If there’s one thing that really makes my blood boil when it comes to tattoos, it’s people using the art form as a method to cash in and make big bucks.  Tattoo’s current status as a mainstream trend is a pretty ugly one.  I mean, the word trend has always grated on my nerves as it implies something impermanent, something that people pick up and toy with for a while simply because a lot of people agree that it’s cool.  The word trend implies that when the next bigger, better trend comes along, everyone moves on without much consideration for what they had previously felt was the coolest thing ever.

Tattoo is not a trend.  Tattoo is an art form and a craft that dates back thousands of years.  It is not impermanent and it should not be treated as such.  It deserves respect and all the crass, slimy, money grubbing motherfuckers out there who just see an opportunity to rake in easy cash need to disappear.  The sooner the better.

I know, I know, I’m really steamed up about all this.  What set me off today was this.  An Atlanta, Georgia based media advertising company called Tasq Media is paying people to have their pets tattooed with advertising logos of various companies.  In exchange for this, the pet owners agree that they will walk their pets at least three times a day in order to show off the tattooed advertising logo.  CEO Antonio Smith says that his company is growing fast…

‘His company offers a service similar to pay day cash loans that gives cash once you use your car as collateral, however this time your collateral is your pet. Marketing companies pay his company to advertise their logos on your pet. He explains that the procedure is harmless to the animal as they are put under anesthesia and then the fur is shaved, then a tattoo is stitched on the body. Once the animal wakes up it’s as if it never happened.

The pet owner is given a small loan usually $50-$200 to have their pet permanently tattooed. They are able to pay back the loan by having it drafted out of their checking account on their next payday. They are also required to walk the dog at least three times a day so that the advertisements are exposed as a moving billboard for marketing companies.’

Scum.  Not only do I object to this on the level of tattoo being used as a cheap, gutless marketing ploy, but I object to this on the level of animals being used as billboards for some sleazy, tactless, greasy weasel like Antonio Smith. 

Where’s PETA when you actually need them?

I don’t know about you, but I’ve pretty much had my fill of any TV series that makes tattoo its focus.  I’ve checked out the most recent addition to the tattoo TV “reality” programming family – NY Ink – and found that while at the moment it’s slightly less annoying than LA Ink, the fact of the matter is that it just doesn’t deliver where a good series on tattooing should.  If I watch a TV series about tattooing, I want to know about tattooing and not the fight that one tattooists is having with his girlfriend or another artist in the shop where he/she works.  I want to see a focus on tattooists who are damn near legendary amongst the tatoo scene, artists who are never in the spotlight because all they care about is tattooing.  I don’t care that some guy is getting a tattoo of a horse because him and his now deceased grandfather used to ride horses together.  I only care about the artist, how they do their work and their thoughts on tattoo.  No more, no less.  Shit, I don’t even like TV.

Fortunately, there’s something new on the horizon.  Over the years I’ve been an on again, off again reader of Vice Magazine.  It’s always made me laugh, even though it often has a penchant for simply being contrary just for the sake of being contrary.  In the last few years however, Vice has spread its wings and gone beyond the publishing world into the realm of web TV, creating VBS TV, which often has crazy good short documentaries and web series.  There’s genuinely unbiased reporting going on here and they’ve covered everything from Iraqi punk bands living in a war zone to freaked out sex hotels in Tokyo.  Now it seems that VBS has added a new series to its slate called Tattoo Age.

Tattoo Age follows some of the truly great tattooists in the game and talks to them about the craft that they’ve honed and continue to hone.  The first episode stars heavyweights like Mike Rubendall, Dan Santoro, Freddy Corbin and one of my personal favourites, Grime.

‘”Tattoo Age” follows the likes of Freddy Corbin, Troy Denning, Dan Santoro, and Grime, and accompanies them in their creative process as well as their family lives.

The trailer, which was released on YouTube, gives explanations as to why the featured artists became as iconic as they are today. Corbin, for instance, who has been tattooing for almost 30 years, says: “It’ll be five years until you’ll be doing even halfway-good tattoos.”‘

I’m pumped for this.  I believe that Vice will deliver the goods at a time when no one else seems to be able to do the tattoo industry justice in the video medium.  Hell, even if it sucks it can’t be any worse than any of the other tattoo reality shows clogging up the TV airwaves.

Whenever I’m searching for an artist to profile, I never decide in advance what sort of tattooist that I’m looking for.  I never think about what style of tattoo that I really want to look for.  The only criteria that I have when I’m searching for a Tattoo Blog tattoo artist profile is that they are good and that their art hooks my attention from the first glance.

Some days though, a particular style of tattoo will just keep popping up everywhere I look.  After a while, you kind of start to think that maybe this style is worth paying attention to.  In the case of today’s artist profile, traditional style tattoo kept popping up everywhere I looked.  I love the traditional/classic American style, but nothing was jumping out at me.  And then I came across the work of Jeff Zuck.  Wow.  Gorgeous stuff and a strong ability to put down traditional tattoo.  One thing that I’ve learned is that if you’re going to do traditional tattoo, it’s got to be bursting with even colour and nice fat lines.  It’s got to “pop” as the kids say.  Not only is Jeff Zuck’s work doing just that, but after checking out his traditional stuff, I discovered that he also does Japanese stuff and bang! I was floored for a second time!  Jeff Zuck is killing it.

Zuck has been tattooing since 1993 and tattoos at Name Brand Tattoo in Ann Arbor, Michigan.  I have to plead ignorance on knowing much about the state of tattoo in Ann Arbor, but I can tell you that it’s worth a visit for Jeff Zuck alone.  Keep up the great work, Jeff!

I’ve never made any secret about the fact that I fully, 100% support the regulation of the tattoo industry.  I can’t really see any reason not to.  A few weeks back, I blogged about Toronto, Canada and how they are now making the switch to regulating their tattooists and tattoo studios.  Well, today I came across a post on DCist, about how the tattoo industry in DC is not regulated at all, making it one of the few spots in the USA that doesn’t regulate tattoo.

Not only does DC not regulate its artists and studios, but there also seems to be a bit of resistance to the idea.  Why?  Well, some artists feel that it’s a money grab for the government.  Hey, don’t get me wrong – I’m probably far more sceptical of any motivation that the government ever has to do anything than the average joe, but in this case, I’ve got to say that tattoo regulation isn’t about helping out the government, it’s about helping out the tattoo industry and its clients.

‘That’s not good news for Matt Knopp, who has owned and operated Tattoo Paradise in Adams Morgan since 2003. Knopp, who says he follows strict industry standards like not reusing needles or ink, worries that licensing and regulations wouldn’t add much more than a financial burden on parlors throughout the city.

“It’s another way for the government to make money off of people. It’s a way to put their hands in another till,” he told DCist. Given the city’s ongoing financial troubles, there’s probably some truth to that concern.

Additionally, Knopp said that having tattoo parlors regulated by a board responsible for barber shops and beauty salons doesn’t make sense for his business. “What do they know about tattoos? Barber shops and tattoo shops — there’s a night and day difference.”‘

Oh come on Matt, if you’re up to standard and running a completely legit business, what do you have to worry about?  In the end, the small amount of cash that you’ll have to pay out to be regulated will most likely end up making you more money, simply because people will want to come an get tattooed from someone they know is regulated and approved by local health authorities.  Not only that, but it shouldn’t have to be up to the customer to ask about health practices in a studio before they get tattooed.  I’ve had to ask tattooists about their health practices when I’ve been tattooed in other countries and it makes me feel like a right dick.  But what’s the alternative if there’s no certification or regulation?

Look at it this way: you go into a restaurant to eat.  Before ordering, you find out that the kitchen hasn’t been inspected by the health board and that the restaurant has no license to be serving food.  Are you eager to eat at a place that has no health regulations or certification in place?  I know that I’m not.  So you decide to leave, but wait!  The chef comes running out of the kitchen and tells you that he follows all the safety standards anyway and keeps his kitchen up to code with the latest health board requirements even though he has no legal right to be making food.  Make you feel any better?  Me either.

Regardless of all this talk about whether or not DC tattooists should or shouldn’t be regulated, the fact of the matter is that quite sooner rather than later they will be:

‘In a statement, the D.C. Department of Health said that “draft legislation for regulating tattoo and piercing establishments is under review. [W]e are working vigilantly to replace outdated code provisions and draft regulations that will comply with new industry standards as quickly as possible.”‘

Great news, if you ask me.

Back in May I blogged about Stetson Johnson, an Oklahoma City resident who was beaten, had his genitals tasered and was left with two forced homemade tattoos, when a group of teens he was hanging around with turned on him.  Johnson was actually beaten unconscious with a baseball bat and was lucky to have survived the ordeal.  The two tattoos which were forcibly inked on to him were on his forehead and chest.  On his forehead, the tattoo read “RAPEST” and on his chest “I Like Little Boys”.

Well, the offending parties were caught and had their day in court and the verdicts have now been handed down.  Guess what?  All four of the accused are heading to jail for their parts in the attack.

‘Three of the four also pleaded guilty to assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, while the fourth pleaded no contest.

As part of a plea agreement, Dellert, 25, and Provence, 21, were sentenced to 10 years in prison followed by 10 years of probation.

Vergara, 24, and Hodges, 33, were sentenced to five years in prison followed by five years of probation.’

No doubt about it, this was a sick as hell attack, made even more disgusting by the fact that they brought a tattoo machine into the mix.  Johnson has since had the tattoo on his forehead covered up with a barcode, but the cover up job wasn’t the best and the writing could still be seen beneath it.  Since the verdict was handed down on the attackers, Johnson’s mother has come out and said that her son will now have the forced tattoos lasered off.

Hopefully Stetson can now do his best to put this ugly incident far behind him.

When it comes to breaking world records or at least attemtpting to break world records, for some reason, a lot of tattooists are often behind various attempts.  From my point of view, I can’t really understand the lure that these artists feel.  I guess it is an accomplishment to have set the world record for amount of tattoos done in a 24 hour period, or something along those lines.  But having done a lot of tattoos in a certain amount of time doesn’t exactly mean that you’re a good tattooist.  It means that you’re a fast tattooist which is an entirely different thing.

Whatever the motivations of the most recent world record attempting tattooist Jamie Holliday are, one thing is for certain: he’s doing it all for a good cause.  On Saturday, August 27th at 11am, Holliday will begin tattooing the acorn emblem of the Acorns Children’s Hospice at Gods of Ink tattoo studio in Upper Thything, Worcester, UK.  He will finish on Sunday, August 28th at 11am and hopes to have broken the current record of 802 people tattooed in 24 hours.  The tattoos will cost a minimum of £5 each, with all proceeds going to the Acorns Children’s Hospice.

‘Organiser Lisa Richmond, who runs the tattoo studio, is hoping the event will raise lots of money for the charity, which supported her son Ayden.

The two-year-old, who died in 2005, had a rare genetic disorder which meant his body could not break down fats and was one of the first children cared for by Acorns in Bath Road, Worcester.

Mrs Richmond, aged 33, said she had received a lot of support for the event already.

“We’ve never held the record in the UK so we want to try and bring it here,” she said.  “We hope to do at least 810. We know it’s a very hard record to beat.’

Well, best of luck to Jamie Holliday on his world record attempt and here’s to hoping that many people show up to donate to this very worthwhile cause.

I don’t like the Olympics.  Summer, winter, whatever, to me it’s one big corporate party that leaves tax payers footing the bill long after the party ends.  Needless to say, I’m not very popular with a lot of people as a result of this opinion.  I get a lot of – What about the atheletes?  They train all their lives for this – comments from people.  And yes, the atheletes do train all their lives for this, but it’s unfortunate that what this has become is a shameless cash grab for the Olympic Committees and their corporate buddies.  If the Olympics and getting to the Olympics was truly about the spirit of sport and the atheletes themselves, then people like Claire Kelly wouldn’t have to do what she’s about to do.

Kelly, a pro beach volleyball player from Australia, has recently announced that she will be auctioning off space on her body for corporate tattoos.  I’m not talking about temporary tattoos either – I’m talking about real, permanent ink.  I find this ridiculous on two levels: one that she’s making a mockery of tattoo and two, that she’s making a mockery of sport by selling herself to the very corporations who make a killing off events like the Olympics.

‘For $10,000 you can have a 2cm x 2cm piece of Kelly’s toned and tanned left limb, while $50,000 buys 5cm x 5cm on her right arm or shoulder. There are other … um, packages, for between $10,000 and $50,000 and an eBay auction.

The money will pay for the Gold Coast athlete and Melbourne-based Kleverlaan to join the internationally televised world pro tour, on which the pair must play at least 12 events to qualify for London.’

Totally ridiculous.  It’s sad that an athelete has to reduce herself to this in order to get ahead and that talent alone isn’t enough.  That in itself should be enough to prove to anyone who’s paying attention what Olympic level competition is really all about: money.  I hate seeing this and I hate seeing tattoo reduced to a mere method to create commodity.  A cheap and sleazy advertising ploy.  Shame on everyone involved on this.  You all suck.

Wherever you find a great tattooist, you can bet that he or she spent a decent amount of time in a great shop, learning the ropes and refining their skills.  Such is the case with tattooist Jeff Mansolf.  Take a look at Jeff’s impressive online portfolio and you’ll know that you’re dealing with a world class tattooist.

Until recently, Mansolf tattooed at Branford, Connecticut’s Transcend Tattoo and Art Gallery, where he certainly spent some serious time pleasing a whole lot of clients.  As of May 2011 however, Mansolf was set to open a new studio run by himself and fellow Transcend tattooist Lou Jacque.  The shop, called Clockwork Tattoo and Art Gallery, was due to open in June of 2011 in Southbridge, Massachusettes.  At present time I can’t find much (read: zero) information on the status of that venture.

At any rate, whenever Mansolf’s new studio does open, there’s little doubt in my mind that it will be a fine place to be tattooed.  Aside from partnering up with another damn fine tattooist, Lou Jacque, Transcend’s alumni also consists of tattooist extraodinaire, Nick Baxter, who spent four years of his career there getting the job done.

Coming from such a great history of fanatastic tattooists, there’s no doubt that Mansolf’s debut in his own studio will be something to keep an eye on.  Mansolf keeps a pretty low profile on the internet, but fortunately, there’s always plenty of places online to check out if you’re in search of some high calibre tattoos.  What else can I say?  Jeff Mansolf delivers.  Best of luck with the new studio, Jeff!

For anyone out there who was a fan or at the very least familiar with the Jackass crew and their films, this week was a sad one.  34-year-old Ryan Dunn (one of my personal favourites of the Jackass dudes), died in a car crash after he apparently lost control of his Porsche 911 GT3.  Dunn was intoxicated at the time and police estimate that prior to the crash, he had been driving his car at speeds upwards of 130mph.

Dunn leaves behind a close knit group of family and friends, so it really comes as no surprise that one of the Jackass crew has already been tattooed with a memorial tattoo for Ryan.  Jason “Wee-Man” Acuna linked this video on his twitter account yesterday of him being tattooed on his leg with a portrait of Dunn.  The art work came out pretty sweet, if I do say so myself and it’s a touching way to memoralise Acuna’s late friend.

Given the degree to which many of the Jackass guys are tattooed, I think we can all rest assured that Acuna won’t be the last one to get a Ryan Dunn memorial tattoo.  In the meantime, my thoughts are with the Dunn family and Ryan’s friends.  R.I.P. Ryan.

Is it possible for a specific tattoo to be cursed?  I mean, can getting a specific tattoo actually have a negative/”spooky” effect on its wearer?  If I had my say in the matter (and I will), then I would say no.  That’s not possible at all.  But a recent study by Professor Roger Byard at Australia’s Adelaide University has revealed that people with tattoos of Irish-Australian outlaw Ned Kelly are more likely to die unnatural deaths by murder or suicide.

Ned Kelly was born in Australia sometime between June 1854 and June 1855 and lead a life of crime, killing three policemen and robbing two banks before being apprehended and hung on November 11th, 1880.  His famous last words on the gallows were “Such is life.”  Kelly’s image has often been a popular one for some Australians and Professor Byard’s study was inspired by the number of bodies in the Adelaide mortuary that he’d seen tattooed with Kelly’s image.

‘Of the 20 men with Ned Kelly tattoos that the professor studied, only three  had died from natural causes – the rest were murdered or killed themselves.

He also found that 11 of the 20 Kelly enthusiasts also had signs of drug and alcohol abuse.

Professor Byard wrote in a paper for the Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine: ‘Although the population studied is highly selected, individuals with these tattoos had an above average incidence of traumatic deaths.’

Interesting, I guess, but it seems to me that the people who are going to get a tattoo of a cop killing bankrobber might not always lead the safest, happiest lives.  Okay, I know, that’s a huge generalisation, but doesn’t it make sense that getting an outlaw tattoo is a pretty badass thing to do?  And if getting an outlaw tattoo is a pretty badass thing to do, then doesn’t it also make sense that people who want to do badass things also probably lead badass lives?  I don’t know, just a hunch.

Then again, maybe it is just one big curse.  Ned Kelly coming back from the grave to reek misery and havoc on the lives of anyone foolish enough to have his image tattooed on their bodies.  Mwahahahahahaha.  Uh..Spooky?