Following the Irish-American tradition, Android was forced into Catholic school. He hated it. Repressed by the strict conduct, he sought an escape via spray paint. It is then that his artistic rebellion was born. “I couldn’t say what I wanted to say. I wasn’t able to express myself… that is what kept me painting.”

While he does not begrudge his parents for putting him through catholic school, Android has sought to raise his own family differently. He is a single father who loves his son dearly, and wants to raise him with truth and openness. His son, now 9 and turning 10 in March, knows what his father does.

“I’m very honest with my son. I don’t hide anything from him. He knows about my tattoos, the art shows I go to. He is still too young to go to shows with me, but every night I come home to him, and tell him what I do.”

Android does not keep in touch with his son’s mother. He has sole custody, for which he had to go to court to fight for. She had a drug problem. Hard drugs. As she destroyed herself, Android wanted to shield his boy.

“I didn’t want him to see her demise.”

Having a child forced Android to grow up, and accept the responsibilities of being a parent. Before his 2015 re-emergence, Android “took a sabbatical from street art. I didn’t want to risk getting arrested and not being able to see my son.” He spent several years raising his boy, and has tried to find a balance between his identities as an artist and a father.

All artists must struggle with meeting the financial ends to survive, and Android has tried to be creative. He has worked on-and-off as a freelance tattoo artist, designing and inking fellow tat-rats. At first, Android was standoffish about tattoos. Now, 12 years later, he has 17 of them. Some were done by himself (his entire leg), and others have been done by friends. On his forearm, is a tattoo done by his mentor, the man who taught him the craft.

“Each tattoo I have is a memory. Each tattoo I gave, as an artist, is a memory.”

However, even the most successful freelancer faces difficulties. At 18, Android took on a job at a toy company in Westchester, which specializes in toys for children with disabilities and special needs. There, he has worn several hats - illustrator, marketer, salesman. The company has utilized his arts background for promotional materials. While it may not have been his dream job, it paid the bills, and Android enjoyed creating for families in need.

Versatility and Verse

While he does not consider his poetry secondary, Android’s art has primarily been his painting. As of late though, swayed by friends like My Life in Yellow, Android has been exploring his lyrical side. Alongside Yellow, I saw Android perform in the backroom of the Parkside Lounge for Inspired Word.

Android chuckled when I asked who his poetic influences were. “You’re gonna think this is funny.” True to his rock-n-roll heart, Android takes inspiration from Jim Morrison and Trent Reznor of The Doors and Nine Inch Nails, respectively.