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Miami Ink's Yoji And His Big Deal

Big Deal, Yoji, Yojiro Harada, punk, rock, music, band, Miami Ink

My punk rock band Big Deal just recently got back together, so I'm up in New York.
When the radio started playing The Clash, I was just in complete and total shock. I really liked it and I thought, 'This is something I can do.' '
Yojiro Harada , New York
Date Posted: 07/24/07
Reader Rating: rating

Yojiro Harada is a household name among tattoo aficionados now, thanks to his real life role as the humble apprentice on TLC's Miami Ink. While his passion for tattooing is showcased for millions of viewers every week, his first love - punk rock music - is more like a well-kept secret that Yojiro, a.k.a. 'Yoji,' wants everyone to know about. He first fell in love with punk while growing up in Japan and always wanted to play music in the United States. Yoji will soon graduate from apprentice to full-time tattoo artist, and his New York band Big Deal have just gotten back together, proving that passions and dreams, even when they compete, have a way of leaving their mark on America. Read on - Yoji has another surprise up his sleeve...

I'm hanging out in New York right now, but I was born in Japan. I grew up with lots of different kinds of music, but I always liked punk rock the best.

When the radio started playing The Clash, I was just in complete and total shock. I really liked it and I thought, 'This is something I can do.' I was in a band in Japan, but I really wanted to make music in the United States. That was my dream.

When I moved to New York for the first time, I really liked the music scene. I played with a punk rock band for a couple years and then moved down to Miami and started working in tattoo shop.

The first time I ever got a tattoo was when I was 18 years old, and I've been getting tattoos ever since. It's addictive. If you get one, you just want more, more, more and more. Now I've got tattoos all over my body, but I never actually wanted to be a tattoo artist myself.

I had been working at the tattoo shop for over five years, and then one night I find out my wife was pregnant. I had to start making some real money, you know, so I asked Ami James if I could apprentice and he said yes.

Ami and Chris Nunez are old school tattoo artists, so I have to learn in the old school style. Sometimes it's difficult, but it's cool and I really appreciate what I've learned.

****

When people ask me what I love more, tattooing or music, it's a very difficult question for me. I love music. I love tattoing. Music was my first passion, but I love all art too. I don't know.


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Re: Miami Ink's Yoji And His Big Deal

By maryadavis, June 11, 2008 at 11:30

Like any other teenager I thought I might do something strange to make my parents scream. So I got a tattoo, joined a band and completely changed my look from sweet girl to rock girl. I got the desired effect. My parents went mad about everything but specially because of the tattoo. Now, 9 years later I realized I have to take it out. The color faded a bit and my job is too serious to have a tattoo on my neck. The only place that inspired me enough trust was the Houston tattoo removal shop and they did it without even asking me why. I guess getting a tattoo is the easiest thing one can do. Deciding to give it up is the hardest thing I had to do. Oh well...