Back in the early days of the podcast, we were honored to have sat down for a while with one of the old school tattooers down in Richmond. Frank Mills, rest in peace, had us over at his place to hang out and see some old stuff and hear some old tales. Mr. David Boysno and the one and only George Archer joined us in this discussion. You'll hear all about how this happened and some of the unusual things you can expect when you sit down to listen to this, but just know that this was back when we first started the show. We had no idea yet what we were doing, and our equipment spoke to that fact. And in addition to everything you'll hear Nick say about what went on back then, the file also inexplicably cuts off right in the middle of a good Frank story. So this is it, finally repaired and  though it's not much and it's not complete, it's a piece of tattoo history that we hope you'll all enjoy.

The boys are back at it again in Clifton Forge. Nick was in the town he grew up in again for a family trip and though he was just on here, Dewayne returns to No Lies Just Bullshit for even more shenanigans. This time the Boar's Nest is fully operational and the guys waste no time filling it with cigar smoke, bourbon-fueled tales and brotherly bullshit. I won't waste any more of your time. If you heard him on here a few weeks ago, you're gonna wanna jump on in to this episode with Dewayne and Nick. Enjoy.

It's that time of year for the busiest tattooer on the East Coast to take a little vacation with his wife and child, so when Mr. Chris Porter hits the surf and sand, he gets excellent tattooers to fill in for him. This week you get to hear from one of these gentlemen: Jason McGarry to be exact, comin' at ya all the way from Three Rivers Tattoo in Pittsburg, PA. Alley Cat's very own Richie Stutler and Jake Hockman join Nick in the conversation with Jason and everyone involved tells some great stories and deep thoughts on the tattoo industry and how killer it is that we're all where we are today. Richie and Jason worked together in the past, so you'll hear some fun insider bullshit on this one, folks. Enjoy.

Foster is a legend down in Roanoke, VA where Nick used to live and they've been friends for a good, long time. He's played in a bunch of different bands and some of them were with Brian Gray, who used to tattoo at Alley Cat. Well, Nick and Foster get into all kinds of good stories about music and partyin' and all the things you love to listen to on this show. He even throws down a few tunes on here and they're great. Right now you can catch Foster around Roanoke and branching out to some other places with his bands The Mad Iguanas, Gote, the Isaac Hadden Project and Dead Reckoning. Always a good show and always a good time.

Long time fans of the show are getting to know Uncle Dave very well by now. Always down for a great conversation covering a wide range of topics, Uncle Dave and Nick have been friends for almost twenty years and you can hear it in the stories. This one is no different, my friends. You know what to expect, and if you don't - then kick back, grab a drink and enjoy.

If you've listened to NLJBS long enough, you've heard mention of ol' Dewayne here. Cousin to Nick through the Nicely family by way of the VanNess family, this is someone who grew up with the host of your favorite podcast and raised all kinds o' hell with him. There's quite a few of those stories packed in here as well as a whole hell of a lot of reminiscing about family you've heard on here and definitely heard a bunch about on here. So yeah, if you're a fan of the stories about Clifton Forge - that small, kinda backwoods railroad town that Nick spins many a yarn about on this show then you're really gonna get a kick out of this one. Thanks for checkin' it out and thanks for listeining!

It's a big crew hangout podcast this time y'all. NLJBS veteran Mr. John Glessner was tattooing at Alley Cat and havin' a good old time. Andrew was working on Mark's back some more so Taylor got tattoed as well. Mark was on the show not too long ago. And nearby hair stylist (the Honeycomb in Charlottesville) Anna Comarovschi was getting tattooed as well so she joined in. This led to a lot of tattoo stories that weave in and out of this crew as well as some killer talk about the Harrisonburg and Roanoke music scenes. A great time was had by all. No Shop Talk yet, but this one's a real long one to make up for it. Enjoy y'all.

It's the "birth of a nation" or rather, our nation's birthday to be more precise, and Nick and Alley Cat Tattoo's very own Chris Porter are returning from a shindig at Sara Pennington's place when they decide to bust out the device for the inaugural NLJBS road session. That's right, this one is coming to you live from inside Nick's caddie for the first half, then the rest is these two gentlemen chillin' by the fire at Nick's place. Beverages are consumed and stories are laid down. You're gonna have a great time as Porter saves the day. Have a great summer, everyone and enjoy the show.

If you've listened long enough, you know Nick's gonna hit VA Beach at some point every year and he always comes back with some great podcasts. Having already done some great episodes with Tony Riccio of Saltwater Tattoo, it's time to hear from the other main man, Mike Rickards. We get some great history and great stories from Mike and Nick and then more and more of the SWT crew rolls in. Before it's all over you'll hear from Matt Nelson, Brandon Webb, Joey Ilardi and Kavi Montoya. It's a fun hangout and a great time, so enjoy! We'll get back to the Shop Talks as soon as we can, folks.

That's right. Slim. Motherfucking. Brown! Back on NLJBS, talkin' with Nick for a few hours and it's non-stop, man. Slim goes hard and there's not a millisecond of dead air to be found. This episode is super special, not only to have the privilege of the wisdom and whim of Slim, but you can hear throughout the sounds of a tattoo being executed by the one and only Mike Wilson. It's a great time with freakin' great stories with a killer tattoo shop filled with close friends and good times and you can feel the vibe throughout the episode, so y'all will definitely enjoy this one. There ain't no shop talk on here yet, but you won't need it after absorbing all the awesomeness of this one. Check it out.

Beau returns for another absolutely awesome episode. Nick travelled down to Richmond to Absolute Art and recorded a farewell podcast with Beau Beau so you won't wanna miss it. That's right he's kickin' down to the deep south, way past the borders of this country and a few more. Listen in to hear all about it, as well as some Avail tales and discussions that don't hold back on a ton of bands and all kinds of other shit in the punk rock universe that exists around these two dudes. 

There's no Shop Talk quite yet, but you can hear a fun guest appearance early on by the one and only Timothy Hoyer as well as a side discussion featuring Keith Harper. Ignore the occasional audio problem whenever Beau gets excited and animated and enjoy this killer bullshit session.

Mrs. Diane Laws is one of those mentors who had an impact on so many young people it would be impossible to count. Well, if you've ever wondered how Nick got to be the charismatic host of your favorite podcast, this is definitely one of those guests who influenced him the most. Sit back and listen to some of those tales as you get to know a wonderful human being and amazing teacher. There's plenty of Clifton Forge talk and all kinds of stories from the past that just need to be shared and enjoyed, and there are no shortage of people who were influenced by Mrs. Laws who will love this opportunity to hear from her again.

There's a lot going on around Alley Cat Tattoo and the podcast these days, so Shop Talks are on hold for the time being. Look for Andrew Conner and Chris Porter to return in a future episode. Enjoy.

Joey Knuckles made the journey back down to Alley Cat Tattoo and this time things get a bit out of this world. Lots of great stories throughout the episode, but more importantly are some crazy topics that will free your mind into thinking the way it was supposed to. Three or four of his homies are hangin' at the same time. No Shop Talk this week, so this'll have to do. But Porter and Andrew will return soon!

It's the return of Rob Kinzel from the Body Gallery in Leesburg, VA. He and his piercer, Lucy, travel down to the NLJBS studios to hang out with Nick and when these two get together you know the stories just don't end. There's a ton of industry talk and excellent tales in this one, so definitely check it out.

Porter and Andrew will be back soon to talk with y'all about some killer tats during the Shop Talks. Keep listening to your favorite podcast.

Nick sits down with Australian tattooer Will Brown and they shoot the shit for a good long while. He's been tattooing at some of the greatest shops all over our country, along with his wife who also appears on this episode. Check this out and you'll hear some excellent tales about a lot of people you already know. 

There's not a Shop Talk this time but it won't be long before the boys are back at it and lookin' at killer tats in order to pass the word on to you. Thanks for listenin'.

The Thirty Year Reaper himself, Chris "Big Tats" Porter has a hell of a hangout session with Nick with a whole ton o' stories and memories from over the years of Alley Cat Tattoo. Richie stops by for the last hour and receives much love and listens to some wild tales up close and personal with the perpetrators themselves.

It's a Nick and Porter duo Shop Talk to wrap things up, but the tattoos are still incredible and the banter is hilarious. Enjoy!

If you missed the first one a couple weeks ago, check it out. Mark Bell of Main St. Tattoo in Salem, VA is back to talk a whole lotta shit with Nick about their time working together in Roanoke and so much more. The Alley Cat crew comes back in off and on throughout just like last time. Mark is a long time friend of everyone involved in the shop and the podcast so the conversation comes naturally. 

Shop Talk follows with Andrew and Porter joining Nick to talk about some serious tattoos that you need to be lookin' at. Hell yeah.

As things slowly wind down and back to normal and folks begin to do a bit of traveling once again, guests will often arrive at Alley Cat Tattoo in Harrisonburg, VA to see for themselves the legendary collection of art and artists and they are never disappointed. Often times, as is the case here, those travelers are great friends both new and old. This was Wrath's first visit to Rocktown, but Scott Sterling and JD Crowe are past guests of NLJBS and great friends of the shop and the show. You're gonna love this short but sweet bit of tattoo history, storytellin' and bullshittin'. Several other voices can be heard throughout, but these guys bring the heat. 

Stick around for that Shop Talk. We're super stoked to have it back in the rotation and we know you love it, too. Join Porter & Andrew as they talk killer tats with Nick and share it all with you.

After a bit of a hiatus, Mary Jane returns to the show. And whenever that happens, you know there's gonna be some storytellin' about the old days and whatever these two decide to talk about. Well, in this episode, it's a lot of Mary Jane asking Nick all kinds of questions about some of the characters that populate Nick's years growin' up in Clifton Forge. All that and more.

Shop Talk continues with Andrew and Porter and some deep discussion of some excellent tattoos. Y'all enjoy now, ya hear?

The founders of Key City Tattoo in Frederick, MD have a bullshit session with Nick for this episode and it's a great one. John Rippey and Gary Gerhardt are both MD natives who worked at local Frederick shops and other regional shops with a lot of history before opening Key City together. Now they have a yearly mini-convention and are regular Shop Talk mentions and friends of your favorite podcast on the planet.

Speakin' of Shop Talk: it's the triumphant return this episode! Nick will let you know what took so long in the intro, but we're all just glad the boys are back. And yes we get both Andrew and Porter for this one, so strap in and get wild and enjoy all your favorite bullshit artists.

Southern Legend Rodney Raines of Ace Custom Tattoo in Charlotte, NC and the excellent Darcey Nutt of Chalice Tattoo in Boise, ID were up above VA and Nick was on the road, so they met up and discussed tons of kickass tattoo past as well as pondered the future of conventions and shops moving forward past these fucked up times. It's a killer conversation that fans of the show will definitely enjoy. 

Though these crazy times appear to be winding down, it's still not a simple task to create full episodes every week. We're all figuring it out and soldiering on. So we're not quite at the point of getting the new Shop Talks out, but hold on and hang in and we'll get the boys together once again to discuss killer work.

It has been a while since Joey Knuckles was on the show, and this time he comes to the NLJBS studios to hang out with Nick and the Alley Cat crew. He's got a book about Stoney St. Clair that showcases much of Joey's collection of Stoney's stuff back at his shop High Street Tattoo in Columbus, OH. There's a ton of tattoo history talk and some never before heard Stoney stories on this episode and just an all around good time. So check out this episode and get yourself a copy of the book if you are at all into tattoo history and information.

Roanoke, V-A, late nineties... early 2000's. This is where a bunch of folks in the history of Alley Cat and now NLJBS came up. Mark Bell was at the center of it all and has been friends with Nick from the moment your loyal host arrived on the scene. The tales woven throughout this episode go back to the beginning of the renowned Time Machine & Ancient Art getting deep into the game and all of the shenanigans that led to in Roanoke, Blacksburg, Harrisonburg. These are the stories we love to share and never get tired of hearing.

There's a bit of a hi-jacking about 3/4's through when the Alley Cat killers get done with a day's worth of customers and start rollin' in. Add to that a bit of a celebration of our very own Thirty-Year Reaper, Master P - Chrissy "Big Tats" - the recently absent host of our beloved Shop Talks himself: Mr. Chris Porter, and there's a bit of a train wreck that I kindly chopped down as it got out of control. So you'll hear a few transitions as our host falls further and further into the warm embrace of inebriation, so hold on tight but get comfortable since it's another long one.

Almost twenty years ago, Nick helped put Alley Cat Tattoo together for the owners Troy & Griz. Ever since the podcast began, Nick has been trying to get these guys on an episode. Well NLJBS veteran Dustin Golden flew in to Roanoke, down the road from Alley Cat, and got his dad Mike "Griz" Golden to join in on a bullshit session. Multi-episode veteran Nate Hall of Old Heavy Hands and Legacy Irons Tattoo fame was around as well, in addition to girlfriends, wives, apprentices and dogs all packed in to The Golden Building which is home to Skin Thrills Tattoo in Roanoke, VA. It's a long, wild ride and it has been a long time comin'. Stick around for the entire thing to make sure you hear all the wild tales told by Griz and everyone else involved. Yeah, there's some talkin' over each other, and some background noise, but most importantly there's some kickass storytelling. You're gonna dig it.

Roger LaDuceur has been tattooing in the Roanoke Valley of Virginia since before the millenium. Nick met Roger around the time of both of them working at Skin Thrills, a shop you've definitely heard stories from if you're a fan of the show. Now Roger runs Star City Tattoos in Roanoke and has several excellent artists working for him as well. 

Roger is an amazing illustrator and all around artist. You'll hear some fascinating tales of how he got there and why, as well as a whole cast of characters he has met on the way.

Shop Talk is still on Hiatus for now, but we miss it just as much as you and look forward to it as well. Enjoy.