The Untold Stories of Prison Life, Friendship, and Resilience ft. Matt Cammarano

In this emotional episode of "Chats and Tatts with Aaron Della Vedova," the host welcomes Matt  Camaranno who shares his experiences and memories from prison. Matt reflects on his friendship with a fellow inmate, Randy, who was a lifer. Despite their circumstances, the two formed a close bond, doing everything together and supporting each other. The guest recalls the difficulty of leaving Randy behind when he was released and expresses his genuine reluctance, and not knowing how to “go home”. This heartfelt conversation delves into the untold stories of prison life and the deep connections that can be formed in such challenging environments. Tune in to hear the guest's powerful story and the personal connections it evokes for the host.

 

Chat breakdown:

 

[00:00:00] Friendship in prison.

[00:04:23] Story of redemption and courage.

[00:08:27] Graffiti as a form of freedom.

[00:10:05] Joining a gang and regret.

[00:12:15] The downward spiral of addiction.

[00:17:02] Cluster headaches and psilocybin.

[00:18:19] Migraines and psychedelic experiences.

[00:21:40] Long-term relationship with methamphetamine.

[00:24:12] Life is unmanageable.

[00:27:06] Forgotten release date in prison.

[00:29:40] Going home from prison.

[00:31:06] Leaving prison and saying goodbye.

[00:34:09] Turning a home into a trap house.

[00:36:33] Hitting my dad in psychosis.

[00:40:58] A miraculous turning point.

[00:42:30] Sullen clothing and sobriety.

[00:45:32] Helping others in recovery.

[00:49:19] Forgiving and loving oneself.

[00:51:33] Viking and Cholo art.

[00:55:12] Tattoos and personal stories.

[00:57:05] Tattoos and memories.

 

Quotes:

 

"We're all born the same, man. We're all born pure light, full of nothing but love and without fear."

 

"Yeah, we have these old antiquated systems like oh bad guy throw him in a prison cell. That'll make him better Well, we've seen that doesn't really work that well"

 

"It took one hit. Instant, I remember the moment I closed my eyes, I heard my ears ring, my head popped."

 

"A lot of people listening might not pay much attention to it, but it's well documented what crack did to this country in those years, you know?"

 

"It's me. It's what I'm doing. It's not you. It's not my mom. It's not the drugs. It's Matt."

 

"There's not a lot of good things in prison, but you make some really good friendship with guys that you can't ever change and you can't ever redo."

 

"I got you. It's your time. I believe you and you're genuine. Let's get you back on your feet and by proxy now my feet get to help a bunch of other people."

 

"I'm still trying to get back to that little boy that used to just run through the field at cornfields of Iowa, flying a kite, picking up earthworms, happy, go lucky. Everything was beautiful."

 

Connect with Matt: 

IG: https://www.instagram.com/mohawkmatt_sfv 

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Website: http://www.chatsandtatts.com⁠

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Aaron IG:⁠ http://www.instagram.com/aarondellavedova⁠

Guru Tattoo: http://www.Gurutattoo.com