Stewart Robson

Man, everybody already used my smart-ass answers but the Greg Irons quip was funnier than I could have come up with.
But back to the original question.
This is one of the newer approaches to tattooing that makes me slightly uncomfortable to be honest. Myself and a few tattooers I know and work with have noticed the trend of customers finding a sense of pride in how long they had to wait for their tattoo. As if that makes the tattoo more worthwhile.
With some of the currently living/working tattooers mentioned in this thread, I personally know people (not even on the internet) that have tattoos from all of them. Filip, Horiyoshi III, Shige and Mike Rubendall. Yeah, they had to wait a little while for some of them but not as long as you'd think for others. Mike Roper is a different situation because he makes it deliberately difficult to get in touch with him, which answers the question posed above. But that wasn't really the question that was asked and it's rarely the question that gets asked. The question, or at least the implication, is "who has the longest waiting list' or "who has appointments booked furthest into the future". If I were to be snarky "who gives me the most bragging rights".
For me the hardest people to get a tattoo from are the tattooers who are located furthest away from me. The ones where I have to get off my ass and do something about it. Time is easier to overcome than distance although patience is a different matter. It astonishes me that people call our shop from the outskirts of the city expecting us to change the way we work because they are catching a train to get here. On the other hand, we are humbled and honoured by the people who cross seas and continents to get tattooed regularly with us.
But that's aside from the issue.
Why is it a trend that makes me uncomfortable?
Because I've heard people brag about how long they had to wait for 'x' artist and wear that information like a badge of honour. It feels almost as distasteful as bragging about who charges the most. Yeah, tattoos are for tough guys and tough buys like to brag and maybe that seems harmless, but it makes me uncomfortable and I have trouble clearly explaining why.
Maybe it's because it's a phenomenon spurred on by the internet and the gossipy world of hearsay. Nobody calls and checks with the artists or shops they want to get tattooed at. Nobody travels down to the shop to ask the question. They just ask random strangers on the internet who have a lot of time on their hands and like to talk about something they know nothing about. Then the reality gets lost or twisted and in the end the real information is lost. I see this a lot with regards to the shop I work at. Forums are (or certainly used to be) bursting with 'facts' about how much we charge, how long we take, how far 'x' and 'y' are booked or how long their waiting lists are. Nobody calls the shop to ask and nobody suggests that the person calls to ask.
I know that happens with a lot of things but it seems like this is starting to have a real-world effect, however small. People who wanted tattoos that we would love to do heard that we wouldn't tattoo them at our shop because we were so cool and busy and booked up for decades and rolling around in money 'n' bitches or something. We've heard of this a few times and it seems to be happening more. Yeah, we're busy, you may have to wait a little, maybe not. If someone has contact information, especially a phone number on their website it means that they want you to call.
I'm not really going to touch on the tone of the "are they a fad or are they really worth it?" comment, except to say that if you have to ask, the answer is "no".
Sorry to jump on this fun thread with a rant. I look forward to more witty quips.

Man, everybody already used my smart-ass answers but the Greg Irons quip was funnier than I could have come up with.
But back to the original question.
This is one of the newer approaches to tattooing that makes me slightly uncomfortable to be honest. Myself and a few tattooers I know and work with have noticed the trend of customers finding a sense of pride in how long they had to wait for their tattoo. As if that makes the tattoo more worthwhile.
With some of the currently living/working tattooers mentioned in this thread, I personally know people (not even on the internet) that have tattoos from all of them. Filip, Horiyoshi III, Shige and Mike Rubendall. Yeah, they had to wait a little while for some of them but not as long as you'd think for others. Mike Roper is a different situation because he makes it deliberately difficult to get in touch with him, which answers the question posed above. But that wasn't really the question that was asked and it's rarely the question that gets asked. The question, or at least the implication, is "who has the longest waiting list' or "who has appointments booked furthest into the future". If I were to be snarky "who gives me the most bragging rights".
For me the hardest people to get a tattoo from are the tattooers who are located furthest away from me. The ones where I have to get off my ass and do something about it. Time is easier to overcome than distance although patience is a different matter. It astonishes me that people call our shop from the outskirts of the city expecting us to change the way we work because they are catching a train to get here. On the other hand, we are humbled and honoured by the people who cross seas and continents to get tattooed regularly with us.
But that's aside from the issue.
Why is it a trend that makes me uncomfortable?
Because I've heard people brag about how long they had to wait for 'x' artist and wear that information like a badge of honour. It feels almost as distasteful as bragging about who charges the most. Yeah, tattoos are for tough guys and tough buys like to brag and maybe that seems harmless, but it makes me uncomfortable and I have trouble clearly explaining why.
Maybe it's because it's a phenomenon spurred on by the internet and the gossipy world of hearsay. Nobody calls and checks with the artists or shops they want to get tattooed at. Nobody travels down to the shop to ask the question. They just ask random strangers on the internet who have a lot of time on their hands and like to talk about something they know nothing about. Then the reality gets lost or twisted and in the end the real information is lost. I see this a lot with regards to the shop I work at. Forums are (or certainly used to be) bursting with 'facts' about how much we charge, how long we take, how far 'x' and 'y' are booked or how long their waiting lists are. Nobody calls the shop to ask and nobody suggests that the person calls to ask.
I know that happens with a lot of things but it seems like this is starting to have a real-world effect, however small. People who wanted tattoos that we would love to do heard that we wouldn't tattoo them at our shop because we were so cool and busy and booked up for decades and rolling around in money 'n' bitches or something. We've heard of this a few times and it seems to be happening more. Yeah, we're busy, you may have to wait a little, maybe not. If someone has contact information, especially a phone number on their website it means that they want you to call.
I'm not really going to touch on the tone of the "are they a fad or are they really worth it?" comment, except to say that if you have to ask, the answer is "no".
Sorry to jump on this fun thread with a rant. I look forward to more witty quips.

I thought I did answer the original question.
Almost every thread you've started here didn't need to be posted. 5 minutes of thought would have answered your own question.
There's an 'old' saying regarding people who constantly make 'controversial' threads and posts on internet forums. "Do not feed the trolls"
Do you realise that one of the founders of this site makes some of the best tattoo machines available?
Do you realise that many forum members and interviewees also make the highest quality machines and other equipment?
It's not about you making money, nobody cares. It's about respect and acting professional while asking professionals (and serious enthusiasts) for advice.
People come here to discuss topics in an informative and hopefully positive way. It's hard to do that when people ask if a dvd is a good place to learn anything to do with tattooing.
Here's an honest tip: There is NO Bob Ross of tattooing. It's also not like Popular Mechanics or Model Engineering where everybody shares their tips and advice to everyone. You can complain all you like about people being smart asses or dicks, but we've all been in the same position. Really, we have. We found our own way, often with help, but we had to earn that help, usually face-to-face. The journey and the self-discovery is what makes the outcome more valuable.
I didn't always tattoo in a shop but I found that pretty much anything I could buy from someone who didn't care where I worked wasn't worth buying.
I've said too much. I'm going back to not feeding trolls...

Tuning and building tattoo machines is totally easy. Anybody can do it.
I have a drawer full of machines and every singe one of them was made or tuned by someone who did it according to a manual, on their day off from a real job.
I learned everything I know (tattooing and otherwise) from a dvd too.

Part One is finished people...
Copperhead Editions | FST: On the Shoulders of Giants – pt 1 DVD
USA folks will need to wait a little for the NTSC version, sorry. Although it will be available to watch online from 17th Feb.
Parts Two, Three & Four well.. don't hold your breath... They'll come eventually - remember, I'm a one man band.
Thanks for the interest so far.

It's not that we make mistakes but how we deal with them, that is important.
It's not easy to be classy.

@SailorClaire Matt Lodder beat you to it by a few years. My opinion of this subject aside, I presume you've read The Post Modified Body?
I skimmed your proposal and read the first questions. I must say, I'm not impressed. You won't get any further insight or information than a Daily Mail article or any of the tattoo books you can buy in HMV.
Here's my opinion: When it comes to tattoos (and probably other areas of life), anything online is very far from the reality of the situation. Speak to real people in the real world and get a more honest view of what you're writing about.
I don't know why I keep saying this to academics, they rarely listen...

@SailorClaire Matt Lodder beat you to it by a few years. My opinion of this subject aside, I presume you've read The Post Modified Body?
I skimmed your proposal and read the first questions. I must say, I'm not impressed. You won't get any further insight or information than a Daily Mail article or any of the tattoo books you can buy in HMV.
Here's my opinion: When it comes to tattoos (and probably other areas of life), anything online is very far from the reality of the situation. Speak to real people in the real world and get a more honest view of what you're writing about.
I don't know why I keep saying this to academics, they rarely listen...

Part One is finished people...
Copperhead Editions | FST: On the Shoulders of Giants – pt 1 DVD
USA folks will need to wait a little for the NTSC version, sorry. Although it will be available to watch online from 17th Feb.
Parts Two, Three & Four well.. don't hold your breath... They'll come eventually - remember, I'm a one man band.
Thanks for the interest so far.

Part One is finished people...
Copperhead Editions | FST: On the Shoulders of Giants – pt 1 DVD
USA folks will need to wait a little for the NTSC version, sorry. Although it will be available to watch online from 17th Feb.
Parts Two, Three & Four well.. don't hold your breath... They'll come eventually - remember, I'm a one man band.
Thanks for the interest so far.

Part One is finished people...
Copperhead Editions | FST: On the Shoulders of Giants – pt 1 DVD
USA folks will need to wait a little for the NTSC version, sorry. Although it will be available to watch online from 17th Feb.
Parts Two, Three & Four well.. don't hold your breath... They'll come eventually - remember, I'm a one man band.
Thanks for the interest so far.

Part One is finished people...
Copperhead Editions | FST: On the Shoulders of Giants – pt 1 DVD
USA folks will need to wait a little for the NTSC version, sorry. Although it will be available to watch online from 17th Feb.
Parts Two, Three & Four well.. don't hold your breath... They'll come eventually - remember, I'm a one man band.
Thanks for the interest so far.

Part One is finished people...
Copperhead Editions | FST: On the Shoulders of Giants – pt 1 DVD
USA folks will need to wait a little for the NTSC version, sorry. Although it will be available to watch online from 17th Feb.
Parts Two, Three & Four well.. don't hold your breath... They'll come eventually - remember, I'm a one man band.
Thanks for the interest so far.

Part One is finished people...
Copperhead Editions | FST: On the Shoulders of Giants – pt 1 DVD
USA folks will need to wait a little for the NTSC version, sorry. Although it will be available to watch online from 17th Feb.
Parts Two, Three & Four well.. don't hold your breath... They'll come eventually - remember, I'm a one man band.
Thanks for the interest so far.

Part One is finished people...
Copperhead Editions | FST: On the Shoulders of Giants – pt 1 DVD
USA folks will need to wait a little for the NTSC version, sorry. Although it will be available to watch online from 17th Feb.
Parts Two, Three & Four well.. don't hold your breath... They'll come eventually - remember, I'm a one man band.
Thanks for the interest so far.

Part One is finished people...
Copperhead Editions | FST: On the Shoulders of Giants – pt 1 DVD
USA folks will need to wait a little for the NTSC version, sorry. Although it will be available to watch online from 17th Feb.
Parts Two, Three & Four well.. don't hold your breath... They'll come eventually - remember, I'm a one man band.
Thanks for the interest so far.

Part One is finished people...
Copperhead Editions | FST: On the Shoulders of Giants – pt 1 DVD
USA folks will need to wait a little for the NTSC version, sorry. Although it will be available to watch online from 17th Feb.
Parts Two, Three & Four well.. don't hold your breath... They'll come eventually - remember, I'm a one man band.
Thanks for the interest so far.

Part One is finished people...
Copperhead Editions | FST: On the Shoulders of Giants – pt 1 DVD
USA folks will need to wait a little for the NTSC version, sorry. Although it will be available to watch online from 17th Feb.
Parts Two, Three & Four well.. don't hold your breath... They'll come eventually - remember, I'm a one man band.
Thanks for the interest so far.

Part One is finished people...
Copperhead Editions | FST: On the Shoulders of Giants – pt 1 DVD
USA folks will need to wait a little for the NTSC version, sorry. Although it will be available to watch online from 17th Feb.
Parts Two, Three & Four well.. don't hold your breath... They'll come eventually - remember, I'm a one man band.
Thanks for the interest so far.

Part One is finished people...
Copperhead Editions | FST: On the Shoulders of Giants – pt 1 DVD
USA folks will need to wait a little for the NTSC version, sorry. Although it will be available to watch online from 17th Feb.
Parts Two, Three & Four well.. don't hold your breath... They'll come eventually - remember, I'm a one man band.
Thanks for the interest so far.

Another frustrating part is trying to finish work in time for the photo shoots!
I'm SO FUCKING STOKED to have been asked to be part of this.
The exhibition will be amazing but the catalog will be on a different level.
So much of what most modern Western tattooers and customers know about Japanese tattooing is because of Taki (Shodai Horitaka) - He has published invaluable books at affordable prices that we (Japanese tattoo lovers) have all benefitted from. He has also published books about other styles of tattooing that were awesome. If that isn't enough, he was also responsible for most of my favourite interviews in Tattoo Life magazine with some of my favourite American tattooers.
Many of his books form key parts of a tattooer's library. They stand well on their own but also are perfect as jumping-off points to delve deeper into the subjects if you're that way inclined. I think the Perseverance catalog will do the same.

@Iwar Thanks. I knew someone here would find it eventually. Thanks for sharing.
I've told a few people face-to-face about this project but I want people online to find this on their own, for now. If I shout about it and create hype, everyone will be bored of waiting by the time it's finally finished. I expect a long gap (at least 6 months) between the last shot and the finished edit. At the moment I'm doing this 100% on my own - Camera, lights, sound, music, graphics, editing, planning, photography, layout, writing, interviewing, transcribing, promotion, etc etc. I'm glad you like what I've done so far. As well as the guys at the shop I have some great people lined up to get interviewed too. Some of them you know, some you don't know.
Actually, on the subject of transcribing... I do need help. Lately I've been thinking about asking for help but I wasn't sure to do it here, twitter or wherever.
Without turning this into a sob story, I can't transcribe every interview myself. I've done a few but my wrists can't take the strain of tattooing 5 days a week and typing for 2. Having hard-copy interview transcripts is essential to the editing process. So I guess this is an open offer for someone to have some low paid, occasional, boring work but to help out on a project that I think might be interesting.
I don't have the budget for professional transcription services (actually, I have zero budget, everything is paid for out of my own pocket) but I can pay a percentage of the standard professional rate.
If you think you'd like to help or know someone who'd like to help, email [email protected] Thanks.
HOOPER versus PECKer:
The footage of Oliver getting tattooed was almost an hour long. It was tough to cut some of the hilarious one-liners but the best ones are in there.
@Scott R I'm the guy holding the camera. We did meet at the SFO convention.
There ware lots of people watching Oliver get tattooed from outside the room, but the guys you can see while Thomas gets tattooed are Chad Koepliner, Stefano C, Shane Wilcox, Me and Thomas' friend James.

Part One is finished people...
Copperhead Editions | FST: On the Shoulders of Giants – pt 1 DVD
USA folks will need to wait a little for the NTSC version, sorry. Although it will be available to watch online from 17th Feb.
Parts Two, Three & Four well.. don't hold your breath... They'll come eventually - remember, I'm a one man band.
Thanks for the interest so far.

Part One is finished people...
Copperhead Editions | FST: On the Shoulders of Giants – pt 1 DVD
USA folks will need to wait a little for the NTSC version, sorry. Although it will be available to watch online from 17th Feb.
Parts Two, Three & Four well.. don't hold your breath... They'll come eventually - remember, I'm a one man band.
Thanks for the interest so far.

Part One is finished people...
Copperhead Editions | FST: On the Shoulders of Giants – pt 1 DVD
USA folks will need to wait a little for the NTSC version, sorry. Although it will be available to watch online from 17th Feb.
Parts Two, Three & Four well.. don't hold your breath... They'll come eventually - remember, I'm a one man band.
Thanks for the interest so far.