Mike Giant Podcast

Michael LeSage

Mike GIant presents interviews, mixes, lectures, etc.

  1. 1d ago

    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 future of road travel, The Death of American Dream, the timelessness of graffiti writing, the increasing value in hand made things, screen time, 1980s movie visions of the future made real, hoverboards, political division, the commonality of fashion/graffiti styles worldwide, Philly style tagging, Italo Disco, pizza, traveling foodies, real world experiences, long form videos/podcasts, RFK Jr, Elon Musk, the power of voice/communication, young men’s lack of romance/passion, dating apps, hookups vs deep connections, marriage, life after raising children, life transitions, manifesting as a human, Dash Snow, freedom to change, violence as entertainment, personal rebellion, “What If/If Only”, Ayahuasca, cannabis, psilocybin, writing in the dark/sketchbooks, 2-day ceremonies, Peruvian-style, prep for ceremony, death/rebirth experiences, submission to the process, connecting physical ailments to spiritual difficulties, appreciating contrast, seeing beauty in decay/unused spaces, imagination, Paris catacombs, emerging from long periods of darkness, the ritual of sleep, waking up from a nightmare, the origin of Rime, Respect IN Me, evolving from graffiti writer to fine artist, the joy of creating work on the street, being in the moment, improvisation, the gift of life, what survives after death, Bashar (Darryl Anka), channeling, The Path is the Goal, a meditative lifestyle.

    Episode 70: RIME
  2. Oct 6

    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 1997, buffing walls to start, Dubose Tunnel, racking, messenger bags, Amaze basket racking, public perception changes, pressure from law enforcement, doing graffiti in public, California 3-Strikes Law, raids/financial pressure, Site, Gkae, KUK crew, Kamala Harris/RICO case, bike messengers, Abhor, Sleazer, punk rock graffiti, Dystopia, Fate AWR, getting doored, the AWR Invasion of the Bay, Bles, Gone, Fable, Lone, Kept beef/race, “legal eagle”, legendary diss, climbing to avoid the buff, Oiler, Ayer LTS, falling from freeway spots, obsessive/compulsive, Tie, broken legs, Tie’s murder, Felon, Wane, T-Kid, painting NY subway trains, Ket, international legal pressure, learning how to survive as a freelance artist, Primary Projects, scavenging materials from the streets, cut wood assemblies, Nekst, renting a loft in Detroit, attending a show in disguise, broken water pipes, removing ego from artworks, “the instrument” devices, making your own tools, Twist’s racking jacket, On The Go magazine, H&M lawsuit, donations to Detroit non-profits, MOCA Los Angeles disguise, Art in the Streets/Roger Gastman, drawing in black books, Saber convinces Revok to freestyle his pieces (1996), gestural sketching, unfinished pieces, ephemeral nature of graffiti, removing his hand from his work, simple movements/marks, crossing out enemies, Anti-Trump posters, graffiti removal, redacted documents, political commentary, social media bans, ownership of illegally produced works, Banksy, Jean Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring and Twist.

    Episode 69: Jason REVOK
  3. Apr 30

    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, Academy of Art, diplomas, getting hired at Think, working as a team, Ben Lovejoy, learning how to use computers, Jason moves to NYC, Craig Costello, working with major record labels (JayZ, Eminem, Kanye), mistaken for the weed guy, perfectionism, Desert Sessions, Q-Bert, moving into creating personal work as a team, showing work in magazines/galleries, Mike Davis, balancing personal and commercial work, the impressiveness of going all-city, Bles AWR, San Francisco pits, Shotsie Gorman, Elio España, Nalla Smith, Colin Stevens, Doug tattooing at 12 years old, Dig Dug video game, first tattoo at 14, Eddy Deutsche, Igor Mortis, the legendary Ed Hardy’s Tattoo City, Grime, Dan Santoro, copying of styles, old school printing imperfections, Drew Jorstad, paste-up compositions, light box, painting heavy metal jackets, airbrush, New York City, rent prices, raising kids in Brooklyn and saving money. morningbreathinc.com @morningbreathinc

    Episode 67: Morning Breath
  4. Mar 3

    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, 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

    Episode 66: Bee Gats
4.8
out of 5
113 Ratings

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Mike GIant presents interviews, mixes, lectures, etc.

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