S1,E32: Ink Master/ Tattoo Artist - Bobby Johnson

Step into the vibrant world of Bobby Johnson, the Ink Master champion who's more than just a tattoo virtuoso. On our latest episode of the Small Lake City Podcast, we're graced by Bobby's presence, bringing the heat as he recounts his ascent from humble beginnings to reality TV stardom. His journey isn't just about the ink; it's a tale woven with the threads of cultural shifts, the evolution of music, and the fabric of personal growth. Prepare for a raw, unfiltered dive into the life of an artist who's as genuine as the stories etched onto skin.

We've all seen the drama and competition on Ink Master, but what about the aftermath? Bobby lays it all out there, discussing the real impact of competition fame and the grounded life that ensues. His sincere reflections not only reveal the emotional rollercoaster of clinching the title but also shine a spotlight on the intricacies of the tattooing community. From the art of fulfilling client requests to maintaining one's artistic integrity, Bobby's anecdotes offer a behind-the-scenes look at the dedication required for tattoo mastery.

As Bobby talks about his future endeavors, you can't help but be inspired by his relentless pursuit of creativity and growth. His plans to launch an exclusive clothing line and his seminar "The Forever Student" symbolize the essence of an artist in constant evolution. Whether he's sharing connections made while tattooing celebrities or musing about the drive necessary for success, Bobby's stories are a testament to the beauty of human connection and the unyielding spirit of an artist. Tune in for an episode that's not just a discussion—it's an experience that might just leave a permanent impression.

Please be sure to like, review, follow, subscribe and share the podcast with your friends and family! See you next time 

https://smalllakecity.buzzsprout.com

Transcript

Erik Nilsson: 0:12

What is up everybody and welcome back to another episode of the Small Lake City Podcast. I'm your host, eric Nielsen, and very excited for the guest this week and to share this episode with all of you. Our guest his name is Bobby Johnson. He's someone who has been making waves in the tattoo industry for decades now and is also the most recent winner on the competitive tattoo show Ink Master. So we talk a lot about the episode, his experience and a lot from that, and it's actually the first episode that he's recorded after winning a few months ago.

Erik Nilsson: 0:42

So if you haven't watched it, definitely go back. It's an amazing series. It's an amazing season of it. You'll definitely enjoy it and gain a lot more appreciation for the episode itself. We also talk a lot about some of the projects that he's currently working on and makes a big announcement about his biggest one that he is going to bring to us next. That has nothing really to do with tattooing and a completely new venture for him. So enjoy my conversation with Bobby. Also, one thing I should note is if excessive cursing makes you uncomfortable, then you might be a little bit uncomfortable during this episode, but if you're not, you gonna love it.

Erik Nilsson: 1:19

enjoy yeah, I can hear you now there, I can hear me okay I'm just used to that like being able to hear the oh, I prefer it to you because, like, at first it's always weird. You're like I don't know if I like hearing myself, and then all of a sudden, then there's like this period that happens when someone has a mic in their face, when they're like now let me do my podcast voice, or like something like that.

Bobby Johnson: 1:39

Yeah, you're back dude, actually I I still love the kid, but austin butler, uh, you know austin butler is, he played elvis yeah yeah and and there's this like well documented that he had this like really kind like light voice and then he did elvis and now he kind of talks like this in interviews and I'm like bro, why, why, what are you doing? Yeah, like what is this veneer dude? Stop bro he's like.

Erik Nilsson: 2:02

He's like the first one to really like do it, because before that like music was such like a uh, and there's so much more structure to it. You had like classical music, you had this big band and then all of a sudden I mean, elvis is the one like the king of rock and roll. Yeah, he changed stuff, and so I feel like there's part of that expectation where he's like you know, and you can say that about any generational musician they come and fuck shit up and everyone's like why did you do that?

Bobby Johnson: 2:22

And then Actually, so to your point. I guess Austin Butler can get the pass because he embraced that and now I guess he's living it, but Elvis, or we were just talking about this. I just watched the preview of that movie. I've never even seen it, and I was talking about how people in every generation, people of my age I'm not that old, I mean, I'm in my mid-30s, you know but everyone my age is like oh, this new music, it's not, like it sucks, all this new shit. And I'm like, bro, you sound like, I'm like bro, you sound like our dads and you sound like their dads.

Bobby Johnson: 2:57

And then I saw that preview and I was like he was like, and they were like what the fuck is this kid doing? And then he's just like shaking his legs and they're like get him off the stage, he's the devil. And you're like oh, what same price. And you're like he's, he's the devil. You're like dude, this is crazy. Because, like, if this came out, we'd be like what is this boo-boo shit? Like he was the devil when it came out, bro, and it's like we just become our parents. And for me, I'm always uh, I constantly move forward and it's not. It's not a.

Erik Nilsson: 3:29

I would love to say it's a um, a conscious thing, but I just do, dude, I'm just very progressive and I'm the same way, too, where I one of like the things I always try to live by is I want to be able to understand what's going on like, be a part of it, because like once you don't understand why, you're like well, what the hell?

Erik Nilsson: 3:45

like? Yeah, that's where that kind of perspective comes from, yeah, and so I think it's healthy to be like okay, like you might not like, let's keep using music, for example. Like I don't necessarily like what is happening, but I can at least understand it enough to appreciate for what it is.

Erik Nilsson: 3:59

Even if it's not something that's on my yeah, absolutely, absolutely dude, hey, so stoked to have you here and I want to tell you, like I always like to start these with, how I got to be in a room with people like sometimes, like yeah, he's my friend from my childhood and we texted him and he came on.

Erik Nilsson: 4:13

But but it was funny because I have one of my really good friends honestly best friends and dentist. His name is Brandon Bowen. He texted me and, like a lot of my friends will be like, oh, this person would be good, Like always giving ideas which I appreciate more than anything. Oh yeah, that's.

Bobby Johnson: 4:25

I was wondering how you sourced me. I was like, oh, that's crazy. How did no one?

Erik Nilsson: 4:31

the internet doesn't even know that I live here.

Erik Nilsson: 4:33

It's hard to find like I found that slug article and like a couple other things. But most people are like I don't. I thought he was from california, like he is, but he lives here. Like you can live in a different place. You grew up in shocker, yeah, and so, and this friend of mine is like the biggest reality tv fan I've ever met in my life. Like he's watched every season of uh survivor and just big on reality tv. So he texted me hey, like have you ever watched Ink Master? I was like oh, episodes here and there, but never like sat down and like watched it. Like never, just not the biggest reality TV show person.

Erik Nilsson: 4:58

He's like well, the guy who won the most recent season. He lives in Salt Lake and I thought it'd be good person to have on. I'm like absolutely, and I've been wanting to have someone to talk about tattoos with. All right. Like let's start in square one. Let's send him a DM on Instagram. So I type up like hey, like, congrats on winning, have this podcast, blah, blah, blah. Put my phone away and then, like three days later, it's like yeah, man, I'm in. Like let's do this.

Erik Nilsson: 5:21

Like yeah hell yeah, and then send a couple of messages like okay, maybe not, he's not responding, and submit. And then Lauren emails me back like hey, trying to get in front of Bobby, you want to do this. She's like honestly, just come into the shop. That's going to be the best way to talk to him about it. I'm like cool, got it, which is ironically below the place where I always got my hair cut by a friend in college. So I was like, oh perfect, here we are again, for a very different reason. Who was it? It was a Brooke.

Bobby Johnson: 5:51

Oh yeah, so Brooke is a homie of mine.

Erik Nilsson: 5:53

Oh really.

Bobby Johnson: 5:53

Brooke Matherly. Yes, so her boyfriend Johnny. He's a pro skier, he's a homie.

Erik Nilsson: 5:59

I was going to say you guys kind of actually look alike.

Bobby Johnson: 6:01

Yeah, yeah, yeah, dude, I've tattooed Brooke and then I'm doing Johnny's sleeve. Yeah, so I was like I'll bet it's Brooke dude I love that.

Erik Nilsson: 6:10

You knew it, dude. You're like name Brooke Is you knew it, dude? You're like, yeah, name, yeah, yeah, who, who brooke? Is it brooke? Yeah, yes, um, and so I walk into the shop and I see a woman. I'm like lauren. She's like yes, because like oh, I'm eric, we were emailing. And like yeah, it's about bobby. And like you poke your head on the car like I'm bobby, like what's up? I was like yeah, hey, I just wanted to stop by introduce myself. And like you were literally in the middle of blacking out her arm and you're like let me look at my schedule. I could tell you were a little. Someone just walked me like hey, do you want a schedule to be on a podcast? You're like, yeah, let me just figure out what the hell is going on right now. Yeah, yeah, yeah, here we are. So I'm stoked. I'm stoked to have you here.

Bobby Johnson: 7:02

It's been fun to hear away my personality on the show, just because I didn't want to feel like I was doing anything other than tattooing. I didn't want to seem like I was doing anything other than tattooing. I didn't want there to seem like there was a reason that they were keeping me for any other reason than good tattoos, and I kind of regret that, just because I'm really fucking outgoing and I'm rather loud and you know, my ADHD like really really controls me. But so, yeah, I'm happy to be here too. That's why I like to say I'm like I'm in my yes year, but every year is my fucking yes year. So if someone's like, yeah, you want to do this podcast, I'm like, yeah, yeah, you know what I fucking do want to do this podcast, you know.

Erik Nilsson: 7:42

I want to start from kind of the beginning and we can get into the meat of things. But I know you're from Southern California, San Diego area. I mean, what was life like there and kind of what got you into tattooing?

Bobby Johnson: 7:53

okay, so this is the uh, this is the. This is the big news. Uh, uh. I grew up down the street from this building oh yeah, everybody lied to me glendale right here, yeah well, because I was gonna.

Erik Nilsson: 8:05

I was curious how glendale bully you came to be.

Bobby Johnson: 8:07

I grew up in glendale, which is right next to salt lake. I used to walk these streets as a kid, like you know where glendale is. Of course, anybody from here knows where glendale used to go to, the as a kid, you know where.

Erik Nilsson: 8:15

Glendale is. Of course Anybody from here knows where Glendale is. I used to go to the 9th and 9th skate park. All the time growing up I had friends that lived on 13th West and 13th South, right there. I spent a lot of time in Glendale.

Bobby Johnson: 8:22

Yeah, yeah, I grew up on California Avenue, which is 1300. Yeah, because it wiggles and turns into that. It turns into and I always tell people that. So I had real quick.

Bobby Johnson: 8:36

I had a very skewed version of what suburbs were To me. I lived in the suburbs of Salt Lake City, right, and then I found out that, like, if you go to Philly, the suburbs are like 45 minutes away, yeah, and so I'm like I mean I basically grew up in her city, like Rose Park, glendale, are just the freeway is the only thing that separates them, right, it's so true, and I was like that's a whole different city In my head, that's a whole different city. But they're like no, it's the suburbs. And I'm like then I don't know what to call where I grew up. You know what I mean Because I walked streets of this city as a very small child all the time, you know me and my brother went everywhere.

Bobby Johnson: 9:16

I remember, uh, my brother would ride his bike downtown from our house and I would hold onto the back seat with rollerblades on hell, yeah, and then, like so often, I would hit a gigantic crack and like fly off, because I didn't see it coming and I'm just we're going way faster than you should on rollerblades anyway, and I just go downtown salt lake dude all the time a couple stops of cracks like we're still going down.

Erik Nilsson: 9:43

It's fine, dude, you're a kid, you're just bendy, you know yeah, I would like and I love, because I spent a lot of time in downtown salt lake too, actually, ironically enough, because of rollerblading, because I grew up I mean rollerblading around everywhere, uh, like aggressive skating, and so I'd always be like in the back parts of like warehouses trying to find like a cool rail or a cool gap or a cool like ledge or something and so like it took me into like it's not like I was down in like city creek every day like, oh, this is so great like I was like all right now we got to go to the places where everybody does not want to go, and that was like where I found it like my place in salt lake growing up yeah, where did you grow up?

Erik Nilsson: 10:48

uh, so I grew up in the avenues till I was 10 and my parents split and then kind of over by like uh, sugar house, foothill area oh, okay, cool, yeah, yeah, my son goes to school up in foot, like on foot, like off of foothill drive and I just I love that area, but you know you have to have a couple million dollars to live up there.

Erik Nilsson: 11:05

So yeah, it's unreal. I'm actually. Yeah, so I'm buying a house next week we're closing and just like, looking at things, it's like this is ridiculous, like there's so many like that's crazy that's a whole nother conversation.

Bobby Johnson: 11:15

Yeah, yeah, I mean, and that's it's absolutely beat to death, right, it's kind of like the conversation, or it's kind of like the, the people that post, like you know, the, the average income in 1980 and I'm like, bro, okay we get it, we get it we're getting fucked. Okay, shut up about it.

Erik Nilsson: 11:30

You know we didn't even get dinner first. Yeah um dang. So I didn't know you're actually from glendale, because everything I saw it said it was from like southern california so I mean obviously bigger picture.

Bobby Johnson: 11:41

You know, if you're if you're because I've not been from california and then someone from california moves to your school and you're if you're cause I've not been from California and then someone from California moves to your school and you're like yo, that gets from California. That's sick. And then also I've lived the majority of my adult life in California. I've lived in the Bay area, I've lived in Los Angeles kind of not proper Los Angeles but like Carson area and then San Diego. So if you, if you take 18 to 35, I've lived the majority of that time in California. So I just go with California.

Erik Nilsson: 12:11

But I grew up in Glendale, I mean.

Bobby Johnson: 12:15

I have a very big pride, there's a lot of pride in me growing up in Glendale, because when you're an adult and you get a bird's eye view of Salt Lake, you realize that at when I was growing up, there wasn't a ton of neighborhoods that were super diverse and my neighborhood was, oh, totally so I just thought that that's what the that's what it was was kind of. You know, uh, bro, there was less white kids in my class than there was, uh, other ethnicities, and I thought that was normal and I loved it and I I have a uh. I'm thankful for that because I grew up around culture in such a place that, like, without offending the entire state of Utah, isn't insanely culturally rich not saying there isn't oh, I will jump on there.

Erik Nilsson: 12:59

You know what I'm saying. It's a lot of strip malls, a lot of stucco, just like a lot of empty.

Bobby Johnson: 13:05

Yeah, dude, I always say that the only other place that has more this is like the Mecca for chain restaurants, which I love because I'm the Jamba Juice kid, you know what I mean.

Erik Nilsson: 13:15

I love that yeah.

Bobby Johnson: 13:16

But there's only one other place that has more and it's Las Vegas, dude, and I'm not really trying to be in a category with that city.

Bobby Johnson: 13:23

Know, my dad's from las vegas, I, I lived there for a couple of years, uh, but yeah, so I, yeah, I, I have, uh, I know that I don't put it on my back. Yeah, it's all like on my back, especially because when I went on the show, I lived in san diego, yeah, right, and I had every intention of moving to to los angeles, uh, this last january, like that was the plan. I was like we're gonna live in Salt Lake for one more year, but we kind of, you know, the show went the way it went and you know you find yourself in a situation where you don't really know what you want to do and I'm like doing you know new, new projects and opportunities, and so I was like, you know, we're comfy here, right? No one was even supposed to know I lived here. That's why I was like, whoa, how did you even find me here? People are like, excuse me.

Bobby Johnson: 14:07

People on the internet are like yo, dude, I'm coming to San Diego, I want to visit, and I'm like, oh, okay, I'm not going to be there?

Erik Nilsson: 14:14

What are you going to visit? Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Bobby Johnson: 14:21

Have fun visiting the boys. I work at a those dudes every day. I text all of them all the time and I think people still think I work there, which is great, which is fine, it's a good.

Erik Nilsson: 14:31

I hate to overuse this, but veneer to have, it's a good heading, yeah it sounds like it's one of those places where it's like there's a rapport that comes with the name itself, so to have you attached to that. It's probably part of the story that got you to like where you are.

Bobby Johnson: 14:46

Oh, absolutely dude. And and the thing that comes with and this is I have people don't understand this Like I have picked up no clientele from the show.

Erik Nilsson: 14:58

Interesting.

Bobby Johnson: 14:59

I was already busy. Well, I guess it makes if your.

Erik Nilsson: 15:02

If your book's full before and you get more popular, but your book is the same, then you're still the same amount of busyness.

Bobby Johnson: 15:09

Right, like I can't get new people in. So people are like oh, but you're super busy now and I'm like I mean virtually the exact same.

Bobby Johnson: 15:21

My day-to-day life remains the same I can't get a new. I'm lucky and I'm about to get new clients in, but I can't really. I mean, I'm just like I have clients stacked up so and I'm very fortunate, but what I'm getting at is I didn't really have to tell the internet, hey, I'm moving to Salt Lake. So if you want to get tattooed, that's where I'll be, because my clients were already flying to me in San Diego for years and I'm again very, very fortunate for that, very, very dope. But uh, I just told my client say, hey, dude, I'm moving to uh, salt Lake, so just like, book your stuff for there. And a lot of them are like yo, the flights and the stay is way cheaper.

Erik Nilsson: 15:56

And especially you think about like the geographic location, like it's central. It's like, let's say, if someone coming from New York, someone from Florida, seattle, like it's a little more central and and it's a much bigger airport, it's international yeah right, it's like the airport here's fire dude well, like even just thinking about where your uh shop is specifically, it's like cool, get out of the airport, come on over, take six south and just keep going and then you'll pretty much run into it.

Bobby Johnson: 16:21

Yeah, absolutely, that's funny. I thought about that.

Erik Nilsson: 16:23

Yeah, it's sick dude so and I so I wanted to talk about how got into tattoos originally because I remember, because I think I had to do like prison tattoos like an uncle or some family member.

Bobby Johnson: 16:32

So this is maybe the funnest part of this whole story is, I was 16, 15, 16 years old and I was a little skater kid like you, and my cousin was like yo, my dad just got out of prison, you want a tattoo. And I was like, yeah, and so, you know, my uncle, frank, tattooed me and him, and you know, me and him, and I got like I think I don't. I don't know if I'm imagining this, but I thought that I know that it was on his shoes, adrian Lopez, the little zero skull.

Bobby Johnson: 17:07

I think he had it like here with crossbones right. He had it like on his forearm. I was like I want that, I want what Adrian Lopez has, that thing's sick. And then I think he had it on both. So I got it on both arms and my Uncle Frank was like yo, bob, you've been drawing a bunch. And I was like, yeah, and he's like, you want to learn how to tattoo. And I was like, yeah. So my uncle Frank, like, showed me how to make a, a prison machine showed me how to make ink out of soot. I started fucking everyone up, you know. And then, uh, you know, me and the homies got a couple of tattoos and then we got connected to.

Bobby Johnson: 17:47

I grew up in a good little portion of my life in Section 8, like a good chunk of my life and with my cousin, his family, we just kind of stayed slash, lived with them, and that's a. If you haven't grown up in Section 8, you don't really. If you've grown up in there, you know what it's like right, everyone kind of knows everyone in the neighborhood. It doesn't matter if you're an adult or a baby, everyone knows everyone's business because generally everyone's home. This is our little neighborhood, this is our little area and we had a homie who had a brother-in-law that owned a tattoo shop and he's like yo, I'll bet he'll tattoo you. And so we go in there, 16 years old, and he's like, yeah, I'll tattoo you. So we were getting tattoos from a tattoo shop at like 16, 17 years old and my friends kept bringing my artwork to this guy like what kind of stuff are you drawing?

Bobby Johnson: 18:47

just like any, any and everything like. And a lot of times my homies were just like yo that's dope. I want to get that tattooed. Can I bring it in and I?

Bobby Johnson: 18:55

was like yeah, yeah, I get it. And so he kept seeing my drawings and he was like yo, do you want to? I mean, would you want a tattoo? And I'm like yeah, dude, I'm seven, I'm 17 at this point, like yeah, dude, yeah, of course, it's like December of 05, I think 04, 05. Because I was supposed to graduate in 06. I dropped out, started apprenticing, turned 18 that late January, late January, and and then I I had a big hiatus. There was, there was some rumblings in the shop, didn't really work out for me. And then I had a big, like seven-year hiatus. But I wanted to get back into it. So I just like looked at magazines, watched tattoo shows, I like kind of self-taught, and then I lied to get into another shop and I just tried to bang out the best tattoos I could. You know what I mean, and again, I hate is as cliche as it sounds. It's like the rest is history yeah, sort of, so to speak.

Erik Nilsson: 19:54

It's kind of like steps and and luck and timing, but you know it only gets to the point where, because you start as a tattoo artist, I imagine you just want to get as many at-bats as possible while you're learning like.

Erik Nilsson: 20:05

I just need to tattoo the more time I have with a tattoo gun in my hand, with some sort of person in front of me, like that's how I'm going to get better, right. And if you already have this art, but like drawing background, where you have this like artistic eye, then it's just like amount of time and you can like use that 10 000 hour rule where you're like, okay, I know how to like artistically, I know how to do this, but now I have this different instrument that works completely different on a medium that's completely different, and it's just about getting that experience between the two and then you can have a lot more fun with it and almost get like kind of like fluent in that own language itself.

Bobby Johnson: 20:35

Yeah, absolutely dude. It's also, um, I've always been a strong believer in my like. Losses are like way more valuable than my wins, right? So in the L column early on it was it was all check, check marks, right, and uh, all the W's were X's, right. But if you, if I look at the grand scheme of things, all these losses that I experienced early on made it so like all these wins could happen, right. So all all these W w's.

Bobby Johnson: 21:05

So I had a really hard time getting back into it for like seven years. But I think that my brain clicked into this like yo, I have to crush. I have to crush if I want to get back into it, because I have a kid now. Yeah, my daughter was born like years. I got her at 20, so two years later I had a daughter, uh, and I had to provide. So I was like, if I'm ever going to get back into tattooing, I know that I have to stand out and be really, really fucking good. Yeah, right. So I just, you know, grinded and then, and then also timing man, like I just hit like conventions right, like at the peak of like social media, and then I was kind of doing a little different thing you know than everybody else. So it's a really popular style now, but it wasn't you know like Neo trad kind of stuff.

Bobby Johnson: 21:54

Yeah, it wasn't even I don't even I don't call it Neo traditional, because like I don't know, I just don't, and it wasn't called that when I was a kid, like when I was started. You know what I mean 1012 years ago, wasn't, wasn't called that. I was a kid, like when I was started. You know what I mean 10-12 years ago, wasn't, wasn't called that dude, you know what I mean.

Erik Nilsson: 22:10

So, like it's like to fit, because, like I think I mean tattoo styles in general are very like over, like um, sort of want to use like over generalized right. It's like oh, is it trad, is it neo-trad, is it japanese? Is it this, bro?

Bobby Johnson: 22:21

and neo-traditional is a giant box.

Bobby Johnson: 22:23

So on the show they were like it's just neo-traditional. I'm like, dude, this doesn't look anything like the tattoo I did before. You just don't know what to call it because it's stylized right Like I wouldn't approach this fucking bear this way. If someone was like, do a white bear, I wouldn't tattoo it like this. How are you going to call it my style, dude? I wouldn't do it like this. This dude, I wouldn't do it like this. This is me, unfortunately, and I'm being truthful doing a photorealistic bear. You just asked me to do it. That's how I would do it, bro. If you want to say it's not photorealism, sure, but don't call it my style, bro, Because I wouldn't do it like this.

Erik Nilsson: 22:57

Yeah, that's not how I would have done it. I did it as best as I could in the way that you told me to Exactly dude.

Bobby Johnson: 23:01

And I said it on the show, where it was like I approached these tattoos in a way that if I went out on these tattoos I didn't want to go out on a tattoo. I felt like I fucked up, yeah Right. So I did it how you wanted, but I did it to the best of my capabilities because I didn't want to fuck this tattoo up. I just tried to make the most beautiful tattoo that I could. You know what I mean to make the most beautiful tattoo that I could. You know what I mean. So I mean that's and the thing about you know wins, losses, and you should have won, you shouldn't have won is like I hate to say this, bro, but like it's, like Kanye said was going to wonder like what was going to happen if I didn't win, if I was going to freak out. I guess we'll never know.

Erik Nilsson: 23:45

I guess we'll never know.

Bobby Johnson: 23:46

You know what I mean, and here's the thing I didn't vote for me. I won, dude. That's like I vote. If they gave me a vote, bro, I'm voting for my boy, freddie. That's my fucking guy and he crushed everything. Oh, dude, I'm voting Freddie, dude. But guess what?

Erik Nilsson: 24:07

voting. Freddie dude, but guess what I didn't vote.

Bobby Johnson: 24:09

Yeah, why are you attacking me? Dude I had no, and guess what? You can't take the win away. Yeah, I won. I'm sorry, have your opinion. I didn't even have a fucking say in it yeah don't be mad at me, bro.

Bobby Johnson: 24:17

You bounce that shit off me and and point it back to the judges. You know what I mean. And also the funny thing is that that everyone's like. I know I'm kind of spiraling into ink master, because no one. They all want to talk to me about other shit. Um, they all pointed on dj. I'm like bro.

Erik Nilsson: 24:35

Six other people voted for me six bro, he just happened to be like he just happened to be the one that was like I love bobby.

Erik Nilsson: 24:44

Like because, like, even going back to the like topic of like styles and over generalization, like how do you put freddy in like a single category? That's not just like, oh, that's freddy, he's over there doing his own thing, right? Because it's so like I just would sit, like there was a time when I was watching the show and I just paused it and I was just like looking at it because he has like obviously this like huge realism part of it, but but then he has this like flat jewel, but then he does his like signature, like just like lines A little thoroughly.

Erik Nilsson: 25:09

Yeah, yeah, and you just kind of just sit there like I don't know and I think and we'll come back to it all eventually but like when I can't remember who it was who was on like the panel of the old Ink Masters.

Bobby Johnson: 25:27

He's like about, about it. Like, if you're going to get my actual opinion on winning, yeah, dude, money's dope, but I wanted second place, because you know what happens when you're in second place. People say, oh, he should have won. I'm not saying that. That's the only reason they're saying that Freddie should have won, because you know you asked me, freddie should have won, but you also get brought back.

Erik Nilsson: 25:51

Yeah.

Bobby Johnson: 25:51

Which is you can't monetarily. You know what do you call that. You can't even put that on a monetary scale, like you can't even measure it monetarily.

Erik Nilsson: 26:03

There you go. It's like the same thing as like the Super Bowl, like they don't get paid to do the Superbowl, but the exposure of the Superbowl and everything.

Bobby Johnson: 26:08

Exactly dude. I wanted not dude. Here's another thing that not not very many people know. We were in the back, we were in the middle of filming that last episode and I, if Freddie was kind of like here or there about and I was like what are you doing?

Bobby Johnson: 26:28

And he's like, I don't know. I'm just like, oh man, they didn't like that tattoo. And I put my hands on his shoulders and I was like, dude, it's like you're the only one in the building that hasn't realized that you won. I was that sure he was going to win and I was so happy for him. The morning before we went to the studio, it was the three of us Me, john and Freddie and I said look, no matter who wins today, let's celebrate. Dude, this is our last day and let's celebrate. Whoever wins, let's just go out and have a good time, because we couldn't do anything during filming and I was like I're gonna be able to go out, you know, with whoever's gonna come out like bottle service.

Erik Nilsson: 27:12

Yeah, dude, we're gonna fucking go out, dude.

Bobby Johnson: 27:14

And the thing is, the three of us already won. Yeah, we made it to the finale, dude. Those two will be back for sure. I wanted to come back. I wanted to do the show again because I had the greatest time of my life. I also wanted to champion my good friend, who represents so many things, and I'm not even speaking on his, you know, his sexuality or anything like that, which is a beautiful thing in itself, but I really mean the boundaries that he pushes in his art. And the thing about Freddie is that I wanted to make that clear about, about that, because, like, there's so much more to be celebrated on top of that about freddie, because he's just such a special person.

Bobby Johnson: 27:56

But his artwork, dude, is like it just I've I've just I told him this and I've told a bunch of other people this like it just like, it's just like flows out of him and he lets it flow right me. I'm the opposite, where I'm like get back here. Yeah, that's a stupid idea, dude. Get back here. This is to me in my brain. You know, wait, this isn't the vision. You have to stay in this, in these parameters, dude, and you're getting crazy. Don't put pink, in that you know what I mean just like a ton of like.

Erik Nilsson: 28:22

Everything is like met with like a self-doubt and you're like right you can't do that. This is dumb right, right, right.

Bobby Johnson: 28:26

So that's what kills me when people demonize me on the, on the internet, is I'm like, bro, do you realize that I'm a bigger fan of freddy than you will ever be? Yeah, do you know that? Yeah, do you know that we facetime dude? Do you know that? That's my fucking guy? Totally, you don't. You don't get it like. You don't understand that like I think I wanted him to win more than anyone else. Yeah, if you watch the finale and I hope that people, if people even give me the time of day outside of being a fan of me and they're just like, oh, freddie should have won, whatever, re-watch the finale knowing this about me. Rewatch the finale knowing this about me, because you'll realize that you might my, my, my, uh demeanor and my body language is telling you that's what do you say he is 100 shocked right now because they made the wrong, wrong fucking decision do you know what I'm saying?

Erik Nilsson: 29:19

well, that's funny. You say that because I remember seeing your face, because, like there's times where you see people when it's like, oh my gosh, I did it. But you're just of like it's almost like this, like dumbfounded, kind of like first reaction, like like sick, like dope, but like I didn't think it was going to happen.

Bobby Johnson: 29:30

That's the other thing, too, is like I was like. The only thing that I can think of. That kept me from being like what the fuck are you guys doing?

Erik Nilsson: 29:47

I about to win how am I about to win ink?

Bobby Johnson: 29:48

master. What the fuck, dude? I never thought about the money, ever, ever, ever, dude, I'm not gonna lie to you. If there was one person talking about the money, a bunch, it was freddie. I never talked about the money. I never planned on winning it, so much so that we filmed until five in the morning. That was. It was crazy, dude. 11 p, 11 am until five, and the next morning it was. It was nuts, dude. There was, there was a lot to do, but yeah, yeah. So I I get back to the hotel.

Bobby Johnson: 30:13

I have never in the whole filming, didn't even consider the fact that I might win, bro, I think everyone was like, oh, I could tell from episode one that bobby was gonna win because I read a comment the other day. It was like I could tell from every episode or from episode one that bobby was gonna win, especially because of all the long-winded excuses around his pieces. And I was like, bro, screen record one excuse I made, bro, one. I made sure that I, dude, when I got critiqued, they would tear it the fuck down, and and then it would go. What do you think? And I go honestly, 100% you're correct, dude. They would tell me sometimes that my tattoos were good and I would point out shit, that was bad, bro.

Bobby Johnson: 30:54

I never made one excuse. That comment, out of every comment that was made, flabbergasted me bro. I was like excuse bro, never dude. I me, bro. I was like excuse bro, never dude. Uh, I don't know if you fucking watched another podcast, but I had surgery in october because I I separated my ac snowboarding two weeks before I went and filmed being master excuses left or right?

Bobby Johnson: 31:18

shoulder, on my on my left shoulder. I didn't mention it one time the producers were upset because they couldn't. I didn't want to be in a sling yeah bro, excuses, dude, fuck you yeah, like never, I don't even I am the, I am the, not excuse king, you know what I mean anyway uh, warriors go on so I was.

Bobby Johnson: 31:36

I was so sure that I wasn't gonna win that when I did, I got to the hotel. We, we all hung out and then I cried In front of John and Freddie On the street, in front of a bunch of people. Seven in the morning I'm crying and telling them why the fuck did I win? Or how did I win? And we go hang out In Freddie's room? I think I took a drag of a cigarette, which is so out of character for me. It was like yeah this is gross anyway, uh, uh.

Erik Nilsson: 32:11

And then I go to my hotel room and I'm just kind of like out delirious you know, it's like those moments in life where it's happening, but you're it's so wild you just feel like you're almost on this like conveyor belt it's surreal, right, and and like the the day slash night slash morning did not go the way I thought it was gonna go.

Bobby Johnson: 32:28

Uh, I'm sort of drunk and super sleep deprived and I'm like how much taxes you got to pay on $250,000? Like that's the first thing I Googled. I wasn't like. People were like what are you going to buy with that? And I'm like literally nothing. It's going in a bank or it's going to be invested. That's for my kids, dude, what do you think?

Erik Nilsson: 32:56

I'm going to go buy a fucking, you know, gt3?

Bobby Johnson: 32:57

Like no, bro. Like I got to make this bread dude. Like I never considered the money and I still don't ever think about it. People ask me about it all the time and I'm like I don't. I'm glad I think this is my first podcast post-win. Oh, really I think this is why I Everybody that's talking shit on me on the internet it's like the Ian McGregor, like I'd like to apologize Right To absolutely no one To absolutely fucking no one.

Bobby Johnson: 33:22

Yeah, exactly, but that's the thing about me is like I'm dude, I was successful before Ink Master and I think that people are like, oh, dude, so like you're and I'm like dude, my life is the fucking same bro, Wake up in the same place, put on the same shoes, go to the same place.

Erik Nilsson: 33:41

I'm still tattooing.

Bobby Johnson: 33:42

I'm still like, yeah, of course I bump my rate up a little bit. But, like you know, come to the territory. But I had a comfy life before.

Erik Nilsson: 33:55

And I'm going to like if this all went away.

Bobby Johnson: 33:56

If this all went away, dude, I'd still just be, tattooing. I'd just well, I just like work, work my ass off doing something else. Matter of fact, bro, I'm trying to, I'm trying to do other things so I don't have to tattoo. You know what I mean.

Erik Nilsson: 34:03

Build the life you want, crazy dude. So so my question is and like this is like a curiosity I have after watching a little bit of it like as I Great season and you know what's crazy dude?

Bobby Johnson: 34:17

It's like the more success I have, the less cool I think I am and the harder I work because I'm like, well, now I have to fucking be the person I think I am.

Erik Nilsson: 34:28

I'm an Ink Master. I have to do this.

Bobby Johnson: 34:30

I have to actually be good at this. Now you know what I mean. You already followed me. Yeah, now there's targets on my back.

Erik Nilsson: 34:36

There's people watching me yeah, but how did that idea start? Because, like, I don't even know like did were. Was it something that you wanted to do? Was it something they approached, or at what point are you like?

Bobby Johnson: 34:43

all right, ink master, let's go and then I just decided that, yeah, I guess this is the year I'll do it. There was a little, a little different circumstances in regards to like a little motivation, like, dude, just fucking do it. Yeah, you know, and I, and and here's the thing about ink master, bro, I, I, I know it's easy for me to say this because everyone's like, oh, it was rigged for me to win. But I'll tell you right now and I would say people's feelings get hurt, whatever but I will say, the vast majority of the cast, including Freddie and including John, will tell you dude, it's not rigged, bro, it's fucking not. And, dude, I gotta say a lot of tattooers have my back, a lot of tattooers are like bro, I really think that you deserve it, which is dope Because I'm a technical guy.

Erik Nilsson: 35:36

You know what?

Bobby Johnson: 35:36

I mean Technical. I'm like I want it to be the very best. Not that freddy's not a fuck bro.

Erik Nilsson: 35:42

I can't say good enough shit about freddy dude I mean, here's the thing is, I'm glad that you have this opinion because, like I love freddy stuff like it is so unique, it's so out there, it's so passionate, it's so it's everything it wants to do. And then you look at the detail, you're like it's it's all there too, and so it's it's so fun to have this like new piece of things because, again, like you don't want to have the same, like, oh, you want to show up and get a traditional tattoo. Cool, let's show up and get a traditional tattoo. Not saying there's anything wrong with that, but it's nice to like because, at the end of the day, tattooing is an art and art is only limited by the amount of creativity and like energy that you can give it to bring it into a new direction that it's never been.

Erik Nilsson: 36:20

Right right, and I think Freddie is such a good example of that Right.

Bobby Johnson: 36:24

So this is why I think tattooers like my stuff a lot and think that I should have won, because they know what it takes to design around the body. And I do that. I consider and I'm not saying Freddie doesn't, but Freddie is like is like here's this art piece and we're going to make it today and it's going to be on you right Versus. I'm like here's this art piece that I drew and I drew it for this part of the body, but it's a little bit off. So I think I need to go a little bigger here and I need to make sure it works with your elbow here and I need to make it wrap perfectly, because it's kind of warping right now and I don't want it to look like that. So can you just be patient with me. I'm just gonna make this perfect so it looks sick on your body, right, and tattooers see that in tattooing, right, that's like my thing, dude, that's like what I teach in seminars. I have like templates and like I show like how I designed for the body and I think and technical aspects. That's why I think the tattooers are like yo, you're the one, you know what I mean.

Bobby Johnson: 37:22

And then the general public public and population sees freddy stuff and is like yo, that's fucking fire and they're not wrong. Do you know what I'm saying? They just, they're just two different. They're just two different things and tattooers can see the work that goes into both and and really, really conscious tattooers know that there's hard work in both of these things. I know, being me who designs around the body and approaches things this way, not only the hard work that Freddie puts in, but the amount of flow and creativity that he allows in his pieces, because I just demonize myself in my head and don't allow myself and I just control the fuck out of everything that I do. I love it. And the reason that I love Freddie's stuff is let's isolate his tattoos and his artwork. I fucking love his stuff and then, on top of it, bro, I fucking love freddy as a human. And if you separated those two things, I love both period.

Erik Nilsson: 38:30

Both are great. Like you're like, both are great both are great.

Bobby Johnson: 38:33

If freddy did dog shit tattoos which he obviously does not, and he, he, but he's exactly him I'd be like dude. I think that's my favorite fucking dude. You know what I mean. And then you put his dope tattoos. And he does this and his jawline's great bro.

Erik Nilsson: 38:52

And his jawline's great.

Bobby Johnson: 38:53

I just like. I'm so happy that you don't like ladies, because we would be none left.

Erik Nilsson: 38:59

Yeah, we would all. None left. Yeah, we would. We would all be single. No chance.

Bobby Johnson: 39:02

Have you seen his jaw, bro? It is perfect. And his and his dude, Freddie's, my guy.

Erik Nilsson: 39:07

Yeah, okay, so that's like one thing. I think we just took 40 minutes on Freddie right now, oh, we could, we could have a, we could have. But, like, one thing I always loved in the show is I feel like you were always like the pacifist in, like because, like, obviously it's reality tv, they're gonna edit how they want to, everything's gonna be dramatized. But I feel like you were always gonna be like, hey, like, let's like, let's go out there and make tattoos, like let's have fun, like.

Bobby Johnson: 39:30

But there's other people were more dramatic and there's more drama in like that season 14 before, because it's just a lot of they also knew what they were doing, right, right, yeah, okay, so I'm going to give you a little backstory on Ink Master Cool. Two top questions that people ask me. Number one, this is the number one question Is the drama real or do they tell you what to say? The drama is 100% real, dude. The drama is 100 real dude, like if there's, uh, if there is a, a moment where there is um friction, it's real dude. They're. They are putting you at high stakes and and and it's not by design I think there's like high stress they're feeding us bad food because they want us to be on edge.

Bobby Johnson: 40:17

And it's like bro dude, the very, very, very adorable 20 to 25-year-old PAs got us this food. They just didn't know when we were going to be done filming bro, and the place closed two hours ago. What are you talking about? You know what I mean? But they do put you in high-stakes situations, right, they're not banging on our doors and making sure we're not sleeping.

Erik Nilsson: 40:42

Can you say that again, but a little bit more angry?

Bobby Johnson: 40:44

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So you're there for weeks with the same people. What happens? You get agitated with each other, so the drama is real. I will say this, though they will definitely remind you about something that bothered you and go hey, why don't you talk about that in there? Right, remember that thing.

Erik Nilsson: 41:06

You said about Bobby Remember when Freddie called you a bitch. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Bobby Johnson: 41:08

Remember what John said man, why don't you say something Like whatever, but again, at the end of the day, it's a tv show at the end of the day, so they will make you sit on those couches until they have something. And getting something out of our cast was like getting blood from a stone, dude like we were. So we were such tight-knit homies like freddie and I they they painted us to be rivals, bro. We hung out every single night, Me, Freddie and John. Me, Freddie, John and Sydney were in the hot tub every single night that we could, and we hung out and I'm not exaggerating, dude Every single night. From day one, we all hung out. Every single night we were in the common room hanging out, having drinks, being the best of fucking friends, and somehow we're enemies're enemies, yeah uh, or everybody wants to think that you're enemies and hate each other, and right, right, right, but it's funny from your perspective to be like oh, you think we hate each other.

Erik Nilsson: 42:09

Actually, I'm messaging them right now about like, like because like how funny is this?

Bobby Johnson: 42:13

that like? They think that like dude, yeah, exactly the whole time. And what else is funny is like anyone that like Freddy should have won, like they weren't going to get tattooed by me anyways, dude, they weren't going to like me anyways, bro, people, I saw people make comments from episode one through three that made the same comments on episode nine and I'm like no, you just fucking hated me, you just didn't like me, dude. And I get that right like, but what's crazy is that I I some people will be like hey, man, I'm thinking about going on ink master, what are you? What's your advice? And I'm like don't be fucking nice, because the general public doesn't give a fuck dude. Like I was the nicest motherfucker ever and they didn't care, bro, they didn't give a fuck dude, they were just like like, uh, I mean thank god for jazzy, she caused the most friction, right, and she's the homie. But like thank god for her, because we didn't have any friction like hey, you know jazzy, go talk to john.

Bobby Johnson: 43:11

Jazzy, you got anything. John, you got anything, fuck. Okay. So back to the couches. Right, they had to sit on these couches. And it's basically like come on, guys, we gotta make tv, bro, like john, what's remember the thing that, right, they'll have you sit on these couches? And it's basically like, come on, guys, we gotta make tv, bro, like john, what's remember the thing that I they're like have their phones. Like he's fucking. You know, remember, you talked to me about this again. They will not fabricate, but they will remind. They will remind you, right, but back to season 14.

Bobby Johnson: 43:36

Everybody had done the show that's so they know and they also know that, in the grand scheme of things, we're post, uh, last episode, and you know, you know what you realize, dude, you fully, fully, fully realize it. Damn, I could have said anything at any time, because it really didn't fucking matter, dude. And here's the crazy thing, bro, you have half the internet telling me congratulations and you have half the internet saying fuck you, dude, you shouldn't have won. But guess what?

Bobby Johnson: 44:05

a hundred percent of the people that approach me love me dude a hundred percent of the people that recognize me are like yo, dude, you're from ig, master, and I'm like, yeah, dude, what's up? And they're like, fuck, yeah, dude, I love you. And I'm just like hell, yeah. So like either people are just happy to see you and they don't actually hate you, or everyone that hates me is like tucking it in, and I'm sure that someone's like yo, you're by ringmaster, right, fuck you, freddie should have won, like, and that would be funny, that'd be so funny, probably knowing like experiencing it, you'd probably chuckle, be like oh bro, yeah 100 I actually was going to wear because I knew who won.

Bobby Johnson: 44:39

Obviously I was to the finale party that we went to. I wanted to make a giant shirt that said I would have voted for Freddie, or Freddie has my vote, or whatever, or Freddie should have won on the back. But I was like that's kind of disrespectful to everyone that believed in me and is a fan of me. I mean, bro, I would fucking love to have a rematch. I mean, not everybody would. Oh, my god, dude, I would love that, bro. I would love that because I would approach things so much differently. So would freddie, obviously, um, gotta be cool. Oh, I mean so cool to have a rematch. I think because we are such juxtapositions and we have hindsight in our power. That's going back to 14. They all had hindsight right, and they knew how the program worked. And again they knew, oh, I can say whatever the fuck I want. So they'd go in on those couches and they'd argue right, like, oh, fuck you.

Erik Nilsson: 45:33

And then they'd probably hug later and like okay, cool, let's go back to the hot tub.

Bobby Johnson: 45:37

Yeah, and I can tell you this they. We started doing that at the end of season 15.

Bobby Johnson: 45:48

I would go like yo, john, I'm about to argue with you in there, because there's four of us left and we need something. And I'm not about to hit Jossie over the like, you know, like I'm not going to hit Jossie with some friction, because that's my homie and we were beefing, like three days ago, on some dumb shit. And I'm not going after Freddie, because the last thing I want is what people think already. We're not homies, right? So, and I have nothing to say bad about them, so I'm going to say this and then you know, after, like, okay, go, that went perfect.

Bobby Johnson: 46:12

I actually believed what I said to John, but like, like, it's not, like I would ever go out of my way to tell them what I said. Yeah, it was, it was very surface level, dumb shit, right, so they knew they knew the program, right, um, we would know the program. But also they have the, the hindsight of having done the show and being like, oh, like, like the finale, right, I was like, oh, I want to tell. And like, my last tattoo is going to be like, I'm going to utilize things that I've learned here, right, versus.

Bobby Johnson: 46:42

And then I, I, I hate my last tattoo, bro I fucking hate it, dude, and I hate my second tattoo and the two things that I would have changed. I would have done the exact same design as I did for my second tattoo. I would have just made things a little smaller and then that other girl a little bigger, and I would have taken my time and done the black and gray super fucking smooth and just dialed it right again like very technical what you're used to right, right, the third tattoo.

Bobby Johnson: 47:06

I would have just done a tattoo, and now I've, just I've. I learned a lot, dude. I learned a lot during doing ink master. So I, uh, and I just learned a lot, pushing myself, trying to be like this person that people think I am. Uh, I would just hone in and do a fucking tattoo that I would do. I, that's not a tattoo that I would do. You know what I mean.

Erik Nilsson: 47:26

Um, but it's just hard because, like even thinking about, uh, what's the term? I mean it's? It's the one, that's the one episode where you always had, like the movable tattoos, where changes as they move, and like I always love that one because you do the um, the rocking girl on the knee and it's funny because, like all, and it's a blind vote, and I'm like that's not bobby, that's got to be them. And then you're like guess what, motherfucker?

Erik Nilsson: 47:49

and it's so fun to be like, yeah, that's me yeah, it's always like this kind of like, kind of like two sides to like with ink master. If you watch enough of it, you kind of see it where there's people that's like I'm going to own my style and do everything my way. But then there's this narrative of it where it's like, oh, if you'd be an Ink Master, you have to do everything amazing, right, and trying to find both of those. Because, to your point, looking back, if I did it my way every single time I wanted to, there'd be a lot better tattoos, right, right.

Bobby Johnson: 48:21

And so it's interesting to have that perspective now where you can see that difference. Right, and here's another funny thing Watch the season back, because I did the ask every fucking time, dude. Every time I did the ask, dude, I didn't change one thing. I changed the rockabilly chick from stage diving. How do you do that? Do you want her to like?

Erik Nilsson: 48:36

what are you talking about?

Bobby Johnson: 48:37

And also, I don't know if you watched the fucking episode, but that dude was very, very specific, right. And then people were like, and he's like I want it to move when I bend my knee right. And then people were like there's no what she bends her knee. And I'm like, dude, it's literally what he asked for. And then people were like he never does the ask and it's like like I will say like if there's like a uh, a win for me and a loss for freddie, like freddie was changing fucking people's minds. You know what I mean. I did the ask literally every time, bro, watch the fucking season again.

Bobby Johnson: 49:14

I didn't change a single thing, dude, even on the black and gray, the shitty cowboy that I hate did the ask. Guess what that dude was like I don't give a fuck, bro, you can do whatever you want. I was like, not, we're doing the ask, dude, you ask for black and gray realism. Guess what we're doing, buddy, black and gray realism, brother. And then, oh, you asked for a rockabilly pinup. Guess what you're getting. I did want to change his. I was scared that I was gonna have people go. It doesn't change enough, right. And then I was like you, I was going to have people go. It doesn't change enough, right? And then I was like you know what?

Bobby Johnson: 49:42

I'm just going to have to do a fucking really clean tattoo, and then it was one of my favorite tattoos that I did. I also have a lot of people that are like he just does the oval around everything. And I went back and looked and I'm like what the fuck are you talking about, dude? Let's just name my tattoos real quick. The about, dude? Let's just name my tattoos real quick. The first one yeah, I did the oval. It's a swan. It's a swan wing with the fucking branch. Second tattoo sure, I guess it's an oval, but it's the skull. Again, black and gray, realistic skull with a color headdress. The ask. Third tattoo I did uh bro, I did a fucking black and gray throat tattoo.

Erik Nilsson: 50:19

Wraparound you think I wanted to do that. Yeah, you think I was like yeah, this is my fucking style.

Bobby Johnson: 50:24

Let me do a black and gray finally, this is what I've been waiting for, and I fucking took that we were picking and I was like I'll take the bullet and people are crying to me, dude. Third tattoo. Fourth tattoo I did uh what was week four. I did the, the, the snake, uh, fox oh, I love that one I'm like bro, it's the. He's literally what he asked for.

Erik Nilsson: 50:45

Excuse me, it's literally what he asked for you know like you're mad at me for doing what the person said. What the fuck yeah?

Bobby Johnson: 50:50

five, week five I am number one. I get all the way to the bottom. I get the very last. Pick the tattoo. Nobody wants and I do the ask and people are mad. I did exactly what this motherfucker wanted. Week nobody wants and I do the ask and people are mad. I did exactly what this motherfucker wanted. Week six what did I do? Well, I don't even remember what the tattoo was. Oh, I did. The fucking cowboy yeah I think it was the cowboy right I think so the cowboy and I fucking hated it.

Bobby Johnson: 51:11

But I did the ask right week seven. I did the fucking heart. I did change that one a little bit. She wanted a, a heart brain. The brain, half the brain, looked like a ball sack. And I was like man I don't know if I can get this to work. That's a solid tattoo. It's not my favorite tattoo. Nine or week was that no week. Eight was the pinups or the new school portraits.

Erik Nilsson: 51:41

Yes.

Bobby Johnson: 51:41

Brother, I did a new school portrait, dude, to the fucking textbook. New school portrait, bro. I did the ask every time, week nine, right? Okay, this gets a little controversial, but I get a landscape. Okay, dude, check it out. Have you looked at a Google landscape? Google landscape, and you're going to get a landscape? Okay, dude, check it out. Have you looked at a google landscape, google landscape, and you're gonna get a barn? Yeah, right, maybe, or just a fucking field. And I was like, well, god damn, I don't have anything. So I'm gonna do a tree. Yeah, I did it a little more painterly because, uh, it's more exciting. And again, I go back to the principle of I'm gonna go out on a tattoo that I am proud of. Yet I skewed to ask it's still a landscape in my opinion, but let's look at the other, freddy's, landscape. I thought it was way better than mine, by the way.

Bobby Johnson: 52:36

Uh, I know the flowers with I liked my color palette and I would rather have my tattoo, but I think Freddy's was way better than mine. I just wouldn't have a landscape on me. That's why I would rather have my tattoo, because it's a fucking tree. Do you know what I'm saying? It's a bonsai tree tattoo, not a landscape tattoo. You know what I mean? Again, okay, I'll give you that I went a little off, right, uh, and because it? Mostly because it's not photorealism.

Bobby Johnson: 53:06

And then the bear was a picture of a very weird looking. If you google spirit bear, dude, they're not everyone's like it looks weird. I'm like you're not googling the bear, you're thinking that this is a white bear. That's why I said spirit bear, because these things are crazy looking, bro. They look like they have down syndrome, they look inbred, real and I and I honestly think it's because they are exclusive to vancouver island and I think they're probably a little inbred, right, I have longer snouts, littler eyes, they're always wet, um, and so people are like it's not photorealistic. Yeah, is it not photorealistic to the standard of looking like a fucking photo?

Bobby Johnson: 53:40

No, I'm not very good at this, but is it my attempt? Yes, is it my style? Absolutely it is not. I put my style around it, right, but the bear itself is not. And then the last three I'm gonna get a little fucking, little, fucking shaky here. Number one was whatever we wanted. I picked japanese snakes, right, and I very, very specifically said not traditional, we can get. I turned to freddy and I go yeah, but because freddy was bummed, I picked that. I said but we can get fun with this because like it's not traditional, people are like it's not, it wasn't japanese, it wasn't traditional japanese.

Erik Nilsson: 54:15

I'm like I specifically said I didn't even specifically say.

Bobby Johnson: 54:18

I didn't say or I didn't. My argument isn't like I didn't say it. I specifically said not traditional Japanese. We can get fun with it. They aired that. The second one was illustrative black and gray. Well, I fucking drew mine, dude. And then the third one was whatever you want. That's, in my opinion, where I made the biggest mistake. That's another thing that, like, I think what it, what? What? The reason that people are like freddie should have won, for a couple of reasons that it hurts so much. One, I agree. Number two, I'm not. I hated my and this is another reason that I maybe agree. I'm not particularly fond of my second tattoo and I absolutely despise my third tattoo and it's really hard for me not to be like fuck, are they right? You know what I mean, and I've looked at my tattoos recently that I did and they're actually they're pretty cool. They're still not my favorite. I've done at my tattoos recently that I did and they're actually pretty cool.

Bobby Johnson: 55:22

They're still not my favorite. I've done way better tattoos. I mean, even Anthony Michaels on the panel was like I mean, we've seen, dude, we've all seen on the internet way better stuff from you. You know what I mean.

Erik Nilsson: 55:35

But I mean, like you throw in the pressure, you throw in the timing, you throw in like this, like even in season 14, when I can't remember who it is if someone comes back and he's just like shaking almost, and he can't do, he's like sorry, like this is like getting together and so he's like, even someone who is, like again, been tattooing for decades, professional in his own art, like recognizes the best that they can be circumstances, they cannot perform as well as they'd like because there are so many pressures, right?

Erik Nilsson: 55:59

so to have someone go into a process where it's like, oh shit, like even even to the point of your like third tattoo in the last one, where it's like, hey, whatever you want, go for it, right?

Bobby Johnson: 56:07

it's down.

Erik Nilsson: 56:07

You're down, do it like even to look back and be like, well, it's like not my favorite. It's like, yeah, well, if you had all the time in the world with a uh canvas, who's gonna say, yeah, whatever, I don't have a calendar, you can tell me when to come, whenever you want to, and all in your controllable environment. Like, obviously, that's going to be the time you do the best tattoo.

Bobby Johnson: 56:25

Right, and I think I think what else is and this goes back to like why Freddie's last tattoo is the most amazing. So, years prior, it was go home, draw this tattoo. You have time to draw this tattoo, right, One tattoo. They're going to come and you're going to work on them, and then they're going to come later and you're going to work on them again, and then they're going to come later. You're going to work on them again and it's going to be healed and we're going to reveal them. Right, and you have all this time and preparation, right. All this, like you get comfy, you get to set up and you get to just have the coffee in the morning and just like here's second session, dude, I'm ready, I'm gonna, I'm gonna. Just, I have a game plan, I'm gonna crush, right.

Bobby Johnson: 57:06

Then last season, the last season before us. Hey, we want to do a back piece in two days, which is absolutely fucking insane, right? But I don't need to go into the ins and outs. They had time to draw those and they only had to do one. Us, we want you to design three tattoos that are supposed to blow our fucking minds and then you're going to tattoo them consecutively, every single day we can tattoo them consecutively and I'm going to blow your fucking mind. The second question, the most common question that I get asked, is are the time limits real? To the fucking second. To the second.

Erik Nilsson: 57:51

Well, it's like I imagine they edit it so it looks like everyone's coming down to the wire.

Bobby Johnson: 57:54

Right, I came down to the wire every time because I started late. But yes, some people were done.

Erik Nilsson: 58:00

Just kind of chilling. They're like oh, you're still going, Bobby, yeah nice, oh, I like your shading.

Bobby Johnson: 58:04

Oh, I'm so excited. Well, they kind of made you go back to holding and left everything else Let them finish. And then they kind of had you congregate. Hey, go talk to these guys, we'll get some shots while they're finishing up tattooing, right? But uh, so then you tattoo day one, tattoo day two and tattoo day three by day three. You're whooped, okay.

Bobby Johnson: 58:29

But let me put this into perspective. You don't just get to the studio and start tattooing, right, right, you get to the studio, okay, you guys are ready for us. Okay, cool, you may, you might, you may have set up. You know you're ready for us. You get miked up, you get all perfect. Uh, you know you might, you may have set up. You know you're ready for us. You get mic'd up, you get all perfect.

Bobby Johnson: 58:42

Uh, you know you get there, you get your clients, your canvases and you, uh, and then you start tattooing. You know two, three hours later, maybe, and then you get done tattooing and you might leave an hour, two hours later. So let's do the math here, let's go on the low end. You get there, you start two hours later. You statue for 12 hours, you leave an hour or two later, right, so, bare minimum, 15 hour days, three days in a row, dude.

Bobby Johnson: 59:08

Then so so, and then we had, and then we had to draw all of these tattoos and then again they're supposed to blow your fucking mind, right, right. So that may be an excuse for myself, but it also is like that's why I think I remember it was day three and I'd taken a break, and I didn't really take a lot of breaks just because I couldn't. I'd taken a break to maybe eat and I went over to talk to Freddy for a minute and I looked at his tattoo and I just got a little glimpse of it. I didn't really love to get too heady and looking at other people's shit, but in my head I was like, yeah, dude that dude.

Bobby Johnson: 1:00:01

That dude came to win like I I thought that was like freddie came to win and again going back to it like who doesn't want to win ink master? But I was like, dude, this isn't for me, like this isn't for me, I didn't come. I wasn't like I'm gonna go in and I'm gonna show him how to tattoo and I'm gonna win 250 000. I was like dude, I'm gonna get as far as I can. Dude, I want to make it to the finale.

Bobby Johnson: 1:00:23

And then I got ranked number one on episode one and I literally was like anything after this is a bonus, dude. Everyone's already seen me rip a tattoo that I love. Right, anything after this is a bonus. And then I go through the weeks and go through the weeks, and go through the weeks and you better believe, when I was at the bottom, I was ready to go home, dude. I was absolutely fucking ready to go home, um. And then you go through the weeks and then you get to the finale and you're like hell yeah, dude, I'm with my boys and I made it. They're gonna bring me back, dude, freddie's gonna win this fucking thing. And then you know, you're in the moment, you're I know where this whole episode is being like, talking about the finale, but I really haven't been able to.

Erik Nilsson: 1:00:58

So like let her rip. No, I and I love hearing about it too, because it's like it's so fun to see how much like it's fun to see how much you guys care about each other, because I feel like if you spend that like let's put it this way you are in the same place. At the same time, you all have like the same passion. You, I would imagine, if you don't know each other personally, you at least know of each other. And so there's this whole like world and like kind of coming together of everybody. We're like, yeah, of course we're gonna end up being friends, because how the hell wouldn't we?

Bobby Johnson: 1:01:26

we're all I mean you're, you're all stuck together forever and look at these fucking girls. Man, I had to take a shower two seconds before I got here. Uh, so, uh, yeah. So, like I'm gonna go back to something that just came across my brain now, now that I'm bigging up Freddie and saying that maybe he should have won and as far as if we ever got a rematch, that'd be so sick.

Erik Nilsson: 1:01:50

Everyone would want that yeah.

Bobby Johnson: 1:01:52

I would absolutely not go into it assuming that Freddie was going to win. And I would also not go into it assuming that and just like, oh, I'm going to let Freddie win this time because it would make everyone happy. I would go into it with the healthiest mind ever being hey, I'm going to prove to everyone why I fucking won and do amazing tattoos. But the flip side of that, dude, is, if I lost, I got to fucking see my homie do it. Yeah, you know what I'm saying. So, like I would do, there would be nothing more in the in the world that I would love more than a rematch with him, because those two things I win, no matter what win, win yeah it's a win, win I would.

Bobby Johnson: 1:02:36

I'd, I'd love to prove and and do tattoos that I'm 100% back and be like these are fucking winning tattoos. And I feel like I'm maybe like a little unconfident and I don't want people to be like, oh, maybe you shouldn't have won Because, like I did fucking great tattoos but like I'm just being truthful, you know what I mean. But if I got to see my homie win and I got to rip some more dope tattoos, I'd be so fire.

Erik Nilsson: 1:03:03

Oh, yeah, you know what I mean. I mean, then, like seeing you, like, let's say like and it's funny that my brain goes this way.

Bobby Johnson: 1:03:08

It's probably just cause I like golf, but like they've had these like recent things where it's like oh, tiger versus Phil or like these things, like head to head, like something similar, like I'd, I'd watch that shit. Like worst case scenario. I watch a bunch of dope tattoos being made like by a bunch of really cool people. Absolutely, dude, absolutely, yeah, I would. Uh, yeah, that's the thing too. Is I like I, I didn't. I, even so, I won, and I couldn't even look at freddie. I was like, fuck man, I'm like I was heartbroken for him. I was. I hate that's again. Watch the fucking finale again.

Bobby Johnson: 1:03:46

My, my, my body language isn't like holy shit, I just want to master. I was like holy shit, my friend just lost the master. That's how I felt, dude. And and I talked to Ryan on the after show and she, she told me that's how she felt when she won. She was like holy fuck, my friends lost. Like that's how she felt. When she won, she was like holy fuck, my friend's lost. Like that's how I felt, dude, my friend's lost as soon as John got eliminated and I fucking, that's my fucking guy. I text him today. He texts me today. I miss you, bro, and I text him back. I always miss you, dude. You know what I mean. That's my fucking dude. I text him back. I always miss you, dude. You know what I mean. That's my fucking dude. That's for life right there. But as soon as he got eliminated, I was like that's, I mean, I'm like I did it. I fucking made it to second place. Dude Like, this is the sweet spot, this is the perfect spot.

Erik Nilsson: 1:04:38

Especially going from week one, where you get like top spot, like yeah alright, like worst case scenario, I get second cause, like when that point, when you're like, oh, anything after here is a treat. It's like when you go to the casino and you win back what you had plus sums, you're like I'm gonna put my like what I started with my pocket. Everything else from here is winnings. And so you get to this point like, oh my god, here we go.

Bobby Johnson: 1:04:59

This is dude, I fucking did it. I mean I, I made it like I won to second, to second place. Right, that was my, that was my, and freddie was like I. I was on facetime with him, uh, a couple weeks ago and I was telling him I'm like god, I wanted second. I wanted second because like oh, it would have just been so fucking cool to like come back and people be like you should have won.

Bobby Johnson: 1:05:26

And Freddie has a good community structure around him for a very valid number of reasons, so it probably wouldn't have been that much support. But I think whoever loses always gets that kind of like oh, you should have won. And he was like, yeah, but you'll, you'll be fucking stoked. You won like down the road and they get the money and stuff. You'll be hyped like this is coming from Freddie, you know. But like in that moment I was like I fucking did it so. So when I won, I was I really felt like holy, fuck, my. But the next morning we had to go. This was after the finale. The next morning we had to go in for not morning but like kind of late afternoon, because again we got. It was the next morning, I can't remember.

Erik Nilsson: 1:06:07

No one was feeling great that morning.

Bobby Johnson: 1:06:09

Very foggy dude. But I remember we were like at the elevator and I looked at him and I was like gave him a hug and I was like that there's photos of some videos of us hugging at the finale. But I gave him a big hug and I was like, if I left you alone up there, man, I'm so sorry, dude, I just did, I couldn't face you, dude, I I couldn't face you because, like I, I just I didn't. And if I and I and I regretted it because I, I felt like I just like left him alone and then everyone came and embraced me right, because I was the winner and it's like in, completely in touch.

Erik Nilsson: 1:06:41

you're like I win, see you the winner. And it's not like it's completely in touch, you're like I win. See you, Freddie, but it's just like you're so incredulous Everyone's coming to you and you're just taking in the moment as you can, and it didn't go how I planned.

Bobby Johnson: 1:06:49

I was like man when Freddie wins, I'm going to give him the biggest fucking hug. I'm going to be the first person to hug him. And I are just fucking homies and I just was like the last thing I wanted to do was turn to my homie who lost and hug him and act like dude. Aren't you fucking happy for me?

Erik Nilsson: 1:07:10

Tell me how happy you are for me. Yeah, yeah, yeah, not that guy.

Bobby Johnson: 1:07:13

So it's a weird dude. I posted yesterday somebody made a cool edit of the finale video.

Erik Nilsson: 1:07:17

Oh, I saw that.

Bobby Johnson: 1:07:24

Yeah, yeah, saw that, yeah, and I really didn't want to repost it, not because it wasn't a great video and not because I didn't have a great time. But, bro, I literally still have PTSD from not only the win but the aftershock of winning of like thousands of people DMing me congratulations and hundreds, and probably at this point, a thousand or so people commenting that Freddie should have won. You know what I mean. It's like it's really a mindfuck. And then guess what?

Erik Nilsson: 1:07:49

It's all during Christmas, you're trying to be Holly and Jolly, and you just get this, reminder after reminder after reminder.

Bobby Johnson: 1:07:55

People are fucking disgusting, bro. I'm getting DMs on Christmas about how I shouldn't have fucking won and I'm a piece of shit and I'm like.

Erik Nilsson: 1:08:05

Merry Christmas, oh cool.

Bobby Johnson: 1:08:08

I would type up like dry type I can't believe that people would go out of their way on Christmas fucking day to DM someone this. And then I just I was like I'm not going to give anybody energy, I don't give a fuck about you. There's a couple people that will comment on every single thing that I uh that I post and and, uh, they've commented on a couple of things that that are like a collaborative post and I'm like, yeah, bro, can you delete this? And they're like why don't you just block them?

Erik Nilsson: 1:08:34

and I'm like they don't deserve that fucking energy, dude the validation that, yeah, they don't deserve that energy affected you they're dude.

Bobby Johnson: 1:08:42

Hey, you're nothing, you're not gonna get blocked. I don't give a fuck about you. That was mean. That was mean. You're probably a. Uh, you know you probably suck I. I look at your profiles several times. I can't believe anyone can stand to be around you. But uh, dude, awful people.

Erik Nilsson: 1:09:00

I've never done that have you ever done that? No, I would never and it reminds me of. I don't know if you saw this video, but it was of kevin durant running on to the court and you hear this uh, someone behind me like hey, kevin, you're a bitch. And he like stops in his tracks and turns around. And these two people are like wide-eyed and like she sticks her hand out to shake his hand.

Bobby Johnson: 1:09:18

He's like no, you just like exactly a bitch to my face, exactly, but they're like no, no, but like hi, like, but you're kevin drown.

Bobby Johnson: 1:09:25

Holy shit, dude, that's legit the energy that I get when people see me out and about. I'll even have people go like, oh my god, you're bobby. You're, you're from mink master, and I'm like, yeah, what's up? And they're like oh my god, oh my god, I can't believe that you and like, like my, my husband's loves your stuff and I'm like it. Hindsight, I'm like, oh, you're a freddie fan, like, which is great, but I'm like, you're still happy to see me, totally, even though you may or may not agree with what I, what the outcome was. It's like that's, that's just the same thing. It's like yo, kevin durant, you're the bit, you're a bitch, until kevin durant gives you the time of day. And then you're like, holy shit, you're Kevin Durant. Dude, I will be real with you. This is going to really piss off everyone in Salt Lake. I'm a Lakers fan.

Erik Nilsson: 1:10:12

There's a lot of Lakers fans.

Bobby Johnson: 1:10:13

But I'm also a Jazz fan. I'm a Jazz fan.

Erik Nilsson: 1:10:17

You don't have to be one or the other you can like you and freddie and it's fine exactly, crazy.

Bobby Johnson: 1:10:21

Exactly, isn't that crazy?

Erik Nilsson: 1:10:23

you can like me and freddie think so binarily that it's like good, bad, black, white, up down, yes no.

Bobby Johnson: 1:10:28

But they don't realize like, oh, there's a whole spectrum to this and so much of it is subjective anyway, yes, and I understand and this kind of goes back to what I'm getting at is like the reason that people hate the lakers is because kobe's a like uh, uh, a jazz killer, right and so, and so is Jordan. When I was a kid, my stepdad would be like it was Stockton Malone era. My stepdad would be like oh man, I hate Jordan. And as a kid I'm like, how do you hate Jordan? He's the best. And then I grow up and I'm I move forward, dude, I'm.

Erik Nilsson: 1:11:02

Always moving forward. You can't be, you can't sit and linger on it.

Bobby Johnson: 1:11:09

I'm progressive.

Erik Nilsson: 1:11:09

Yes, progressive.

Bobby Johnson: 1:11:11

That's the word Progressive. So I love Jordan, I love Kobe, I love LeBron. He happened to also go to the Lakers, which is, I mean, because, again, I grew up a lot of my adult life in California so I became a Lakers fan, uh, and Steph Curry is a LeBron killer dude like I know that they're. You know tit for tat, but it's not quite the same as Jordan and Kobe versus the Jazz. But I fucking hated Steph Curry for so long, dude, I was like Steph Curry's a bitch dude, what a bitch. But guess what if I saw Steph Curry for so long, dude, I was like Steph Curry's a bitch dude, what a bitch. But guess what? If I saw Steph Curry in the airport, I'd be like holy shit, that's Steph Curry, dude, dude, you're the greatest shooter of all time.

Erik Nilsson: 1:11:53

You know what I mean. So I could be like, hey, fucking LeBron killer, fucking Laker killer, I hate you. No, you're like I respect nice. No, you're like nice to see you, nice to meet you, right right.

Bobby Johnson: 1:12:02

If anybody saw LeBron in the airport, they'd be like and they're like I fucking hate LeBron. They see LeBron in the airport and they'd be like yo, that's LeBron James. I actually saw Dwight Howard in the San Diego airport once and he was coming down. There's this escalator in one of the terminals and I stop and I'm looking at the gates and I turn around and I'm like him and two dudes are coming down the escalator and you can't mistake Dwight Howard dude. It's.

Bobby Johnson: 1:12:32

Yeah, he's ginormous and he just looks so distinctive, his teeth are so white and he's so handsome and like he's just eight feet taller than everyone else.

Erik Nilsson: 1:12:40

You're just like oh my God, look at this man, God damn him.

Bobby Johnson: 1:12:41

And like he's just eight feet taller than everyone else like, oh my god, look at this man, damn. And I just like have like my hands in my backpack, like this, and I'm like he comes down the escalator and I'm just like and I just I don't even know what to do. I'm like he's like walking past, you know just like, and he, like he's like on the phone, he kind of like notices me and I'm just like that was the white howard dude that was fucking do I?

Bobby Johnson: 1:13:01

And it's just like he passes me and I'm just like holy shit, like that's what happens when you see a polarizing human, you know.

Erik Nilsson: 1:13:08

And like, I feel like you could be the person like, let's say it's someone you hate. Let's say you're the biggest Lakers LeBron fan. You see Steph and you're like, like, if you see him it's still stuff great, like he could go away do whatever like oh wait, I should have called him like a pussy, oh my god, like no. Why did I do that?

Bobby Johnson: 1:13:24

oh, I should have said, but you would never even do that in person. Dude, no one's gonna come to me like fuck your tattoos, dude. Like they're just like oh, actually, like you did at the end of the day, like, let's be real, dude, like there's some pretty fucking solid tattoos done on that show. You know what I mean, uh, but back to the jazz. I'm a jazz fan and I think everyone is kind of this way until they're playing the Lakers, right. I lived in San Diego for a decade and you go to a Padres game and you're a Padres, but I'm going to tell you right now, that's a transplant city. People that are from San Diego are unicorns. They know it and you know it. You're like're like, holy shit, you're from here like no way yeah, I'm a unicorn.

Bobby Johnson: 1:14:02

And like yeah, you are, because no one's from there.

Erik Nilsson: 1:14:04

Right, you go to padres games there's less padres fans than anything else well, not anymore, because they put money in until they got some players.

Bobby Johnson: 1:14:13

But you go when they're playing the cubs and you better believe it's 50, 50, dude. You go when they're playing the dodgers, it's 70, 3030, and it's not Padres. You know what I mean. It's like that though. You know what I mean, but like I'm going to ride for the Padres unless my boys are coming down, you know what I mean. Like I think again, you can be a fan of two different things, and also like who doesn't want to root for the home team.

Bobby Johnson: 1:14:38

Oh, it's what it is really. If you want to break it down to one single human, it's the Draymond Green effect.

Erik Nilsson: 1:14:46

Hmm, I like what's going on.

Bobby Johnson: 1:14:47

I fucking hated Draymond Green for so long. But guess what I realized Draymond was on my team, that's my dog.

Erik Nilsson: 1:14:55

Yeah, yeah, that's my dog. He got ejected. Yeah, yeah, but it's understandable.

Bobby Johnson: 1:14:59

Yeah, because he's got his boys back. That's why he got ejected. You know what I mean. You're like, that's our guy.

Erik Nilsson: 1:15:05

Everybody hates someone. Until they're on their side, they're like oh no, no, I've loved him forever.

Bobby Johnson: 1:15:08

Absolutely bro.

Erik Nilsson: 1:15:15

You're like oh, pat Bev fucking flops, whatever.

Bobby Johnson: 1:15:18

And if you're a Celtics fan, you're like, you hate them until they're on your team. You hate them because they're not on your team. That's what you do. How can you hate Steph Curry, dude? I'll tell you. I'll tell you how he just torches you every night.

Erik Nilsson: 1:15:29

You know what I mean. He'll just pull up from the logo and next thing, you know, you're down by 30 and you're crying and you don't know why, like oh see. Then you're like, yeah, but dude got 29 points in the fourth quarter.

Bobby Johnson: 1:15:44

Yeah he just beat her. He's like, yeah, he just turned on and made a habit.

Erik Nilsson: 1:15:45

Yeah, sorry, sorry, he wasn't on your team and that's why you hate him, and that's why you hate him. That was so true. So I mean, obviously we have I mean ink master's over, you're back, and I mean back, to like your life of tattooing, like nothing's really changed. What other projects are you working on, or what does the future look like?

Bobby Johnson: 1:15:59

yeah, so, uh, I'm actually trying to maybe get my podcast going back again. I need to learn. I'm going to spick your brain on this. Got a couple opinions.

Bobby Johnson: 1:16:09

Learn how to do the video thing, whatever I always did audio and doing a ton of collabs, a ton of big projects, conventions that I'm sponsoring not only doing artwork for, but sponsoring and then I uh trying to get my clothing company off the ground. I, it's gonna be fucking cool, dude. I, I had it named. I'm actually wearing, uh, a juliet beanie right now. It was going to be juliet. Unfortunately there were some circumstances where that isn't going to happen, but my new clothing company is going to be sick. I don't know that.

Bobby Johnson: 1:16:45

I want to reveal the name of it yet, but I just have to be on the lookout for it, as cheesy as that sounds, but I am going to integrate this thing. To be absolutely exclusive as fuck, everything is going to be dialed into the tee like things you haven't seen before. Are you going to look at designs and go, well, I've never seen that. No, it's not going to be a fucking freddy tattoo where he just like pulls a crazy thing out anywhere, but there will be details where it's nothing like you've ever seen. It's kind of like where we're at right now. Yeah, where there's, there's going to be the first launch. There's going to be a one specific t-shirt, that's. If you have that, you for life you will have access to so much different shit that out of the clothing line that I that I have 10 off of like everything always little things like that.

Bobby Johnson: 1:17:33

Right, if I ever throw an event, that's like a crazy party. You have that shirt. You're an owner. That shirt. It's like a fucking I. I might even like have a card. That's like yo, I'm fucking prologue. You know what I mean. Like, the shirt is called the prologue shirt, but it's going to be very, very, very niche and high end. I'm working with a ton of fucking people right now with it. I'm getting a ton of help, but it's going to be structured. I want so. Okay, when I buy clothes I don't know how you purchase clothes, but when I buy clothes and I find a little tiny touch, like oh man, look at that little fucking detail that no one else did, or like this little tag or this little whatever.

Bobby Johnson: 1:18:16

those are the things that I love, so there's gonna be a lot of findables in my stuff, right?

Erik Nilsson: 1:18:20

So it's like, oh shit, look at this little detail. I didn't even notice this until like two years.

Bobby Johnson: 1:18:25

There's this little thing, yeah, there might be homies that are like dude. Do you know about the? Do you know what the Easter eggs?

Bobby Johnson: 1:18:31

And they're like what, what are you talking about? Like, you know that, like the thing back of that, what? That is right. And then you probably don't, because you didn't google it or you didn't look into it. And it's like holy fuck, this is an easter egg and if people catch on to it enough during the drops, the first person to figure out every single easter egg of the drop will get will get stuff for life. They'll get every, every drop. I will send them every single piece from every single drop for free for life, right? So?

Bobby Johnson: 1:19:09

And the thing that the thing of design is like, this thing is only as big as people make it Right. And again, I have, I have some advantages knowing tons of people, not only knowing tons of people, but having a platform, totally Right. So I have those advantages. But, like, this thing will only get as big as people want it to get Right. And like you know, then you have like this deep stock, whatever that means. Because, like, if you get a Supreme shirt, it's like, oh man, dude, you have one of those. And it's like, yeah, you could throw it on Grail for a hundred bucks, but are you, are you gonna? So it's really just like a cool prestige thing that like. It's like when you get Jordans and you wear them, oh shit, you have the Travis Scotts. Yeah, they're dope, they're not worth a fuck anymore, but I still have them. You know what I mean? It's a flex, totally uh. So I'm trying to do that, that's like.

Erik Nilsson: 1:20:00

That's like the big, big thing that I'm trying to do right now like, even just like with your designs and like, even if you go to like your website and you look at like the prints and stuff, it's like this is so like, even if it was just as simple as here's some of my prints on shirts I'd be like, yeah, take my money please yeah, yeah. So then, you level in all of these other details of like the easter eggs and the subtleties and, like all of everything, hell yeah.

Bobby Johnson: 1:20:19

Yeah, yeah, so it's actually. It's funny that you said that. I love that. You said that because it's not going to be my tattoo designs. I want it to be a clothing company. I want people to be like oh, this is real, this is a thing. This isn't merch, this is its own little baby, and I want people to go to how I've experienced things, where they go. Yo, this is my favorite shirt. You know, you have those pieces where you're like oh yes, this is clean. I'm wearing this today.

Erik Nilsson: 1:20:55

Every week. This is part of the laundry that gets done, Like those repeatable classic clothes I'm wearing a shirt today that I love.

Bobby Johnson: 1:21:01

It's a palace shirt and I just love the design. I thought I was wearing a palace shirt for a second, my closet is I hate to say this because by my shit, not this, but my closet is basically Palace and Kith.

Erik Nilsson: 1:21:15

If it isn't broke, don't fix it.

Bobby Johnson: 1:21:18

Yeah, yeah, yeah. They're just like doing everything right, right, and they're not especially Kith. Like Kith isn't blowing my mind with designs, they're just doing these little tiny quality details. You know I might just say Kith here, but then it's like it's flocked tails. You know it might just say kith here, but then it's like it's it's a flocked. You know what I mean. And you don't see that a ton and it's just dialed in and, uh, take my 120 dollars, dude.

Bobby Johnson: 1:21:38

You know what I mean uh, so, so, that's that's that's a super fun thing that I'm doing, but I, I really want it to be known that, like I want people to go. You know what? This is actually my favorite shit and I'm never gonna miss a drop. Now, like I oh fuck, a new drop's coming. I gotta get some shit, or I missed out on that, on that, uh, prologue shirt, but they got the golden ticket shirt coming up. I gotta get the golden ticket shirt. You know what I mean? Shit like that. Or like I'm gonna have a trophy room drop. I'm gonna have a fucking uh, that'll be a sick one. My, my favorite one that's actually coming out right after the first drop, is the country club drop and it's going to be sick. It's going to be like golf golf inspired for sure. My dad, uh, my dad took me golfing enough to like that. When we're at top golf, people like, oh what?

Erik Nilsson: 1:22:24

and I'm like, didn't see this.

Bobby Johnson: 1:22:25

Oh yeah, like yeah, my dad, you know it's like, it's like on, uh, on the office, when, when pam's like and did and did volleyball camp most summers. Yeah, I'm not that good but like I'm like I do catch people off guard at top golf because they're like how the fuck, do you know how to swing?

Erik Nilsson: 1:22:42

and I'm like I mean they size up this guy with, like, I mean covered in tattoos, like oh, he's probably here for the first time. Yeah, yeah bob.

Bobby Johnson: 1:22:50

Uh, I'm actually have friends that are exactly. Yeah, yeah, bob, uh, I'm actually have friends that are tattooers, that are way better than me. But, uh, it's funny, my mom was very poor, my dad wasn't rich, but he, like, made ends meet, but my, my mom and dad were never together a single day of my life. They I was a fling.

Bobby Johnson: 1:23:05

I I was a stem from fling so, uh, yeah, so it's kind of funny, like, uh, they, they just weren't together when I was born, you know what I mean. So, uh, when I'm like, oh, I grew up in section eight but my dad took me golfing, it's like, well, there's two, there's two parts to that. You know what I mean? Actually, in glendale I didn't live in section eight, I just lived in a. Well, you've been to glendale, so you know you know what I mean. I don't need to explain that it's not.

Erik Nilsson: 1:23:32

You're not like whoa rich you know, wait, that's what glendale's like.

Bobby Johnson: 1:23:35

I had no idea, yeah, yeah yeah, just drive down to 7-eleven, you'll find out. But uh, so yeah, dude, I'm excited about the clothing thing I'm done. I think it's gonna be sick, I think it'll be big, I think, uh, it will also be where people that don't have tattoos will love it, like it's not going to be tattoo driven, it's going to be everybody that likes cool shit driven yeah you know, you know what I mean.

Erik Nilsson: 1:24:00

It's like one of those things where they could see it be like oh, like, I love this piece, this is so great, the quality is there. And then they'll buy and be like oh wait, this is like bobby did this like oh yeah, all right, exactly, it's like not just so part of your personal brand or part of what people would know you as Right. It's this whole other thing that's-.

Bobby Johnson: 1:24:15

Right, right, right. Oh shit, I want people to go. The person of X brand dude he fucking that dude won Ink Master and then he went off and did this thing. Even if it's not big, I want it to be special. I want it to be special Even if it's not big. That's my main thing. That's why I dropped. I have thousands of dollars in Juliet stuff and I was like this isn't it, man.

Bobby Johnson: 1:24:40

This isn't it. There's a couple legal issues and also there's not anything beyond this short little stint, and I want to do this for a long time. Again, like I said, if I sell 20 things a drop, then I sell 20 things a drop, dude. If I sell 200,000 things a drop, then I'm gonna just keep. I'm going to keep going, no matter what. You know what I mean.

Erik Nilsson: 1:25:01

So one of my favorite books I've read recently, so I've over the past year the creative act like that Dude, I have that book. It's what I listened to at least five to 10 minutes every day.

Bobby Johnson: 1:25:17

It's, it's, uh. Is it the creative act or is it the act of uh, it's? Is it the one that has the circle on the front and on?

Erik Nilsson: 1:25:25

the back it has the circle.

Bobby Johnson: 1:25:26

I have that book. A good friend of mine gave that to me and I was like fuck, I don't I, I am an idiot and I don't know how to read so uh, shit, yeah I'm like thank you so much. I'm definitely gonna look at this later. Uh, but I bought it on audio. I haven't I haven't cracked it yet, but I obviously can read I just don't have the attention span or the time.

Erik Nilsson: 1:25:50

Yeah, bobby can't.

Bobby Johnson: 1:25:51

Bobby can read. I just don't have the attention span nor the time.

Erik Nilsson: 1:25:56

Right.

Bobby Johnson: 1:25:56

Right, so I'm the reader that reads three pages and goes wow, I just literally read words because I was thinking about this thing I need to draw later. You know what?

Erik Nilsson: 1:26:05

I mean you get to the bottom of the page. You're like what did I read? I have no idea.

Bobby Johnson: 1:26:08

So, anyway, go into this book because I saw it and I want to read it.

Erik Nilsson: 1:26:11

So I mean obviously Rick Rubin and I won't get into the details of Rick, cause, like I mean, his legacy is so amazing of producing so much music but actually at the same time not doing the producing, but really just like those interviews where he's like I didn't actually do a fucking thing.

Bobby Johnson: 1:26:25

I just said yes, no, this will work. That is not going to work and is not going to work and I'm like, but that's genius and he was right every single time.

Erik Nilsson: 1:26:30

And so it's interesting in the book where he talks so much about like you are dedicated to yourself, you are dedicated to your process, you are dedicated to your work. Nothing else matters. You don't do this for anybody else. This is a process, and there's so much more nuance to it and details, but, like every time you read it, there's just like this like mic drop moment. You're like I've never thought about it that way, but you're absolutely right in every way, shape and form. And so, yeah, like definitely, if there's someone in the shop who's a little boring, throw in some AirPods, throw in Creative Act.

Bobby Johnson: 1:26:57

Oh, yeah, so I'm not saying I'm Rick Rubin, but what's funny is that I think I was talking about this yesterday with a friend of mine. I don't think that my success. He's actually a member here as well weirdly.

Bobby Johnson: 1:27:09

I don't think my success stems from anything other than the fact that I've always only been worried about good tattoos. Again, going back to Ink Master dude, I never was like gotta win, gotta win. I was like I gotta focus on my tattoos, man, I just want these tattoos to be good. I again didn't want to look at other people's tattoos, didn't want to know what they were doing, didn't want to tear them down. Go watch the show, dude.

Bobby Johnson: 1:27:32

Didn't tear anybody down ever you know what I mean, unless it was like those little like planned arguments between john and I, but him and I planned uh, I didn't tear anybody down for anything ever, dude. Uh, when I'm at the bottom, I'm never tearing anybody down because I wanted to focus on just my tattoos. And the thing thing is, I always had this theory that with good tattoos, money will come. Some people are like I want to make more money so that I can focus on tattoos and have more time for them. But I'm like look, if you focus on tattoos and they're fucking amazing, you can charge more so that you can work less, so that you can make those tattoos even more amazing.

Bobby Johnson: 1:28:16

Like you said, flip it. Flip your mindset to. I just want to fucking make dope shit. And that's what goes back to my clothing company, where it's like I want people to get this and, okay, if the driving force is like I really like Bobby hunting master or like he's the, he's the, he's the homie here. I heard him on this podcast I'll buy one of his shirts that he was talking about. I want him to go. I fucking love this shirt dude.

Bobby Johnson: 1:28:42

Like fuck, he thought of every little tiny corner, like he dialed the shit to fucking. Like like this is this the fit is sick. The the details are sick, the the graphic is sick. Like yeah, it goes back to so like I definitely want to read that, because then it's like. It's like, what would we say about the? The credit card?

Bobby Johnson: 1:28:59

it's having the same credit card as somebody else it's validating oh yeah, like yeah, fuck yeah, and also like who can't learn shit. My new seminar is called the forever student because, like that's I'm. I think one of my biggest, biggest strengths is that I always have my eyes and ears open, and that's I'm. I think one of my biggest, biggest strengths is that I always have my eyes and ears open.

Erik Nilsson: 1:29:13

And that's like. The thing I love about the creative process is like you come to realize, whatever avenue of creativity you pursue, that it's a forever journey. Like you're always going to be a student. There's never like this point you reach. Like well, I'm a perfect artist now. Like that's it. But the more that you can own that craft and learn and grow, no matter where it comes from, whether it's a peer, whether it's yourself, whether it's like some stranger you sit across the bus from like that's what you're chasing for. And to your point of like owning your craft, always wanting to do better, wanting to do these better tattoos Like that's the way it gets to be there.

Erik Nilsson: 1:29:47

It's not some guy being like all right, and to have someone look at a tattoo and say this is dope, they executed this flawlessly. I would kill to have this on my body Like touche. I can't find anything wrong with it. Like and that's where fulfillment comes from. It's not from. I mean, you can like and I always think about it as the like, the Anthony Bourdain effect, where if you talk to people, they live.

Erik Nilsson: 1:30:07

Most people be like oh, I want to travel a lot, eat good food, spend time with like famous people and go from there like homies, ending didn't end the way you would think it would. And so when we think about like oh, if I had this money, if I do this, like I'll get to that zen. But in reality, the more true you are to yourself, that inner voice that tells you of what you need to do creatively, like you know what's good, you know what's better, and even to the point where I mean being such a harsh critic on yourself and your own work. Like most people be like no. Like look it's great. Like bobby, come on. Like glass half full. You're like no, this is my craft and if I can't find something wrong with it, I can't improve dude, and I would.

Bobby Johnson: 1:30:41

I would hate to be the other way around again. Like I said earlier on the podcast, I feel like I'm being harsh on myself because I know that the tattoos that I did, and one with, are good tattoos. The problem is I'm just don't tick that way, dude. I can't fucking tell you, I can't lie to you. First of all, I don't like lying, dude. I lied a lot when I was a kid and it gets you nowhere and so I live and die by. I will not fucking lie, dude, I will. I refuse to lie right. That goes back to oh excuses, dude, record one for me. I want to see, I want to hear it, because I don't have any and I, you can. Two things I always say, two things can be true. Can something be really good and I hate it Almost 100% of the time Totally? Can you hate something and know that it's good? Yeah, you can. Can you know that you love something that sucks?

Bobby Johnson: 1:31:34

yes like two things can be true right, and usually half the time it usually is like well, I think the reason that this happened was this or this, and realistically it's probably a little bit of both exactly somewhere.

Erik Nilsson: 1:31:47

The truth's somewhere in the middle, right, right, right, right. It's just so funny like I find myself in this fun like juxtaposition right now where yesterday or Monday, no, it's Thursday, tuesday morning the person I recorded is, I mean, he is a art dealer, but like, have you ever been? So Anthony is on 4th East and 2nd South. It's this old like antique and gallery. Never been there. But like all, like if I had a bunch of professional artists on, like you got to go talk to this guy and so it's funny having him who's. I mean, he went to england and studied, like got his phd in, like spanish art and like all this, and like we have the same conversations about creativity and art and like what it means, and then we go to this whole other opposite end of the spectrum with you and like it's thinking of both of you in the same room is like amazing, because I think you guys would both have so much to talk about.

Bobby Johnson: 1:32:29

Man, maybe we'll do a part two with the three of us, oh.

Erik Nilsson: 1:32:32

I would love to see you and Micah in a room. He's probably one of the most interesting people I've ever come across. But it's like. I love the creative process, I love artists and the brain that they have. Like there's this quote on my phone that I've had for probably I mean at least this year, because it's been uh, where does it go? Come on, Entrepreneur's mind, athletes, body, artists, soul. Like, if you're doing those things, like always growing with being an entrepreneur, how do I grow, how do I get shit done? How do I make things happen If I'm taking care of myself and if I like have this creativity and like soul of like?

Bobby Johnson: 1:33:03

what do you mean? It's not your family. Yeah, of course. Look at my background. It just says I'm going to show the camera. It says time and then it says quit rocking the chair. Sure, because I watched this fucking video and this goes on Tattooing. I've done so much with it and I still want to skyrocket with it. Right, but it goes to my clothing brand and really anything else.

Bobby Johnson: 1:33:32

It was talking about how well, at first, you know you see a ton of videos about like we don't have a ton of time, right, and you forget, like I think I have a fucking million tattoos in my phone that if I died tomorrow, no one would see them, right? Or I have these millions of drawings that no one's ever seen. If I died tomorrow, why the fuck was I saving them, right? It's like people think that way with money monetarily, like oh, I'll just spend it because what if I die tomorrow? That's ridiculous. But sharing all these things that I should share and or doing this clothing company, you're like fuck it, I find what if I happens, if I die, excuse me? And so like we don't have a much, a lot of time, so I put time, and how important it is to just get things going right, right, and then I put quit rocking the chair because people were he was.

Bobby Johnson: 1:34:13

this video was talking about all these people that like they idle right and they rock the chair so to speak, right, and he's like examples, thinking of a brand name, designing brand logos, watching videos talking about business or what they're going to do, planning instead of just fucking doing, and they're rocking the chair because they're just going to forever be oh, I got this new brand name, oh, I got this new logo. Hey, I want to do this. Hey, I'm going to watch this video, but are you pulling the trigger? Are you making orders? Are you doing it? So I have that on my phone and I think anyone successful should have a fucking reminder all the time of what you want to be doing, and I have. That's the one that I have right now. Time, quit rocking the chair, because I want to do shit. Man, like, like, and I love that you have one on your phone, right where you can see it, because I don't know, man, I think that, like, that's a, that's a sign of like, success or wanting success. People, I say this in my seminar all the time. I know this is getting long-winded, this episode for you.

Bobby Johnson: 1:35:20

Uh, I say this in my seminar where, like, I've traveled the country and and met other tattooers that are like man, I really want oh man, how'd you do it? Dude, I want to be good. I, you're sponsored by Fusion? Oh, they give you free stuff. Are you sponsored by whatever, whatever? And I'm like, yeah, and they're like, oh, I want that. And I'm like, oh, okay, cool. And I've never thought that way. I wasn't like I want to be good, so I'll get free shit. I was like gonna hit us up later and I'm like, okay, cool, not gonna happen, I gotta draw. Uh, not that, I don't party, you know right.

Bobby Johnson: 1:35:52

And then you know work time, fun time is fun time, right and next night and I'm not saying that this happens every night, but next night, yo, what are you doing tonight? I'm like, oh, like I guess I could get dinner with you guys, like that's cool. And then like, yo, you want to have a couple drinks. Like I gotta go back and draw, and they're like, oh, you know, we're gonna go to this bar later. And I'm like I'm going to draw, and then, like, I realized that, like this is a pattern, and I realized you don't want it, bro. You say you want it. Dude, you just say you want it Like, like that's, that's like the, the very peak of rocking the chair, so to speak. Right, you're just trying to convince yourself that you want it.

Bobby Johnson: 1:36:28

And I have a quote that I say at the very end of all my seminars if you want to be great, you will, because if you're, if you don't, if, if you're not great, you don't want it. Right, and I'm not saying that there's people out there that aren't great or haven't hit their stride or haven't peaked, because they didn't want it. But, dude, I've had to wheel some shit. You know what I mean. Like I've had to wheel some shit. You know what I mean. Like I've had to wheel some. I wasn't like. I know that people. Everybody thinks that like ink master was handed to me, right, a bunch of people do yeah, no one sees the work that went into all of this before, right, yeah?

Bobby Johnson: 1:37:03

right, right, like, like dude, like, like knowing all these people. Again, it goes back to you think you can't get in, because I was on ink master dude, I worked my ass off before it. I but I willed good tattoos. And that goes back to like wanting it right and then like I think these sort of things that shows me that you're like, you fucking want it. And the dude that I was talking to yesterday it was a member here. I was telling him it's like those videos. I was like dude, I'm so sorry I'm talking your ear off about business and like whatever. He's very, very smart and well, well, uh, he's, he's successful and you know, just like a fucking great dude. And I was like I hate to talk your ear off, man, but it's like one of those things. It's like you know, if you're the, if you're the, this is so cliche dude. If you're the smartest person in the room and you're the most successful person in the room, you're the dumbest person in the room you need to find a new room pretty quick, Right, right.

Bobby Johnson: 1:37:56

So, like that's why, like when you told me about this place, I was like wait, what the fuck is it called? I was like I need to be there every second of every day because it sounds a lot like they're a lot smarter than me and that's who I want to be around. I want to feel stupid. Yeah, I want to go. Fuck. How did he do it?

Erik Nilsson: 1:38:14

yeah, you know what I mean. And then, but like also on, like the, the other end of that, to be surrounded by those people where you're not just like, oh, like I want, well, you have, like, I want to be like you, to be part of my circle, yeah, that the people that turn out like, yes, like, let me help you, like, what can I do to be a resource to you in this process?

Bobby Johnson: 1:38:30

Yeah, I told, I think, the same dude. He was like, hey, there's this person that would love to sit down and talk to you about helping you out, whatever. And I was like, man, that's a really nice change of pace that someone wants to help me versus someone that's like, yeah, dude, I know a guy. And then they introduced me to the guy and then the guy's like, yeah, yeah dude, I know a guy.

Bobby Johnson: 1:38:52

And then they introduce me to the guy and then the guy's like yeah, yeah, dude, we'll help you out. And then they fucking, because you're the homie hookup, they treat you like. But yeah, dude, I love being around, I love being on the show, I love being in a room where somebody has a mantra on their phone to remind them to push forward.

Erik Nilsson: 1:39:09

Those are the people you sort of like, because, again, like, let's say, you're the person who's like, oh hey, like we're gonna go to dinner, we're gonna go get drinks again.

Erik Nilsson: 1:39:14

Like sure, do that. Like I'm not gonna do that, I'll join in every now and then, but you're not going to be part of this inner circle that gets access to me all the time. And the person that I go to to riff when I have an idea or need, like an I like need some sort of um mean, just like sounding board for whatever I'm working on, like that's fine, like they have a place, but it's not going to be right here and like that inner circle are the people that you need to be the most cognizant of. And it's like, and it's hard because, like you need to keep the grass cut because they're snakes, and no matter what stage that you're at whether if you're, like I mean, the most successful person in the room or the person who's just building you still have to be understanding of the energy you have, who has access to it and who you give it to.

Bobby Johnson: 1:39:53

Or else.

Erik Nilsson: 1:39:53

You're just going to be stuck in these cycles of these same people and never going to those long-term goals and dreams. You're just stuck.

Bobby Johnson: 1:39:59

Yeah, yeah, yeah, for sure.

Bobby Johnson: 1:40:00

For sure, dude. Yeah, that's another thing about this building Is that from the outside, it's like, okay, it's a. It's a boy. It's like a Okay, so it's like a, you know, a castle of whispers, so to speak. Or like a like a boys club, or like a oh cool, like we're better than everybody. But no, it's what it is. And it's like, oh, it costs money to be a member. And it's like, no, what it is is a group of people who think that, monetarily, it's well worth spending x amount of dollars to be around and have a place where like-minded people can congregate and meet up yeah and hey, oh, shoot, look at what is over in the corner.

Bobby Johnson: 1:40:44

Let me introduce you to this guy like happens every day you guys would be perfect together, like like you guys need to fucking vibe you know what I mean. And that's like that's super important, dude. That's like priceless. Absolutely, dude. You can't put a price on it, dude, they literally do, but you really can't. You know what I mean? No, totally, I'm with you.

Erik Nilsson: 1:41:04

It's yeah, I mean when you realize you're the worth of your time, where you want to go, like nothing gets in that way and like to the point where it's like, oh, we're going to go do this thing. It's like I got to go draw. I got to go draw.

Bobby Johnson: 1:41:15

I got to do the work.

Erik Nilsson: 1:41:16

I got to be consistent, I got to do the work. I can't just not show up for myself and for, like, everything around me.

Bobby Johnson: 1:41:20

So yeah, I'm was kind of a mess. I was off the rails.

Erik Nilsson: 1:41:28

No, don't you fucking dare apologize. This has been so fun. It's been so fun to get to know you more than anything like obviously like ink master, tattooing, cool stuff, but like getting to know you as a person has been super fun. Like respect the hell out of you, love everything that you're working on, love the energy that you have, love the drive that you have within you. Like so excited for just to see what happens honestly, like so stoked for it all dope dude.

Bobby Johnson: 1:41:48

Hell, yeah, thank you, man. I, I I had a lot of fun. I, you know I, when you hit me up, I was like hey, you know what I'll do a little, a little local podcast. That's cool. You know what I mean? It's like like root, like roots. But like now you have legit setup, your vibe is sick. You came to the shop just to meet me. I'm like I, I like that guy, you know, you told me about this place. I'm like you left and I was like I like that guy's vibe, he's cool, right. Lauren's like yeah, and I was like I like that guy's vibe, he's cool, right. And Lauren's like yeah, and I was like yeah, that's sick, I'm kind of looking forward to hanging out with him. You know I've done podcasts where they're like yo, dude, so what's up?

Erik Nilsson: 1:42:17

And I'm like hey, yeah, like that's it, that's it, that's what we're starting with Cool.

Bobby Johnson: 1:42:37

Okay, I flow and like sometimes you just meet people and you're like, oh, this is gonna be easy, dude, and it was easy. I was, I mean, I mean little dude the viewers know we knew each other for a total of 15 minutes before I started mace, yeah, yeah, yeah. So you made me feel very comfortable it was like it was.

Erik Nilsson: 1:42:45

It was thanks for having me, dude, likewise been so fun to get to know. Like it's been fun to like scratch the itch of of I watched this show. That was super fun and get to pick your brain. But again, just getting to know you as a person and sitting down has been way better than anything.

Bobby Johnson: 1:42:57

I'd love to come back, dude, honestly, I'm down with you.

Erik Nilsson: 1:42:59

I'm always looking for fun co-hosts that we can have. So let's do something.

Bobby Johnson: 1:43:02

I mean, yeah, we can do pull somebody in and shoot people your way, that'd be cool.

Erik Nilsson: 1:43:09

Yeah, I always have fun people like swinging through oh, I bet the people that end up on your books are like even just the one you were talking about with the, the husband of the um news anchor. Oh, dude.

Bobby Johnson: 1:43:19

Yeah, they just come through like I had no idea this person would be on my table, but like ready like that's a weird name job, but he's just such a good person. Sorry guys, I had to say it like it's funny. I've met so many people of celebrity I guess you would call them or whatever you want to gauge it as but it's really funny talking to him because we talk about the news anchors that were on when we were kids because we both grew up here.

Bobby Johnson: 1:43:45

I'm just like dude, you did it. We all had Hope Woodside was the prettiest person in the world when we were kids because you saw her every single night. And now like I kind of like he was just on the phone and I was like I don't know if this is healthy to put on the internet, but I was like well starstruck, I'm like dude, that's she does the news and like I was on fucking tv.

Erik Nilsson: 1:44:06

I get to recognize everywhere I go, I'm like so watch this every morning. You do the news. That's crazy. Everybody turns on to watch you, yeah, yeah.

Bobby Johnson: 1:44:12

So like, when I started tattooing teachers, I was like yo, you guys are fucking humans, you just oh, you, oh, yeah, you're like or like. When I started tattooing police officers, I'm like oh, real yeah, like, still, like you're not npc.

Bobby Johnson: 1:44:29

Like yeah, they're real people. So like of course someone has to do the news and and guess what? Someone has to be married to that person. You know what I mean. But yeah, I do get a lot of weird like attached to people in movies and film and video games and like, just like it's been, it's been a crazy career that's.

Erik Nilsson: 1:44:45

I mean I'm like as someone who loves to converse and just like pick people's brains and just like just get to know people. That's like one of the things that, like I think I would love as a tattooist. Like all right cool, like tell me about what you did for work and by the end of like six hours later, like now, how dare your aunt say that to you in this, like that family?

Bobby Johnson: 1:45:00

dinner doing this. It's literally like that. I'm like damn dude, the audacity you know and I don't even know this person no, that's sick, I love it dope hell yeah.