Life
Cousin Mikey is Done with the Dumb Shit and Preparing for Better Days

We’re back in DUMBO, Brooklyn but this time to talk with Cousin Mikey. In this episode we talk about bikes, smoke, death, stick-up and vicious dogs.
Stay Up to Date with Cousin Mikey
The Cliff Notes
- The Everyday Struggle
- It’s Wild Healthy to Just Walk Around
- Being a Man of your Word
- The Devil is a Lie
- Bikes and Growing Up
- Dyno
- The Kid with Expensive Taste
- Stealing Bikes and Getting Bikes Stolen
- Got the Bike Back
- Sheba Bites
- Ice-Pops
- The Cigar Man
- True Blue 100s
- Cracking Jokes
- Little Dumbout
- Tough Exteriors in the Barber Shop
- Two Cadillacs
- A Phone Call
- A Hunnid Dollars
- Perfections Strip Club
- Taking Money from Strippers
- The Stick-Up
- Getting Shot At
- Not Snitching
- Getting a Little Spooky
- Hip Hop Stickers
- 3X Crazy
- Crucial Conflict
- Rocking a Perm
- Sleeping in Corn-braids
- Method Man
- Getting Back on Track
- Losing a Parent
- Call Your Mother
- Adopted
- My Little Brother
- Ya Dead Wrong
- Kid Shit
- Top 5 Dead or Alive
- Honda Dirt Bike
- Sade – When Am I Going To Make A Living
This episode is sponsored by Gorilla Coffee.
Life
Leopold Vasquez talks Breaking Comfort Zones, the Purpose of Life and the Sound of Art

Keep Up to Date with Leo
Show Notes
- A Refined Tone – Mic Test
- Talking to Bluster
- Rain influencing Leo’s Mood
- Growing up in Washington Heights
- Mad Hills and Parks
- A Nice Diverse Community
- Being a Wild and Curious Kid
- Playing with Fire and Getting Torched
- Kids say the Wildest Shit
- Biting Cousins
- Drawing anything in Motion
- Leo was the Weirdo of the Crew
- Had a Producer Vibe to Him
- Getting Lost in the Uptown Caves
- Dark Days (Film)
- Lenape Indigenous People
- Finding Arrow Heads
- Manhattan Center For Science and Mathematics
- Dominican Republic
- Super Curious and Embrace Diversity
- Don’t Questions Yourself
- Knowing the Difference
- Utilizing your Cultural Microscope
- A Child of Immigrants
- That’s how New York is…
- Fraunces Tavern
- Long Before You Got Here
- “You’re not going to Christopher Columbus this shit…”
- Art is a Time Cheat and Cheat of Time
- How do we preserve New York history?
- Retna
- BlusterOne
- Shepard Fairey
- The Peralta Project
- Christies Auction House
- “We can all enjoy colors…”
- Whitney Museum
- Andy Warhol
- Jean-Michel Basquiat
- Jackson Pollock
- Diego Rivera
- Frida Kahlo
- Problems, Solutions and Lives
- Demystify the facade of the art world
- Spiderman
- Marvel
- DC Comics
- Infinity Wars
- Two Cents on Black Panther Movie
- Soul II Soul
- Marcus Garvey
- Being a Social Scientist
- Breaking Comfort Zones
- Culture Shock
- Knowledge of Self
- Clark Atlanta University
- Sullivan County Community College
- University of Southern Mississippi
- Full Sail University
- Amon’s Story
- OutKast
- Creativity is Problem Solving
- Seeing the Sight Unseen
- No Point or Purpose to Life
- Empowering the Disenfranchised
- Meeting his Ego for the First Time
- Jim Rohn – How To Handle Your Ego
- Losing loved ones
- “Having cried yet but I want too…”
- Akeelah and the Bee
- Creed
- Ready to Cry
- Terrible Memories
- Real Life is Not Instagram
- It Ain’t All Good
- Get Flipd
- Hard Dopamine Hits
Life
One Time for Chopped Cheese and Beacon Youth Program Students

Chopped cheese is the name of the game because the youth said so! What’s up good people welcome to the New York Said podcast, I’m your host Amon Focus.
This week I headed to Metropolitan High School out in the Bronx to talk to some of the kids in the Beacon Youth Program. I was asked to talk about Podcasting. I kept it simple, I showed them the audio equipment but I said the best way to learn about podcasting is to record one… So we did.
If you’re a long time listener to the show then you’re familiar with the card game I created called New York Said Shuffle, if not then it’s simple. New York Said Shuffle is a game where I have the guest shuffle a deck of question cards that I created and then they answered them.
In this episode I played a lightning round with the students. I asked each person in the group one question each and then they flipped the tables then interviewed me.
This is a light fun episode which I really enjoy. Shout to Leo of SOALife for making this episode possible.
I’m out of here, enjoy!
About Beacon Youth Program and Metropolitan High School
~~~
Show Notes
- New York Said Shuffle
- The Metropolitan High School
- Bronx, NY
- Beacon Youth Program
- Soundview, Bronx
- “I don’t do nervous” Jylese Torres
Musical Interludes - Dream Vacation in Wakanda
- Tokyo, Japan
- Africa
- Melanie (Student)
- Arianna Reyes (Student)
- What is Love?
- Alicia Roman (Student)
- Bitter or Sweet?
- Unexpected
- Speaking to who?
- What are you going to be like when you turn 75?
- Who is Amon’s mentor?
- Leanna (Student)
- Batman
- Justice League
- What do you not understand about grownups?
- Parents just don’t understand…who said that?
- What advice would you give your parents?
- Diamond (Student)
- Ariel Reyes (Student)
- Bodega Sandwiches
- Chopped Cheese
- The Cult of the Chopped-Cheese Sandwich, New York’s Most Enigmatic Icon by Justin Bolois
- Yellow Bodega down the Block
- Antarctica
- Dreams interpreted
- Rick and Morty Cartoon
- Madison (Student)
- American History
- James Madison
- Morning or Night? (We know The Host is Night Person)
- One time for coffee?
- One time for mocha latte
- Isiah (Student)
- Pineapple on pizza?
- Mya (Student)
- 3 Wishes
- So, $1,000,000 is not enough?
- Aladdin Movie
- Gucci
- Target
- McDonald’s
- Louis Vutton
- Everything free for who?
- Mr. Leo
- What are you afraid of?
- Wait the host is dropping his government…
- Favorite word
- Eat for free
- Hip Hop to instrumentals
- T.I.’s new album
- Dime Trap
- Quincy Documentary Trailer
- “Once a task is just begun, never leave it till it’s done…” Quincy Jones Quote
- “Make It Happen” Amon Quote
- New York Said Merch
- New York Said: Volume Two – Photography by Amon Focus
- Travel
- What is your purpose in life?
- Put Me on Podcast
~~~
This episode is sponsored by Gorilla Coffee.
Life
Clayton Patterson talks History, Longevity and the Tompkins Square Park Police Riots with

Today’s guest on the show is Clayton Patterson. Clayton is a documentarian, an artist, a historian and staple of the Lower East Side. In this episode we talk about how to survive as an artist, the Clayton Cap, the 80s, the forgotten ones, citizen surveillance, documenting history and the Tompkins Square Park police riots.
This conversation was recorded at the Clayton Gallery & Outlaw Art Museum in the heart of the Lower East Side.
This episode is brought to you by Ignacio “Nacho” Fernandez. Show him some love on Instagram.
~~~
Show Notes
- Clayton Patterson Documentarian, Artist, Historian & Lower East Side Resident
- Clayton Patterson Website
- Lower East Side
- 161 Essex
- Clayton Camps
- Clayton Archive, Outlaw Art Museum & Gallery
- You have to survive as an artist.
- SoHo in the 80’s How New York’s Art Scene In The ‘80s Made NYC What It Is Today
- Mr. Chow’s NYC 57th Street
- Richard Brown Baker
- Bowery & Broome
- “The game is always not to work.” Clayton Patterson
- What is the Clayton Cap?
- Clayton Patterson Brings Back the Clayton Cap With a Little Help From His Friends– Sept. 12, 2016 by daniel maurer
- The cap as a canvas.
- The Savage Skulls
- The Garment District, Manhattan
- Ed Koch former Mayor of New York City from 1978-1989
- Interviewing takes you places you never imagine you’d go.
- “I am art, and what I do is art” Clayton Patterson Quote
- Latin Kings
- Posses and Crews
- BBB Bruce Street Bad Boys
- PS20 The Anna Silver School
- Front Door Book by Clayton Patterson
- The art of giving fame.
- You have to say what? P*ssy (Timestamp 11:05)
- Create community rather create controversy (in today’s terms-Clayton did want no smoke)
- Street Gangs of The Lower East Side preview by Clayton Patterson
- Dizzy Gillespie & Harlem
- Mick Jagger
- Satin Sinner Nomads Gangs of the East Village: Life as a Satan’s Sinners Nomad by laura edwins and nadja popovich
- Jose “Cochise” Quiles YouTube Original air date 5-12-16
- Taji’s Mahal – Satan’s Sinners Nomads’ Cochise (VICE article)
- Afrika Bambaataa
- Black Panther Party
- Arturo Vega
- Arturo Vega, Ramones Logo Designer, Dead at 65– Graphic artist was a source of support in the band’s early years -by erin coulehan (RollingStone Article-June 10, 2013)
- Howl Gallery
- Empire Closing Party The Last Interview Screening of Amon Focus’ Arturo Vega, the Last Interview, 2013
- Hip Hop Slides and Movies Talk by Wild Style Director Charlie Ahearn with Jane Dickson
- John Ahearn Artist
- Leading as humans
- Form of magic in the forgotten ones
- The top and the bottom are often similarities
- Punk
- Hardcore Punk Bands
- Hardcore punk
- The responsibility of recording history.
- Police Riots Tompkins Square Park (1988)
- Documenting the Tompkins Square riot of ’88 by clayton patterson (The Villager Article- August 6, 1988)
- May 1968 events in France
- Pablo Escobar – Crime Boss
- John Gotti – Crime Boss
- Nicky Barnes – Mr. Untouchable
- Don’t antagonize the dog behind the gate.
- “Fame has its assets attached to it.” Clayton Patterson Quote
- One Percent Motorcycle Club
- The Long, Vital History of Bystander Recordings by emily raboteau (The New Yorker Article – August 11, 2016)
- LA2 – Artist
- Keith Haring – Artist
- Jeffrey Deitch
- Whitney Museum of Art
- Jerry Saltz – Art Critic
- “We deserve the truth behind our history.” Clayton Patterson Quote
- The Radiant Baby by keith haring
- Barking Dog by keith haring
- Three Eyed Television by keith haring
- Keith Haring Political Line Symbols
- Provenance
- Museum City of New York
- How can you tell the difference between collaboration between Keith Haring and LA2, or just a LA2 or just a Keith Haring? Class is in session.
- Picasso Cubism
- George Braque– Artist
- Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso
- How Beyoncé and photographer Tyler Mitchell made history with her Vogue cover– It’s the first time in the magazine’s 126-year existence that a black photographer shot the cover- by alex abad-santos Aug 6, 2018 (Vox Article)
- Tyler Mitchell – Photographer
- Tyler Mitchell: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know | Heavy.com
- 8th Street Shul
- JEWS: A PEOPLE’S HISTORY OF THE LOWER EAST SIDE by Clayton Patterson (book)
- Mashugana
- TRON Graffiti Artist
- No documentation then it didn’t exist.
- Troy and Kevin Harris
- “Little Brother is Watching Big Brother” Clayton Patterson
- The Democratization of the News
- Captured by Clayton Patterson (Trailor)
- The importance of a camera
- Special Guest @CharlesAllBlue (IG)
- Supreme
- OverLook designed by Ali the Creator
- Only The Wise Streetwear brand
- The 7’s on Clayton Patterson’s door
- Worthy questions to ponder
- New York Nico
- Overthrow Video
- Daniel B. Levin Director, Producer, Cinematographer
- Mark Benjamin, Documentary Filmmaker
- Preserving the history and passing it on.
- Showing up and doing it!
- Agosto Machado Performer (Nightlife Icon Agosto Machado Talks La MaMa, Good Luck and His Anderson Cooper Fantasies by michael musto June 2017 Paper Article)
- The system as always a step ahead.
- What really gentrified downtown NYC?
- Ai Wewei Artist
- Spike Lee American Film Director
- The Oprah Effect
- Want to Watch the Episode of Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown with Clayton Patterson appearing?
- Here’s the details : ‘Lower East Side (November 11 special extended episode 9pm-10:15pm ET) Bourdain takes a personal journey through this formerly bohemian New York City neighborhood, as he meets, shares meals and reflects with music, film and art trailblazers including Richard Hell, Deborah Harry and Chris Stein, Lydia Lunch, Fab 5 Freddy, Danny Fields, Amos Poe, Jim Jarmusch, Kembra Pfahler, John Lurie, Clayton Patterson and Harley Flanagan, whose collective cultural impact in the 1970’s and ’80’s has sustained through the decades.’
- The moments of enlightenment and change
- Clayton Patterson and the History of Tattooing in NYC by taji ameen a Vice Article March 2013
- The desire to documenting and preserving culture
- “The Lower East Side used to represent authenticity.” Clayton Patterson Quote
- Silver Monuments Works Inc.
- Russ & Daughters
- Katz’s Delicatessen
- Economy Candy
- Jim Power aka Mosaic Man
- Tompkins Square Park Riots
- 30th anniversary of Tompkins Square Park riot: ‘It was a battle we had to fight‘ by michael ccotto | August 7, 2018 @2:23 PM Spectrum News NY1 Manhattan
- Mollen Commission
- David Dinkins – 106th Mayor of New York City
- William Bratton
- Michael Bloomberg – 108th Mayor of New York City
- The Forgotten Ones
- The Bowery
- CBGB
- The Pyramid Club
- The Sunshine Theatre
- Pulp Fiction $5 Shake
- The Pop Up Culture
- Always being alert
- The Everly Brothers
- The Beattles
- The Wave
- When everyone loves you.
- “Be in it for the love, the experience and the passion” Clayton Patterson Quote
~~~
We would love to hear your thoughts on the episode. Leave a comment on the Apple Podcast app and don’t forget to rate the show.
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