Mike Giant Podcast

Conversation between Mike Giant and photographer Bee Gats.

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

Recorded on March 1st, 2026 on Mike Giant's studio in Dayton, Ohio.

Instagram: @beegats

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

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

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

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