Podcast · Arts & Books

Mike Giant Podcast

by Michael LeSage · English · Arts & Books

Mike GIant presents interviews, mixes, lectures, etc.

New episodes: Monthly
Typical length: 1 hr 29 min
Latest: 13 Oct 2026
Language: English

Latest episode

13 Oct 2026 · 1 hr 29 minNew

Episode 70: RIME

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…

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Earlier episodes 29 most recent

6 Oct 2026 · 1 hr 24 min
Episode 69: Jason REVOK
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…
25 May 2026 · 1 hr 38 min
Episode 68: Nalla Smith
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…
30 Apr 2026 · 1 hr 16 min
Episode 67: Morning Breath
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,…
3 Mar 2026 · 1 hr 25 min
Episode 66: Bee Gats
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,…
31 Jan 2026 · 1 hr 34 min
Episode 65: Psychedelics
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,…
11 Dec 2025 · 1 hr 37 min
Episode 64: Big Meas
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…
4 Jul 2025 · 8 min
Episode 63: July 4th
Mike recites a written piece in homage of the Declaration of Independence.
27 Jun 2025 · 1 hr 27 min
Episode 62: San Diego recap: 1984 - 1992
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…
29 Mar 2025 · 1 hr 34 min
Episode 61: 2000
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…
29 Jun 2024 · 1 hr 50 min
Episode 60: Dalek
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…
3 Jun 2024 · 1 hr 33 min
Episode 59: 1999: Part Three
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…
1 Jun 2024 · 1 hr 31 min
Episode 58: 1999 - Part Two
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…
31 May 2024 · 1 hr 31 min
Episode 57: 1999 - Part One
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…
31 Dec 2023 · 1 hr 15 min
Episode 56: Rime MSK
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,…
8 Nov 2023 · 1 hr 34 min
Episode 55: 1998 - Part Two
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…
7 Nov 2023 · 1 hr 30 min
Episode 54: 1998 - Part One
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…
8 Jun 2023 · 1 hr 25 min
Episode 53: 1997
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, @california_choppers, 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,…
19 May 2023 · 1 hr 21 min
Episode 52: Spring Road Trip - Part Two
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,…
16 May 2023 · 1 hr 28 min
Episode 51: Spring Road Trip - Part One
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,…
6 Apr 2023 · 1 hr 46 min
Episode 50: California Center for Psychedelic Therapy
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,…
26 Mar 2023 · 1 hr 20 min
Episode 49: 1996
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…
8 Nov 2022 · 1 hr 9 min
Episode 48: 1995 - Part Two
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…
12 Sep 2022 · 1 hr 29 min
Episode 47: 1995
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…
6 Sep 2022 · 51 min
Episode 46: 1994 -Tattoo
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…
28 Aug 2022 · 1 hr 29 min
Episode 45: Alysha Nett
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…
24 May 2022 · 1 hr 14 min
Episode 44: 1994 - Part Two
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…
8 May 2022 · 1 hr 31 min
Episode 43: DJ Jae - Live at The End Up
Live recording of a vinyl set by DJ Jae at The End Up in San Francisco on a Saturday night in 1994. Converted to MP3 from the original audio tape by Davis Livingstone in Boulder, Colorado in 2016 .
8 May 2022 · 1 hr 28 min
Episode 42: 1994 - Part One
Mike recalls memories from the first half of 1994. Topics discussed include: Living in San Francisco, working at Think Skateboards, NYE at the Fillmore, phone card numbers, Cole EMB, writing letters, weekly international calls, 5 Fulton to 15 Third, roach coach, decaf coffee, sack lunch, $375 rent, Jae, circle dancing at raves, sound/body connection, The End Up, piss breaks, Think posse, buying LSD at Molotov’s, sending LSD in graffiti blackbooks, Western Union on Upper Haight, 737 Bush Street, smoking on the roof, sexy French neighbors, Cindy Crawford workout, Clay Street flat, beef with…
29 Mar 2022 · 1 hr 39 min
Episode 41: Galleries and Museums/The Business of Art
Mike Giant discusses his experiences in the fine art world as well as how to navigate it. Topics discussed include: Agree, Futura, graffiti writers moving into galleries, art “investors”, 1991 Albuquerque Museum mural show, connector photos, reasons to work with a gallery, stable of collectors, trusting in value, Sharpies, 50/50 split, galleries responsibilities, no sell early shows, exclusivity, taking advantage of opportunities versus remaining loyal, Twist, dealing with museums, museums buying art for their permanent collections, getting graffiti in Juxtapoz, Damon Soule, selling artwork…

About Mike Giant Podcast

Mike GIant presents interviews, mixes, lectures, etc.

Mike Giant Podcast is a English arts & books podcast from Michael LeSage. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: Michael LeSage
Language: English
Category: Arts & Books
New episodes: Monthly
Typical length: 1 hr 29 min
Latest episode: 13 Oct 2026
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1442683668

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