FRANKLY THURSDAY
JORDAN WALSH
Frankly Thursdays is back. Loyal readers will remember these short interviews with local legends, interesting characters, and just cool folk who make up the weaves and wefts of our esoteric past time. This Thursday, we talk to Wellington tattoo artist Jordan Walsh.
Who is Jordan Walsh?
A stray punk from Yorkshire who ended up in Aotearoa. I’m a tattooer, father and manic bike nerd.
Where do you live?
I live in Newtown, Wellington with my partner and kid. We moved here from Mākara just over a year ago. We were living in a house bus out there, which was awesome until my daughter started getting on her feet and we needed a bit more space for her to burn her energy and play. It’s been great living in Newtown though, being closer to friends and having the Matairangi trails on my doorstep rules!
What gets you out of bed in the morning?
A very endearing little lass gets me out of bed ever morning without fail ha ha.
What do you do for a crust?
I’m a tattooer. I co-own a studio up in Brooklyn called Enchanted Realm.
We’ve been open a year and a half, we love being part of the Brooklyn community and have been very welcomed by the locals there.
It’s a perfect location for having a quick hoon down Waimapihi after work too!
How did you become a tattoo artist?
I got into tattooing as a teenager, but it took until my late 20s/early 30s to actually be happy enough with my artwork that I’d put it on someone’s skin. By then quite a few people had been getting my artwork tattooed by other artists, which was always such an honour.
I’m self-taught, so I spent a few years learning the ins and outs of tattooing, mostly practising on friends and acquaintances. Being in the punk scene meant I had plenty of willing skin for free or cheap tattoos.
I built up a portfolio of my work and I managed to get my first job in a studio shortly after moving to Wellington. The path into tattooing is so different for everyone, but I think the most important part is having the drive and passion for the craft. I feel a lot of people are getting into it for the wrong rea$ons these days.
What’s your ideal day off?
Probably a good balance of riding and family time, on a proper sunny day in Pōneke. A mean day that springs to mind is riding the Remutaka Rail Trail with a mate, from Upper Hutt to Eastbourne and meeting my partner and daughter at the end for pizza and a pint, what more can you ask for?
What are your vices?
I get pretty badly hyper focused on shit especially when it comes to bikes, fitting in a ride whenever I possibly can, quick lap after work etc. Also searching Facebook marketplace for cheap bike parts for a new build or just for no reason—it’s bad—I annoy myself by how much it takes over my brain ha, ha. It’s healthier than booze though—I spent most of my 20s being a drunken scallywag, so I’ve come a long way.
“I spent most of my 20s being a drunken scallywag, so I’ve come a long way.”
How did you get into mountain biking?
I’m quite fresh into actually hitting trails, but I first got into it in my early teens. Back then, I had a DDG shooter—I loved that bike. We only had one little pocket of woods in the town I lived. Cycling there was prohibited but we’d make jumps and bomb the hills all summer.
Fast forward about 16 drunken years of punk, travelling and chaos and I’d just moved to Aotearoa and got my first gravel bike. During the first few years of living here, I just loved rambling around on the gravel bike and did a few bikepacking missions. Then I got a hardtail to try out more trails.
I stuck to intimidate trails for ages and didn’t really see myself attempting much more than that, but it hooks you in, doesn’t it? Once my daughter was born and riding time was limited, I would only really be able to get an hour or two ride in and mountain biking was perfect for that, you can get a lot more satisfaction from a quick lap or two.
What sort of other riding do you do and why?
Just gravel and mountain biking really, I bought a road bike a two years ago. I don’t know what I was thinking—every time I rode it, I just wished I was riding trails instead. I sold it after a month so I could buy my first full suss and I’ve never looked back ha ha. I’m looking forward to getting back into some bikepacking too. When my daughter’s a bit older I’d love to take her along with me too if she’s into it.
Favourite tunes to ride to or to get you psyched to ride?
Inepsy! They’re like a much heavier version of Motörhead with song titles like Ride Til I Die. They might be a lot cooler and actually talking about riding motorbikes, but I can pretend it’s about riding silly little push bikes.
How would you describe your riding style?
Enduro, I guess? I ride an enduro bike and like to smash down techy trails and do as many laps as I can. I’m not one to complain about the uphills—I enjoy it all.
Favourite trail?
I did Deliverance for the first time the other day and still frothing, that’s a fun track that I’d never got round to riding until now! I really like ‘V’ at Mt Victoria (Matairangi) too—the drop haunts me.
Favourite bit of riding kit?
Thats a hard one really. Nothing really stands out to me, it’s more just practical shit or stuff I feel the need to wear to look the part … my Stealth Bike Bags bum bag has been a staple for years though—super good quality craftsmanship from a local company here in Pōneke! Definitely recommend his stuff!
What’s the best thing about mountain biking these days?
It’s all quite new to me really, but I guess Instagram has really made a good platform for smaller companies to get their stuff out there and I like that. There’s some amazing frame builders and small companies that I assume wouldn’t be able to successfully operate worldwide without these means.
What’s the worst thing?
No negative vibes here, everything about mountain biking is sick. Except when you crash, maybe they should make it so you can’t crash? Would it still be fun though?