Ink Master’s Season 7 winner Anthony Michaels is a phenomenal tattoo artist. Despite the fact he won $100,000 on a reality TV show filled with grandiose egos, Michaels is soft spoken and humble. I recently spoke with Michaels at 7:30AM Arizona time after he had already been to the gym and had just dropped his children off at school.

Dan Lorenzo: I feel like your children are cutting into our time as potential friends.

Anthony Michaels: (sighs) Bro, they cut into everything. They’re like that boss that you never see. It’s like the boss you always hear about at your job, but you never get to see him, but they’re running everything. They’re running shit. (laughs)

I like to goof on people even the first time I meet them. When I first met you in NYC and I told you I lived in a lily-white, gated community that doesn’t allow black people in–why didn’t you hit me?

Because that’s something that’s out of my control man. Let’s say that was really a thing. It is what it is. What can I do about it? What can this one black guy do? (laughs) Then on top of the fact I’m super gullible. I didn’t know you, so I was like, “Shit-is he being funny? I don’t know if he’s serious or not. Fuck it.” (laughs)

I live in New Jersey and Ink Master is filmed in New Jersey and you told me you assumed all of New Jersey was like that (top-secret) town?