How easily things can change.

Almost one year ago, I wrote a blog post about Thomas Lockhart, of Vancouver, British Columbia’s West Coast Tattoo.  Lockhart was loving the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.  With Vancouver being the host city for the games, Lockhart had begun the entrepreneurial undertaking of tattooing people/athletes with the 2010 Games logo, mascots and pretty much anything else that a tattoo seeking Olympic Games fan might be interested in.  As far as Lockhart was concerned, the games were a great boon to his business.

Fast forward to November 2009.  The 2010 Olympic Games have since consumed the Canadian city of Vancouver, derailing from a world class sporting event to a petty, restrictive and dare I say, quasi-fascist financial undertaking.  With Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper calling for the 2010 Games to be “the most secure games ever”, (because, you know, apparently the 2008 Summer games in communist China weren’t secure enough), insane practices and laws are taking place, laws which many Vancouver residents argue are running contrary to the Canadian Charter of Rights (for the American readers out there, that’s Canada’s version of the Constitution).  Intimidating visits to apartments of those who speak out against the games, by gangs of undercover police officers have occurred.  A new law put into place states that any signs put up within private residences which visibly state anything negative about the games can and will be removed by police within 24 hours.  All of it all seems to be about one big push to make these Canadian games pure and honorable.

So where do you think tattoos fit in, in all this?  Well, remember Thomas Lockhart?  Apparently the sign outside of Lockhart’s tattoo shop, which depicts a topless 1950’s style pinup model has been given the thumbs down by city inspectors.  The inspectors came to Lockhart’s shop and told him that he would have to remove the advertisement, which Lockhart says has been a fixture outside of his shop for 10-15 years now.

‘I’ve had the sign out for 10 or 15 years and nobody made a stink. To happen all of a sudden, it seems kind of coincidental. They told me there was a complaint,” he added.

‘These guys came in here and said I have to take my sign off the street and keep it on private property,” said Lockhart.  ‘We’re right on the main Olympic thoroughfare. I think it’s kind of ridiculous.’

He said he put the sign back on the sidewalk shortly after the inspectors, who said they were from the city’s “street administration branch”, left.”

Now, I don’t think that anyone can accuse Lockhart of not having any Olympic spirit.  He has steadfastly remained a supporter of the Olympics and the business boom that it is supposedly going to bring to the city of Vancouver.  Lockhart has even offered to give any Olympic medal winner a free tattoo, as long as they agree to pose for a photo with him.  If this isn’t the sort of spirit that Olympic organizers hope to sow in the community, then what exactly is?  It seems to me that this is something of a witch hunt, and whenever the morality police come out to play, it always seems convenient how quickly tattoo artists are singled out as impure or inappropriate.

At any rate, I wish Lockhart luck and support him.  I encourage him to keep his sign out.  Last year I was slightly cynical about his push to sell Olympic themed tattoos.  Well, this year I’ve changed my mind.  Thomas Lockhart is just as much a part of the business community of Vancouver, regardless of whether or not he happens to sell tattoos.  And if that’s inappropriate for the Olympics, perhaps the Olympics should just stick to what it’s supposed to be all about in the first place: sports, and let everyone else handle their own affairs.

According to Victor Policheri’s MySpace page, he can’t seem to stay in one place.  After spending some time trying to pin point Victor’s current exact location in the world, I’d have to say that the MySpace claim is for the most part, correct.  Victor Policheri really can’t seem to stay in one place.

I don’t think that any single person can say for certain where a tattoo artist gains the necessary motivations, inspirations and energy which ultimately come to earmark their work.  Yet I do feel that travel and the experience of different and new cultures has an extraordinary ability to alter not just a person’s artistic inclinations, but also their personal outlook, behaviour, taste and a whole heaping mass of other characteristics related to life.

Victor Policheri also seems to feel this way.  Growing up in the wintery chill of Minnesota, Policheri decided at the age of 19 that tattooing was something that he wanted to pursue.  He took out a college loan and instead of buying books, paying for tuitions and that sort of thing, he bought tattoo equipment.  Armed with this new equipment, Victor didn’t go the traditional tattoo route of an apprenticeship, instead he slowly taught himself, eventually setting out on his trusty motorcycle for greener pastures in 1996.  He travelled throughout America, briefly stopping in Olympia, Washington before moving on to Seattle.  Seattle seemed to be a good match for Policheri, and he worked as something of a freelance tattoo artist, doing construction and odd jobs to fully round out his income.  As time passed, Victor made close friends amongst Seattle’s tattoo community and begin to get full time work.

The work that Policheri had been doing as a freelance tattoo artist did have its own benefits, one of which was that Victor was forced to work without transfer machines, forcing him to draw all the work he did on to the flesh freehand.  To this day, Victor credits this process for his ability to render his art more naturally to the flesh.

In the last few years, Policheri has really taken off on a global scale.  He currently lives in Barcelona, Spain, but it seems to me that he could just about be anywhere.  His website shows photos and gives information about his travels, his time spent in gorgeous South East Asia, Berlin, Amsterdam, Sweden, Finland.  He travels and learns and tattoos, meets new people and manages to continuously create some very fine tattoo work.  Take the time to scroll through his gallery and I guarantee you’ll see more than a few pieces that really catch your eye.  His work carries both dark and bold characteristics and often manages to incorporate a Gothic sense of tone.  But to simply describe Policheri’s work in these terms is an injustice.  There is much going on in both his life and his work and for the time being, it seems that we’ll just have to wait until he resurfaces again from his latest adventure to spill some more ink on the big ol’ map of life.

Once upon a time, John Lennon of the Beatles told the media that the Beatles were more popular than Jesus Christ.  When the story eventually made its way into the American media, it exploded, instantly becoming a rallying cry to the forces of religious might against the wicked excess of pop culture.  It was perhaps one of the first moments in history where the battle between pop culture and religion really erupted, that is, the moment where a line was drawn in the sand.  One was either going to fight on the side of the pious or perish by the godforsaken grip of rock n’ roll, long hair and all things cool.

But hey, that was 1966 and back then, religion had some weight to throw around.  Today religion certainly does still carry a lot of heft, but it’s at least arguable to say that pop culture as well as the general population itself is far less afraid of stepping on the mighty toes of the righteous.  To be sure, this is a time where Christianity is striving to bring in as many followers as possible, in light of so many people simply losing interest in regularly attending a church.

Which brings me to the story of the Gold Creek Community Church in Mill Creek, Washington.  The reverend of this particular church has decided to incorporate something different, something new and dare I say something incredibly popular into his Sunday sermons.  You guessed it, rather than take the defensive against the abhorrent likes of pop-culture, Rev. Dan Kellogg is embracing it and trying to use it to win followers over to God.  His six week series is called “Permanent Ink” and involves Kellogg preaching on stage, while a tattoo artist tattoos church goers with permanent reminders of their faith.

“We actually believe that this represents something that we can apply, something popular in our culture, that we can apply some spiritual truth to,” says Kellogg.”

Far be it for me to knock anyone’s religious devotion or their intentions with the tattoos they place on their body, but while Kellogg asserts that he’s neither encouraging nor discouraging tattoos and that all of this is simply a powerful message and a unique way to get it across, I can’t help but smell a well groomed yet completely transparent publicity stunt.  The truth of the matter is that tattoos and religion have nothing to do with one another.  Yes, a tattoo can be spiritual and yes, religion can influence the decision to get a tattoo, but Rev. Kellogg’s “Permanent Ink” sessions are in my opinion, little more than a quick grab at the tattoo bandwagon, a way to use the current pop culture as a means to bring in a few people who might be misguided enough to believe that real, lasting spirituality can be achieved by simply inking a tattoo onto your flesh.

Back in the heyday of the golden age of piracy the smell of booty, (No, I’m not talking about your girlfriend’s butt!), would attract pirates like honey draws bees. With the exception of swingin’ a cutlass, or a boardin’ a fat merchant Galleon, little has changed it would seem. Become a rare success, start making beaucoup bucks, and the pirates will come out of the woodwork fast. Internet digital pirates that be, Matey.

Just as Ed Hardy, who’s licensing agreements have reached a phenomenal record of $700 million in merchandise this year alone, will be happy to tell you.

Now I’m not certain what Ed’s mentor, the irascible and innovative Sailor Jerry, would have to say about all this cash flow coming Ed’s way. Odds are he would be right proud, seeing as Ed was one of very few people Jerry shared any of his secrets with. (For those of you who didn’t know it was Sailor Jerry who invented the Magnum needle arrangement so common today, as well as a true purple for tattoos.) But, I can guess what he would say about the digital pirates plundering Ed’s business. “Blow their asses out of the water!”

Ever since French fashion designer Christian Audigier had the brainstorm to create an Ed Hardy line of clothing, licensing companies have been popping up like psylocybe mushrooms after a Florida rainstorm. All with one thing in mind. Get Ed’s fantastic artwork on a product, and make some serious bank. Unfortunately, thanks to his success, that’s just what the digital pirates think as well.

Bogus Ed Hardy merchandise sites, with equally bogus artwork have been showing up all over the Internet. Most of these thief sites seem situated in China, and the tactics they have been using to get top ranking in search engines are nothing short of fraud themselves. These range from making up a few thousand fake sites linking to their fraudulent ones, to setting up bogus blogs. All of which ups their fake sites in the search engines.

Like the real deal these fraudulent sites can offer every kind of merchandise you can think of. Ed Hardy golf carts go for a few thousand bucks each, and have become something of a status symbol. As well as air fresheners that go for $3.

To combat the piracy Ed Hardy’s licensing company, Hardy Way, has authorized police raids at factories in Israel, Mexico, Australia and in the United States where fake Ed Hardy merchandise was being produced. Recently a counterfeit Ed Hardy shop was discovered in the Mission district of San Francisco. However, the biggest threat to the brand comes from online raiders who copy the content from legitimate Ed Hardy Web sites word-for-word and picture-for-picture. A quick search will uncover a host of fake sites that offer the fake gear at huge discounts.

Dave Rosenberg, the managing director at Mr. Hardy’s licensing company must keep track of ads pointing to fake sites and submit removal requests to Google on a regular basis.
“Even if Google gets one, they just set up another site and ads in a matter of minutes. The counterfeiters are so much faster than Google.”

Look, Ed worked long and hard to get where he is today. He was tattooing when tattoos were not seen as being cool, and he would be lucky to get more than one customer every three days. He sweated blood for this art, and I think he deserves better than having a bunch of Internet vultures feeding off of his good fortune.

If you happen across a fake site, report them to Google, or any other search engine you use. They respond in days now and cutting off their access to the top ranks helps a lot. In other words, Mateys. Let’s give th’ lubbers a broadside, an’ send ‘em at Davy Jones’ locker! Arrrrrrr!!

Now, it is no secret that South Carolina has some of the strictest, and in many ways dumbest, tattoo regulations in the whole of the USA. Don’t get me wrong, I’m one of the first who will tell you that tattoo regulations are necessary, and I support any state that has them in place, but I do not support abusive, (stupid), regulations that are obviously set in place by a fanatical adherence to a particular religious belief system.

After all “they” wouldn’t like it if they were forced to abide by “laws” as interpreted by alternative religions, like Buddhism. In fact “they” would be the first to scream foul and discrimination from the very roof tops. Guess that old teaching about “Do unto others” doesn’t apply to them, just the rest of us.

The nice thing is every once in a while they slip, and let the real reason for their actions show, as in the case of the “Shity” of Aiken, SC.

The fifth of this month tattoo artists Crystal Shreve and Julian McClain asked for the zoning for the Thoroughbred Tattoo Parlor. The City of Aiken does not have an area zoned for tattoo parlors. On the eleventh of this month they got their answer: “Not yet.”

Why not just be honest and say, “Not Ever.”, anal retentive members of the Aiken City Council?

As a matter of record:

“According to City Attorney Gary Smith, when the law was first passed, municipalities were obligated to allow zoning for tattoo parlors; however, an amendment was later added that municipalities have interpreted to mean that zoning does not have to be provided. He said the interpretation has yet to be challenged by the state Supreme Court.”

“City Councilman Dick (Did his mama know how to name her kids, or what?) Smith said he didn’t see a reason to make changes to the zoning the City already has in place since it is working. Smith also said that he sees tattoo parlors as one of the things bringing about the “devilution” of our society.”

There it is. Tattoos are of the Devil, and that is the real reason for The Shity of Aiken taking such an illegal, and ignorant stand against them and the dens of iniquity that are Tattoo Studios. Hallelujah!! Amen, Brothers! Everyone has to obey our God!! Next stop that vile institution of Satan known as the Constitution of the United States!! Praise the Lord! We don’t have to obey any laws about the separation of church and state!!

Or any natural laws of intelligence either, for that matter.

Considering the state of the economy, why should they allow anyone to set up a legitimate, and legal, business in their city? Joblessness is only at an all time high. Let those suckers sell crack on the street to survive like everyone else. At least they won’t be tempting our youth with the symbols of Satan known as, (shudder), TATTOOS.

Is it just me, or does anyone else see the flaw in that logic?

Thank you, Aiken, for once again proving that South Carolina has more people with their heads firmly planted in last nights dinner than most, and that legal businesses don’t have a right to exist alongside the religious morals that only one religion gets to dictate for everybody else.

Not long ago both myself, and Mike, warned everyone who follows Tattoo Blog about the dangers of getting a temporary tattoo using Black Henna. The reason why is natural henna is not black, and this stuff is made that way by using a toxic chemical called PPD, a very toxic chemical known to cause allergic reactions.

Now you didn’t think the ‘Ol Doc would leave you all hangin’ without offering a safe alternative, if there was one, did you?

Well I’m happy to say that there is a safe way to get a true black temp tattoo that does not contain PPD, or henna. Best news of all, (especially for the kiddies), is that the tattoo will not damage your skin, and will last for 10-15 days. That’s pretty much as long as a natural brown henna tattoo will last.

The newest product for true black tempttoos is a gel called Jagua.

Jagua is the common name for Genipa Americana. It is an edible, orange-size, tropical fruit with a thick rind found in the Amazon. The natural dye is extracted from the unripe fruit and used for many purposes by indigenous people throughout Central and South America, especially for body adornment. Its medicinal properties are well documented, chief among them the ability to repel insects and, when taken internally, to treat bronchitis.

Distributed by Earth Jagua this product is100% safe for everyone, does not contain PPD or any other toxic chemicals, is not henna, nor does it contain henna, dyes the skin blue-black in about 12-24 hours, (You wipe it off in about one hours and it continues to develop afterwards.), and lasts 10-15 days on the skin, then disappears completely.

All ingredients in Jagua are natural and are listed on the website, along with all safety precautions. Lets face it, some people are allergic to natural things, like peanuts, or strawberries. So it does pay to look over their Health and Safety guidelines. Odds are you are no more allergic to this product than you are to any other natural one, but they will lay it all on the table for you to check out.

As they say on their site:

Jagua Body Ink is safe and natural. However, allergic reactions to natural products are not uncommon.

The product should be used according to directions. If you are taking medications, or have known allergies, please consult your doctor before using Earth Jagua Body Ink.

Before using Earth Jagua Body Ink, test product on small area first. Place a small amount of product on the skin; leave on for 2-3 hours and rinse off with water. Wait 4-5 hours before proceeding.

The Black Henna guys never laid it out on the line for you like that. Hell, they never even bothered to tell you that the PPD was toxic.

Do remember, though, that it takes a little time for the temp to fully develop. Jagua body ink will dry in 15 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the design. Be careful not to smear it while it is wet, as it will dye any skin it is allowed to dry on. Wait two hours before scraping off the Jagua body ink. You will see absolutely nothing, or a very light gray outline when you first remove the dried ink. This is normal, but it will slowly grow darker as time passes, until it becomes full on black. Normally 12-24 hours, and it is kind of fun to watch it develop. Like watching a slow Polaroid.  Wash off any residue with cool water.

This stuff dyes the skin so black it’s flat out amazing, and well worth the wait.

So, there you have it, Gang. A safe way to get a temporary black tattoo that is every bit as dark as a Black Henna, without having to have your hide burned all to Hell. Now there is no excuse for any of these tempttoo vendors to be tearing up anymore youngsters with toxic crap.

If they do: Sue the bastard, then whup his ass. Better yet, hold him down and use his product on him! See how he likes it.

Oliver Peck is the sort of guy who seems to be everywhere at once.  Just try keeping up with him by googling his name.  It’s not all that easy.  He always seems to be mentioned in some capacity or another, from having a mustache that is seemingly inspired by the little man on the Pringles potato chip canister, to being the ex-husband of Kat Von D, to (briefly) holding the world record for the number of tattoos done in a 24 hour period.  He has some sort of footwear deal with Vans skateboard shoe company, he’s repeatedly tattooed on the Van’s Warped Tour and his personal website hasn’t been updated since 2007.

Yet aside from all that, Peck, also lovingly known as “Ducky” and “Fuck Face” (according to the Elm Street Tattoo site) as well as my personal favourite: “Oliver Pecker”, has built a strong reputation for doing what he does best, which is of course, tattoo.  By his own estimate, Peck has been tattooing for 18 years and counting.  He’s permanently set up at Dallas Texas’ Elm Street Tattoo, where every Friday the 13th, he does nothing but 13 tattoos.

All in all, Oliver strikes people as a very relaxed, funny loving guy.  I think it’s because he’s so skilled and his tattoo work does such an excellent job of precise old school style, that he can have fun with people and with life in general.  In my opinion, the best art comes from being comfortable with yourself and your abilities.  Judging by the busy and frantic life of Oliver Peck, he has problem with any of that.

Now that I know that Oliver shares three of my own greatest passions: Slurpees, The Big Lebowski and tattooing, I’ll be sure to bring him a cola Slurpee and chat about the adventures of The Dude, should I ever be lucky enough to get some tattoo time with him.

I don’t like drug related tattoos.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not passing any judgement on people who use drugs, it’s just that drug related tattoos – even the clever ones, like a dolphin smoking from a bong – just seem to shout: Look at me!  I take drugs!  Let’s have a party!  Not to mention that the less time spent in dark interrogation cells in the bowels of international airports because you have a tattoo on your neck of a champagne glass full of marijuana buds, the better.  Without a doubt, the better.

Oh I know what you’re saying: Come on Mr Buzz kill, don’t be such a wet blanket!  We love drugs!

Well fine, then.  You people will be happy to know that I recently realized that one of the biggest international events of November, The Cannabis Cup 2009, is about to take place from November 22-26th, in Amsterdam, Netherlands. For the uninitiated, The Cannabis Cup is the preeminent competition for marijuana connoisseurs from around the globe.

The Cannabis Cup has absolutely nothing to do with tattoos.  But it did get me thinking about marijuana tattoos.  Don’t think for a second that there aren’t a million and one people out there who continuously get marijuana related tattoos.  There are.  I mean, some people take their marijuana tattoos seriously.  As a matter of fact, stoner magazine extraordinaire, High Times, is no stranger to marijuana tattoo related contests where prizes such as DVD’s and even a trip to The Cannabis Cup go to those lucky few with the weed tattoo.

Check out some of these homages to the evil weed.  Although it is arguable that the lot of them are nothing more than homages to bad taste, I always find it interesting to see photos of tattoos that most people wouldn’t ever consider getting.  There’s something so determined and yet so odd about the entire thing, that I can’t help but be intrigued.

A couple of years back, I was talking to a guy who happened to have quite a few tattoos.  We got to talking about tattoos and he began to show his artwork to me.  He pointed to a particularly large tattoo on his arm of a Native American on a horse and told me that he liked Native American tattoos because they never went out of style and always looked cool.

True, his interest in this culture wasn’t anything more than a superficial one, but I think that such attitudes are often common when it comes to tattoos.  Which is a shame really, because the tradition of tattoo does go back deep into the Native American culture.  Unfortunately, through a disastrous course of events over the centuries involving colonialism, assimilation and outright murder, the practice of traditional tattoo is yet another loss sustained to the Native American way of life.  Say the words Native American tattoo to someone, and it’s far more likely that the imagery such words conjure are the sort that were found on my friend’s arm: images of Native Americans that are more Hollywood than actual Native American tattoo art.

It is known that numerous tribes utilized tattoo work to mark their clan or family lineage.  The Iroquois Nation, which consisted of numerous smaller groups such as the Mohawk and Cayuga peoples, are one such tribe.  The Mohawk tribe for example, was represented by the Turtle, the Wolf and the Bear.

Some tribes tattooed women as well as men, but some, like the Sioux, tattooed the women and not the men.  But of course, mentioning these three tribes is not even scratching the surface of Native American history, culture and practices.

People are of course, free to be tattooed with whatever they feel like being tattooed with, but when it comes to Native American artwork, understanding what it is that you’re going to be getting tattooed on your body is extremely important.  A little reading up on the various tribes is always the best place to start.  If you’re interested in getting a Native American tattoo, this is worth reading first.  Also, if you’re looking to get a script tattoo in a Native American language, this is an excellent resource.  For a $10 fee (which goes to a nonprofit organization), you can have your script translated into a Native American language of your choice (the service offers plenty to choose from).

In its true form, Native American tattoo work is vastly underrepresented.  Hopefully one day we’ll see more of a resurgence and general understanding of these long lost culturally and artistically significant practices.

Ok, maybe I’m showing my age, maybe my tolerance for bullshit has just gotten to a point where I’m not that willing to put up with ignorant, head up my ass crap anymore, or maybe I just have a rant going that isn’t gonna quit. What ever the reason, it seems like November has the turkeys coming out of the friggin’ woodwork this month, instead of staying in the oven where they belong. (For our younger readers “turkey” was 70’s slang for an ignorant moron. IE: “You jive turkey.”)

It seems like I’ve had quite a few stories like the following one flash before my bloodshot eyes over the last few weeks. Some of it could possibly be put down to the kind of trouble that any business has in starting up, but damn if this sort of crap is applied to video stores, music shops, or any number of other enterprises that can, and often do contain questionable material. (Think XXX section, and Explicit Lyrics warnings to get my meaning on that one.)

So, what business has the most trouble setting up shop? A tattoo studio, naturally. As is shown by the recent anal retentive BS going down in Pembroke, Massachusetts.

Adam and Colette Worrall, who have lived in the town and helped their parents with a convenience store named “Lindy’s General Store” for the past 25 years have run afoul of the town’s uptight, (wouldn’t you love to see the skeletons in their closet), Leave it to Beaver, populace by daring to suggest opening a tattoo studio next to the store. In a building that has been empty and costing the taxpayers money since the 1980s, no less!

Oh-My-God!! Somebody get the torches so we can run these evil monsters out of town!

According to one of the opposing voices of (un)reason; “I just don’t want it near my child. Other businesses would be so much nicer for the community.”

Hey, Genius! The place has been unused for damn near twenty years! What? You think the business fairy is going to swoop down in this economy and magically fill the spot with a thriving candy shop? By the way, that smell you keep complaining about is what you had for dinner last night.

Responding to claims that the shop would draw a crowd that could be a danger to children, (Now we’re a bunch of pedophiles for Christ’s sake!), Robert Galvin, Worrall’s attorney, said, “Tattoos don’t have the same stigma they used to have and don’t attract the same people. Its not the place the bikers hang out anymore.”

I’ll add to that by saying, as a person who has had more than a passing acquaintance with many bikers, and clubs; every biker I have ever known would happily rip a child molester, or anyone else who harms a child, a new one so big they could pass an elephant without having to grunt. So, what the Hell does that have to do with it?

A last minute item on the special town meeting warrant earlier this month sought to limit the placement of tattoo parlors to adult zones, but was withdrawn by the zoning board.

Bet they didn’t worry about that with the video store that occupied the space before in the 80s. Those same righteous folk were too busy checking out the large adult section in the back. Need I mention the number of times a child has accidentally wandered into one of those sections by mistake? Probably caught the local pastor with a copy of “Anal Sluts part 6” in his grubby hand as well.

Got news for you hypocrites there in Pembroke. It’s easier for that to happen than for a toddler to wander off into a tattoo studio and come out with a back piece. Think not? Better remember the Jimmy Swaggart fiasco first. “I’ve sinned! Boo Hoo Hoo!” Unless my memory fails me that was adult related also. Wanting to ban any churches from the area while your at it?

Anyway, the board will decide the fate of Adam and Colette’s dream on Nov. 24., around 7 p.m. We’ll try and stay on top of this one and let you know just how many turkeys there actually are in Pembroke this year. Maybe they’ll surprise us and pull their heads out of their collective anuses long enough to realize that tattoos, and tattoo studios are not the bastions of evil they seem to think they are.

The best of luck to Adam and Colette Worrall. If you do get a chance, let the ‘ol Doc know. I’ll be pullin’ for ya.