St. Louis is hosting a tattoo convention and Nick Lucchesi at our sister paper The Riverfront Times scored an interview with LA Ink's Corey Miller, reality star (he's the one on the show without the boobs), surf rocker, punk rock lifestyle decorator, and self-described “grateful, old-school kind of carny.”

Here's an excerpt:

You are [a] self-described fan of [bands from] Black Flag to Black Sabbath, and a drummer. What were your favorite LA punk bands from back in the day? What was your playlist at age 15?

Oh you know, the staples: Circle Jerks, the Adolescents, Dead Kennedys, Black Flag.

Time to test your mettle. Who was your favorite Black Flag singer?

Ron Reyes. That was my first impression of them. His voice was so brutal.

What bands were you in? Can you remember any names? Please tell me. I will try to find the demo.

[Laughs] Oh God. I don't know. Even now with [with current band Powerflex 5, featuring skater Steve Alba], we've only had a chance to record a demo. We played the other night at the Roxy. I'm 42, going out there, but the only difference is my buddy has good equipment now. And we have kids. And we don't get so fucked up anymore.

(Link to full interview and bonus excerpt about LA Ink's High Voltage shop as car-crash magnet, plus J. G. Ballard-grade property damage porn, after the jump.)

Corey Miller: Don't get fucked up much anymore; Credit: Tim Sutton

Corey Miller: Don't get fucked up much anymore; Credit: Tim Sutton

Bonus excerpt:

This one is from a friend who lives in LA [WCS Ed.'s note: full disclosure–the so-called “friend” is none other than our own Erin Broadley!] — Do you have any theories on why cars keep crashing next to High Voltage [the tattoo shop featured in LA Ink]? Is it a magnet of some sort***? What was your reaction?

It's safer inside, but I have no idea. I didn't witness any of them. Some people got some pretty brutal pictures though, when they did happen. I guess it's Hollywood man. Stuff happens every minutes there.

*** Just ask Shia LaBeouf, the guy who smashed his car against Edible Arrangements (see below), and other poor sods who were drawn to the fatal intersection.

Edible Arrangements after the 2007 crash; Credit: Los Angeles Metblogs

Edible Arrangements after the 2007 crash; Credit: Los Angeles Metblogs

For the full-interview, check out the Riverfront Times.

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