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Shotsie Gorman

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  1. Like
    Shotsie Gorman got a reaction from The Tig in Hi, hello, and a question on etiquette!   
    OK here is the proper way to act if you started with that artists you should seek them out. You never know if he or she was treated with respect and how they come to leave the shop. Seek them out to finish what they started. It bad manners for the shop to immediately try to pass you off to someone else to do the work. The shop owner is just being passive aggressive. Trying to hold the money in their shop. If you choose this artist based on their quality or style. Don't let them shove any body on you. Respect your self your choices and the artist who created the work. However if you just walked in and let whomever was available to tattoo you then you really don't care about your work and you should continue to behave that way...
  2. Like
    Shotsie Gorman got a reaction from Maximalion in Old Tattoo Documentaries   
    Try Temple University's "skin and Ink Collectors!" a doc fromm the eightees
  3. Like
    Shotsie Gorman got a reaction from Hrubarb in Religious and Spiritual Tattoos   
    It's courious to me that anyone would be suprised by spiritual and religious tattoos being part of the tattoo world. It is, it's place of origin. Tattooing did not start ouit as a political tool,nor a purely decorative one.
    It is in it's essence a way of altering the body to represent the inner life's changes. or as in "Right of Passage Rituals" Passage from one age to the next from childhood to adulthood, from death of a loved one,to moving on passed the mourning stage. It has to do with totemic practices where there is a beilieved passage of the spirits of a Slain enemy or a loved ones energy to the bearer. Get a tattoo like UNcle Bill's? well that is totemism in a modern form without the concious idea that you are calling forth Uncle Bill's energy his "power"in you when you wear this mark.
    All great religious forms have had rituals inwhich there is blood letting for instance the Roman Catholic Confirmation has a small slap on the face by the Bishop to confirm you into adulthood and commitment to the church-- IN the old practice this would have been a cut to your face producing blood. "killing of the old self to release the new born soul!" It is the death and resurection and so are all tattoos a kin to this idea. So on and so on Tattooing has always been the tool of the Shaman -- a tool in magical service to the "HEALING" process of the individual.
    Early Christians Like the "Coptics" when persecuted by the Romans; and I mean sent to the Lions for sport. They had to have a small crucifix tattooed on the inside of their left wrists --this meant they could enter the secret meetings in hidden places -- and could not be Romans. This practice still exists today.
    Most pilgrams to the holy lands of the world collect tattoos as proof they were there. In oour culture there are no clear cut rituals so tattooing reaches into the place of our deepest connection with the fears and desires of mankind to his spiritual self. Athiest or no this is a place where we all wonder the deppest thoughts of why we are here? what is purpose? what happens after death? What is love?
    Although you may not be aware of its origin --I'd say most all images relate to this process! Prhaps Not specifically but in the act of Doing or collecting a tattoo you are doing and collecting a spiritual amulet a way of saying you are protected you are Human and you are Mortal.
    Anyway that's my two cents!
    Shotsie
  4. Like
    Shotsie Gorman got a reaction from tattoojeff in Birdman --Or a funny day in the life of a tattooist in NJ 1978 BY Shotsie Gorman   
    BIRDMAN
    Or a day in the life of a tattooist in 1978
    At 4pm the sun was shinning nearly dead even into the window of the small tattoo shop on Kennedy Boulevard speaking of dead it was located just opposite the car rental that rented the white van to the first unsuccessful bombers of the World Trade Towers. Union City, NJ was not exactly exotic like Bombay nor was it cool like NYC for that matter it didn’t even seem like New Jersey it was more like little Cuba. Run by a soon to be convicted for corruption and extortion Italian wise guy, the not so honorable Mayor Musto.
    The windows in question, where the sun was about to cook through, were grayish and gritty. Despite the efforts of the proprietor, that’s me by the way, to clean them often. I suspected it was probably from the crematorium just a few blocks up the boulevard. It gave me pause to think of somebody’s grandfather dusted across my window. So I always said “excuse me folks” when I washed it off and wished them a quick trip over the river Styx.
    Although it could have been the carbon burning traffic on this snake like road, it was constant and as loud as two young Italian wannabe wise guys yakking up stories of hitting and robbing the trains in the transfer station in North Bergin and wanting to trade stolen goods for tattoos.
    This strip down to Staten Island on the NY side was much later to be the haunted holy grounds of The Sopranos’ Godfather Tony.
    It’s not what you think, a typical scummy little tattoo shop in a grimy small town in New Jersey. It was a small piece of heaven in 1978 for me. “Clean enough to eat off the floors” I’d say. The shop was only 12 feet across and 25 feet long and it held the universe. From the moment I opened the doors I had so much business I almost couldn’t handle it. I became fast friends with the local Santero, A Santeria Priest for those of you of the white bread persuasion. After that I was gold in the Cuban Community they watched out for me Cooked for me invited me to salsa dances and got tattooed as penance or prayers Santa Barbara, St Lazarus, Cryptic scrawl of Santeria spells all became my tween worlds my bread and butter. I was being taught to speak enough Spanish to ask what color and how much do you want to spend by a young lovely young Cuban woman without dancing legs in a wheel chair who sat with a talking Parakeet on her right shoulder that spoke more Spanish than I could, after four months I quit.
    Speaking of Spanish speaking birds and other oddities of living in the land of the Mariolettos (Cubans let out of prisons and insane asylums a gift from Castro for the US State Department to give visas too. the Set on rickety boats to America. Those who made the crossing also made their way from Miami FL to Union City NJ. What was I saying? oh yes, I have to pull on your coat about the Birdman.
    I had a slow day doing a couple of cryptic Santeria tattoos on friends of the local Santero. I was buzzing away on the last one when it started.
    I had a wall separating the tattoo area from the front and a small security mirror to see who came through the door.
    I heard this chirping. I was thinking it was a bird found it’s way into my shop. I looked up to the to see him, this guy chirping away. First long chirps with pause then rolling chirps all connected together.
    He was wearing a cut off yellow windbreaker with out the usual wife beater shirt, and ripped jeans.
    I called over the wall “I’ll be right with you pal.”
    He just stuttered out another bird song.
    Completing the tattoo I was doing, I collected my fee and walked through the door to the front.
    “So what’s up?”
    He pivoted, pulling down the jacket zipper turning his naked to the waist and tan lined body to me smelling of High Karate, yelling, he was,
    “THE BIRDMAN!”
    To prove it he had it emblazoned across his his back from shoulder to shoulder in eight inch tall Old English letters tattooed, that read,
    B-I-R-D-N-A-N!
    I say calmly, “OK Birdman, never acknowledging the eight inch missing M, What can I do for you.”
    Pointing to a blank spot among the small bird tattoos wallpapering his arm, he said, rattling through his nose.
    “Well! What do you think? I want a bird tattoo right here.”
    There were birds the likes of hummingbirds as big as eagles and chickadees larger than crows, no accounting for scale, style, or skill. Although, he was working hard to fill with birds in every open space. Sort of like the driving style of New Jersey drivers if there is a space you fill it.
    He shows me the picture of a whippoorwill whilst chirping the whippoorwills’ song or so he claimed. I never having seen or heard a whippoorwill took his word for it.
    During the tattoo he entertained me by singing no less than 50 songs of various birds of North America, all while chewing on sunflower seeds. I didn’t bother putting on the stereo.
    Someone else came through the door, as I was finishing up the tattoo. Birdman was donning his windbreaker; I strolled to the front to chat up the next client. He passed me singing a sad bird refrain and smiled and whispered passing.
    “I’m the Birdman…”
    The new customer and I walk to the work area. I look down to the clients black leather chair and there to my astonishment where Birdman was sitting, was a three inch,golden foil covered, chocolate egg!
  5. Like
    Shotsie Gorman got a reaction from RockelMan in Religious and Spiritual Tattoos   
    It's courious to me that anyone would be suprised by spiritual and religious tattoos being part of the tattoo world. It is, it's place of origin. Tattooing did not start ouit as a political tool,nor a purely decorative one.
    It is in it's essence a way of altering the body to represent the inner life's changes. or as in "Right of Passage Rituals" Passage from one age to the next from childhood to adulthood, from death of a loved one,to moving on passed the mourning stage. It has to do with totemic practices where there is a beilieved passage of the spirits of a Slain enemy or a loved ones energy to the bearer. Get a tattoo like UNcle Bill's? well that is totemism in a modern form without the concious idea that you are calling forth Uncle Bill's energy his "power"in you when you wear this mark.
    All great religious forms have had rituals inwhich there is blood letting for instance the Roman Catholic Confirmation has a small slap on the face by the Bishop to confirm you into adulthood and commitment to the church-- IN the old practice this would have been a cut to your face producing blood. "killing of the old self to release the new born soul!" It is the death and resurection and so are all tattoos a kin to this idea. So on and so on Tattooing has always been the tool of the Shaman -- a tool in magical service to the "HEALING" process of the individual.
    Early Christians Like the "Coptics" when persecuted by the Romans; and I mean sent to the Lions for sport. They had to have a small crucifix tattooed on the inside of their left wrists --this meant they could enter the secret meetings in hidden places -- and could not be Romans. This practice still exists today.
    Most pilgrams to the holy lands of the world collect tattoos as proof they were there. In oour culture there are no clear cut rituals so tattooing reaches into the place of our deepest connection with the fears and desires of mankind to his spiritual self. Athiest or no this is a place where we all wonder the deppest thoughts of why we are here? what is purpose? what happens after death? What is love?
    Although you may not be aware of its origin --I'd say most all images relate to this process! Prhaps Not specifically but in the act of Doing or collecting a tattoo you are doing and collecting a spiritual amulet a way of saying you are protected you are Human and you are Mortal.
    Anyway that's my two cents!
    Shotsie
  6. Like
    Shotsie Gorman got a reaction from Lochlan in Religious and Spiritual Tattoos   
    It's courious to me that anyone would be suprised by spiritual and religious tattoos being part of the tattoo world. It is, it's place of origin. Tattooing did not start ouit as a political tool,nor a purely decorative one.
    It is in it's essence a way of altering the body to represent the inner life's changes. or as in "Right of Passage Rituals" Passage from one age to the next from childhood to adulthood, from death of a loved one,to moving on passed the mourning stage. It has to do with totemic practices where there is a beilieved passage of the spirits of a Slain enemy or a loved ones energy to the bearer. Get a tattoo like UNcle Bill's? well that is totemism in a modern form without the concious idea that you are calling forth Uncle Bill's energy his "power"in you when you wear this mark.
    All great religious forms have had rituals inwhich there is blood letting for instance the Roman Catholic Confirmation has a small slap on the face by the Bishop to confirm you into adulthood and commitment to the church-- IN the old practice this would have been a cut to your face producing blood. "killing of the old self to release the new born soul!" It is the death and resurection and so are all tattoos a kin to this idea. So on and so on Tattooing has always been the tool of the Shaman -- a tool in magical service to the "HEALING" process of the individual.
    Early Christians Like the "Coptics" when persecuted by the Romans; and I mean sent to the Lions for sport. They had to have a small crucifix tattooed on the inside of their left wrists --this meant they could enter the secret meetings in hidden places -- and could not be Romans. This practice still exists today.
    Most pilgrams to the holy lands of the world collect tattoos as proof they were there. In oour culture there are no clear cut rituals so tattooing reaches into the place of our deepest connection with the fears and desires of mankind to his spiritual self. Athiest or no this is a place where we all wonder the deppest thoughts of why we are here? what is purpose? what happens after death? What is love?
    Although you may not be aware of its origin --I'd say most all images relate to this process! Prhaps Not specifically but in the act of Doing or collecting a tattoo you are doing and collecting a spiritual amulet a way of saying you are protected you are Human and you are Mortal.
    Anyway that's my two cents!
    Shotsie
  7. Like
    Shotsie Gorman got a reaction from Lochlan in Vitiligo   
    Vitligo is far more than a simple loss of pigment, it is an auto immune disorder. The body sees the bodies natural melanocytes as invading substances and begins to attack them. It's related to other auto immune diseases and has no clear path of origin or currently no clear path of soving. It can lie dormant for months sometimes years even regenerate and reimpigment spontaneously. Often people with this issue suffer small cuts on pigmented areas and it can cause a loss of pigment and start a larger loss in that areas affected.
    Tattooing over areas or patches of white skin can cause areas of hyperimpigmentation on the borderline between the tattooed area and the exisisting area of pigment loss (creating a ring aroound the area.) In addition exposure ot the sun can cause loss of pigmernted areas surround the tattoo. Blacks and very dark skinned people can find some relief with hiding the depigmented areas as long as thier skin is not exposed to the sun.
    In some cases the gene TYR, which makes the melanocyte more susceptible to the immune system in vitiligo, also makes the melanocyte more susceptible to the immune system in the skin cancer malignant melanoma. Vitilgo activated oin a tattooed are can actually pull the pigment from the tattoo as well.
  8. Like
    Shotsie Gorman got a reaction from Deb Yarian in Vitiligo   
    Vitligo is far more than a simple loss of pigment, it is an auto immune disorder. The body sees the bodies natural melanocytes as invading substances and begins to attack them. It's related to other auto immune diseases and has no clear path of origin or currently no clear path of soving. It can lie dormant for months sometimes years even regenerate and reimpigment spontaneously. Often people with this issue suffer small cuts on pigmented areas and it can cause a loss of pigment and start a larger loss in that areas affected.
    Tattooing over areas or patches of white skin can cause areas of hyperimpigmentation on the borderline between the tattooed area and the exisisting area of pigment loss (creating a ring aroound the area.) In addition exposure ot the sun can cause loss of pigmernted areas surround the tattoo. Blacks and very dark skinned people can find some relief with hiding the depigmented areas as long as thier skin is not exposed to the sun.
    In some cases the gene TYR, which makes the melanocyte more susceptible to the immune system in vitiligo, also makes the melanocyte more susceptible to the immune system in the skin cancer malignant melanoma. Vitilgo activated oin a tattooed are can actually pull the pigment from the tattoo as well.
  9. Like
    Shotsie Gorman got a reaction from Paul Shachtman in Tiger tattoos   
    Back in 1981 I did a tiger tattoo that won an award at that years National Convention. In those days the only magaziines covering tattooing were Easy Rider and nude mens magazines. So a picture of it ends up in OUI magazine. I come to San Francisco on my first visit to get tattooed by Greg Irons at Henry Goldfields Shop on Broadway. I walk in and see Henry call to him, as we had never met. I say Hello I am Shotsie Gorman. You are him he says Wait a minute I have something for you. He reaches into a drawer and pulls out a small object which he throws across the room in my direction. " What the Fuck is this "I say and there on the floor are a stack of cut out pictures from OUI magazine of the tiger I did bound together in rubber bands. "Every asshole sailor that comes through that door has asked for that tattoo and your the fucking pain in the ass that did it!" My first meeting with the great Henry Goldfield!
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