Rick Ness used to be a bass player in a band called the .357 String Band. The band was formed in 2004 in Rick’s hometown of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and eventually disbanded in 2011. Their music could be described as “bluegrass on steroids.” According to Rick himself, the band was in need of a competent bass player, so after a show, he volunteered his services. This happened around 2003 when Rick was around 22 or 23 years old. However, Rick eventually left the group when he decided to focus on his mining endeavors. He felt the need to be home more often, but ironically, he ended up starting gold mining which meant he wouldn’t be home as much after all. On another note, Rick is a big fan of desert racing.
Rick Ness developed a strong passion for desert racing, an off-road sport that he began participating in 2021. To commemorate his first race, he took to Facebook to express his gratitude and excitement. He described the experience as both incredible and humbling, stating, “After taking a much-needed break from social media, this past weekend served as a great reason to jump back in. With the help of so many great people, I was able to test my skills in my very first desert race, the Best in the Desert Parker 250. I had the incredible and humbling opportunity to race alongside some of the best teams in the world.”
Ness made sure to express his gratitude towards Evolution Powersports, the company that built the vehicle he used in the race. He acknowledged their crucial role by saying, “None of this would have been possible without my friends at Evolution Powersports. I can’t thank them enough, and I can’t speak highly enough about the quality and performance of not only every part they develop and manufacture but especially the car they built for me to race.”
It is worth mentioning that Ness initially developed a taste for off-roading when Evolution Powersports allowed him to do a test run in 2020, as he shared in another Facebook status update.
Furthermore, it is important to note that Rick Ness left Gold Rush Season 13 due to mental health issues.
In 2022, Ness made the decision to prioritize his mental health and step away from his role on Gold Rush. He opened up about his struggles in an interview with People Magazine, acknowledging that he had “a lot of things going on” regarding his mental well-being. As a gold miner, he felt a stigma surrounding asking for help and tried to handle it on his own. However, he soon realized that he didn’t know much about depression or similar conditions, making it difficult to navigate. Despite the uncertainty of the mining business, Ness believed that taking a break from the show was necessary. He recognized that the direction he was heading in was not a positive one, and he needed to take a step back. Although it may not have been good for business, it was crucial for his own personal well-being. Ness expressed gratitude for having another chance at his career. He personally attributed his symptoms to Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a condition in which mood and depressive states are heavily influenced by seasonal changes. Alongside his journey, Rick’s tattoos serve as a visual representation of his story.
Ness, as evident from his appearance, has a fondness for tattoos and is not unfamiliar with getting them. The majority of his ink holds deep emotional and sentimental significance. For instance, he has an anchor tattoo to honor his grandfather’s memory (via Monsters and Critics).
“They mostly represent stories of my reckless youth. Honestly, I didn’t put much thought into many of them. But there are a few that hold great importance. I have something from my grandfather on my hand. It’s an anchor with a rope that transforms into a banner that says ‘perseverance.’ That was the name of my grandfather’s boat.”
He also explained the unique twist on his Virgin Mary tattoo:
“I have ‘get busy living or get busy dying’ tattooed across my chest because I’ve always believed in that philosophy. The one on my neck is the one people always ask about, but nobody knows what it actually is. It’s actually the Virgin Mary, but with a piston for a head, and I call it the holy mother of horsepower.”
