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Welcome to the Tattoo Budcast, the hilarious podcast where tattoo artists and buds Sanae Garcia and Jimmy Jam blend their love for tattoos with their knack for storytelling. Broadcasting from their cozy tattoo shop, they bring you a unique and hearty dose of humor and unfiltered shop banter. Think of it as eavesdropping on a tattoo session, but with fewer needles and more laughs. Each week, Jimmy Jam and Sanae tackle everything from the wildest tattoo requests they’ve ever gotten, to bizarre client stories, to deep dives into the culture of tattoos. Whether they’re discussing what happens when someone asks for a tiny dragon on their wrist (and it turns out to be the size of a toddler), or recalling the most cringe-worthy tattoo trends they’ve seen, it’s a perfect blend of humor, and real-life tattoo shop antics. The Tattoo Budcast will also be featuring guest tattoo artists and the most interesting tattoo clients, listeners will feel like they’re right there in the shop. It’s a mix of sharp wit, irreverence, and surprisingly insightful takes on tattooing and life in general. Get ready for confessions, advice, funny shop mishaps, and stories that will make you laugh out loud (while maybe questioning your next tattoo choice). Catch your buds at your weekly session, on the Tattoo Budcast.
Episodes
6 days ago
6 days ago
The Buds are reunited and they’ve brought in a certified Flash Machine! This week we’re joined by our longtime friend and unflappable tattoo wizard, Brandon Servillon—master of many styles, with over 15 years in the game and well over 100 hand-painted flash sheets to prove it. We’re grilling Brandon on what keeps him chill, inspired, and not rage-quitting after sheet #87. Then we tackle one of tattooing’s great debates: which direction should your tattoos face? (Apparently some of y’all need a compass.) Finally, we close it out with our Cover Up segment, where Brandon confesses to one of the worst tattoo blunders we’ve ever heard—and that’s saying something.
Read the rest of this entry »Tuesday Apr 29, 2025
Tuesday Apr 29, 2025
Sanae's out this week, so honorary Bud *Goonies* steps up as co-Bud, and together with Jimmy Jam, they welcome the one and only *Pokey*—a personal friend of the pod and officially the Nicest Man in Tattooing™. With 20+ years under his belt, Pokey gives us the lowdown on his career, shares a regrettable (and hilarious) story from the vault, and we all collectively lose our minds reacting to a viral video of a 9-year-old in Arizona getting a political tattoo (yes, you read that right).
We also dive into the chaos of people bringing their kids to their tattoo appointments, and try to crack the code: how is Pokey this nice? What *does* make him mad? Is he secretly powered by puppies and positive Yelp reviews? Tune in to find out if being nice ever gets in the way of running a tattoo shop—and whether we can finally get him to snap (spoiler: we can’t).
Read the rest of this entry »Tuesday Apr 22, 2025
Tuesday Apr 22, 2025
Jimmy Jam is back from allegedly starring in an action movie where he definitely did his own stunts and absolutely didn’t just hang around craft services. He and Sanae reunite after a brief separation (no, they’re not mad at each other) to react to the latest so-called "innovations" in tattooing—including people getting full pieces done under general anesthesia. It’s upsetting. They’re upset.
Also: listener questions, bad advice, and questionable mentorship wisdom for someone trying to land an apprenticeship.
So put on your emotional support hoodie, lie down on something sticky, and enjoy another chaotic session of the Tattoo Budcast. You might laugh, you might cringe, and you’ll probably wonder if anesthesia tattoos are a sign of the end times.
Read the rest of this entry »Tuesday Apr 15, 2025
Tuesday Apr 15, 2025
**Welcome back to another session of *Tattoo Budcast*!**
This week, our Honorary Bud **Goonie** is riding shotgun (seriously—has *anyone* seen Jimmy Jam?), helping Sanae wrangle our guest: the *Billy Zane of Hair* herself, alt-hairdresser **Karen Rivera**. (Btw, who was the real villain of Titanic?)
Karen’s booked *and* unbothered—she’s so booked, she doesn’t even take new clients anymore. She’s spilling the tea on how she built a ride-or-die roster and created a career on her own terms. Tattoo artists, take notes—some of these moves might just work for you too.
We’re also reacting to a viral video of a stylist dragging her client for not paying... and, uh, the Buds might be siding with violence on this one.
Plus: mistakes we’ve made in our respective crafts that keep us up at night, and client red flags you should *run* from.
It’s unhinged, it’s funny, it’s weirdly inspiring. You know the vibe. Buckle up.
Read the rest of this entry »Tuesday Apr 08, 2025
Tuesday Apr 08, 2025
Hey buds! We’re back for another session, and Jimmy Jam has *barely* survived his journey to a tattoo convention—turns out travel logistics aren't exactly his strong suit. This week, we spiral into the great beyond with a hot take on aliens: are they just misunderstood? Have Hollywood and the government given them a bad rap? Does Sanae have a reason to be scared ? Or is Jimmy Jam right that they’re just U.F.O.s [Unidentified Friendly Others] ?
We also unravel the spooky mystery of a whole town that allegedly vanished into thin air (yup, just *poof*). On the tattoo front, we dig into the “old school tattooer” persona—does it still hold up in today’s customer-service-driven tattoo scene? Or is it time to retire the grumpy gatekeeper vibe?
PLUS, we wrap it all up with a brand new segment: the *Buds Acting Challenge*. Because what's a session without a little dramatic flair and a whole lot of wheeze-laughing?
Read the rest of this entry »Tuesday Apr 01, 2025
Tuesday Apr 01, 2025
Today, the Tattoo Buds sit down with a true OG of the tattoo YouTube game—Wayne Fredrickson of the *Unite & Win Podcast*! Despite rolling in on a broken foot, Wayne proves he just can't sit still. From opening multiple shops to traveling the country in his van to tattoo on the road, launching a tattoo supply company, and running his own podcast and YouTube channel, he's got a [broken] foot in just about everything.
If you're a tattooer—or just someone struggling to stay motivated, or waiting for the "perfect time"—this episode is for you. Get ready for stories, laughs, and a much-needed kick in the ass to chase your own hustle!
Read the rest of this entry »Tuesday Mar 25, 2025
Tuesday Mar 25, 2025
The Tattoo Buds are back and flying solo—no guests, just chaos. Sanae spills on her star-studded weekend (celeb cameos included), while Jimmy Jam takes us deep into his first ever psychedelic trip. Spoiler: it involves life-altering insights, the Getty Museum, and your favorite lowbrow Buds talking highbrow art in the most undignified way possible.
We also pay our respects to tattoo legend Jack Rudy (RIP), react to @ryanroitattoo’s viral call-out on the toxic side of tattoo apprenticeships, and swap stories about the weirdest, wildest, and straight-up worst tattoo requests we’ve ever gotten—including the ones we flat-out refused.
It’s a wild ride. Come hang.
Read the rest of this entry »Tuesday Mar 18, 2025
Tuesday Mar 18, 2025
This week, the Tattoo Buds are hangin’ with none other than Chris de Armas—a 20-year tattoo wizard from Orange County who’s basically done it all. Award-winning tattooer? Check. World traveler? Check. Owner of American Vintage Tattoo, Electric Pagoda Printing, AND Bandit Laser Tattoo Removal? Triple check. He tattoos, he removes tattoos, he probably dreams in tattoos.
We chat about his insane experience tattooing in Nepal (spoiler: it’s not your average tattoo convention), get some pro tips for when you're on the road, and dive into the age-old question: how much should you actually tip your tattooer? And just when you think it’s safe to turn off the episode, Chris hits us with a downright pulse pounding story for our Tattoo Cover-Up segment
tattoos, laughs, and a little bit of fear—what more could you want?
Read the rest of this entry »