This week, I'm taking the time to address some questions I've gotten, the primary one being my own tattoo story. I dive into some of my religious upbringing, my love for San Jose, and my overall vision for Tattoo 408. Please bear with me as I turn the mic around this week.

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This week is the rest of Ethan's interview with ⁠Klem⁠. Learn why Klem left the 408 for Santa Cruz, what led him to open his own shop, O'Reilly's, and how it became a staple in Santa Cruz tattooing for many years. Plus, hear why Klem feels that tattooing is better than winning the lottery.

If you'd like to book an appointment with Klem, email [email protected]

⁠Klem's origin playlist⁠

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As I talk to tattooists all over the 408, many names consistently come up whom I have not interviewed. But one in particular came up for often than any of them: Klem. Preferring to go by his last name, Klem has been tattooing for over 30 years. Born and raised in South San Jose, Klem started tattooing at 22 and hasn't stopped. In this episode, he takes us through his time at his first two tattoo shops: San Jose's own Pinup Parlor and Marks of Art.

If you'd like to book an appointment with Klem, email [email protected]

Klem's origin playlist

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Adam Barton takes us through the rest of his time at New Skool, his world travels, and the opening of Fog City Tattoo in Santa Cruz, CA, where he currently tattoos.

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🌹 It's hard to talk about San Jose tattooing in the past 30 years and not mention Adam Barton. His career took an early turn when Adrian Lee⁠ invited him to guest spot at New Skool in downtown San Jose. It marked the beginning of a remarkable journey. Join us as we unravel the fascinating journey of a tattoo artist who transformed his religious upbringing in upstate New York into an indelible mark on California's tattooing scene and beyond.

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In the rest of his interview, Cory "Good Morning"⁠ walks us through his time at Metamorphic Tattoo and opening up ⁠Current Tattooing⁠ in the Alameda/Rose Garden neighborhood.

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Love Tattoo 408? Here are the best ways to support the show!

Follow Tattoo 408 on ⁠Instagram⁠, ⁠TikTok⁠, and ⁠Youtube⁠. DM your address and get stickers in the mail!

Thank you to ⁠Tessia Spisak⁠ for our logo and to ⁠mint.beats⁠ for our music.

Tattoo 408 is produced by ⁠Ethan Gregory Dodge⁠.

© 2023 under the ⁠Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license⁠ (which simply means you can use it how you want as long as you give proper credit and don't use it to make money).

Cory "Good Morning" started tattooing on homemade machines in downtown San Jose before landing a professional apprenticeship in New Orleans. There, he really cut his teeth in a fast-paced street shop. Today, he's the founder and owner of San Jose's Current Tattooing in the Alameda/Rose Garden neighborhood. This is the first half of his interview with Ethan.

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Love Tattoo 408? Here are the best ways to support the show!

Follow Tattoo 408 on Instagram, TikTok, and Youtube. DM your address and get stickers in the mail!

Thank you to Tessia Spisak for our logo and to mint.beats for our music.

Tattoo 408 is produced by Ethan Gregory Dodge.

© 2023 under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license (which simply means you can use it how you want as long as you give proper credit and don't use it to make money).

For Orly Locquiao⁠, tattooing quickly became a conduit to connect with his Filipino heritage. After tattooing in Chicago, he found himself at New Tribal, a shop in Waikiki, Hawaii. There, he was welcome with open arms and learned the art of Polynesian tattooing. After a few years, he brought what he learned back to his hometown of San Jose and opened ⁠Humble Beginnings Tattoo⁠ in November 2002. In its 20 years, Humble Beginnings has become one of the premiere tattoo shops in the South Bay and nationally acclaimed for providing access and education into the world of Tribal tattooing. This is the second half of Ethan's interview with him.

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Love Tattoo 408? Here are the best ways to support the show!

Follow Tattoo 408 on ⁠Instagram⁠, ⁠TikTok⁠, and ⁠Youtube⁠. DM your address and get stickers in the mail!

Thank you to ⁠Tessia Spisak⁠ for our logo and to ⁠mint.beats⁠ for our music.

Tattoo 408 is produced by ⁠Ethan Gregory Dodge⁠.

© 2023 under the ⁠Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license⁠ (which simply means you can use it how you want as long as you give proper credit and don't use it to make money).

Orly Locquiao was born in the Philippines and moved to San Jose at the age of two. After writing graffiti for years, he found tattooing at age 20. When his parents sent him to Chicago to live with his uncle, he landed an apprenticeship on the West Side and the rest if history. He now owns and operates Humble Beginnings Tattoo on the Alameda in San Jose. This is the first half of Ethan's interview with him.

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Love Tattoo 408? Here are the best ways to support the show!

Follow Tattoo 408 on Instagram, TikTok, and Youtube. DM your address and get stickers in the mail!

Thank you to Tessia Spisak for our logo and to mint.beats for our music.

Tattoo 408 is produced by Ethan Gregory Dodge.

© 2023 under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license (which simply means you can use it how you want as long as you give proper credit and don't use it to make money).

In the second half of this interview, Ron Earhart⁠ takes us through his story of arriving in San Jose and falling in love with the bio mechanical tattoo genre. After tattooing at New Skool and Analog, he now owns and operates Eleventh Dimension Tattoo Arts in West San Jose.

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Love Tattoo 408? Here are the best ways to support the show!

Follow Tattoo 408 on ⁠Instagram⁠, ⁠TikTok⁠, and ⁠Youtube⁠. DM your address and get stickers in the mail!

Thank you to ⁠Tessia Spisak⁠ for our logo and to ⁠mint.beats⁠ for our music.

Tattoo 408 is produced by ⁠Ethan Gregory Dodge⁠.

© 2023 under the ⁠Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license⁠.