Mike Giant Podcast

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 .

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 LS...

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,...

Mike recalls memories from 1993. Topics discussed include: The Beach Zone, Rob Russell, sending a package of samples to Think Skateboards, Burton snowboards, Tribal Gear, ASR Trade Show in San Diego, Olé Madrid, first E high, moving to 1933 McAllister, Everlasting Tattoo, initial excitement, futon, Psycho City, skateboarding down Haight Street, hard bail, Dream TDK, Twist, Dug, Bum, ground tags, b...

Recollections of my early years as a graffiti writer. Subjects discussed include: High school PE class (1988), Subway Art, Breakin’ movie, John aka Tank, Frisco Bus Style, Castoner wildstyle tags, Dan-O (aka Wizdom and Omen), The Frontier restaurant, SHARP Skinheads, exchanging blackbooks, KWS crew, racking with Agree, the Garden Section scheme, milk crate towers, the Escape from Home Depot, 1978...

Recollections of my early years as a graffiti writer. Subjects discussed include: photographic memory, moving to New Mexico, Cholo graffiti, Breakin movie, Subway Art book, Hip Hop graffiti, Olde English font, Thailand, seeing a writer at work for the first time, Uptown SK8 Posse, Matt Linnell (Circus), Albuquerque ditches, USP, difficulties with spray paint, GIANT, first freeway spot, PBT, Monoli...

90min mix meant for moments of heavy marijuana consumption. Ambient, dub, jungle, downtempo, juke and more with spoken word from Mike Giant https://soundcloud.com/itsufo mikegiant.com

Giant's interview with his old friend Justin Kerson. Recorded at Justin's home in Northern California on March 19, 2021. Topics discussed include: Growing up Marin County, Tupac, Ben Harper, Jerry Garcia, The Grateful Dead’s last show at Shoreline, LSD, Dark Orchestra, MoTown, Orange Sunshine Theory, the psychedelic experience, sharing tattoos, ego/graffiti, edibles, therapeutic uses of cannabis,...

Mike speaks on the Buddha's Noble Eightfold Path. Recorded January 17, 2021 in his studio in San Diego, California. Based on material previously published in the "Buddhist Basics" zine.

Mike's interview with his old friend DJ Eldon. Recorded in Eldon's home in Albuquerque, NM on October 19, 2020. Topics discussed include: Meeting each other during the early 90s rave scene, born in 1959 in Albuquerque, growing up in a large Hispanic family, graduated top of his class at Del Norte, radio program at the University of Albuquerque, soul/r&b music, late night radio jumps, Neil Murr...

Mike's interview with his friend and mentor Wane COD. Recorded in Mike's studio in San Diego, California on October 13, 2020. Topics discussed include: Agree’s tutoring, Top 3 New York writers, Wane, Hims, Know, IGT, Can Control, Ghetto Art, Bomber, Hype, Albuquerque Aerosol, Huffer, studying zines, San Diego vacation, born in London, moved to North Bronx, early fascination with subway graffiti in...

Part two of Giant's interview with his friend Joy Shannon. Recorded in Mike's studio in San Diego, California on July 5, 2020. Topics discussed include: Ed Hardy changing sanitation standards in tattooing, latex gloves, the Old Timer Splotch, tattooing in photo booth, re-using needles, Crown Needles, cartridge needles, loupe, fineline tattooing, carving and printing, support from her students, sup...

Part one of Giant's interview with his friend Joy Shannon. Recorded in Mike's studio in San Diego, California on July 5, 2020. Topics discussed include: Culture magazine, art/music writing, offering a tattoo apprenticeship, growing up in Santa Ana, early years in Chicago, Irish bloodline, Celtic art, history of Celtic tattooing, tattooed mummies, Viking burials, personal tattoo tools, Ancient Ink,...

Giant's interview with his old friend Tony Bonetti. Recorded at Tony's home in Sunnyvale, CA on Sunday, June 14, 2020. Topics discussed include: Ramon Altorre, tattoo trip to New Mexico, ultra violence, San Jose, the Tech Boom, initial links to the tattoo world, The Skullz Press storefront, being an excellent tattoo collector, Chris Trevino, “A Tattoo You Can Read from Across the Room”, the unwrit...

Mike presents a guided meditation in the Vipassana tradition over a digital mix he made featuring tracks by Steve Roach. Recorded April 20, 2020 by DJ Artistic at Lower Left Studios in San Diego, California.

Mike presents a mix of jazz vinyl records featuring outstanding percussion. Recorded on Monday April 13, 2020 by DJ Artistic at the Lower Left Studio in San Diego, CA. Playlist: (Artist, Album, "Track Title”) Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers, Mosaic, “Mosaic” Max Roach, Bitter Sweet, “Mendacity” John Coltrane, The Africa brass Sessions - Vol. 2, “Africa” Buddy Rich, A Different Drummer, “Barne...

Mike presents an eclectic mix of spoken word, choir, synths, soundtracks, dub and breaks. Recorded on Monday April 13, 2020 by DJ Artistic at the Lower Left Studio in San Diego, CA. Playlist: (Artist, Album, "Track Title”) DJ Rap, Proper Talent 001, “Get Under” LTJ Bukem, Suspended Space, “Suspended Space” Underground Crew, Jungle Warfare, “Melody Madness” Dark Soldier, Falling, “Falling” Loxy &am...

Mike presents an eclectic mix of spoken word, choir, synths, soundtracks, dub and breaks. Recorded on Monday April 6, 2020 by DJ Artistic at the Lower Left Studio in San Diego, CA. Playlist: (Artist, Album, "Track Title”) Philip Glass, Koyaanisqatsi, “Koyaanisqatsi" Nightmares on Wax, Smoker’s Delight, "Nights Introlude" Jean Michel Jarre, Oxygene, "Oxygene (Part I)" LTJ Bukem, Earth 12001, "Cosmi...

Mike presents an eclectic mix of spoken word, synths and breakbreat vinyl records. Recorded on Monday April 6, 2020 by DJ Artistic at the Lower Left Studio in San Diego, CA. Playlist: (Artist, Album, "Track Title”) Ice-T, The Iceberg, "Shut Up, Be Happy" (featuring Jello Biafra) Digital, Portica Recordings, “Clipper" Soundmurderer & SK-1, Rewind Records, "Search & Destroy" Tangerine Dream,...

Mike presents an eclectic mix of spoken word, synth and breakbeat vinyl records. Recorded on Monday April 6, 2020 by DJ Artistic at the Lower Left Studio in San Diego, CA. Playlist: (Artist, Album, "Track Title”) Yogananda, Chants and Prayers, "God, Christ, Gurus” Kitaro, Ki, “Sun” The Orb - Orbsessions Volume Two, “Shem Version” Sixtoo, Antagonist Survival Kit Instrumentals, “Amphitheatre" Steven...

Giant's interview with Adam Hathorn, a tattoo artist based in San Diego, California. Recorded in Giant's studio in Miramar on Wednesday, February 19, 2020. Topics discussed: Big Trouble Tattoo, the totem pole of talent, humility, photos of tattoos, Instagram portfolios, growing up in New England, skateboarding and drawing, filming friends, ollies and slap pies, Kien Lieu, Pushead, copying logos, m...

Giant's interview with Vernon Courtlandt Johnson, a fine artist based in Santa Barbara, California. Recorded in his home on August 10, 2014 for Monster Children magazine, vcjgraphics.com Please follow this link to see a video of our meeting. https://vimeo.com/113684648

Giant's interview with Dave Persué, a fine artist based in San Diego, California. Recorded in their studio in Miramar on Monday, October 23, 2019. Topics discussed: Per-Sway, growing up in San Diego, Star Wars, sports, getting forced outside to play, drawing, Nikol Schattenstein, William Randolf Hearst, inspirational mother and grandmother, absent father, soccer, discovering alternative music (Vis...

Giant's interview with Mike Maxwell, a fine artist based in San Diego, California. Recorded in Giant's studio in Miramar on Monday, October 21, 2019. Topics discussed include: Growing up in El Cajon, isolation fostering creativity, discovering graffiti as an early teen, Tower Records, 1990s graffiti magazines, childhood drawing inspirations, reading George Orwell, Hunter S. Thompson and Jack Kerou...

Giant's interview with Bobby Ruiz, owner of Tribal Streetwear. Recorded in Mr. Ruiz’s office at the Tribal headquarters in San Diego, California on Thursday, October 17, 2019. Topics discussed include: Growing up in Los Angeles in the 1960s, Hacienda Heights, moving to south San Diego in 1972, initial exposure to lowriding, skateboarding, gang culture, moving to Mira Mesa (the suburbs), gang writi...