Big Steve
[Originally published in office magazine Issue 20, Fall-Winter 2023. Order your copy here]
What is your ideal office?
My ideal office would be a place with a view. 23 years in the same four walls…. It gets a little boring looking at the same view for that long.
How would your friends and family describe you?
A total ball-breaker.
For you, what is the most sacred place in New York?
The East Village, although day by day it becomes more of a shadow of the place it was when I was growing up.
What is the earliest memory that comes to mind when you think of Fun City?
I grew up in Queens, so my friends and I would sometimes cut school and wander around the city. I was probably 12 or 13 when this happened, but I walked into Fun City just to see what was going on in there because you could hear the machines running from outside. I was abruptly chased out, probably by Jonathan Shaw. All I remember hearing was, “GET THE FUCK OUTTA HERE KID.”
How did you find your way there as an adult?
Fun City found me! I had a couple of friends working there back when the shop was open until 4:00 a.m. I was good for crowd control and talking to drunks at the time.
What was the first tattoo you ever did?
It was a pretty bad chrome sacred heart (which is actually making a comeback).
Do you have a favorite body part to tattoo?
Probably the back — it’s a nice flat canvas.
When was the last time you took a break?
I take breaks all the time since I moved out of New York City. I have really embraced the outdoors through camping and fishing. Simply getting outside is a really good reset button that I wish more people would take advantage of.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Lighten up and don’t be so angry.
Do you have a secret weapon?
If I told you, it wouldn’t be a secret would it?
