A Dying Breed: The Tattoo Man with Gil "The Drill" Montie

Welcome back to another episode of the Honest Tattooer Podcast! This week, Jon Mesa, Matt Truiano, and G Money share their insights from the recent Orlando Tattoo Show and dive into a conversation with a tattoo industry legend, Gil “The Drill” Montie.
🎤 In this episode:
• Reflections on the Orlando Tattoo Show and the importance of foot traffic at conventions.
• Gil Montie shares stories from his 50+ years in the tattoo industry, from Vietnam to present day.
• The evolution of conventions and how tattooing has changed since the 1970s.
• Gil’s advice on what it means to be a “Tattoo Man” and the dying breed of authentic tattooers.
• Discussions about tattooing as a craft vs. art and the impact of TV shows like Ink Masters on the industry.
• How Gil mentors apprentices and the importance of respecting the history of tattooing.
🗣️ Viewer Interaction: What do you think makes a tattoo convention successful? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments!
👤 Follow our hosts and guest:
• Jon Mesa: @jonmesatattoos
• Matt Truiano: @mattruiano
• G Money: @gabetattoos
• Gil Montie: @gillthedrill
Sponsors:
• Tattoo Smart: Save 20% on your order with code HONEST20 at Tattoo Smart
• Tattoo Armour: Save 20% with code HONESTTATTOOER at Tattoo Armour.
•Force of Focus.
🔔 Don’t forget to subscribe and hit the bell for notifications! Thanks for your support and enjoy this deep dive into tattoo culture and history.
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[@codytweedy2954]

Orlando was a terrible show! You guys could’ve definitely said a lot more on this in my opinion. Wanna know why tattoo conventions are dying? That was it, that was the perfect example. Literally a list of problems at this show, I know people asked for refunds 😂

[@locsofluvv]

Bro he’s so funny 😂 such a good episode

[@Chuck00702]

Loved seeing this and seeing a podcast about the tattoo industry!!!

[@Chuck00702]

Loved seeing this and seeing a podcast about the tattoo industry!!!

[@tattoostudioleitmotif4703]

He's hilarious!!! The craft misses that kind of characters. Well i guess, as everything is a cycle, they"ll be back!!!! Cheers guys!

[@sandochello]

Fuck yes! Gil Monty was one of the first tattooers I knew about early in my beginnings

[@angelalvarez1162]

One of your best episodes !