BOOKS CLOSED Podcast - Ep 013 - Ami James

Season 2 of the show kicks off with guest Ami James (@amijames1). We talk about his background in tattooing, what it was like to become the most famous tattooer in the world during the height of “Miami Ink,” and how social media has changed the way we see tattooing.
BOOKS CLOSED is hosted by Andrew Stortz (@andrewstortz)
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[@Serpentis666]

I worked with ami in New York back in 1994 and I can say with 100% certainty that he is speaking the truth and hasn’t skipped a beat since I’ve met him... still the same dude, just a bit wiser with more experience... so good to see, this has been my favorite episode of this podcast yet!!! Thanks for doing your thing!

[@andrewstortz]

Awesome! Thanks for watching 🙌

[@Christopher25S]

Glad to see Ami up and well. Haven’t heard from him in a while. Really cool guy and legend. 👊🏽👊🏽👊🏽

[@hettiet9753]

I've always had much respect for Ami & still do. I've never understood how anyone can say negative things about him and his work.

[@sleepmachine7522]

Ami James should’ve played the Green Goblin

[@jonathanvazquez2831]

Sleep Machine 🤣🤣

[@TheRenegade2424]

He was taught by some true legends I’m a Florida tattoo artist all those guys are legends

[@Whendaddycooks]

I definitely see Ami in a new light. All you ever hear about him is negative. I appreciate his candor.

[@Jakeross123]

This is a great episode!! This show is like an extension of sitting around listening to stories at the shop. Hopefully catching some of that good knowledge that got held on to. Great work Andrew and Ami!

[@aaronbickford8725]

I finally watched all of this interview...it was great! I’ve got a newfound respect for Ami! Thank you Andrew.

[@davidstortz9598]

Great conversation between you two! Glad you’re back with second season!

[@My_Ideas_Never_Die]

Great honest , and direct views on the evolution of the industry. Plus that dosage of history through stories by Ami! Rad episode!

[@andrewstortz]

Thanks for watching!

[@russellaten8077]

It’s awesome that you give other tattooers the opportunity to set down and hear these conversations! Love it, but don’t forget your comedic outlet man. You seem to enjoy that side as much as enjoy watching you make it!

[@andrewstortz]

Thank you Russell, I appreciate that. I’ll make some funny videos soon. It has been nice to switch gears lately, but I’ll find the balance eventually.

[@colten_rocha]

Really missed this podcast over the last few months. Cheers to season 2!

[@jonlarge9621]

Great Kick Off! Very Enlighten! Two Awesome Men, Thanks for Sharing! 😎👍

[@mikedillingham462]

I'm glad to see Ami is doing great. You can tell he's just a straight up genuine guy. Blessings bro

[@decemberset]

So glad to have BC back!

[@dsantana9271]

Always admired this guy. Great interview

[@joshetch9751]

Great way to start Season 2 man. Thank you and Ami for such a great recording, as someone that started tattooing in the time of those shows I’m glad to be able to look back and see where we were and where we are going.

[@andrewstortz]

Thank you for watching!

[@paulteves638]

✊💪👨‍🦳🙇‍♂️

[@BrixofGreen]

Great discussion keep em coming Andrew appreciate all the hard work you put into these videos!

[@TheRenegade2424]

I was taught by Eric Perlman jr... Eric Inksmith Son Him and Paul Rogers are legends here in Jacksonville... this is so much more to me than just a video on KZbin I’m connected to these people i’m going to show this to Eric

[@nancyvalentine5923]

One of the best interviews. I really enjoyed all the information and the opportunity to get to know Ami a little I have respect for him as an artist and a good man..

[@TheRenegade2424]

I’ve had my spring pop during a tattoo not fun but I digressed is not like that anymore this is great to see someone that remembers how things used to be

[@sushinktattoo1366]

It’s good to see Omni interview. We need more people like this in the industry. A dying breed of old school tattooers who really understand value

[@andyduchesne7021]

Cool interview !, an nice Hobos in NH reference! Good job Andrew!

[@mikehuff9793]

Lou was the president of the FPTAG. His shop was THE precursor to Blue Devil, Red Letter One, and half of Ybor City. Solid dude…and a no.nonsense tattooer. He brought down the guys who taught me from NY. Ami has learned from THE Florida legends. Inksmitha and Rogers, Gill Monte, Jonathan Shaw…name it. I’m a 90’s Florida tattooist and did many a MTV Panama City beach and Daytona Bike Week. Ami is a Florida OG fasho. Edit: Lou was super old school. I too served a second apprenticeship where your master essentially sells you off to another tattooist that knows the technical aide of the industry (machine builders and needle experts.) This is nostalgic as hell for me❤️

[@jasonwelsher7612]

Great Podcast Andrew, Keep Up the Good Work, Looking Forward to Season 2.

[@dallasraatz4730]

Can’t wait for more! Love these videos!!!

[@andrewstortz]

Thank you! New interview will be up next Monday morning!

[@TheRenegade2424]

Miami ink was definitely the best show it was about the tattoos that’s why I loved it so much

[@mauricioelsalvador]

Great information guys! Thanks!

[@unclejeremy]

This was great. Keep em coming

[@andrewstortz]

Thanks for watching Jeremy!

[@nahtanish]

Wow so many good points throughout this. Thank you 🙏

[@alainaruble163]

There are so many people who would never have gotten a tattoo if it was not for this man, thanks Ami.

[@m.taylor554]

Yeah right, and maybe, but just maybe, most of them shouldnt have and turn the scene into what it is nowadays...

[@JOSELASSOR]

Great, honest and on point. This is the real tattooer life, awesome. Thanks for made this amazing content, people need to see more shit like this!👏🏼🔥

[@andrewstortz]

Thank you for watching!

[@broke602]

AMAZING EPISODE. THANK YOU

[@robertkerr4049]

"Art...is creating something, out of nothing".

[@Unlmtdprogress]

Amazing Podcast. What a story Ami has to tell man! He's always been super cool in my eyes. I'm not into tatooing and have 0 tattoos but I was a fan of Miami and NY Ink

[@adrientaylor921]

Yes !!! Been waiting for ya to be back ,,

[@andrewstortz]

I’m back!

[@julive565]

I love this interview man.

[@markingegnotattoomarcobarb4720]

This interview it' s very interesting, Ami is very clear and sinple, nothing built or arrogant, only a good work man, congratulations!! thanks Andrew, you was gentle and curious about a good subject to discuss, imagines are very well, Thank you!! GREAT WORK!! Marco, from Italy

[@andrewstortz]

Glad you enjoyed it Marco!

[@TheRenegade2424]

I’m just discovering this I love it thank you so much🤙🏽

[@JORGEGONZALEZ-jm8vy]

Awesome .....respect true guy..👍

[@lachlansaunders3598]

great podcast really enjoyed it

[@jonac.3478]

Wonderful interview 🙏🏼

[@jeffreyborkhuis2952]

Really great!

[@gablerynning2865]

hilarious,my first "tools" were from superior also. it was a Plastic frame tattoo machine, and disposable tubes with needles already in them.

[@alexking9117]

great episode

[@PeetsDreams]

love these vids guysssss

[@TheRenegade2424]

I got my first equipment from superior tattoo equipment they were based in Arizona this is really awesome

[@jameswilson2268]

Awesome episode

[@bosaydeleon]

Awesome to see some recent Ami. I’m a year late but so what lol.

[@chrisf1486]

Bosay de Leon Same 😅

[@TheRenegade2424]

Bosay de Leon me too

[@TheRenegade2424]

I too had to embrace cartridges and it made my life easier as well

[@jonlucero626]

I bought a kit from superior over 10 years ago omg lol he isn’t lying about the kit 😂 it was a power box on a wire that went straight to the one machine you had! You would connect the foot pedal to the main power box 😂 holy shot I can’t believe he had a superior tattoo kit.

[@dsantana9271]

im from Fayetteville NC and was told how crazy that shop would get..and the area was filled with strip clubs. Skin Fantasies and Bill Claytons, Post Primitives.. those were the shops in the late 90s everyone was getting work in.

[@TheRenegade2424]

And that is what Paul Rogers used I am loving this thank you for posting it I’m gonna stop posting on your KZbin now🤙🏽

[@aladimbittencourt1294]

TKS for the Content

[@andrewstortz]

Thank you for watching! Next episode is out tomorrow 🙌

[@lanniard]

You need to get Greggletron an interview ASAP

[@falloutgirl902]

“You get a script.. in the morning” 😂😂😂 yo a literal script I actually grew up thinking all my favourite reality shows were real that’s hilarious.

[@indrequinn330]

Thank you for this great episode, hope that many young tattooers gonna listen to it from beginning to the end. I'm glad that the topic about supplyers selling stuff without asking if buyer actually works professionally was brought up. I have faith that there should be a way to fix that. Thanks again for the amazing episode! (Tattoo toddler)

[@m.taylor554]

How do you think that is even possible these days?

[@batteryacidpopsicle]

definitely get Greg Christian.

[@NikulPrasad]

Miami Ink got me into tattoos lol

[@iraklein1625]

A legend

[@m.taylor554]

I never watched Miami Ink and this is the first time I ever hear Ami talk, its really not that easy to listen to him I have to say, while I could listen to someone like Scott Harrison all day long. Theres something I cant point my finger at I dont like about him, but maybe thats just me! Creating something out of nothing... Having an already finished flash and customizing it is not creating something out of nothing... And I bet he would have used the modern day technology to his advantage if it would have been available back then. I do hate the airbrushed collage thing too though. Took a quick peek at Tattoodo and it seems like the platform is offering an option for "Pros" to be booked within the app. Theres something similar coming up in Germany right now, dont wanna name it to give them attention, but basicly the app offers artists to have a profile, chat with possible clientel, and the cooperation that owns the app gets a percetage of the tattoos worth! Left me speechless. Not sure how true Amis motivations are with his Tattoodo project, hopefully he has some noble thoughts and it will turn into something great like Miami Ink :-) Edit: No likes in the app? Whats this number next to a heart then on Tattoodo? I had to stop the video at 1 hour and 40 minutes cant listen to him anymore. The same kind of crap hes talking about the companies that buy out everything tattoo related these days and that we should stick together blah blah blah, is the same kind of deal it was back then with Miami Ink, if he wouldnt have done it, the next one would have. So what keeps him thinking itll be any different nowadays? This guy cant be serious with all stuff that already happend and now after all that damage has been done trying to keep it real? Maybe hes part of the problem, not the solution. So far I watched every episode of Season 1 which is truly one of the greatest things I stumpled upon the last decade, but Im not sure if Im able to sit through this one completely. And I made it through the whole Ashely Love thing which left me with a lot of open questions and conversations with my wife. I almost called your landline and talk it of. ;-)

[@ModGyver]

A granade exploded a foot away from my head ?? 😂🤯

[@josephlopez141]

This episode was fuckn awesome. No joke. Please start doing them again! How rad would it be to have an episode with Kat Von D? 🙌🤷‍♂️

[@Seaman920]

Lmfao

[@TheRenegade2424]

Pull up number five out of the drawer🤣

[@Ay0o0_AG]

Ami's app Tattoodo, is the best fucking app ever ! I get so much feedback for my work on it, When I started the app I had 10 followers now 3 months later i'm hitting 10,000 followers & get feedback for the tattoos ! On instagram I barely get any feedback for the tattoos I do & haven't passed 1500 followers in 1 year ! I have tattoodo PRO & like I said definitely worth it !

[@andrewstortz]

Awesome! Thank you for watching

[@julive565]

" I'm just gonna start squirting my tattoos with baby oil in slow motion whenever I take my photos" lmaoo

[@louielucifer7666]

Gotta get Corey Miller

[@BRASSKNUCKLE22]

Flash is the business I love flash art its what a tattoo fucking is and I think that shits making a comeback

[@Trose3]

I’m almost positive he was in the Israeli army btw not the US army.

[@cj222100]

Ami looks the same lol. I had such a terrible crush on him back when he was on TV

[@larryavilez8060]

What name did he say greg latron?

[@andrewstortz]

Greggletron

[@lovetoliveandlaugh]

im not a millionaire, i just have a $900,000 house lmao. just a BIT out of touch. but good to hear him speak with you!

[@aaronbickford8725]

Did I miss something? Did he say 1/3 is 3%?

[@andrewstortz]

We’re tattooers, not mathematicians 🤷‍♂️

[@aaronbickford8725]

Andrew Stortz Point taken. I really did think I might have missed something though.

[@julive565]

"Every tattoo looks wet deez dayz" 😂😂😂

[@rafaelbaialuna8200]

Best AMY

[@diazarmy5278]

Dude don’t age

[@kodyrichard2911]

What is going on with the way the “S” and “Sh” words sound like whistling?

[@andrewstortz]

A pitfall of mobile recording setup...don’t always have ideal conditions for audio, lighting etc. thanks for watching!

[@kodyrichard2911]

Andrew Stortz Forsure, love the channel man! I stay listening, can’t wait to hear more!

[@Spookylo]

Just need that screen thingy to cover your mic. Get rid of those ps, bs, and shhs

[@redman8067]

The monotone..

[@Avakthefirst]

Respect to Ami and his amazing career. However he's just another one of these old school "traditionalists" that think you're not a true artist unless you break your back following processes that are antiquated. The reason why tattooing has got so much better in the artwork side and the technical and Equipment side is because artist realized that these processes could be better and more efficient so therefore they were created for those purposes. You're not cheating because you use Photoshop and a lot of online reference material. No amount of high-tech equipment or expensive photo manipulation programs or any fancy tools is going to make you a better artist... it's just going to make you a more efficient artist. At the end of the day it comes down to how well you executed the tattoo and none of those conveniences can "help you cheat" with that.

[@oopsiepoopsie2898]

Avakthefirst when you use photoshop you aren’t drawing, it’s kinda cheating.

[@kromakode3110]

@@oopsiepoopsie2898 I can do both.

[@derekecker]

This host sounds like he works for NPR.

[@katdee224]

Besides his disdain for digital art this was quite interesting.

[@chris-andrebrissett5208]

I'm liking that smexy assssss background my ggggggggggggg

[@karljoensen]

no one wants to blame you, no one cares

[@benjaminstanley2350]

Based on your comments, Andrew, I'm guessing you struggle designing original tattoos? Simply a flash artist? You seem to have disdain for tattoos that aren't stickers...

[@benjaminstanley2350]

if you hate clients so much, find a new job. oh wait, is that what this "podcast" is an attempt at?

[@andrewstortz]

I love my clients😘

[@oopsiepoopsie2898]

Even if he only did flash, who gives a fuck? It’s still good art work.

[@Mzlanders]

Benjamin Stanley, you guys are morons. Do you not know a great, honest conversation when you hear one? Had to use the comment section to showcase your own insecurities?? Idiots.