through right um, others not so much bro, my top lip like the outside of it was the worst shit I've ever felt in my whole life.

Speaker 2:

What does it say?

Speaker 3:

my daughter's name. It says Alara, oh okay. So anyways, I show up to like my first girlfriend's house and I have both my hands tattooed and I'm like, hey, what's up? And she's like, why?

Speaker 3:

are your hands in your sweat yeah, like my fucking parents, dude, like my parents didn't even give a fuck a lot of the time. And so, yeah, dude, like within like 24 hours, I had to like go and live with my fucking sister, because she was like traditional, like Latina girl, you know, and she's like we can't do that, but now she's like all heavily tattooed and shit.

Speaker 1:

No way, yeah, dude, no way. You got to keep in contact at all. Do you bring that up to her? She's on my Facebook, dude.

Speaker 3:

She's like married to some beautiful man, but like she's they're both heavily tattooed. I'm like, what the fuck? Like bitch. You broke my heart, dude, over a hand tattoo. Now look at you, but um, that's really I mean. My mom cried when I tattooed my face, so I started off with like this little shit, you know, and then one day I just do this big giant black cross on my forehead and I'll never forget. She was working at norms at the time when I walked in and she was like, oh, like holding fucking trays of foods. Oh, my fucking god, because she's like lebanese dude, like she doesn't fuck with the face tattoos. What did you do to yourself?

Speaker 3:

and then like every time like I tell her like hey, I'm going to brandon's, are you fucking tattooing your face? I'm like no, dude, there's no room. Now I've broken a few fucking hearts with my tattoos on my face. I feel like like for reals, like my mom too. She's like he used to be. She'll like pull out pictures of me when I'm like five, remember. When you look like this, I'm like God damn dude, yeah.

Speaker 1:

But what would you say? The covered You're 90. You said would you say 90% tattooed?

Speaker 2:

What would you say?

Speaker 1:

I would say about 90% like we said, we're going to get some more pictures on there for you guys too this is he's got some real pieces on him.

Speaker 3:

I have like my left side's not done, but like the majority, you know my dick's not done yet.

Speaker 2:

I'm not going to do that.

Speaker 1:

I'm trying to talk, brandon.

Speaker 3:

I'm trying to talk to him into doing a biomechanical cock sleeve dude on it on the menu. I'm trying to talk to Brandon. I'm trying to talk to him into doing a biomechanical cock sleeve dude On it On the cock. Yeah, the balls and everything. A fucking a sack-o-lantern. To tattoo your balls like a fucking jack-o-lantern for Halloween. Be festive, dude, Be festive.

Speaker 2:

No, bright orange, not sack-o-lantern, I was just for the record.

Speaker 3:

I know it would be the fanciest cyber penis ever.

Speaker 1:

You feel me it would be a doggone lightsaber off that thing. There's just some things I'm not going to do.

Speaker 2:

No, you know, I'm not tattooing a penis, I just don't now that we're about it. You know I've never once Hold on a penis. I just don't. Now that we're about it. You know I've never once Hold on a second. Now we're talking. I guess you're talking about that.

Speaker 1:

Okay, what about? Because I've seen that too the other side.

Speaker 2:

Vagina tattoos or assholes. Vagina or assholes.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, let's do both of those. No Off table.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, just table. Yeah, just because you're gonna fart on me and I'm not a I'm not a fart person.

Speaker 1:

Yeah you feel me, because you're exactly talking about his first tattoo, the last episode, um, but what about you? You're ready. It's just like that whole tattoo no, the, not the first tattoo he gave. Oh, oh, yeah, yeah was was a cover-up no shit cover-up. Yeah, yeah, yeah, you have to listen, I'm not gonna give the full story on the on this, but I can listen to a lot.

Speaker 3:

I can tell you after this.

Speaker 1:

But I'll, it's, I'm gonna listen to the listeners it's a two-part. It's a two-part, yeah, so you'll pick it, I'll tell you the story after this. But what about you? Have you ever? Because I was curious and I never asked you, have you ever tattooed that area?

Speaker 2:

what a vagina. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I've tattooed a vagina. That's not off the table. Um, it wasn't on the vagina. Okay, I like vagina you know, yeah, so like that's. That's different. I'm not trying to have dick in my face okay, you feel me like okay, and then I just don't understand that too, like if you are a tattooer and you're paying attention. Please drop some information on in the comments about how to tattoo a penis, because I still would like the information.

Speaker 3:

You wrap it around, you know.

Speaker 1:

You've been doing research.

Speaker 3:

So Val, mr Val has his cock tattooed. And how they did his is they wrapped it, because it's 20 feet long, but they wrapped it around um tissue.

Speaker 1:

You know the paper towel roll.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, they wrap it around, so it's stretched out and that's how they no way I don't know, that's how I would do it. I'm gonna stick and poke my shit.

Speaker 2:

Dude, I can't have no one do it the guy, the other guy, that I know that because I got hit up, uh, by a homie, and this was before I was tattooed, and he's like hey, bro, put my wife's name on. We were on vacation.

Speaker 3:

Oh my God, so I?

Speaker 2:

put my wife's name on my dick and I was like, nah, I'm not going to do that, you know like, nope, he was cool, he was crazy dude. So you've drawn the line before.

Speaker 1:

Right People have asked you right the fact that you were asking me that I never have.

Speaker 2:

It's a little disrespectful to me if you know who it is that I am, shut the fuck up he's not doing that shit.

Speaker 3:

I don't think I would ever ask you what do I look like?

Speaker 2:

holding a grown ass man's lip like hey, hold on, don't smile, you know? Like no, no, like it's already rough Sometimes when I get out here and I got to do like super soft tattoos, like don't stop bringing them to me. But it's a little bit rough sometimes being a man Cause I am like I'm not Mr Soft, do me. But it's a little bit rough sometimes being a man because I am like I'm not mr soft, do you know?

Speaker 3:

what I mean, um you do not have a heavy, heavy fucking hand dog no meaning, like I'm not, like my demeanor is not mr soft, so like when it comes to subject matter that is lighter, like sometimes I just gotta make it feel real adult.

Speaker 2:

That's why I don't do cartoons a lot, cause I just I'm like outside of nostalgic Right. Bart Simpson, classic cartoons, I don't. You'll never see me do a sweetie bird, or yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1:

I feel like when I asked you that too, it kind of brought you out that's a hood ass OG tattoo, though you should say like.

Speaker 3:

Spongebob, though, yeah.

Speaker 2:

Okay that, do that too. It kind of brought you out, that's a hood-ass OG tattoo, though you should say like Spongebob though.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, okay, that's better. Okay, thank you, correction, because I sure would do a Tweety Bird and I have, I have, and it was fine. The color of the yellow was good too. Okay, so get certain types of cartoons.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, and cartoons don't hit the same anymore. We used to wake up in the morning and like watch cartoons oh, digimon in second grade, what's cracking? Bring that shit back snorks and uh smurfs and you know uh cargoyles, ninja turtles, yeah, yeah, man, so would you say.

Speaker 1:

Would you say there's because you're out there getting as many tattoos you want would you say, there's good tattoos and bad tattoos from your opinion, Not on yourself, but when you look at other tattoos do you call them good or bad tattoos? Because I kind of want to dig into you now.

Speaker 3:

So this is okay. I enjoy me a couple of good shitty tattoos, but there's definitely where you draw the line. Besides, be like a tattoo artist, as in a fucking scratcher dude, because I've seen so many fucking people get fucking. In fact, my dad got staph infection from a shop around here, but for sure, like um even, it could even be a nice tattoo, but it all depends on the way it fucking heals. Dude, like I have, I've had some badass shit done, but the way it heals you're like god damn what the fuck like. So jim jim wharf did my feet and they're they're beautiful, but like just because my feet were in shoes, they didn't heal very well. You know what I mean. But like between a good and a bad tattoo, fuck yeah, dude, like I have shit on me that would fucking crack you guys up.

Speaker 1:

You know what I mean, but excuse me, I'm sneezing right feet, so I haven't done the feet yet. Or the hands, those are definitely, they're on the list. What would you, what would you say about those?

Speaker 3:

um, so I did both my feet and it was like a 10 hour span, because one is like the slayer eagle logo, and then one of them was like a pair of hands with like a million dots. My hands weren't bad, but I literally cried, like I was crying during my fucking feet, like I had to like put my knees to my chest and fucking. I cried and Jim wouldn't stop.

Speaker 2:

He was like hey, dude, like we got to get this shit done.

Speaker 3:

Cause, if it's it, and it's true like you can't stop a million times during a tattoo or else it just fucking hurts the whole time. You know, yeah, you can't take too long of a break, yeah, but like my sister got her feet done and she explained it as childbirth.

Speaker 1:

So, ladies, if you're getting your feet, good luck yeah, or if you have your feet done, god damn.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, kudos to you, I will I will never add anything to my feet, to my my toes, to my ankles, nothing like that. I will never touch my feet again. No, fucking never, dude.

Speaker 2:

That's the ironic spot about the foot is it seems like we're always covering something up on a foot. You get a lot of bad tattoos on the foot. Maybe it's because of the pain. You know what I mean the movement, the being in a shoe, it being on the ground. There's a lot of bullshit that comes with the. It jumps and involuntary jumps. The foot jumps weird.

Speaker 1:

Have you seen different as you? How old are you?

Speaker 3:

I am 34.

Speaker 1:

As you've been growing up getting tattoos, have you noticed how different age groups take your tattoos or perceive them or look yeah?

Speaker 3:

My tattoos.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 3:

So, um, I'm called post Malone like eight times a day by like the young kids Anywhere I go if there's young kids like oh fuck, post Malone.

Speaker 1:

That's a good nickname.

Speaker 3:

But, um, so the old people, they either love me or hate me. Um, the old men typically hate my guts, but it's always like the old women that are like real intrigued on why in the fuck I would do that to my body. You know, as in like it's always with like the younger generation, it's always like I want to do my neck or my throat and my hands and I'm like dude, like does it get you women?

Speaker 1:

yeah, yeah, we already heard how you chased away a woman doesn't get you any women why you laughing at that? Bro, what the fuck is so funny?

Speaker 3:

doesn't get you women all nine of them listening right now? No, not really. Yeah, it does. Right, I feel like if I was just like some chunky, untattooed white dude, I don't think um, you get as much action as you do now.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, yeah pretty much keep it real, yeah, yeah for sure one try to think about it um you would hope that, though you spend all this time and this money and you put the effort into something, but at the end you don't want to look like shit.

Speaker 1:

You're like I want a piece of art right now.

Speaker 2:

That's what I was considering myself too no, that's true the lizard guy that guy is fucking rad though man, if you guys are paying attention right now, look up the lizard tattoo guy, or that dude that transformed himself into the black eyed alien.

Speaker 3:

That dude's fucking gnarly too right which is done badly though okay, but I feel like I'd also attract a certain type of female. Like dude, there are females. I think I'm fucking completely disgusting because my face is tattooed, you know what I mean. But then, like there's like a certain like group or whatever, I don't know, like the fucking alt girls you know what I?

Speaker 3:

mean. But like I think it's 50, 50. I think some women are like completely, completely grossed out of, like face tattoos, but then I think the majority of women think it's like a bad boy like thing. And I'm not a bad boy, I'm a church boy.

Speaker 1:

And you're a real nice guy.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, I'm pretty nice and that's the thing. Like I feel like being so heavily tattooed. People expect me to be um, like a certain way, and I'm not. I'm like the total fucking opposite. I'm like, I'm jolly, you know like I'm, I'm very like satisfactory, you know, and um, but no, like people, like especially on the internet, think I'm like some bad bitch dude. I'm not, you know, like I'm a internet, think I'm like some bad bitch dude and I'm not. You know, like I'm a normal dude, I'm a father. That's my main priority is like being a dad. You know what I mean. But, um, I think it's 50, 50 on the women thing, dude do you get looks picking up your boy from school?

Speaker 3:

oh dude people think I'm a fucking the unabomber bro. Like walking through like Walmart with that kid. They're like was that an?

Speaker 2:

adjustment, like getting all these tattoos, was it like? Because that's kind of night and day and immediately you're being stared at and you're being looked at in a different light. Sometimes it happens with me when I wear short sleeves and stuff like that. This is like people.

Speaker 3:

No offense, but don't take this offensively. But I feel like no well, I feel like I feel like a lot when you see like a, a tattooed black man. I feel like there's automatically like a fucking a stigma behind it.

Speaker 2:

You know what I mean. Connotation, yeah, and it's.

Speaker 3:

It's honestly like, honestly, never the fucking case. I feel like the majority of men that I've came across in the tattoo world have been very salt. I mean, there's a few dickheads out there, but um, definitely trip on me and ray, because he's a beautiful redhead and I'm like the freak dad, you know. But he's a stud we definitely get some odd looks um so it is an adjustment a little bit, yeah, a little bit like what's the?

Speaker 2:

what are your responses to these people who say stuff like what do you, what do you? How do you react?

Speaker 3:

um, I don't, I just kind of mind my own. I I've learned to like just kind of keep my mouth shut, especially around reagan, because reagan repeats everything that I say. If I right, if if I get any type of way with anybody, he automatically wants to add in on like the disrespect you know. And so, um, I've kind of learned to just bite my tongue. I recently had this old lady like tap me on the shoulder and I told you guys and like asked me if I was like had a job, and I'm like dude, like what the fuck? So I definitely get, I think, a lot, most mostly negative shit from like public.

Speaker 2:

I mean, you gotta really know you think it's deserving, though keep it 100, bro. You you not out here here looking like somebody you should approach? No, and I get it Out of the 100, if there was 100 motherfuckers standing in a line and I was like, all right, which one do? I want to give my son a lollipop.

Speaker 3:

Nah, for sure you know what I'm saying. For sure Not that motherfucker right there.

Speaker 2:

I know you no right right right.

Speaker 3:

I'm part of the culture and I know that that stereotype is couldn't be farther from the truth.

Speaker 2:

No, it's true, it's fucking 100 true tattooed, heavily tattooed individuals. It's a spiritual type of thing people walking.

Speaker 3:

If people are walking past me and I'm alone and like say I have my and I'm at fucking the mall and they have kids, they will completely walk around the whole entire, entire, entire mall to get away from me.

Speaker 2:

You know what I mean. So it's like, how do you feel about girlfriends names on you?

Speaker 3:

Oh, that's a fucking. Do not do that. That is a curse, dude. Never Like I have my daughter's mom's initials tattooed on me. But she is not alive anymore, you know what I mean yeah so I feel like that holds a different meaning, but I feel like these like dudes out here getting their fucking lady's name on their fucking eyebrow nothing's forever. You guys remember that shit yeah, yeah how many?

Speaker 2:

girls. You say, you only got one girl name on you yeah, that's my, my, my kid.

Speaker 3:

Well, I have my daughter's name and then I have her mom's initials, but like, besides that shit do any girls like because you're heavily tattooed want to get your name tattooed on them? They better dude. That's the only way you're gonna prove that shit, it's real.

Speaker 2:

You be fucking with the like the goth punk bitches, like punk girls, excuse me.

Speaker 3:

Punk girls. Right, I'm the king of mingling.

Speaker 2:

I don't know, what that means.

Speaker 3:

Call me the Batman, since we've got tiptoe around that.

Speaker 1:

Do you think that builds your self-confidence? You think if you weren't as heavily tattooed you wouldn't be as confident?

Speaker 3:

Oh, 100 hundred percent, A hundred percent dude, Like if I was. So I feel like my cause, my personality is pretty wild dude and I feel like my personality and I'm a clown dude, Like straight up, Like that's what some of them are. They them I identify as a clown. You know what I mean.

Speaker 2:

But no, for sure, like um, this guy you told, I spent about an hour and a half arguing with three people yesterday about identifying and transgender and all of this type of stuff, and I told him I was going to go on and the first thing I was going to do is identify as a white man. Hell, yeah, dude, because I was going to go on and the first thing I was going to do is identify as a white man. Hell yeah, dude, because I was talking to two black individuals. This is Lamar and one of his friends, and we were and there was a doctor in the room.

Speaker 2:

So this is like this is a good conversation. But I was like okay, so like it's okay to be seeing yourself as one thing, but would you have a problem if white women have? Now you know they see themselves as white, I identify as black.

Speaker 3:

There's a few women that do that.

Speaker 2:

There's a famous lady, that's like came out, yeah yeah, we were talking about it right, and I was all fired up, I was fired up and I'm like man, y'all think I should, uh, bring this to the show, and they were like no, and I was like, well, we gotta bring it to the show.

Speaker 3:

If a man can be a woman, or a woman can be a one man, why can't a black dude be a white dude?

Speaker 2:

so and like, logically, in the world of like man, right, like this, and that's where this is weird area for me and and some of them said yes, some of them said no, like, no, they can't identify as that.

Speaker 1:

And if you're, if you're, if you're listening to this conversation right now, uh, chime in, uh throw, throw a comment on the page, throw a DM. Uh, at the page is probably the quickest response you'll get.

Speaker 2:

Uh, yeah, we, yeah, we want to know your opinion on this. Good opinion too, don't you know? No hate messages or anything like that. This is all for for positive research yeah, research purposes.

Speaker 1:

We're just, we're just posing a question, seeing, seeing how different people yeah.

Speaker 2:

How would that swing the world?

Speaker 1:

React to it.

Speaker 2:

You know different people? Yeah, how would that swing the world react to it? You know if, yeah, yeah, and then you know we were talking about, like, um, you know these people, these furries oh, I used to live with one dude and I burned his house down on accident that's a true ass fucking story.

Speaker 1:

Bro, time out you want to explain that to me? I'm'm going to go to jail now, dude.

Speaker 3:

Thank God, all right. So explain what a furry is too, so a furry is somebody that identifies as like a fucking animal, but they go as far. Okay, let me just tell you a story. So me and my first kid's mom needed somewhere to live. So we like go on Craigslist and we fucking meet this man and he had no legs. He had no fucking legs, dude. He was in a wheelchair.

Speaker 2:

Damn, that's a start.

Speaker 3:

God rest your soul. So we lived there for like two and when I say this shit was head to toe and furry costumes there was like 20 000 cost. Like there was dude he had like fucking whore and okay, I didn't know why he would be a horse because he didn't have legs, but that was like his go-to, he was a horse oh no, and so he wanted to be shot. And I'm. Is that bad?

Speaker 2:

If I'm making fun of that.

Speaker 3:

All right, yeah, so I already did it.

Speaker 2:

Go ahead.

Speaker 3:

So he goes out of town, dude, and me and Jessica are there, and let me, let me add something. Every Wednesday we had to play fucking that, you know that battle war game. Where you like, sink your shit.

Speaker 2:

Battleship, so game where you like, sink your shit.

Speaker 3:

Battleship. So one of the agreements that it was $500 a month and we had to play battle fucking ship with him every Wednesday and we did dude and we fucking we played that. So anyways, this motherfucker that was one of the agreements cause Jessica was like beautiful, so he wanted to like shit with her. And shit dude. And so he has to go to like Vegas for a fucking, a fucking furry convention, bro Of course he does.

Speaker 3:

Of course, and fucking, I forget what happened, but Jessica like left her, like her fucking her weed pipe burning or something Cause we smoke, still do. But something happened. So we end up leaving, dude, we go and get pizza and we're sitting at the top of the hill this place called like devil's canyon. We can see this shit burning. Hey, that looks like our fucking, that looks like our neighborhood. Sure enough, we pulled up, oh, and our she fucking burned. They said that one of the furry costumes caught on fire and it burned this man's house. Now, we never heard from him again, dude. We, we packed what we had and we fucking left and never heard from him again. Please don't sue me now, but yeah, so I've lived with one of the. He was like, he was a legless furry and he was like 65 years old, a war vet dude yeah that's what he decided to go with I fucking definitely know what a furry is.

Speaker 2:

Yeah but we were talking about how you know if your kid you know you have two kids, your kid you know at what point is no a thing I think he did that shit as an adult dude you know what I mean, like at what point is, do we stop or do you stop your child? You know um, and if it came from the standpoint of transgender, you know evolution, or identifying as an object, or because you know people are like it's deep. Now you know what and uh.

Speaker 3:

So people are identifying as seasons. Now Like how the fuck are you Goddamn winner, bro Right?

Speaker 1:

So, coming from that perspective, is it too far down that road then? Is it too far being comfortable with it? I mean, we're changing what you are.

Speaker 3:

We don't have. Oh, I wouldn't, I wouldn't. You won't catch me being some like Andromeda's fucking robot lesbian dude. Yeah, no offense, I'm just saying.

Speaker 2:

There's still time. There's always time. There's still time. What do you?

Speaker 1:

mean From your perspective now, where do you see the future of tattooing going? You think, Because you've seen some fads, I'm sure already in your tattoo. It's.

Speaker 3:

AI.

Speaker 1:

It's AI some fads.

Speaker 3:

I'm sure already in your tattoo it's ai, it's a dude. I'm telling you that's the future. No, I don't mean like robots tattooing people, but like I'm seeing this like fucking, these like ai platforms that will draw tattoos out. Oh yeah, as in like people are numbing, so I like starship troopers I. I can see it really turning um.

Speaker 2:

How do you feel about the AI?

Speaker 3:

Real soft. I love that shit. What do you mean? I love it. I can't say too much, but I do. I have one at work that like we've became friends almost you know but the few. I fucking love the thought of like an AI ran McDonald's. I don, I don't know why, but, um, I think I think it's fucking rad. I think it's gonna open up a lot. People think it's gonna take work, but you or take work away, like you're gonna need people to build those robots, you're gonna need people to know robotics to do that shit, yep so I believe, at the end of the day, like that's gonna open up more work for the future, you know yeah, humans will just level up.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, um, what makes you happy? Wait your son?

Speaker 3:

oh so I, I, I came from the trenches. I haven't had shit, my, you know. And so, um, that kid has pushed me to where I am happy. You know what I mean. Um, it's to the point where we both have what we need, and even more this. You know, you see the shit laying around here. Um, that makes me happy. I do a lot of. So. I'm in a gentleman's club and we celebrate um western and odd history, so there's a lot of, like gold mining history, um, so that's cool. That's where I was this weekend, you know, clamping Um where were you guys?

Speaker 3:

So we were in rice California, which was, like, I think, 25 miles from the Arizona border, and it was an abandoned airstrip. And what we did was is we brought new men in and at the end of the weekend we also build this huge fucking plaque which I'll show you. I'll show you, guys, when I'm done, but like ten thousand dollar plaques, so it's like abandoned area. But it's like it's to try to attract, I think like more tour. That place was fucking rad. You can see every star on the fucking planet.

Speaker 2:

It felt like pretty cool.

Speaker 3:

Nah, it was cool, dude, it was just hot. It was like 104 at like four in the morning and I'm sleeping on a fuck, my brother's car. You know what I mean. So I'm just like fucking dying. But it's a good time, like we try to go up North cause there's not so much. Me and the brothers try to stay away from the desert because the farther up north you go, um fucking, not a million degree, it's cool, it's easier to camp.

Speaker 2:

You know what I mean I got a question um do your face tattoos uh make you make people feel like you're a gang member?

Speaker 3:

oh, all the time. Um, I am frequently asked, especially like if, if I have to start a new job, that's always the fucking question from like the employees are you a gang member and how long have you been in prison? Or were you in prison. I'm like, and I swear to god, my thought is always dude. One of my best friends owns a fucking tattoo shop. You, you know what I mean If I didn't look like this and he's not doing his job but all the time dude like I.

Speaker 3:

I have to watch where I go A lot of the time like I can't, fucking I can't stumble into a fucking the barrio you know what I mean, cause then it would probably end up to be some fucking weird dramatic shit. You know what I mean. But is tattooing still punk rock I'm fucking, I'm fucking living, breathing punk rock baby okay, there we go, there we go like worthless at my job at your job right now and so, and plus, like the maintenance men have like this nephew's like some Nazi, so we hate each other and so they won't help me, you know.

Speaker 3:

So the other day I had to like change the fucking, like the wires out because it wouldn't like power on. So now they're like trying to get me into the maintenance. I'm like fuck, no, I hate those guys, you know. But yeah, low voltage, that shit's tight it. I hate those guys, you know. But yeah, low voltage, that shit's tight, it's tight, it's easy Like, especially like wire. I got to wire. There's like this art museum in East LA. It was built like four years ago. Me and this fucking guy, mike, that I used to work with we wired that whole. It was like ten fucking stories and we ran all the while. It was brand new. When we moved or when we started working, we ran all the low voltage and all the um duct work for the hvac.

Speaker 3:

So that's so fun too, it's so fucking fun, dude, but the traveling was whack where'd you guys go to? La oh yeah, santa monica up north, because he was a bit. He was like five months and that's why I didn't want to do it anymore. I have to leave this for weeks at a time. But yeah, low voltage that's a tight sticker.

Speaker 1:

Do you have any last minute questions for him?

Speaker 2:

Yes, I did have one question about do you have any advice for people looking to get face tattoos Recommendations.

Speaker 3:

So people tell you to have a good, a good job and I'd say fucking do it. Um, if you're gonna tattoo your face, at least have a fucking sleeve, or else I'm gonna fucking make funny with my three-year-old son yeah, so earn it.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, fucking have some have your body tattooed the weakest shit is for I feel like, okay, I feel like when a man tattoos his face and does a bunch of spotty ass work on his body no offense to the women, but I feel like that's a female thing when they're like doing cute shit on their face and you know but like when a man is tattooing his face, I feel like his whole fucking body should be tattooed, or at least the majority of it, because that's called being a fucking poser where I come from.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I mean then there's different generations for tattoos too, like in the beginning of electric tattooing and out here. In traditional, traditional electric tattooing it was cover your torso first, your chest and torso first, because, uh, it was so taboo right and it was so taboo, so they they hid a lot of their stuff first and then they did their hands and extremities last. That's why that rule is the way it is today is because now it's the opposite.

Speaker 2:

Fools want to tattoo their face and their hands before they do anything as it's evolved, you started getting those fucking tattooers, or those people that would, those hoodie tattoo collectors, where they just get their throat and then they just get their hands.

Speaker 3:

That's my brother-in-law. That's my brother-in-law, dude, and we see you guys out there too.

Speaker 2:

That shit is cheesy, yeah, it is cheesy. No, no, no.

Speaker 3:

It's weak and it makes it looks funny because you know what a big. So if I'm wearing which I'm usually always wearing, like long sleeves and pants, it's that's always the question. So are your hands and face only tattooed?

Speaker 3:

I'm like fuck, no, like yeah I, if I, I, you would not catch me fucking dead. Like that, you know, and like that, even with, like the older guys, even my dad like if he sees that because my dad has both his arms done and it's always a big thing too he's always like why the fuck would he tattoo his face? And my dad's fucking 70, and he hates face tattoos. He's like one thing I wish you would do is just get rid of the throat tattoo. And I'm like why? And he's like that shit's outdated, you should not have your throat tattoo. And I'm like why? And he's like that shit's outdated, you should not have your throat. What?

Speaker 2:

do you want to do black it out or like of all no?

Speaker 3:

he wants to fucking have it removed.

Speaker 2:

Oh, my god of all fucking things.

Speaker 3:

My throat, not my cross on my forehead, not the.

Speaker 2:

You know what I mean but removing anything at this point would look kind of weird too I would not, I would just tattoo over it.

Speaker 3:

It'd be gay. No offense, but yeah um very but no, and I'm still like, I'm still like trying to find shit to tattoo on my face, like I'm trying to. We gotta go in on the the mary, the mary nose um, I want to do the side of my head you can put a band-aid over your nose. No, I want to do this for his birthday.

Speaker 1:

Hey, band-aid you got any last minute questions for him?

Speaker 2:

no man, I just wanted to say thanks for um nah, anything for you guys, dude always showing up for the apprentices and getting tattooed I've practiced and I've learned on you for years and um one thing about my clientele and I always keep them close to me and I always try and find ways to involve them into my career.

Speaker 3:

And this is one of those things, man, you know um, no man left behind even at the end of the day, even if you weren't tattooing, I would still be sitting here fucking talking shit to the internet. You know it doesn't matter. If you weren't tattooing, I would still be sitting here fucking talking shit to the Internet. You know, it doesn't matter if you're fucking tattooing or a fucking mailman, I would still fucking appreciate that.

Speaker 2:

You know what I mean. I appreciate that we talk a lot of the time. You know a lot of the time it's not always so positive and stuff like that. So it's good to have a positive.

Speaker 3:

This one was tight, right. Yeah, shout out to Gucci If I can sponsor me, if you're listening there you go Gucci where you at, If you're our first sponsor Post. Malone, we should do a duet together.

Speaker 2:

There you go, perfect.

Speaker 3:

Something for fucking Torrid dude, Nothing too serious. At the end of our shows we do a roundup. I've been too serious.

Speaker 1:

At the end of our shows we do a roundup Cool and I asked you for a quote and you gave me a really cool one.

Speaker 3:

Oh fuck, I can't remember it now, though.

Speaker 1:

It was.

Speaker 3:

Can you remember it?

Speaker 1:

It was JR Tolkien one.

Speaker 3:

It was Lord of the Rings. It was for sure. Reagan, come here, dude, do you remember? Did you write it? I was about, but it was I got you hold on so before he reads it, I love lord of the rings um me too.

Speaker 2:

God damn, just do the hobbit on the side of my head, dude like, uh, when it first came out and it was gollum or whatever, man, yeah, that was crazy, bro, like with the special effects, that's got one of the best war scenes too. And then, uh, game of thrones, man.

Speaker 3:

I didn't ever get into that gay shit, you're tripping.

Speaker 2:

I don't like shit, so I can't get into fucking.

Speaker 3:

like the only series that I've ever watched was that Fallout one that just came out and that shit is so tight.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, that's because you somebody said oh, it's post-apocalyptic.

Speaker 3:

Well, it's really dark. There's like a cowboy, that's like man. Get the fuck out of here.

Speaker 2:

You got to check my show out. You got to check out Game of Thrones.

Speaker 3:

I think I watched it with the little blonde girl and the fucking midget that dies.

Speaker 1:

What you think about this, kendrick.

Speaker 3:

I haven't heard that shit, I don't do. You know, following the Kendrick Lamar beat, the only thing I know about Drake recently is his wiener is down to his knees and that's all I know.

Speaker 2:

I don't know shit about that. I'm so tired of men telling me that, so is mine, so it's cool, yeah, right, right, tell me something we don't know.

Speaker 3:

I'm hung like a horse fly dog.

Speaker 2:

Right, whose isn't Nah man? It's only dudes that keep telling me that.

Speaker 3:

No, I don't. They come in. They're like dude, did you see?

Speaker 2:

Drake's dick. Yeah, I saw it.

Speaker 3:

No, I didn't see it. I just keep hearing about it and I'm like haven't I seen something about Kendrick and he's not very good anymore at rapping? Whoa, no, I don't know.

Speaker 2:

I'm just going off the memes though, Just so you know, one of the best rap battles of all time is going down right now and he probably just released some of the best diss tracks ever Listen, listen. He wrote a song to the kids, to Drake's son, and told him to listen to this when he's 18, because his daddy ain't shit.

Speaker 3:

Kodak Black fucking his little brother came out with a diss track to Kodak dude.

Speaker 2:

Nobody cares about Kodak Black.

Speaker 3:

Nobody cares about Kodak, nobody cares about Kodak.

Speaker 2:

I like that one song, but that's not something.

Speaker 1:

I have a conversation with do you want a dollar?

Speaker 2:

Kodak, you want a dollar. If you put him in a different environment, he's a bum that's true with goofy ass hair dude he's a bum.

Speaker 1:

Okay, I found a few. What was it? Again, it wasn't right now.

Speaker 3:

Come here, buddy, come here. Let me see the phone really fast.

Speaker 1:

Or writers are rolling.

Speaker 3:

It's like ride to ruin. Yeah, here, come here. I just posted it.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, because I don't want to butcher it here for you.

Speaker 3:

All right, here we go. I hope this shit's edited out of me and the kid shit and stuff. So the quote is Ride for ruin and the world's ending, and I feel like that kind of means something to me because, dude, I was riding to ruins to. I was riding to ruins and, um, that little red-headed child over there completely turned my world upside. Seriously, when I say this, I was not shit until I was a dad and like people, people will never know, that could be the quote you ain't shit until you're a dad

Speaker 1:

it did for real.

Speaker 3:

It's like brandon. Brandon knows we were talking the other day and he's like, bro, your legacy, your Riverside legacy, dude, I would show up to parties, brandon, back this up. I used to show up to parties in a big coat and a fucking shotgun.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, that's how I met him.

Speaker 2:

I was like man.

Speaker 3:

Smoking sherm.

Speaker 2:

I was smoking sherm that night when I met an awful Norwood down here and everybody used to kind of go party at that house and it was the first time I met the party, I think, who I'm an apprentice at Empire.

Speaker 2:

I think he was here before then, dude, no, that's how I ended up there, right I'm an apprentice at Empire and I'm over at Kyle Turner yeah, kyle Turner's house and I'm looking. We're all outside drinking, we're around a bonfire and stuff like that, and this dude is staring at me. He's staring at me, this guy right here. Yeah, he's staring at me and I'm like I'm looking. You know what I mean. I'm looking back. I don't have no weapon or anything on me and I'm like who the fuck is this dude over here staring?

Speaker 1:

at me I asked somebody.

Speaker 2:

I'm like who the fuck? They're like oh, that's Nick. He's crazy. He got a gun on him. I was like oh shit, and he's like he comes of in the head. It is for sure in the head. Yeah, it is in the head.

Speaker 3:

They made me leave, they made me leave over the gun and then, like 45 minutes later, these like essays pulled up and robbed everybody. And they fucking hit me up. They're like you shouldn't have left. I'm like dude, what the fuck? I'm a cowboy baby, you guys kicked me out. Yeah, but no. That's how I met him. I was shirmed out at a party at like 18 years old, with a fucking shotgun and a trench coat, dude Ready to rock and roll.

Speaker 2:

Ready to fight for your life?

Speaker 3:

Nah, I wasn't even ready to fight for my life. I was just ready to take other lives. I'm so glad I'm doing better now Me too, dude.

Speaker 2:

Oh my God, I just hear him describe where the fuck I was at right now.

Speaker 3:

Another time I met him and he was dressed like Flavor Flav.

Speaker 2:

Oh for Halloween. And then some dude got jumped.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, remember that dude.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, he did, they beat him up, they beat him up.

Speaker 3:

Oh, fuck yeah, dog, that's life, riverside life man.

Speaker 1:

I like it. I really appreciate you coming on and sharing some of those stories with us.

Speaker 3:

Always.

Speaker 2:

Thank you again, Nick.

Speaker 3:

Love you guys.

Speaker 2:

We appreciate everything you're doing. Thank you for bringing your boy down here, for sure, my bad. We appreciate you, you know, being dedicated to it.

Speaker 1:

And opening up to us about some of the things that are considered a stigma. You're a good person to talk, Hi oh that was perfect, buddy Perfect. Thanks for being on the podcast. He asked us before we began. He goes. Are we doing the podcast now or Later?

Speaker 3:

Yeah, later All day, all day, I was like, hey, we're going to go do like some podcast thing, and he's like I like microphones.

Speaker 1:

So super intelligent. Thanks for being on Always. Wish you the best.

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Tattooing, Apprenticeship, and Workplace Dynamics
Tattooing Genitalia Conversation
Tattoo Artist Discusses Perceptions and Preferences
Tattoos, Identity, and Curiosity
Face Tattoos and Artificial Intelligence
Hip-Hop and TV Show Chats
Reminiscing on Past Experiences

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