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Sometimes it's nice to get tattooed when you're not wearing pants. The quality on this is TERRIBLE, but.... hell... thats the point of getting this stuff saved.

I think she looks great, she should be proud of herself for being strong enough to say no. As a side issue did she have that tattoo removed with an AK47? Whats with the scars? I think I should move to the USA, if thats an acceptable finished job I am going to do great.

The Frisco Skin one was a huge inspiration on me when I first started getting tattooed. A lot of the work I get is "weird" (especially by the standards that were in place in 1990) and I'd walk into shops, barely 18 and ask for really odd stuff. Most of them were polite to me, but.... they didn't get it. To have Higgs saying that it's ok to get things that people consider stupid and that it works anyway... it just opened my eyes to what I was missing. That there were people out there who were roughly my age who were into weird comics and art and all that shit AND who tattooed it. After that, I just had to be patient and find the right tattooer. Which is a good lesson when you're young and you just want to be tattooed. Patience is hard found sometimes.

Today is Cliff Raven day. Some (edited) footage from 1974 and a documentary called "Tattoo Take Two: A conversation with Cliff Raven"

One down. LOTS to go!

Holly Madison's awesome response to getting shit for gaining a few pounds... posing for bikini pics with no retouching... chub, cellulite, et all. I love her for this. How it's tattoo related.... the pic is a perfect shot of her post laser removal Playboy tattoo. Now it's just a bunny shaped scar on her lower back... Kinda symbolic if you ask me. Holly Madison Unretouched In A Bikini, Talking Weight Gain (PHOTO)

CaptCanada, i think you didn't get what i was saying, and basically we have said the same thing. as for me personally, i didn't have a long list of artists i was interested in, but i had a few who by the time i was 18, i knew i wanted to get work done by. that's because i went to the internet, started reading articles and books, and had attended my first convention by that age. i didn't actually get tattooed until i was 19, partially because of money, but also because i wanted to know for sure that if i was going to get a big piece, that it was going to turn out exactly how i wanted it. that's when i went to Chris Conn and got my chest done. and that's also what i am saying. most people, despite how easy it actually is to do, won't go through that process. it's easier to go down to your local university district and get a tattoo by whoever's working that day than it is to spend some time and have the patience to be serious about the art. i'm not trying to toot my own horn, but that's just the way it is for most people. and you're right, some people may be turned off by the quality of tattoos that they have, but others just won't care as it may have been a rather fleeting decision from the start. it's a comodity to most; i think the majority of people are simply ignorant to the idea that there is something better out there than just their neighborhood shop (even with the popularization of tattooing within mainstream media), and as the saying goes, ignorance is bliss. there will be some who will nerd out online, do some homework or meet some people, and their opinions will change. for most, i think, it just doesn't matter. and also, with the popularization of tattooing, comes the acceptance of those who are visibly tattooed. after having teachers in highschool with visible tattoos, professors in college, and now working a job where tattooing and body modification are being considered a credible subject to be examined concerning fine art and cultural history, i have to say that i disagree that your SOL if you have visible tattoos. sure, you may not become president of the US, but with my generation being one of the most heavily moded in the last 50 years, and with its cultural acceptance in society, companies and institutions are either going to have to hire those of who are tattooed, or they will have to cut their work force as tattooing doesn't appear to be getting any less popular (unfortunately). hell, my mom even wants a tattoo now. i figure i'll bring her over to Blackheart or Temple sometime in the next year.

We once had a guy in the shop who was of Japanese descent who picked out a number of Kanji . None of the symbols went together. They were chosen for their "look". I feel that symbols and images also function on innate feelings. Everything human is a continuation of activity. There is no start or finish in defining imagery. Certain groups, cultures, clubs, gangs, etc. claim images and restructure them from time to time. This usually takes place as a tool to maintain control over other humans. When a person chooses a tattoo, they have the right to allow that image to speak to themselves however they like. Meaning is personal and should remain so. Meaning is always evolving. However, If a person chooses to adorn themselves with tattoos that are earned within particular sub-cultures, it would be in their best interest to understand the implications of wearing said tattoo. Is this conversation about blackwork? oh yeah. that shit looks cool.

Spider Webb, NY 1974

Anything a person says about somebody with celebrity status, is often perceived as envy or jealousy. But unfortunately for the person who seeks fame---- like those discussed on a different thread( Jonathan Shaw, Gil, Roy Boy, Crazy Ace, Kat etc -- open discussion, judgement and criticism comes with the territory.

I generally despise celebrity gossip but good for her. I laugh that that's considered "chubby". She still looks better and more fit than the average American in my opinion.

i remember when i was 16 and visiting Brooklyn for a month, there was a spot in St. Marks place that you could order coffee from and had a tattoo shop... i never investigated into it further, but at the time, i thought it was kind of neat. now i think it's kind of horrible. also CaptCanada, i'm not sure that people are getting crappy tattoos just because it's trendy, or more because they just want instant gratification. it's a lot easier (and cheaper) to go to a mediocre shop that it's your town, pay $100, and an hour and a half later walk out with a half-assed tattoo than wait on a list for 3 months, travel to a different area, pay $150 -$300/hour, sit through a 4 hour session, but then walk away with a piece that is truly a work of art. we live in a society driven by mass consumption and mass comodification. one experience is good enough for most, and for many, it doesn't need to be the best.

everyone talks about how forward thinking Higgs was with tattooing..shit Cliff Raven was so forward thinking he was tattooing with no clothes on..maybe all the youngsters will start doing that now..

I think he got a dragon,or a koi fish..I just couldn't believe he actually wen't on a show and admitted that.His fiancee caught him looking at porn on the internet,and she said she wouldn't marry him unless he stopped.He said he called his priest up,and he gave him a number to a therapist that helped him stop. I like to see the tattoo he get's when she catches him watching porn again and divorces him.

They're not mine to charge for, Pete. I'm just glad they're getting seen. I've had people send me stuff in trade; drawings, books, etc- but I wouldn't feel comfortable making money from them. Speaking of- Cliff Raven. 1974. This video features Cliff tattooing in New York & Florida. And generally not wearing pants. There was no audio originally, so I decided to leave it silent for now. Enjoy-

Obviously the cool new things in 2011. Back to the discussion.. I really like the idea of making the tattoo alive yourself. Well said. But I wanted to come back to the idea that tattoos of an image having a "set visual meaning" -- because in the same way, so do, for example, polynesian designs. X, y and z could very easily and concretely mean "sea, turtle and warrior" to the culture in which it originated. It reminds me of what's happening with a lot of other symbols lately, of the esoteric variety. People slapping on numbers or planetary symbols or images associated with different sects or secret societies. Designs which are deeply routed in belief systems or schools of thought that are often very difficult to understand. So. More questions up for discussion. Do you think incorporating the use of tribal designs into new designs (or using straight traditional tribal designs) is a.) at all similar to that? And b.) as we create this new visual vocabulary, what do you think our responsibilities are, as far as both the tattooer and wearer are concerned?

don't goto gigs so much anymore but what i'll se soon: Jamiroquai Dropkick Murphy's,Madball,H2O and some Rancid's side project thinking of going also to: metallica,slayer,anthrax,megadeth

Fuck! I wrote a long ass reply then pushed the wrong button! Well. It depends on the person. I see us humans as primal beings, so I can associate any tattoo style to something "deeper". But it is the most prominent when we are dealing with blackwork. I think it maybe in someways makes us look more inward as you also pointed. Because the desings themself are in a way closer to us, as a philosophical thing where you can create the meaning based on your own self and also as a physical thing, where the image it self is about enhancing the bodys curviture. It uses the body maybe more than other styles where the image itself conveys something (ship, monkey, crack addict). They have a set visual meaning. Like words. Car, tattoo of a car. When blackwork can work -maybe even more than other styles- with the human figure and do just that with out having a set image. But of course blackwork/trbal tattoos HAVE meanings, but as I said, it can be easier to make the tattoo alive yourself than get a image that is alive allready. So, it depends. Relating to this. To me, even a bad tattoo is a good one if the person likes it. That is why I rarely take part in discussions about visualy or techinically bad tattoos. Because there is the person behind the tattoo. I try to look past the image and see the whole spectrum. Of course a bad tattoo is a bad tattoo. I just try not be snobish in a way. Tattooing is about more than just the images. Is about the people wearing them.

I have done this many many times, Between VH1, VH2, Fair Warning, 1984, Diver Down, and Women and Children First that's enough to fill a whole day with awesome. (Not to mention the WB demos if you want to get REALLY crazy) I can never get sick of VH ever. I could be at a fucking funeral and if "Unchained" came on I'd be like "Ok! Guess we're partying!" Greatest Rock and Roll band of all time. (and Yes I have a Van Halen tattoo)

we used to NEVER get requests for rib tattoos. 95% of the female customers, up until 3 or 4 years ago got lower back tattoos. it was awesome. they look good, it's a good area to work on and they are priced right. then fuckhead jocks started the "tramp stamp" bullshit and gave women a complex about the location. i really miss tattooing a lot of lower backs.

I knew this dude that had a T-shirt in the 80's that said "Yngwie Who?" on the front. "Yngwie Fuckin' Malmsteen That's Who!! on the Back. It was Hilarious.