mario desa

great posts, shane.

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

true, except that this how we EARN A LIVING. sometimes imitation takes money out of our pockets. why go see Mike Wilson (to pick a random awesome tattooer), when you can have the imitation Mike Wilson in your town copy it? that's where it gets so personal. because when it comes down to it, this is our PROFESSION. this is a craft and BUSINESS. not just sitting in a room oil painting or something. you know?

REckless Records has three locations, check them out. as far as the vintage clothing, there are some spots, but i don't know much about them. other than that, museums, parks, lincoln park zoo, and delicious restaurants.

well...this is bound to turn into a huge mess. but, here's my take. i think we all "appropriate" things, especially those of us who follow "traditional" tattooing. by its nature, traditional or classic tattooing follows a certain code, look, and rules. we follow a lineage. most of the designs have been passed on to us through that lineage and visual heritage, and their origins are long lost, or if there was an originator, he is long dead.

now, if a LIVING tattooer does something unique and original, and it's his/her own idea, and overnight, thanks to facebook, it's being copied all over the world and internet, i think that's wrong. that guy came up with something cool and new, maybe his whole own style or niche, and he's still alive, making a living. we should respect that.

julio, remember as soon as we got back we called up micky sharpz and ordered powder?!?!? cuz scott said he was using it. that sharpz red is still in there, and i still have some of that powder!

i remember that pile of machines, too, it blew my mind. and it looked so right in that place, wasn't it an old auto repair garage?

people think i'm joking when i say i like doing tribal, too. and i've actually said to a few customers who were really freaked out "you don't HAVE to get a tattoo. i know its popular, but it's ok not to have one."

true workhorses.

i agree, bill. and i do 99% of what comes in. there are just a couple of things that aggrivate me too much. so if someone else is available, i pass it on to them, or if its beyond my means or expertise, i pass it on to someone else, preferably in our shop. but, i do need to stop letting some things get to me too much and just do it, like inner lip tattoos. i usually turn em down because they are a pain to do, but if i just do a few more and figure out a better way to em, i win and so does the customer. and with that WAVERLY BLACK it should stick even better! (like the plug?).

wow, great post, man. real interesting stuff! thanks for sharing. can't wait to see some pics.

had dinner at a new (to me) place called NIGHTWOOD here in chicago. it was awesome. http://www.nightwoodrestaurant.com

i check a case with needles, tubes, pigment, power supply, etc. and ALWAYS carry on my machines in my bag. they usually ask me to take them out, the last 4 times i flew, though, they didn't even bother. a few years ago i did fly with needles and tubes as a carry-on with no problem. i think i just got lucky.

also, my travel case (the one i check) has NO stickers on it. the reason is, if your case is covered in tattoo shop stickers, don't you think it just screams "steal me! i'm filled with tattoo equipment!" ???

i'll have to ask him...he has the best stories. and i'll be seeing you tomorrow!

laser removal is the worst pain you will (hopefully) ever feel. BUT its quick and worth it. kinda like cigarette burns.

hahahaha...

okay, favorite spots in chicago. some are the same as nicks, but....

-HOT CHOCOLATE

-DAVID BURKE

-SCHWA

-BONGO ROOM

-GALE STREET INN

-11 CITY DINER

-GLEN'S DINER

-PICK ME UP CAFE

-HOT DOUG'S

-TANK SUSHI

-SUSHI WABI

-PANES

-ART OF PIZZA

-PEQUOD'S PIZZA

-PIECE PIZZA

-KUMA'S CORNER

-OPART THAI

-LOS NOPALES MEXICAN

-NUEVO LEON MEXCIAN

-FOGO DE CHAO

-THE HOPLEAF

-CAFE BABAREEBA TAPAS

-ARCO DE CUCHILLEROS TAPAS

and in milwaukee...COMET and HONEYPIE!

chad, that's true! some people just aren't worth the aggrivation. and sometimes you can tell the person sucks by what they want to get!

see you guys there...

i do mostly everything and try to be objective...but i won't do lips, solid bands around the arm, or anything on the face.

that's a good point...if i'm using the exact reference someone brought in from their own computer, then it puts more responsibility on them!

i never get treated differently or searched, and the last few times i flew with equipment, they didn't even search it or ask about it.

it's just the way things are today, and it's not gonna go away, might as well make the best of it, you know?

welcome to tattooing in the 21st century! designs on cell phones. we have a shop email set up just for people to email them to us so we can print it up, otherwise they can run over to kinko's and print it up. we don't let anyone put a disk or flashdrive on our computers.

there's a good iphone app, though. "hp iprint". it prints to your hp printer through the wifi. it's great for duplicating a tattoo already on someone or to do a quick sketch for a cover-up to give the client an idea of what you're thinking. just take a phone pic and print it out.

hell yeah julio! my first time out west, first real tattoo trip! thanks to you! we were stoked when we got back. we got tattooed by scott at 222, saw tattoo city (in the old spot, before they moved), lyle tuttle's, picture machine, primal urge, new skool...

i'll be there with nick colella! can't wait.

hahaha...yeah.