Mike Giant Podcast

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

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 Applie

Mike Giant in conversation with Dalek at Mike's studio in San Diego, California on June 21, 2024. Topics discussed include: Tyke, pickup basketball games, Hurley (2009-2015), Mark Parker, Roger Gastman, Black Dot, fashion world, Spacemonkey racing yacht, apartment mural, Cycle, dominatrix girlfriend, sex in SF in the 1990s, unintentional harm, painting freights at night in Chicago, closing out bars, interaction with Chicago PD, etiquette with cops, backing away from a sketchy girl, exhilaration of release, picking up Semz and Nekst from jail, referrals from fellow graffiti writers, writing to T-Dee, meeting Kaws (1995), car stolen in Queens, The Limelight club, Leeway, Sume, flow among creatives in NYC, Alphabet City, squatters, Sidewalk Cafe, Z Bar, East Side Inc, 111 Minna Gallery, Move shows by Rich Jacobs, Chouinard, location flexibility, disinterest in public school, DODDS, 16 years old in Japan (1984), 6’6” white hair, sexual standards, 1982 World Cup trip to Spain, teenage drinking and topless beaches

Mike recalls more memories from living in New York City and San Francisco in late 1999. Topics discussed include: Working at East Side Inc, staying with Nalla, Zoe, freelance writing, The Vault, Dom scene, Barmacy and Beauty Bar, Deb Parker, Saoirse, Henna patterns, subletting apt on Grand Street in Williamsburg, after hours club, artist John Copeland, Juice Design, Bob Kissinger, Jason Noto of Morning Breath, sleeve on older fellow, solidarity with granddaughter, martial arts instructor, evidence of personal exploits, hand/throat tattoos, Mormon hardcore kids, The Cock, dance contest winner, Stars girl, client love connection, Elio’s art night, huge Eddie Deutsche snake tattoo, fully suited, Chris Garver, Kaz, weekends in Poughkeepsie, reconnecting with an ex-gf, Pepe Rosso, Two Boots pizza, Benny’s Burritos, MaryAnne’s, Indian Row, Polish diners, Bliss Cafe, return to 214 Clara Street, Paco Excel, weekends at Newskool tattooing walk-ins, commuting to San Jose on CalTrain with a bicycle, Adrian Lee, Jason

Mike recalls more memories from living in New York City and San Francisco in 1999. Topics discussed include: East Side Inc, Nalla Smith, Dash Snow (Sace), Agathe, Wall Street heist, John the Fencer, Kunle (Earshot), Tom of Finland cop tattoo, Titpig, Sarah Lawrence girl, Brendan Fowler, Ashley Macomber, Isaac Ramos, Wes Lang, Hoboken, layering tattoos, Body and Soul, European tourists, Joe Claussell, Danny Krivit & François K, seamless mixing, thunderstorm, Buter, Laura Ward, Sarah’s visit, lightning storm at Empire State Building, Rocksteady Crew party, Bobby Tribal, Martin Luther King and Hip Hop, “show and prove”, Kevin LeBlanc, cultural appropriation vs client satisfaction, Bill Canales, Jason McAfee, Regina, tattoos with sexual meanings, Flyrite Tattoos, Elio España, Kelly Krantz, Dan Higgs, Rule of Thirds, re-using needles, McAfee’s hand tattoo, The Heart Design, friends choosing flash for each other, Wane COD, bucket fill pieces, CoOp housing, 7A restaurant, out past dawn, Brett’s house party, drinki

Mike recalls memories from living in New York City and San Francisco in early 1999. Topics discussed inlcude: living near Golden Gate Park, Imagination Plantation, 3D animation, office fashion, Wild Brain, Fern Gully, tattooing friends at home, Kodik Joe, Chris Woodcock, Sarah, Hotmail, student housing in the Presidio, Damon Soule, 214 Clara Street, Adrian Maseo, Valerie Hursyz, Tweaky Pete, BART tiles, The Simpsons on VHS, Outlaw Dancer, tramp stamp tribal on my sister, tattooing Sadie, Scott Sylvia, A-Team, early posters, James at WARP Records, British electronic music, loud music as a physical force, pot brownies, real house party, solo trip at Yerba Buena, tattooing in the living room, 23, Sope, Benotto track bike, first fixed gear ride, Chris Feasel, FUCK/KILL, the impermanence of tattoos, longevity of fine art works, preserved Japanese bodysuits, Avery and Kamian, NYC visit, staying in Williamsburg with Nalla and Maga, hairless cats, African Grey parrots, NY Tattoo Convention, legalization of tattooi

Mike Giant interviews Rime MSK with special guest Persué at Mike's studio in San Diego, California on December 22, 2023. Topics discussed include:  Honesty, fear of conflict, Thich Nhat Hanh, porn, intimacy, self-reflection, self-work, squirters, transmitting feelings, bullying, running from police, aging graffiti scene, energy of youth, Futura, staying active on the street, studio paintings on canvas, blackbooks, bombing vs piecing, meeting Nace, cutting back, Agree, All-Out King, various stylistic games, Poor Things, catching a fill-in solo, the courage to break away from the 9 to 5, childhood, relationship with imagination, The Starving Artist, forecasting down times, life as a book, harmony, retreat, diversions, keeping your heart in it, being in nature, excitement of new places, reconnecting with pace of nature, experiencing death, animal vs human energy, Trenton deer, feeding squirrels in Mexico City, graffiti characters, Vivid Playful Depictions of Energy, original content, praise for replication, ba

Mike recalls memories from living in London and San Francisco in 1998. Topics discussed include: "Claire", Keri, Dek, Brighton, The Moon, throwups at Meanwhile, graffiti over graffiti, UFO, Abstract, Phunkateck, Ed Rush, Optical, Sage, Eklektic, GHB, Grove Park Yard with Egs, Network SouthEast trains, Trans Am show, Camdentown, Psycho, breaking car mirrors, removing fingerprints from spray cans, foiled mission at Uckfield Station, Brighton Yard, window-down on BritRail train, Kill All Cars, high speed car chase, falling through a roof, head wound, returning to San Francisco, brief stay with Claire, Jase, Laura, moving into a room near McAllister and Arguello, Kearny Book and Video, North Beach, cool manager, video arcades, cleaning crew, 4-hour videos for homeless people, The Thursday Guy, poppers (amyl nitrate), growing dislike of porn, Animal, Rosie the tweaker flower salesman, The Swiper, Bigfoot, Sam Flores, Kodik Joe, City Lights Bookstore, Jack Kerouac and Charles Bukowski, Avery, Skullz Press, Lisa, s

Mike recalls memories from living in London in 1998. Topics discussed include: Losing weight, skateboarding daily, Wandsworth, Tom and Honor, Brixton, Dogstar, Prince Albert, The Sun, Irish red cream ale, Guinness, Keri, crooked teeth, The Plumber, Soho and Covent Garden, black latex, after-hours bars, night bus, sneaky sex, Nicole, Wired magazine, Designers Republic, Attik, happy hour at the pub, house parties, housing developments, weed homies with American accents, spliffs vs joints, White Widow, Bored: Snow Skate and Surf Graphics, Patrick Burgoyne, Tomato, DJ Food/Ninja Tune, starting a record label, Will Bankhead, Mo’ Wax records, Futura2000, A to Zed guide, Dek from Art Crimes, Sensa, Irish homies, Valentine’s Day rave at Brixton Academy, Daniel Pemberton, Megatripolis, Sounds of the Asian Underground, Talvin Singh, Squarepusher, heart tattoo on big screen, Rough Trade records, Russell Maurice (Gasface) and Pinky, Egs, Camberwell College of Arts, Maharishi, zines, 12oz Prophet poster, blackbook colla

Mike recalls memories from living in San Francisco and London in 1997. Topics discussed include: Oak Street house, “Allie”, Noah Hurwitz, @111MinnaGallery, latex pants, waxing, Skin Two, loft on 11th, @californiachoppers, the red bathroom, Patsy Cline songs, pre-sex routine, condoms, loft on Natoma, 6th Street, mirrored wall, cat attack, @dozegreen, basement studio, loft mural, Future Primitive Sound Session, Twist mural, Doze live painting, @bukueone, @dalek2020, abstract graffiti, collab with @obeygiant at Fashion Valley Yard, tunnel spot with @zanekingcade and @persue1, Paint Louis, “Duhkha”, @saberawr, Texas crew, @edrush, Eklectik, Kate O’Briens, Think skateboards, Fausto Vitello, The Chameleon, Kodik Joe, passed out drunk, Irish visitors, move to London, Wandsworth, Tom Brogan, Clapham Junction, A Clockwork Orange, working freelance, veggie sausages, kebab shops, fish and chips, corn on pizza, cheese scone and a coffee, Victoria Station, Spraycan Art, Westbourne Park/Ladbroke Grove, @mode2offical, @orig

Mike gives a recap of his recent road trip through the South. Topics discussed include: The Silver Skillet in Atlanta, heavy police presence, Little 5 Points, The Clothing Warehouse, poster sale at Swag Shop in Edgewood, @killermike (Run The Jewels), active shooter, barber shop vibes, cheap shots in plastic bottles, Benihana, the Blue Flame, smoking weed in the strip club, endless $5 lap dances, breakfast with @keet_313 at Folk Art in Decatur, drive to New Orleans, low water pressure, Gabe/Mortal Machine Studio, @BeeGats, Coop’s Place, alcohol to-go, French Quarter, The Ruby Slipper Cafe, Low Timers, White Lotus, Voodoo Museum, Café Du Monde, Bee’s rapport with street people, poster sale, M’s night out, @dum.slut, absinthe, Rick’s Cabaret, Maya, Summer, Indian Motorcycles, Sugar Bear choppers, drive to Houston, traffic mess, Slab Sundays, Christie’s, vintage row, House of Pies, indoor flea market, airbrushed T, construction crayons, Sylvan Beach, Third Planet, Dragon magazines, missed car show, Colorado strip

Mike gives a recap of his recent road trip through the South. Topics discussed include: Invite from Bee Gats to show with him in New Orleans, August road trip to St Louis, considering a move out of California, leaving San Diego on April 26th, 250K+ Prius, $5.29 a gallon, traveling with M, smoking joints on the highway, Campo Border Patrol Station, stashed joints, drug dog, inspection, Tatty Talk, poster boxes, “Splash”, using your own designs as tattoos, allowed to go, staying in Gilbert, saguaro cacti, desert dry sauna, strip clubs, M exploring bisexuality/possibility of threesome, flakers, varying rules, Black Bear Diner, Adam and Josh, hot tubbin, Broken Yolk, Knife City, throwing knives, Albuquerque, Little Anita’s, alcohol at elevation, sopapillas, Anodyne, playing pool, resin tables, Delano, Knockouts, old dude, Long Island Ice Tea, Jagermeister, tipping at the stage, glasses fetish, throwing money, raining wrong, pricing, lap dance from “L”, arranging threesome, meeting L in parking lot, surprising M,

Mike has a conversation with Dr. Cole Marta and Brooke Balliett, LMFT of the California Center for Psychedelic Therapy. Recorded Sunday, April 2nd at the Center. Topics discussed include: Preparing set and setting for a psychedelic trip, dosage differences in individual people, Ego Death, surrendering to a trip, resistance, Creatives, sharpening by amphetamines, Alex Grey, the Community of trippers, experimenting with shrooms during COVID lockdowns, Ketamine use for preventing suicide, Ecstasy vs Molly, research chemicals, dancesafe.org, Schedule One Drug License, research pharmacies, variations in unregulated street drugs, regular doses, benefits of regulated drugs, clinical benefits for mental health patients, importance of set and setting, protecting friends from bad drugs, buying drugs online, Ketamine’s similarity to Nitrous, Spiritual connection, Ketamine therapy cycle, belief in God, ancient use of psychedelics, Ancient Greeks, Salem Witch Trials, Ketamine primarily used to treat depression and PTSD

Mike recalls memories from living in San Francisco in 1996. Topics discussed include: Ben Lovejoy, apt at 8th and Geary, worst roommate ever, coke fiend girlfriend, blood splattered walls, Damon Soule, Oak Street house, anarchist John, Food Not Bombs, feeding soup to the homeless, Burning Man, Masako, internal allergy, Maseo, pulling off a daytime non-permission spot, Jeff Rafnson, X-Files, Alysha, hospital stories, Barbie cool heads, Chris Woodcock, Scribble Jam, Dalek, Jaser (aka Rapes), Lead, Emit, Pose, East, El Paso, Aug, Fokis, dark freights, colorblind/night vision, oversized photocopies, paintings freight Big5 and Amaze, refrigerator cars, sideshows, Twist (aka Barry McGee), USF wall, C4, Cycle, photo trading with SMK, Gaze, Evade (aka Dave Schubert), Oakland Tracks, Dream, Vogue, Jase, using a messenger bag to hop a fence, inspirations from LSD, ACID piece, Susan Farrell (Art Crimes), Krash, windowpane, GIANT simple piece, stamp, Persué, Nyse, Zane, Heroin, Juxtapoz graffiti interview, Kelly Krantz,

Mike continues to recall memories from living in San Francisco in 1995. Topics discussed include: 8th and Geary apartment, Kodik Joe, Clifton Carter, working at Think Skateboards, The Dirty Dildo, High Speed Productions, Conqr, RJD2, George Washington High School, Cram, regional handstyles, Club Deco, DJ Qbert, Invisibl Skratch Piklz, scratching in stereo, latex gloves, lying to cops, Psycho City, 4th of July, Fame Whore, Coliseum Yard, TDK crew, Dream, Meut, Friday nights on KUNM, Krash, painting on LSD, Susan Farrell, ArtCrimes (graffiti.org), nonsense words as tag names, symmetrical pieces, using brick walls as a grid, increased focus from cannabis use, consistent straight bars versus tapering curves, creating new styles, 20th and Illinois wall, Twist, Reminisce, KR, Sope and Felon, Front Street wall, Lords crew, Rules of Going Over, trippy Goth girl, The Blue Danube, Shoot a Tagger fliers, Tie’s murder, Amarjit and Narangkar, Sikhs, Sam Flores, painting trucks on Christmas night, refinishing and painting

Mike recalls memories from 1995. Topics discussed include: Photographic memory, moving to 8th and Geary with Ben Lovejoy, America Online, trading porn, personal ads, Sugar Daddy, shoulder massage in the round, back door access, King Street Garage, Club Universe, raver pack, flag dancers, bathrooms at gay clubs, video sex parties, Alexandra, awkward threesome, college graduation, squirt isn’t pee, big Goth lady, Hamburger Haven, Robin Williams, Coors Yard, Emeryville, Bukue, Joker, Home Base raves, Lept and Set, individual dance styles, circle dancers, Ernest, San Jose house style, Greg Carroll, UFOs, heavy hallucinations, morning-after Denny’s, Flax girl, Don Fisher, Charles Manson, Sunday nights at Club Deluxe, Swing dancing scene, Tribal Japan tour, Bobby Ruiz, Carl Arellano, Kien Lieu, John Reeves, Zodak, Yokohama (actually Nagoya), Shiori, kyogin, no means no, care packages, shrooms with Carl, foggy death ride, raves in San Diego, DJ Quark, dykes dropping knowledge, Jessica, raver love, Merilee, shuffleb

Mike recalls memories from the last half of 1994. Topics discussed include: Black and grey fineline tattoos in Albuquerque in 1980, weekend flea market, Catholic and prison imagery, tattoo magazines, Guy Aitchison, biomechanical style, first tattoo, Mr. Went, jail rigs, Sharpie backpieces, Joker IHU, graffiti armband, issues with visible tattoos, Gator, stretching skin, Mom cried, symbolic intensity, Everlasting Tattoo, bottle rocket battles, Mike Davis, Ed Hardy, simple vs painterly coloring, George Campise, Aaron Cain, robotic vs visceral biomech, tribal style, Borneo, Greg Kulz, Nalla Smith, shitty upper leg tattoos, Greg Carroll, Tattoo City, second armband, professional confidence, graffiti humility, how apprenticeships worked, cautious entry into the trade, shop styles, Chris Conn, Colin Stevens, what time of day to get tattooed, Think tattoo on E, MDMA therapy, Igor, Primal Urge, Marcus Pacheco, anti-cop tattoos, second level shop, Tim Lehi, Jeff Rassier, almost getting impaled, learning from tattooer

Giant's interview with Alysha Nett. Recorded at Alysha's home near Kansas City, MO on August 18, 2022. Includes interjections by her partner Mike Fuentes. Topics discussed include: Growing up near Wichita, creepy basements, tornados, Varsity sports, drunk at school, country girl stuff, MTV, music videos, Britney Spears, MuchMusic, Real World San Francisco, Wichita State, Woodstock doc, New Metal, male-dominated family, cinematography, Hardcore, Napster, MySpace, fashion, thrifting, youth sizes, Paris style, Fast Fashion, changing perceptions of tattooed women, “Lower Back Tattoo”, encouraged by tattooed father, Sabina Kelley, full suits, perceptions of tattooed people, hiding tattoos when helpful, balance of a bust, negative space, symmetrical tattoo placement, Junkie Style, My Little Pony, Lauren Windsor, cosmetology school, working at a salon in Wichita, Model Mayhem, Flickr, Tumblr, traveling as a model, Chicago, 17 in New York City, internship at a brokerage firm, hustling to achieve a goal, incentives

Mike recalls memories from the last half of 1994. Topics discussed include: Working at Think Skateboards, Wade Speyer, Phil Shao, pre-drawn graphics, Eric Ricks, Dan “Cancerman” Drehobl, lip tricks, High Speed Productions, Paul Zuanich, being good at one thing, Fausto Vitello, The Widowmaker, meeting Jake Phelps, skater bar, Ben Lovejoy, getting hit by cars, Albuquerque visit, getting a tattoo from Dan-O, Wizdom, Balinese masks, breakup with first girlfriend, breakup sex, Printtime, Rubylith film, color separations, exposing silk screens, bent screens, vinyl printing, Stephanie, The Pink Projects, Officer Dave “Nasty” Nastari, getting mugged at gunpoint, Tribal Gear chain wallet, Lower Haight, Morgan, Sunday acid trips, Terence McKenna video, Folsom Street Fair, Icon, Candy Canes, Columbus and Broadway, Felon taking punches, 90210 and Melrose Place, Come Unity rave, The Idjut Boys, Cool World rave, Silvia, part-time ravers, Funky Tekno Tribe, Chill Zone, Energy Drinks, range of music at raves.