Paul Shachtman

i really hate the word, 'tatmaker'.
i thought this thread was going to be about slang terms in general, as in my old lady hates the term, 'cool beans', and also the term, 'my old lady'......

I also hate my tattoos being referred to as "work" ie: "nice work!" "I like your work." or "Where did you get your work done?" Less annoying but still bad is "ink". "Nice ink", "Where'd you get your ink?". I don't know why, those just bug. Calling a tattoo machine a "gun" = very annoying. I guess I do judge people by the lingo they use. I'm a jerk that way.

The guy who did this tattoo owns a shop. People pay money to him to do tattoos on them. That makes him a professional tattoo artist.
If he's more "in the know" in the tattoo world than I am because I don't tattoo... so be it. In the immortal words of one of my snarkier friends... "your team!" :D

Shit's fucking retarded. There are infinitely more resources available to learn electric tattooing than tebori. Like the initial post stated, only guys who should consider fucking with tebori are those who've mastered electric Japanese tattooing. I'd think you might need someone legitimate to TEACH you, as well. Anyone know who taught Horitomo? Was it Horiyoshi III? Shit's impressive.
I liked Stewart's description of pathetic wanna-be Polynesian tattooers. How stupid can you be? Apparently, a lot dumber than me. And I'm a shithead.
99.9% of everything tattoo-related is rank idiocy. I can't take it. And I'm not even a tattooer, for Christ's sake. People need to stop being full of shit.

Shit's fucking retarded. There are infinitely more resources available to learn electric tattooing than tebori. Like the initial post stated, only guys who should consider fucking with tebori are those who've mastered electric Japanese tattooing. I'd think you might need someone legitimate to TEACH you, as well. Anyone know who taught Horitomo? Was it Horiyoshi III? Shit's impressive.
I liked Stewart's description of pathetic wanna-be Polynesian tattooers. How stupid can you be? Apparently, a lot dumber than me. And I'm a shithead.
99.9% of everything tattoo-related is rank idiocy. I can't take it. And I'm not even a tattooer, for Christ's sake. People need to stop being full of shit.

Shit's fucking retarded. There are infinitely more resources available to learn electric tattooing than tebori. Like the initial post stated, only guys who should consider fucking with tebori are those who've mastered electric Japanese tattooing. I'd think you might need someone legitimate to TEACH you, as well. Anyone know who taught Horitomo? Was it Horiyoshi III? Shit's impressive.
I liked Stewart's description of pathetic wanna-be Polynesian tattooers. How stupid can you be? Apparently, a lot dumber than me. And I'm a shithead.
99.9% of everything tattoo-related is rank idiocy. I can't take it. And I'm not even a tattooer, for Christ's sake. People need to stop being full of shit.

Shit's fucking retarded. There are infinitely more resources available to learn electric tattooing than tebori. Like the initial post stated, only guys who should consider fucking with tebori are those who've mastered electric Japanese tattooing. I'd think you might need someone legitimate to TEACH you, as well. Anyone know who taught Horitomo? Was it Horiyoshi III? Shit's impressive.
I liked Stewart's description of pathetic wanna-be Polynesian tattooers. How stupid can you be? Apparently, a lot dumber than me. And I'm a shithead.
99.9% of everything tattoo-related is rank idiocy. I can't take it. And I'm not even a tattooer, for Christ's sake. People need to stop being full of shit.

Just wanted to say Ras Trent is one of my favourite things ever & New Jersey Tebori sounds like one of the worst things ever.
Come visit me, I can hook you up with some sweet Canadian Tebori, I got some needles and a bamboo stick I can tie them to. They are sewing needles, but I figure their larger size will help me get the ink in. $350 an hour. You know where to find me!

Hahaa. That skit is great.
It's kinda the same as gaijin tebori, but not really. It's both fake, but the tattooer side of it is packaging or presentation to mask incompetence. Almost all tattooers have a touch of the showman in one shape or form. Some just pay more attention to showmanship than tattooing.
I guess most of us are fakes really. Most of us don't live the lives our tattoos and clothes portray.
I do a lot of themes from Japanese folklore, american sailor motifs and black and grey religious tattoos. All those things are naturally alien to me and not part of the culture I was raised in, but I love them all the same and try to respect what they are and do what I can with them. 100% authenticity isn't a goal of mine, but respect is.
The caucasian rasta thing is the same as guys aping the look of traditional tattoos while dressing like a coal miner or engine driver with their curly moustaches and tattooing one private customer per day.

You hit the nail on the head bigjoe.
I call gimmick.
I know some people who offer Japanese style tebori and one of them is Japanese and the other learned in Japan from a master. Outside of that structure it doesn't seem to make much sense aside from the points mentioned by David. Basically fake authenticity in place of talent, practice and hard work.
Real authenticity is hard to find but many tattoo clients look in the wrong places. I've seen too many white dudes with botched Japanese style work done 'with bamboo' in Thailand. I guess they think if it's done by any guy from Asia it's authentic, right?
I'm not sure how popular it is in the US or Canada but at conventions in Europe and the UK there used to be a few (mostly white) guys with facial tattoos working by hand, trying tattoo styles from the islands in the south seas. Even going so far as to sit cross-legged and stretch the skin with their bare feet.
Often they were working within spitting distance of a great tattooer who knew more about their field of 'expertise' but he wasn't wearing a sarong and was tattooing snakes, eagles and skulls all weekend, listening to Motorhead.

At the same time, I must admit Megan Massacre's contribution to Inked Magazine obliterates what Hardy Marks Publishing has accomplished.
Put the fucking crackpipe down and find someone to teach you something. If an idiot like me can develop somewhat of an eye for tattooing, anyone can. I had no idea what I was doing when I first started getting tattooed (hence, 36 laser removal sessions). However, when Adam Ciferri kept shoving Jerry flash books in my face, I listened. When he strongly suggested I get tattooed by Mike Malone, I did. When he showed me Greg Irons' flash, I looked at it, even though I didn't get it. Ami James? I'm not here to shitbag anyone, but if you asked him to compare his contribution to the evolution of American tattooing to Hardy's, his eyes would look like saucers. They sure as fuck better. Dude's making money. That's it. You see all that aboriginal-derivative "tribal" imagery adorning motorcycle tanks and douchebags' t-shirts? Thank Ed Hardy, Mike Malone, and Leo Zulueta for that. How do I know this? I read it in a Malone interview, in which he bemoaned the fact that no one knows this shit. Ami James is a "tattooer." Ed Hardy is arguably the greatest tattooer in American history. Period.
Wanna see real tattooing? Buy Kuronuma's "Horiyoshi's World." Zeke Owens, Jerry, and Hardy all pored over any 5x7 photo they could get of that guy's shit. He's the greatest tattooer I know of.
I need to leave the coffee alone.

This question stupefies me almost as much as the actual video I watched last night of two nineteen year-old Ukrainian dudes slowly bludgeoning an innocent 48 year-old man to death. (Google "Dnepropetrovsk Maniacs Murder Video", if feeling particularly intrepid.) It disturbed and nauseated me. With all due respect, for Christ's sake, do your homework. Read, study the tattoo aesthetic for a decade or so, then reconsider your question. I personally can't wait for "Tattoo School" to debut. It looks hott and hopeless.

Boyer's photos make a strong argument. Guy named Jim LaPorte sold his extensive Lieber collection a couple years ago, and the pin-up sheet two photos above was $1600. A chunk of dough, yes, but a very fair price, considering the obvious influence Lieber had on Jerry, who's sheets go for three times as much. If anyone's interested in LaPorte's high-quality book of his collection, I can pass on his email. It goes for $250, I think, but it's sizeable, and fucking dope. Brooks turned my bud Kyle on to it, and we swooped on what we could and couldn't afford. Brooks got a couple great sheets. The Scott Harrison fish girl tattoo above is on SBoyer, and is flash from the Lieber sheet I went into more dumb debt for. My bud Kyle saw a picture of that Harrison/Lieber piece and said "That tattoo is perfect." Fucking strong.
Back to girls: There's tons of good girl head stuff that leans more towards the realistic, too. Sboyer just turned me on to Jose Lopez. Very impressive. My blind ass was also just made aware of how good Lenherr's girl busts are, as well. Jason Brooks does excellent girl/rose heads. I fully agree that Uzi's a very good tattooer, too.
Conn is obviously outstanding. I slid ass first into a pile of sugar when I got that Rock of Ages (pictured under the ROA thread) from him on my thigh in 2003. I was just getting my feet wet as a collector, and luckily picked up on how good he was when I flipped through his book at Temple the previous year. One thing that's impressive about his art is that it appeals to people who're new to looking at tattoo art (like me in 2002), but continues to reveal deeper layers when viewed by a more experienced eye. That's when tattooing truly becomes "art", in my opinion. The apex of this dynamic is reached when staring at a Van Gogh, Kawanabe Kyosai, Soga Shohaku, or Kano Hogai painting or print. Fuck, every time I look at the Van Gogh print on my wall at home I get tractor-beamed into some aspect of his holistic vision that I never noticed before. Hokusai, too. Hell, I can ogle Mike Malone's shit all day, as well. He was real into Soga Shohaku and Kano Hogai. Go figure.
Speaking of traditional tattooing that is true art, look at Richard Stell's tattooing. I was beyond dumb-lucky enough to get a couple tattoos from Mike Malone when he was around, and wish I had done the same with Ed Hardy and Higgs when they were tattooing. To people who dig my Malone tattoos (and covet the experience of getting tattooed by a dude like that), I say get tattooed by Stell. Eddy Deutsche is tattooing in L.A, too. He's another one who's tattooing is true art.

"Don't go chasing waterfalls, stick to the dicks and balls that you're used to." -TLC
I mean that with respect. All crass adolescent joking aside, I honestly can't wait for this program to commence. It sounds phenomenal. Hilarious. Sexy.

This question stupefies me almost as much as the actual video I watched last night of two nineteen year-old Ukrainian dudes slowly bludgeoning an innocent 48 year-old man to death. (Google "Dnepropetrovsk Maniacs Murder Video", if feeling particularly intrepid.) It disturbed and nauseated me. With all due respect, for Christ's sake, do your homework. Read, study the tattoo aesthetic for a decade or so, then reconsider your question. I personally can't wait for "Tattoo School" to debut. It looks hott and hopeless.

Without Ed Hardy there wouldnt have even been reality tattoo shows.

you watch too much TV...

Why don't TLC make a show called " TV Production School".
The casting would be from special needs schools and would give students the chance to turn out quality TV shows, just like TLC.
One week at TV Production School should be sufficient, I recon.

Oh, I forgot to ostentatiously name-drop Fred Corbin among the pantheon of big-name tattooers that I'm cool enough to have tattoos from. I probably neglected him in this discussion as, in my experience, he was as far from disrespectful as you can get. Dude was fucking cool to me the first time I ever travelled out to the Bay to get tattooed in 2002. I greatly appreciated it.
Oh, and one other note: With all due respect, I'd argue that the relationship of collector to tattooer, and vice-versa, is not analogous to that of bartender or sales clerk to customer. I don't spend three hours naked with the gas station attendant as they grope and permanently alter the appearance of my ass. I do with Tim Lehi. No wonder tattooers hate people. I would hate all that intimacy with people, and this is coming from a personable guy who can muster a semblance of social skills, at times. I can see how being "nice" to people all the time and babysitting them through what some perceive as some mystical rite of passage would get old, fast. So I sympathize with tattooers' plight. At the same time, I'm not exactly a fucking imbecile, and I've done my homework. It was cool of Dick Stell to say to me last month "You'd be a great shop owner or manager. You know more about tattooing than some tattooers." I'm the first to acknowledge that I don't know shit about tattooing, drawing, or painting, technically. However, if I haven't developed at least a mediocre eye for the aesthetic over 15 years of study, I'm retarded. Problem is, everything becomes a fucking insecure little boys' pissing contest. I really don't give a fuck, I just want to learn shit. If I have any insight to offer anyone who's sincerely interested in this bullshit (and not ascending the social hierarchy of "cool"), great. There are shit tons of tattooers who know more about this crap than I ever will, and if they're willing to part with some of their knowledge, I'm grateful. It seems pretty simple. I swore a lot in that paragraph.
Tattooing is rock-star shit, ego-trip-wise. Difference is, you don't interact with rock stars. The reason why so many tattooers are so disrespectful is because they can get away with it. I had issues with a few of the tattooers I encountered right from the get-go, when I first started getting tattooed. Why? Well, I'm an adult, and I demand some modicum of respect . . . And I happen to get along with almost everyone I meet. If you have a problem with me, it's your problem. I'm far from perfect, but I treat others respectfully. I see right through these idiots' weak facade. It's boring and pathetic. Not everyone's as dumb as they think they are. If this particular breed of person who makes a living as a tattooer wants to see an imbecile, find a fucking mirror. Can I get a witness??

Don't you think you should GET some traditional tattoos before you try to write a book on the subject??
Your line-up of contributors sucks. I watch Miami Ink A LOT, and I haven't even heard of ONE of those people. Utterly fails the tattoo cool test. You probably don't even drink. What are you, vegan?
Um, wanna make a TV show about the book?

Paulywhore: You are correct, period. Not that it's a prerequisite for seeing simple insecure egomania for what it is, but I have a decent amount of experience from the collector's perspective. I've been lucky enough to have been tattooed by the following, among others: Lehi, Rassier, Malone, Sylvia, Grime, Don Nolan, Bert Krak, Stell, Adam Ciferri, Seth Ciferri, Whitehead, Brooks, Spanks, Roberts, Conn . . . and my best bud Kyle Franklin! You don't need a fancy bullshit worthless psychology degree from a "Little Ivy", which I happen to have, to deduce that most tattooers succomb to the temptations of warped adolescent egomania. There are exceptions, but those guys (and gals) tend to get so disillusioned with tattooing that they quit. Read Mike Malone's letters to Keith Underwood in recent issues of TAM. Spot-on. He rags on "cool guys" who are too self-absorbed to actually learn about the fucking artform. I've wondered if the absolute elite echelon isn't as likely to be possessed by this meek demon. Hell, if you spend all your time seeking empty accolades and proverbial fellatio, it might be hard to fully concentrate on something of substance. Then again, I don't know: Bullshit megalomania permeates tattooing from the bottom up, doesn't matter how well you paint or tattoo. Power corrupts, in every context. If you're used to having your ass kissed, you come to expect it. Fucking pathetic. I'm sorry these folks are really insecure and immature, but it'd be peachy if they wouldn't take it out on me while I put food in their mouths.
To be fair, at the same time, I can totally see why tattooers get sick of clients. I couldn't do their job. Hell, I can be annoying as fuck, myself. Give me a painkiller and I never shut up. That being said, some of the behavior I've personally experienced and witnessed is absolutely inexcusable. Straight disrespect. Funny thing is, most tattooers are sedentary lumps of shit that couldn't fight their way out of a colostomy bag. Tattoos don't make you tough.
Tattooing's an intimate and intense experience, and, too often, familiarity breeds contempt. Like I said, having spent a fair amount of time in tattoo shops, I can totally see why being a tattooer is the yellow brick road to misanthropy. I hate people, too, but I try to be humble, honest, and respectful. Ya know, all that "Golden Rule" bullshit. Speaking for myself, I'm glad my bodysuit's about done. I'm too old for this shit. It's too much work. God Bless!!

Don't you think you should GET some traditional tattoos before you try to write a book on the subject??
Your line-up of contributors sucks. I watch Miami Ink A LOT, and I haven't even heard of ONE of those people. Utterly fails the tattoo cool test. You probably don't even drink. What are you, vegan?
Um, wanna make a TV show about the book?

After subjecting y'all to my shit, I actually motivated to read a few more of these comments . . .
Dude, Pauly was forced to wait TWO HOURS after his appointment, and was subjected to further disrespect thereafter. I've seen that type of behavior countless times. Pauly's being eminently reasonable, not hyper-sensitive. He wasn't asking to be "BFF's" with everyone in the fucking shop, he was asking for courtesy and a respectful gesture. That's understandable, considering how inconvenienced he'd already been by the shops lassitude and egotism. I commend him for standing up for himself. Guarantee if Pauly'd stripped naked and had a Kuronuma bodysuit, these guys woulda been arm-wrestling to suck his cock. Then again, most tattooers don't even know who Kuronuma is. Hopeless idiots.
Hell, one of the big-name hotshots I mentioned above had to be dragged out of bed to tattoo me two hours late a couple years ago. I was a touch peeved, but the way he greeted me with a look of contrition and a handshake, coupled with his subsequent treatment of me and the diligence he committed to the tattoo, earned him a $50 tip. Charity's a two-way street, though. Tattooers are not more important than the rest of us peasants.
I can see why tattooers want to eat cyanide when groupie clients want to be best buds with them. Pauly was not asking for that. He was asking, as one of you said, to be treated professionally.
Most of my friends are tattooers, now that I think about it. They hate tattooers passionately, as well, for good reason.
The whole thing's an adolescently-fixated joke. Glad there are a few tattooers who see through the weakness. They're good arm wrestlers, too! I love good arm wrestlers. God Bless!

Oh, I forgot to ostentatiously name-drop Fred Corbin among the pantheon of big-name tattooers that I'm cool enough to have tattoos from. I probably neglected him in this discussion as, in my experience, he was as far from disrespectful as you can get. Dude was fucking cool to me the first time I ever travelled out to the Bay to get tattooed in 2002. I greatly appreciated it.
Oh, and one other note: With all due respect, I'd argue that the relationship of collector to tattooer, and vice-versa, is not analogous to that of bartender or sales clerk to customer. I don't spend three hours naked with the gas station attendant as they grope and permanently alter the appearance of my ass. I do with Tim Lehi. No wonder tattooers hate people. I would hate all that intimacy with people, and this is coming from a personable guy who can muster a semblance of social skills, at times. I can see how being "nice" to people all the time and babysitting them through what some perceive as some mystical rite of passage would get old, fast. So I sympathize with tattooers' plight. At the same time, I'm not exactly a fucking imbecile, and I've done my homework. It was cool of Dick Stell to say to me last month "You'd be a great shop owner or manager. You know more about tattooing than some tattooers." I'm the first to acknowledge that I don't know shit about tattooing, drawing, or painting, technically. However, if I haven't developed at least a mediocre eye for the aesthetic over 15 years of study, I'm retarded. Problem is, everything becomes a fucking insecure little boys' pissing contest. I really don't give a fuck, I just want to learn shit. If I have any insight to offer anyone who's sincerely interested in this bullshit (and not ascending the social hierarchy of "cool"), great. There are shit tons of tattooers who know more about this crap than I ever will, and if they're willing to part with some of their knowledge, I'm grateful. It seems pretty simple. I swore a lot in that paragraph.
Tattooing is rock-star shit, ego-trip-wise. Difference is, you don't interact with rock stars. The reason why so many tattooers are so disrespectful is because they can get away with it. I had issues with a few of the tattooers I encountered right from the get-go, when I first started getting tattooed. Why? Well, I'm an adult, and I demand some modicum of respect . . . And I happen to get along with almost everyone I meet. If you have a problem with me, it's your problem. I'm far from perfect, but I treat others respectfully. I see right through these idiots' weak facade. It's boring and pathetic. Not everyone's as dumb as they think they are. If this particular breed of person who makes a living as a tattooer wants to see an imbecile, find a fucking mirror. Can I get a witness??

Paulywhore: You are correct, period. Not that it's a prerequisite for seeing simple insecure egomania for what it is, but I have a decent amount of experience from the collector's perspective. I've been lucky enough to have been tattooed by the following, among others: Lehi, Rassier, Malone, Sylvia, Grime, Don Nolan, Bert Krak, Stell, Adam Ciferri, Seth Ciferri, Whitehead, Brooks, Spanks, Roberts, Conn . . . and my best bud Kyle Franklin! You don't need a fancy bullshit worthless psychology degree from a "Little Ivy", which I happen to have, to deduce that most tattooers succomb to the temptations of warped adolescent egomania. There are exceptions, but those guys (and gals) tend to get so disillusioned with tattooing that they quit. Read Mike Malone's letters to Keith Underwood in recent issues of TAM. Spot-on. He rags on "cool guys" who are too self-absorbed to actually learn about the fucking artform. I've wondered if the absolute elite echelon isn't as likely to be possessed by this meek demon. Hell, if you spend all your time seeking empty accolades and proverbial fellatio, it might be hard to fully concentrate on something of substance. Then again, I don't know: Bullshit megalomania permeates tattooing from the bottom up, doesn't matter how well you paint or tattoo. Power corrupts, in every context. If you're used to having your ass kissed, you come to expect it. Fucking pathetic. I'm sorry these folks are really insecure and immature, but it'd be peachy if they wouldn't take it out on me while I put food in their mouths.
To be fair, at the same time, I can totally see why tattooers get sick of clients. I couldn't do their job. Hell, I can be annoying as fuck, myself. Give me a painkiller and I never shut up. That being said, some of the behavior I've personally experienced and witnessed is absolutely inexcusable. Straight disrespect. Funny thing is, most tattooers are sedentary lumps of shit that couldn't fight their way out of a colostomy bag. Tattoos don't make you tough.
Tattooing's an intimate and intense experience, and, too often, familiarity breeds contempt. Like I said, having spent a fair amount of time in tattoo shops, I can totally see why being a tattooer is the yellow brick road to misanthropy. I hate people, too, but I try to be humble, honest, and respectful. Ya know, all that "Golden Rule" bullshit. Speaking for myself, I'm glad my bodysuit's about done. I'm too old for this shit. It's too much work. God Bless!!