NICOLAS KNOX

“I feel that if your lifestyle (art or otherwise) doesn't reflect your ethics in some way, those are not your actual ethics. Everything that I do is a domino effect caused by my ethics and beliefs, and I cannot bring myself to operate or exist in any other way.”

My name is Nicolas Knox from Kansas City, Missouri. I claimed Vegan Straight Edge 13 years ago after many long years of crippling drug addiction. I yell in a band called Ironbar, and I play bass in a Straight Edge band from Denver called Time X Heist. I'm also a licensed Tattooer at Sink Or Swim Tattoo. KCHC til I die.

What was the moment or experience that first pushed you toward veganism?
For the most part I think it was a culmination of life experiences, observations, and personal growth that came to me from simply having different values and opinions from the majority of the people I was surrounding myself with. Values and opinions that I formed from my involvement in Punk and Hardcore, but also from my unfortunately very violent upbringing. Admittedly, those values and experiences sometimes sort of contradicted each other. Coming from a poor working class background (before I decided to pursue tattooing) I had always just kind of taken any job I could get at the time, and one time that landed me working the kill floor in a pork processing plant for 10-12 hours a day for about a year...Something that (like most decisions I was making at the time) still sometimes shakes me to this day...Let's just say that the sounds that a pig makes when they're begging you to stop hurting them can sometimes be almost identical to the sounds a man makes when begging for the same...That fact stuck with me so much that when I finally decided to get sober, I simultaneously made the decision to go Vegan.

Was there a specific artist, band, or other media that influenced your decision?
Earth Crisis (of course), Vegan Reich, and a lot of random Anarcho-Punk bands I had seen or listened to growing up always come to mind as prime examples of bands that first made me aware of Veganism and it's close ties to not only the subculture, but political spaces as well.

How did your friends, family, or community react when you made that shift?
Well at that time all of my close friends were still heavily drinking and doing drugs (just about all of those people still do, I believe). So I think what they mostly disliked was that I wasn't using with them anymore. And for most of these people, I was the only sober person they knew, and a lot of them had never even met a Vegan before. When I made it clear that I was no longer doing those things, but still liked them and still wanted to hang out, I sort of just slowly stopped getting invites to things. Stopped getting texts back from people. Stopped having my calls answered. And when I finally saw some of them in person and asked them what was up with that, I got what a lot of Vegan Edge people get from their drug-using/meat-eating friends..."Well you just think you're better than everyone else now, so we don't want to be around you..." Keep in mind I have never been "preachy" about sobriety OR Veganism. (I've found that if people want my opinion on those things, they'll ask me. And I am always more than happy to give them advice or guidance if they want it, but I'd much rather talk about something fun like music hahaha) So I never brought it up with people, but I think that a lot of people internalize status quo things like that so much that when they see someone doing things differently, they automatically feel slighted or put down simply by experiencing that. I think out of the large group of friends I had at the time, I only keep in contact with one of them. I basically had to get all new friends after claiming Edge and going Vegan. Which I honestly think is for the best!
For you, how connected are veganism, straight edge, and your art?
Well, being a tattooer, most of my art is commission work. Meaning I'm making the art that my client is asking me to make. And with the Vegan Straight Edge community still sadly not being the majority of the world, I very rarely get asked to do Straight Edge tattoos and have still not done a Vegan themed tattoo on anyone. (I would absolutely love to though, so hit me up for all of your XVX tattoo needs!)
Does your art reflect your vegan or straight edge values? If so, how?
Like I said, as far as tattoo subject matter is concerned, I'm tattooing what the client is asking me for. But, for instance, the lyrics I write for my band Ironbar are sometimes accidentally tinged with Vegan or Straight Edge themes. A lot of those songs are about personal traumas and things I dislike about the world and society at large. So it would be impossible for the art to not reflect that, even if the reflection is a little blurry. I also play in a Straight Edge band, so obviously the values take the forefront there. Feel free to listen to both Ironbar and Time X Heist. I feel like there are very different (but useful) things to be taken away from each project.

Do you see your art as an extension of your ethics, or are they separate forms of expression?
I feel that if your lifestyle (art or otherwise) doesn't reflect your ethics in some way, those are not your actual ethics. Everything that I do is a domino effect caused by my ethics and beliefs, and I cannot bring myself to operate or exist in any other way.
Do you think tattoo artists have a responsibility to consider the ethics behind the materials and products they use?
I obviously think that everyone does to some extent. But I also feel like large corporations (the cause and creators of most unethical products and practices) have a very bad habit of passing the buck to common people and gaslighting us into thinking that WE are all responsible for the destruction of our planet and its inhabitants instead of oil companies, meat and dairy companies, plastic companies, etcetera. Which is of course by design. But it's bonkers to think that some soccer mom not sorting their recycling correctly has more of an impact on the planet than a massive corporation's toxic waste or an oil company's fracking. Every individual should obviously try to reduce their impact as much as possible, but let's never forget who is actually killing our planet.

What role has tattoo culture played in shaping your beliefs or identity?
I think what tattooing has taught me the most is that you always get back what you put in, and we are all truly capable of creating our own worlds within the one we are forced to exist in. I always try to bring that same belief into subculture, art, music, and everything that I involve myself with.

Have your tattoos documented different stages of your personal growth or changes in your beliefs?
Not changes in my beliefs, but definitely my taste in artwork hahaha!

Do you feel tattoo culture today is more or less aligned with vegan and straight edge values than when you first got involved?
I definitely believe that there are a ton of Vegan and Straight Edge tattooers doing very sick work for the tattoo world. But I also don't believe that Tattooing cares who you are, just what you bring to the culture and the community. Which is one of the most beautiful things about tattooing, in my opinion.

What messages do you hope your art conveys about your identity and values?

Again, as far as tattooing goes, the art is not for me. It's something I'm helping someone achieve for themself. But as far as the music, I hope I can at the very least help people to realize that they are not the only ones feeling the way that they're feeling, hurting the way that they're hurting, and wanting the future that they want. I want people to understand that there are thousands of people just like them, some of them even in the same cities they live in. In other aspects, I hope to open people's eyes to other ways of thinking, even within outsider circles. I want to show people that there are other ways of doing things that are just as sustainable as the status quo, and far more genuine. But as far as my personal identity, I want to show people that I will always be doing things my own way, the way that I feel is right. Regardless of what is considered popular, acceptable, hyped, cool, or even smart hahaha.

Veganism and straight edge are often lifelong commitments. Do you think tattoos can represent that same kind of permanence?
Unfortunately, no hahaha. I think we currently live in a society where most people are very fickle and unsure of themselves, leading to a lot of "commitments" being pushed aside depending on what immediately benefits that person at the time. The same goes with tattoos. There's always the option to have something covered, changed, or even completely removed. Which sometimes is necessary for personal growth, but I think it also very much lowers the stakes for certain commitments.

Is there a difference between wearing a symbol and truly living by the values behind it?
I think society at large has proven time and time again that you can wear a symbol (even to the point of making it your entire personality) and not believe a single thing that symbol stands for. Whether it represents religion, political alignment, or even just basic moral beliefs. The world we live in, sadly, makes accountability very simple to get away from. And I think that makes it easy for people to "represent" something that they may not in any way believe. Whether it's to fit in, to stand out, or to fly under the radar...The reasons are vast. I think that makes finding someone that "walks the way they talk" a very special thing, and I cherish those people above all others.

Do you consider veganism inherently political? Why?
Not inherently, but I think there are a ton of direct lines that can be drawn between the two. I think that if you understand the oppressor/oppressed dynamic, it's hard to say that the way the world treats animals is any different. I think that Environmentalism should play a much larger part in most political discussions, given the Earth is where all these discussions take place. There's no resistance, revolution, or future without a planet.

What keeps you committed to veganism / straight edge when it becomes difficult or isolating?
Most of the time I just remind myself that I couldn't do any of the things that I do for myself or the people I care about without my commitment to The Vegan Straight Edge. It's truly what keeps me on track and working hard for the things that I want for my people.

What advice would you give to someone who’s considering veganism or straight edge but is still undecided?
Make sure you're doing it for the right reasons. Make sure you're ready for some asshole to press you about it. But most of all, make sure you're ready to experience your true and authentic self and every good (and bad) thing that has to offer you. But it's truly the best decision I have ever made in my life, and I hope it will be for all of you.

Final Thoughts:

First artist that made you think differently:

Makes me sound much older than I am, but Joe Strummer, Morrissey, and Zack de la Rocha. Probably in that order.
A tattoo that holds the deepest meaning to you:
My partner's name on my forearm.
One misconception about veganism / straight edge:
I, strangely, still see that age old false comparison to weakness and/or pacifism. Sometimes even in the subculture. I think that's just people's normie brains taking over and seeping in, but it's always dumb to hear hahaha.

What value will you never compromise, regardless of trends or outside pressure?
I can faithfully say that I will be Vegan Straight Edge until the day I die. And if for some reason I'm not, my death is coming soon after.

What do you hope your work leaves behind?
I just hope I leave behind something that people can look back on fondly, in any form. If I'm going to be thought of at all, I want people to think, "Damn, he really gave a fuck..." The world is a sad and terrible place, and if I can leave any sort of positive mark on it, I'll feel good about my time here.

One thing the scene / community needs to do better:
Listen to the kids. This whole thing is a youth movement. It should be something that encourages the youth to, not only participate, but take over and steer in the right direction. It's time to take off the rose colored glasses and put on the work gloves so we can keep building a scene worth being a part of, rather than just complaining about how you liked it better "back in your day". Old heads, it's time to step out of the way and let the kids have their say. We can always be there to help out, guide, protect, and give advice. But trying to keep a stranglehold on something that should be growing and progressing is only going to kill it faster. Be someone the youth are comfortable coming to for help. Be someone that makes people feel safe. Be someone that isn't constantly stifling their expression. Come from a place of care, rather than a place of ego. When they're doing something wrong, something corny, something stupid...Show them the right way instead. Most of these kids (a lot like we used to be) don't have anyone to look up to, or anyone with experience in the subculture. They're just fucking winging it. Yes, we know what they're supposed to be doing, but do they? Have we tried talking to them? Have we asked how they're doing? What they're into? That's the shit that matters, and the shit that will keep this going long after we're dead and gone. Pass the torch, or forever be the lame old guy bitching in the corner. I just wanna leave everything a little better than I found it. We all should.