This week Vegas is joined by tattooer Jalen Frizzell aka fuzzywuzzums. They chat about how apprenticeships have traditionally been violent and predatory. Exploring the benefits of a traditional apprenticeship, the process of obtaining an apprenticeship, as well as personal experiences with apprenticeships as Black tattooers.

Relevant links:

Fuzzywuzzums 

The Teardown is an editaudio Original podcast. This episode was produced by Vegas Ink and Ali Sirois. It was edited, mixed, and mastered by Ali Sirois. Our Executive Producer is Steph Colbourn. Thank you to our Production Manager, Kathleen Speckert, and the whole editaudio team!

editaudio is a full-suite podcast production studio working in Canada, the US and the UK. If you're looking to start a podcast or need help with a specific task like editing, we can support you at any stage of your process. Get in touch with us here!

Follow Vegas on Instagram: @vegas.ink

Follow editaudio: Instagram: editaud.io, twitter: @editaud_io 

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week, Vegas is joined by tattooer, friend and studio mate Krys to chat all things tattoo trends. From Rihanna-inspired sternum tattoos to their most embarrassing trendy tattoos, they break down trends over the years and look at where the industry is going. 

Relevant links:

Krys Ink

The Teardown is an editaudio Original podcast. This episode was produced by Vegas Ink and Ali Sirois. It was edited, mixed, and mastered by Ali Sirois. Our Executive Producer is Steph Colbourn. Thank you to our Production Manager, Kathleen Speckert, and the whole editaudio team!

editaudio is a full-suite podcast production studio working in Canada, the US and the UK. If you're looking to start a podcast or need help with a specific task like editing, we can support you at any stage of your process. Get in touch with us here!

Follow Vegas on Instagram: @vegas.ink

Follow editaudio: Instagram: editaud.io, twitter: @editaud_io 

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week Vegas is joined by Tā Moko artist, painter and organizer Julie Paama-Pengelly to talk about the revitalization of the Maori art of tattooing. They talk about how the history of colonization has impacted the art and how the practice and Maori identity is being reclaimed. 

Relevant links:

Julie Paama Pengelly 

Art Body Creative Studio

The Teardown is an editaudio Original podcast. This episode was produced by Vegas Ink and Ali Sirois. It was edited, mixed, and mastered by Ali Sirois. Our Executive Producer is Steph Colbourn. Thank you to our Production Manager, Kathleen Speckert, and the whole editaudio team!

editaudio is a full-suite podcast production studio working in Canada, the US and the UK. If you're looking to start a podcast or need help with a specific task like editing, we can support you at any stage of your process. Get in touch with us here!

Follow Vegas on Instagram: @vegas.ink

Follow editaudio: Instagram: editaud.io, twitter: @editaud_io 

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Tattoo culture has largely centered itself with substances but could things be changing? This week Vegas sits down with Faith Alexandra Marie aka Needle Imprints to discuss navigating the tattoo industry as a sober person. They chat about building community in ways that don’t center around substances and talk about how building a spiritual practice can help you stay grounded. 

Relevant links:

The Teardown is an editaudio Original podcast. This episode was produced by Vegas Ink and Ali Sirois. It was edited, mixed, and mastered by Ali Sirois. Our Executive Producer is Steph Colbourn. Thank you to our Production Manager, Kathleen Speckert, and the whole editaudio team!

editaudio is a full-suite podcast production studio working in Canada, the US and the UK. If you're looking to start a podcast or need help with a specific task like editing, we can support you at any stage of your process. Get in touch with us here!

Follow Vegas on Instagram: @vegas.ink

Follow Faith: @needle.imprints

Follow editaudio: Instagram: editaud.io, twitter: @editaud_io 

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode, Vegas sets intentions for the second season of The Teardown. They have an intimate conversation with the audience about experiences in tattooing as well as their relationship to the practice now. They’ll talk about the highs and lows, and about how they’d like to rekindle the flame they once had for the artform. 

The Teardown is an editaudio Original podcast. This episode was produced by Vegas Ink and Ali Sirois. It was edited, mixed, and mastered by Ali Sirois. Our Executive Producer is Steph Colbourn. Thank you to our Production Manager, Kathleen Speckert, and the whole editaudio team!

editaudio is a full-suite podcast production studio working in Canada, the US and the UK. If you're looking to start a podcast or need help with a specific task like editing, we can support you at any stage of your process. Get in touch with us here!

Follow Vegas on Instagram: @vegas.ink

Follow editaudio: Instagram: editaud.io, twitter: @editaud_io 

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This episode Vegas sits down with interdisciplinary artist, oral historian and tattooer Tamara Santibañez. They discuss how the tattoo industry has been largely unsafe for women, non-men and racialized folks and explore how to integrate trauma-informed practices within tattooing. They also unpack the ways in which the idea of "safe spaces" have been largely commodified and how to begin to empower our clientele/ tattoo collectors.

Relevant links:

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In the final episode of this season, I sit down with Tiff Lee, owner of Heartstrong Tattoo shop in Toronto. We chat about what made us want to open our own shops and talk about ways we’re creating a new, more inclusive tattoo community. 

Content Warning: This episode contains talk of anti-black racism, police brutality, and drug use. Feel free to skip this episode if these topics could be activating for you. 

Links: 

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week I’m joined by Joey Ramona, a queer Jewish tattooer out of Toronto’s Corner Pocket. In this episode they talk about how they incorporate religion into their tattooing practice and share their experience of starting out as one of the few Jewish tattooers in the city. 

Content Warning: This episode contains examples of anti-semitism and mentions of the Holocaust. Feel free to skip this episode if these topics could be activating for you. 

Links: 

Joey Ramona 

Corner Pocket 

Friendly Neighbourhood Piercer from Black Pearl 

CFTO

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This episode I chat with Asheville tattooer, multidisciplinary artist, DJ and herbalist Obsidian. We discuss how black artists are far too often pigeonholed into one art form and break down how white supremacy has distanced us from our traditional art forms. 

Links: 

Obsidian @maybeheaven

Linnea (Obsidian’s mentor) 

Imani k brown @ipukekawaii

Flesh and Fluid @flesh_and_fluid

Jalen @fuzzywuzzums

Aaron Davis @aarondavistattoos

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This episode I sit down with Michigan-based artist Carrie Metz Caporusso. Carrie is well known for their ‘roll flowers’, intricate floral designs that are placed in and around the creases of body rolls. In this episode they explain how they came up with the concept ‘roll flowers’ and we discuss the lack of representation of fat bodies in the tattoo industry. 

Content warning: this episode contains talk of eating disorders, weight loss and body dysmorphia. It also contains some homophobic language. If any of these topics could be activating for you please feel free to skip this episode. 

Links: 

Carrie Metz Caporusso

Lindsay April

ruffenough

Fat and Tattooed

Belly of the Beast: The Politics of Anti-fatness as Anti-Blackness - Da’shaun L. Harrison 

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.