Inked 2010-02

DISPLAY UNTIL FEBRUARY 23, 2010
HER
FAVORITE
BANDS
ARTISTS
AND
MORE!
TAKES
OVER!
KAT
VON D
GUEST EDITOR
CULTURE. STYLE. ART.
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www.storemags.com www.storemags.com & www.fantamag.com www.fantamag.com
table of contents
40 68
48
/.4(%#/6%2 Photo by 1AMES DlMMOCK; stylist, LAUPA DUNCAN at OpusBeauty.com; hair and makeup, ANNAPOSE KEPN; prop stylist, 1AMlE
DEAN lor TheMagnetAgency.com; Location, Smashbox Studios, West Hollywood, CA. Skingralt cropped moto vest; Frankie B. black pants; Tawapa white
leather earring; Hellmuth black leather cull and black ring. Above, on Kat: MarcoMarco dress; Amrapali snake bracelet; Hellmuth ring; her own black bracelet. 2 | ).+%$-!'#/-
www.storemags.com ww www. w.st stor orem emag ags. s. s. s.co co co co co co co co co com m m m m m & & & & & & & & & & www.fantamag.com ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww www. w. w. w. w. w.fa fa fa fa fa fant nt ntam am am am am am am am am am am am am am am am am am am am am amag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag.c .c .c .c .c .c .c .c .c .c .c .c .c .c .c .c .c .c .c .c .c .c .c .c .c .c .com om om om om om om om om om om om om
table of contents
72 52
79
33
58
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CONTRIBUTINGWRITERS
brad angle, jonah bayer, matt bertz, david diehl,
ky henderson, chauncey hollingsworth, stan horaczek,
cory jones, patrick sullivan, rebecca swanner,
ellen thompson, mary toto, jon wiederhorn
PHOTOGRAPHERS
jon agcioli, katarina branisova, james dimmock,
john dole, gray hamner, horiyuki, ville akseli juurikkala,
jonathon kambouris, marley kate, david kenedy, caleb kuhl,
ari michelson, norrie montgomery, shannon moran,
russ quackenbush, ben ritter, christopher rosales,
luis santana, jack thompson, roman titus, kelly turso
INTERNS
kirsten birmingham, tim eastman, shannon moran,
neli rodriguez, emily shephard
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inked magazine
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prestige lulhllment
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CREATIVEDIRECTOR
EDITOR
PHOTOEDITOR
PRODUCTIONMANAGER
CONTRIBUTINGEDITOR
CONTRIBUTINGFASHIONDIRECTOR
CONTRIBUTINGMARKETEDITOR
todd weinberger
jason buhrmester
joshua clutter
justin solitrin
jenniler goldstein
risa knight
julie chen
www.storemags.com ww www. w. w. w.st st stor oremags.co co co co co co co co com & www.fantamag.com www.fantamag.com
www.storemags.com ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww www. w. w. w. w. w. w. w.st stor orem em em em em em em em em em em em em em em em em em em em em em em em em em em em em em emags.com m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m & & & & www.fantamag.com ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww www. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w.fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fant nt ntam am am amag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag.com
Youve Never Seen Art
Move Like This Before.
GOBEYONDTHEUSUAL
Start Chilled. Finish Responsibly.
TUACA Italian Liqueur, Livorno, Italy. 35% Alc. by Volume.
Imported by Brown-Forman Beverages, Louisville, KY 2010
TUACA Body Art Ball, a
spectacle of painted bodies
in motion. You dont want
to miss it.
Visit www.TUACA.com/bodyartball
for details, tickets and
appearances near you!
Austin, TX
February 1, 2010
Denver, CO.
February 21, 2010
Houston, TX
February 28, 2010
Atlanta, GA
March 7, 2010
St. Louis, MO
March 14, 2010
Dallas, TX
March 22, 2010
Oklahoma City, OK
March 28, 2010
Washington, DC
April 6, 2010
contributors
A taxidermy woll, an albino squirrel, and a
lamb all made appearances at this month's
shoot with Kat von D, courtesy ol the collection
ol the ,! )NK queen hersell. "lt was all rather
civilized," says photographer James Dimmock.
"Kat was an absolute sweetheart." No stranger
to tattoos, Dimmock recently completed a lull
sleeve ol a dragon and an angel that extends
lrom his neck to his wrist. "l wanted a European
dragon, which was quite hard to hnd. l worked
with a great guy, Erick Diaz at Asylum Studios
in Williamsburg, Brooklyn." Dimmock's work
appears in '1, %SQUIRE, 2OLLING 3TONE, %30.,
%NTERTAINMENT7EEKLY, and others.
We sent L.A. photographer Russ Quackenbush to hang with
Chiel Marcel Melanson and the Compton Fire Department
(page ?2), and luckily nothing burned down. That doesn't mean
Ouackenbush is ready to hang up his camera and pick up a hre
hose. "Since l was 16, l knew l wanted to be a photographer. ll l
had to choose another career, l'd have to say something in industrial
design or landscaping." We're still working on getting Ouackenbush
tattooed. "l don't have any tattoos at the moment, but l hnd mysell
inching closer and closer to the needle," he says. "My lather and
all his bike club lriends had plenty ol tattoos, so it's not something
l haven't seen belore." Ouackenbush's work has appeared in &AST
#OMPANY, $ETAILS, -ENS*OURNAL, 2AY'UN, and others.
When it comes to uncovering the story behind the
celebrity, writer Rebecca Swanner is our go-to woman.
Her previous cover stories, leaturing Pink, Brody Dalle, and
Chester Bennington, have revealed a side ol them the public
usually doesn't see. This month, we sent her to hang with
Kat von D and talk ,! )NK, tattooing, lame, and more. "Kat
maintains a surprisingly sweet, down-to-earth presence and
is genuinely more interested in the arts she pursues than mak-
ing headlines," Swanner reports. When she's not writing lor
lNKED, Swanner stays busy writing poetry and maintaining
her Etsy boutique, Secret Marmalade, which leatures her
hand-knit items. And while she still doesn't have any tattoos,
she's hnally settled on a design. lt's a step!
This month's lashion shoot (page 58) at the Ace Hotel in NYC
could have easily turned into a drunken bash. "lt was dehnitely
one ol the more lun shoots l've had," says photographer Marley Kate.
"The Ace hotel was insane. Mix that with a bunch ol models, a 1ger-
meister machine, minibar, and poker set, and we had a pretty amazing
time." Kate got her hrst tattoo at age 16, a blue rose with three stars
and a hummingbird. "Everyone thinks it's a turtle. lt kind ol sucks, but
also makes me laugh at how random it is." Kate has several other tat-
toos, including card suits on her wrist, "So Classy" inside her lip, and a
heart on her middle hnger. "They are all pretty small, like little charms;
most ol them look like jail tattoos." Her work appears in .YLON, .YLON
*APAN, 6IBE, #OMPLEX, .EW9ORK4IMES-AGAZINE, and others.
www.storemags.com ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww www. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w.st st st st st st st st st st st st st st st st st st st st st st st st st st st st stor or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or orem emags.com & www.fantamag.com ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww www. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w.fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fant nt nt nt nt nt nt nt nt nt nt nt nt nt nt nt nt nt nt nt nt nt nt nt nt ntam am am am am am am am am am am am am am am am am am am amag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag.c .c .c .c .c .c .c .c .c .com om om om om om om om om om om om om om om
Our idea lor this month's issue was simple: Let Kat von D do all ol
the work! The most lamous tattoo artist in the world already juggles
everything lrom her show, ,!)NK, to her shop, High voltage, to book
projects, makeup lines, and more. Surely she could handle being
guest editor and putting together the February issue ol lNKED?
We were right. With one sweep ol her tattooed arm, Kat cleared
our calendar and laid down who she wanted to leature this month,
including bands, artists, tattooers, and other lriends and inhuences
lrom her lile. With her direction, we tracked down rockers HlM
(page 68) and 69 Eyes (page 48) and ,!)NK tattooer Dan Smith's
band, the Dear & Departed (page 36). We interviewed Kore Flatmo
(page ?9), one ol Kat's lavorite tattoo artists, and prohled painter
Kevin Llewellyn (page 26) and Brazilian tattoo artist Camila Pocha
(page 28), a new addition to the High voltage stall. Then we talked
to Kat (page 40) about lile, tattooing, ,!)NK, and handling the high
pressure ol lame-especially when some magazine in NYC dumps
their entire issue on you!
Hail to the chiel!
1ason Buhrmester
Editor
letter
KAT VON D
APPROVED!
To make sure you dont miss
the hard work Kat put into this
issue, we labeled the features
she picked with this icon.
Kat von D, last seen here writing her Editor's Letter. ll seen, notily us immediately.
10 | ).+%$-!'#/-
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0I5PLAY UN1IL 0L0LMBLP 15, 2009
0ut of the ashes
and stIII burnIng
CHESTER
BENNIN0T0N
PL0S:
1lm Poth
Atreyu
0ne tattooed
mayor's rescue
mlsslon
And more!
C0LT0RE. STYLE. ART.
maII
PASTPPAIS
First, let me say that l truly enjoy your
magazine. l have eight tattoos, the
most recent being one done by 1or-
dan Poss. l just hnished reading your
article about Braddock, PA, mayor
1ohn Fetterman [November|, and l was
touched. l need to hnd the kind ol pas-
sion that he has. l wanted to say that l
truly admire lNKED lor printing 1ohn's
story, and l hope it brings people to
Braddock. l'm originally lrom Philadel-
phia, and l intend on visiting Braddock
in 1une. l will bring my children in the
hopes that it will inspire them.
TabathaL.Saudet
MInot,ND
TUPNITUP
l had heard some buzz on satel-
lite radio surrounding the release ol
new albums lrom Alice in Chains and
La Coka Nostra. As a big lan back
in the day l was curious, but skepti-
cal. Upon purchasing your magazine
that covered both bands [October|
and reading the articles, l went to
my local music store and purchased
both CDs. (Yes that's right, CDs-
no downloads, rips, or burns. Old
school-style.) The open honesty in
both interviews comes across in both
albums, in their respective genres.
Thanks lor being a link lor some real
shit! Both albums make you want to
jump around, grind it out, sit in an
angry chair, get pissed, and put on
some shitkickers and kick some shit.
AndrewSchroeder
HamIIton,0ntarIo
PPICKUP
l really enjoyed reading the Ami
1ames article [October|. l always saw
him as a rude prick. l liked that he
got to speak his truth and let people
know what was really up with the
show. More power to you, Ami. Good
luck. And lNKED, you are by lar the
best tattoo magazine l have bought
and keep buying. Good job, lNKED.
AIbertMaIdonado
SanDImas,CA
SANDST0PM
My name is Spc. 1ustin Liller, and
l just came across your issue ol
lNKED that had the story on tat-
tooing in lraq [September|, and l
thought it was awesome. My room-
mate and l have been trying to make
our entire open wall one big tattoo
collage and are having trouble hnd-
ing tattoo magazines here in lraq.
l was writing today to ask il you at
lNKED by chance had old issues
that you would be willing to donate
to our ellorts. ll so, thank you.
Spc.JustInLIIIer
CampTajI,Iraq
[FdiIot's noIe. WoIch yout moilbox![
SUSSSTI0NB0X
l just wanted to make a lil' request lor
this amazing person to be consid-
ered lor one ol your issues: Mr. Travis
Barker! l'm a huge lan and a huge lan
ol your magazine. l think he would be
perlect. Much love.
KrIstenPonce
LosAngeIes,CA
[FdiIot's noIe. We'te wotking on iI![
l have a suggestion to do a spot-
light on Lyle Tuttle Tattooing in San
Francisco. Tanja Nixx is amazing. She
bought the shop lrom Lyle a long
time ago.
PeterMarkowIcz
SanFrancIsco,CA
WRITE TO US! Got something to say? Send all letters ol
praise, notes ol complaint, story suggestions, and other comments
to letters_inkedmag.com. All submissions should include the writer's
name and address. Letters may be edited lor clarity, length, and content.
READER OF
THE MONTH
ALXISL0WPY
Manhattan Beach, CA
12 | ).+%$-!'#/-
inked
life
PHOTOBY"%.2)44%2
My First Ink
NAME: Tiffini Truth
OCCUPATION: Model-dancer
HOMETOWN: Calgary, Alberta
My first tattoo was a small,
black fairy on my lower back
that quickly developed into a
back piece. It was done by an
underground tattoo artist. My
favorites are the truth and
faith written on my inner
arms. Those are a reminder
every day of what is most
important to me. Theyve
helped me through some hard
times, and now its all love.I
look at them now and smile
thats when you know you got
a good tattoo.
FEBRUARY 2010\
www.storemags.com ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww www. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w.st st st st st st st st st st stor or or or or or or orem em em em em em em em emag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ags. s. s. s.co co co com m m m m m m & & & www.fantamag.com ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww www. w. w. w. w.fa fa fant nt nt nt nt nt nt ntam am am am am am am am am am am am am am am am am am am am am amag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag.c .c .c .com om om om
EAST COAST TAKEOVER
INKEDLIFE\NEWS
RECORD BREAKER
When Los Angeles tattooer 1eremy Swan decided to break the
Guinness World Pecord lor most tattoos completed in a single day,
he didn't know what he was getting into. "Guinness hadn't updated
the record, so l assumed that Oliver Peck still had it at 415," he
says lrom Broken Art Tattoo, his shop in the Silver Lake neighbor-
hood ol Los Angeles. "l announced on my site that l was going to
try it, and then lound out the real record was 801. l did a backhip!"
Alter some thought, Swan decided to carry on and chose Friday
the 13th ol this past November as the lucky day. "When l started at
midnight, l was lalling behind. l realized two ol the designs took too
long, so l simplihed them on the hy." By day's end, Swan had set
a new record ol 8?5 tattoos. With the lun out ol the way, Swan is
ready to get back to serious tattooing. "l just want to keep accom-
plishing personal artistic goals: tattooing, painting, making music,
writing, being there lor my wile and kids. That's it lor me."
INKED is a damn fine magazine and now
its fine art. Photos from the pages of
this magazine shot by photographer
Warwick Saint recently joined the work
of other world-renowned photogra-
phers at PhotographersLimitedEdition.
com. The Austria-based service offers
prints by photographers such as Timo-
thy White, Rankin, Christian Whitkin, and
Howard Schatz. The site includes six dif-
ferent INKED prints, each $5,800 and a
whopping 40-by-50 inches, big enough to
cover any hole in your living room wall.
Tattoo legend Mister Cartoon is tough to track down, even in his hometown, Los Angeles. Operat-
ing in a private studio with word-ol-mouth clients, most ol those lucky enough to land time in his
chair are celebrities such as Eminem, Mena Suvari, and Beyonce. Now East Coast tattoo lans
will have a rare chance to get tattooed by Cartoon when he takes up a limited residence at Hotel
Marcel (hotelmarcel.com), a boutique hotel in New York City. The hotel will leature Cartoon as the
hrst artist in their new program, MOAP-Marcel Original Art on Potation. Cartoon's residency at
the hotel included two weeks in November and continues with another two weeks in February, cul-
minating with the unveiling ol an art installation designed by Cartoon on a 40-by-20-loot exterior
wall ol the hotel. Even better, hotel guests will be allowed to skip Cartoon's one-year waiting list.
WALL FLOWERS
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14 | ).+%$-!'#/-
$29.95 FOR 10 ISSUES
SUBSCRIBE ONLINE
AT INKEDMAG.COM
ORDER TOLL FREE
AT 888.465.3305
GET
INKED!
S
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GIN CITY
You might not know it, but you are living in the second
coming ol the cocktail. Go to almost any bar and you'll see
things on the menu that you've never heard ol (macerated
pear, anyone?) mixed with other things you've never heard
ol (tangerine shards?). All this macerating and sharding ol
perlectly good ingredients is an attempt to put a modern
culinary stamp on the classic cocktail. But we wouldn't be
where we are today without gin.
Back in the day, the juniper-havored spirit was the
hrst-choice ingredient lor pioneering and creative bar-
keeps who saw it as the only "pure" base to use when
mixing drinks. And, thanklully, gin is keeping up with the
times. "A couple years ago l would have said that mostly
older patrons were drinking gin," says Nashia Tanner, a
bartender at Philadelphia's Pub & Kitchen. "But now, with
the cralt cocktail scene booming, l see a lot more young
people getting started with gin-based classic cocktails."
But what il you hate gin? Although the pine tree havor
and lack ol high-end options have been known to rub a
lew drinkers the wrong way, there are now more options
and havors to choose lrom. "l'm seeing a lot more mom-
and-pop gin makers that are producing really high-quality
gins," says Tanner. So instead ol opting lor another boring
old gin and tonic, why not venture out and try something
new? "ll your bartender has blood orange bitters, you have
to try a Negroni. lt's just so, so good!" -#ORY*ONES
Classic cocktails are coming back, and gin is leading the way.
INKEDLIFE\DRINK
Salty Dog
Made with 4 ounces grapelruit juice,
2 ounces gin, a salted rim, and a lime
wedge to garnish, this relreshing gin
cocktail should overtake Wheaties as
the new breaklast ol champions. Start
your day oll with one or two ol these
and you're a winner in our book.
Negroni
People either love or hate this concoc-
tion made with equal parts sweet ver-
mouth, Campari, and gin and served
with a lemon twist. ll you love it, con-
gratulations. ll you hate it, you may
want to go back to drinking school.
Gin Rickey
This cool, dry drink was invented by
Civil War vet Colonel 1oe Pickey-
who was a drinker, not a hghter
(apparently). 1ust pour 1.5 ounces
gin into a tall glass with a lew ice
cubes. Squeeze in hall a lime, hll it
to the top with soda, and live to hght
another day.
Martini
You already know this classic cocktail,
but don't be looled by bastardized ver-
sions that involve vodka or limoncello
(simply putting "tini" on the end ol a
cocktail name does not make it a mar-
tini). The real thing is 2.5 ounces gin
and a hall ounce ol dry vermouth gar-
nished with a lemon twist or olives.
Bartender Nashia
Tanner's advice
for a bad day?
Gin and bear it.
photo by KELLY TUPSO 16 | INKEDMAG.COM
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SOUND ADVICE
INKEDLIFE\PLAY
MOTION CITY SOUNDTRACK
My Dinosaur Life
[Columbia Records]
ll -Y $INOSAUR ,IFE has a theme it's
about a breakup and whether Motion
City Soundtrack singer 1ustin Pierre
really wants to care about it. On opener
"Worker Bee"-a blast ol Blink-182
rills (whose Mark Hoppus produced
this album)-he sings, "lt went lrom no
good to lucked up to over." Later, on
"Her Words Destroyed My Planet," he
shrugs oll the pain, telling an ex, "l hnally
shaved oll my beard/Sold my Xbox to 1immy down the street/l even stopped
smoking weed" while wild synths and guitars back him up. The Weezer-ish "Moth-
erluckers" is a rocker in which Pierre lilts a middle hnger to bullies and warns, "You
need to leave me and my sensitive homeboys alone." You've been warned.
OK GO
Of the Blue Colour of the Sky
[Capitol Records]
Most people know OK Go more lor the
choreographed treadmill work ol their
YouTube sensation video than their actual
music. For the uninitiated: The L.A.-via-
Chicago band build wild disco-jam pop
songs that sound as il The Strokes were
crammed through a Prince hlter. On their
latest, the drums are big, the bass slinky,
and the vocals soaring. Start with "Need-
ing/Getting"; the beat thumps and singer Damian Kulash wails, "lt don't get
much dumber than trying to lorget a girl when you know that you love her"
belore things crumble into a dub jam. "White Knuckles" is a rump-shaker with
hand claps and lunk rills, and "All ls Not Lost" is indie rock ABBA-in a good
way. The big, dreamy "ln the Glass" is a great closer. lt just needs a video.
FUCKED UP
Couple Tracks
[Matador Records]
The career ol Fucked Up has been, well,
lucked up. The Canadian band blew up
the lormula lor hardcore with the album
(IDDEN 7ORLD, played stunt gigs such
as perlorming lor 12 straight hours in
NYC, then released 4HE #HEMISTRY OF
#OMMON ,IFE, a massive wall ol noise
complete with violins. Despite that, this
two-CD collection ol B-sides and alter-
nate versions ol tracks stretching back to
2002 sounds shockingly cohesive. "Neat Parts," a blend ol power pop and
hardcore steam, is built around a beat stolen lrom the Undertones, while tracks
such as the hst-pumping "Generation" and the sentimental "l Hate Summer"
are the closest Fucked Up come to straight-up punk. Damn good.
CRIME IN STEREO
I Was Trying to Describe
You to Someone
[Bridge Nine Records]
We're counting on the writer who coined
GRUNGE and EMO to come up with a word lor
the new breed ol bands like Muse, Dredg,
Brand New, and Crime in Stereo that luse
everything lrom hardcore rills to indie rock
melodies. Pegardless ol the genre's yet-
to-be-determined name, Crime in Stereo
does it well. "Not Dead" marches lorward
on a muddy rill until the chorus erupts into a volley ol grunge-style "hey"s as singer
Kristian Hallbert wails, "l'm not dead but you're losing me." The band's melodic
hardcore roots surlace on "l Am Everything l Am Not," built around twitchy guitar
and a hst-pumping chorus, while Hallbert unleashes a Cobain-like scream on the
explosive, melodic "Type One." Whatever you call it, we like it.
STORY OF THE YEAR
The Constant
[Epitaph Records]
Those who accuse Story ol the Year ol
identity conlusion have the story only
hall right. While the St. Louis band is a
Warped Tour regular and releases albums
on punk label Epitaph, the truth is that
SOTY has more in common with radio
rock bands such as Hoobastank and
Chevelle. That doesn't change on their
lourth album as producer Elvis Baskette
(who also worked with Chevelle) helps SOTY crank out at least a hall dozen
songs that ht perlectly on any modern rock dial. Try "Ten Years Down," with its
perlect rill and huge chorus, or "Holding on to You," a midtempo ballad that
builds lrom a piano rill until singer Dan Marsala wails, "l lound a way to make it
through/Holding on to you." lt's rock radio lodder ol the highest caliber.
VAMPIRE WEEKEND
Contra
[XL Recordings]
On paper, there's nothing likable about
vampire Weekend, a band made up ol
Columbia University students who describe
their sound as "Upper West Side Soweto,"
a relerence to their blend ol preppy indie
rock and Alrobeat. But somewhere in their
xylophone and harpsichord racket and
seeming worship ol Paul Simon's 'RACE
LAND, there is an odd earnestness that
works. Phythms are what drive this band, and they vary lrom Brazilian lunk to
wild dancehall. "Holiday" races around ollbeat ska that breaks into keyboard
hurry, while opener "Horchata," an ode to the Mexican beverage, is built around
tribal drumming and Alrican chanting. All the while, singer Ezra Koenig weaves
his boyish voice through the rhythm. Make it your next guilty pleasure.
18 | ).+%$-!'#/-
INKEDLIFE\GROOM
When the back piece hnally heals, celebrate with a massage. Lots ol gyms and spas are ollering shorter
services lor a discounted price (thank you, recession!), but the "l'll do you il you do me" approach also works
well around a certain February holiday. To begin, "turn oll your phone, hnd a warm, quiet place, and turn on
some relaxing music," suggests Christine Sage 1ohnson, director ol the Ocean Spa at Loews Santa Monica
Beach Hotel. Next, you'll need some lubricant. Check out the options we lound at right, or-il you don't mind
smelling like a salad-just use the olive oil lrom your kitchen, suggests 1ohnson. Pub the oil between your
hands, then start on your partner with one ol the simplest techniques, called EFlEURAGE. "Glide your hands
along the back in long, smooth strokes, lollowing the contours ol the muscles. Keep repeating, varying your
pressure and speed," 1ohnson says. Obviously, the longer the massage the better, but aim to give lor at
least 15 minutes belore you ask to receive. And lor those ol you who can't hnd a giver, there's no shame in
mechanical assistance; see right lor two options we like. *ENNIFER'OLDSTEIN
HoMedics Quad Extreme Massager
Handheld massagers are great lor locusing on
sore spots, says 1ohnson. And the compact shape
ol this rechargeable handheld option (S15;
homedics.com) makes it easy to use on your own
shoulders-or those ol your partner.
Melvita Kinsis Massage Oil
Since you want just a little slip, not lrat party en-
tertainment, this organic oil (S32, usa.melvita.com)
comes in a spray bottle that makes it impossible
to overlubricate. Plus, it has lavender, which helps
with relaxation, according to 1ohnson.
Human Touch iJoy 2580 Massage Chair
"Nothing can replicate the healing touch ol hands,"
says 1ohnson. But with three built-in massage pro-
grams and the ability to replicate rolling, kneading,
compression, and percussion, this powerlul chair
(S?99; amazon.com) comes pretty close. SMOOTH MOVES
The trick to getting a massage is knowing how to give one.
Cowshed Horny Cow Massage Oil
ll you're hoping to get lucky, this slippery stull
(S28; conradusa.com) is way classier than the
"warming oil" in the neon package next to the con-
doms. lt has rose, patchouli, and cinnamon oils-
all ol which are said to increase arousal.
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!MEDIEVALRITE
OFPASSAGE
photo by GPAY HAMNEP 20 | ).+%$-!'#/-
www.storemags.com www.storemags. s. s. s.co co co co co co co co co co co com m & www.fantamag.com www.fa fant nt nt nt nt nt nt nt nt nt nt nt nt nt nt nt nt nt ntam am am am amag ag.com
MASS EFFECT 2
Systems: Xbox 360, PC
The original Mass Ellect had everything the 3TAR7ARS prequels didn't: an engag-
ing intergalactic plot, badass protagonists, and universal acclaim lrom lans and
critics alike. The sequel to this mind-blowing action PPG doesn't waste any time
in kicking ass. When human colonies start disappearing lrom outer reaches ol
space, Commander Shepard assembles a new squad to take on the mysterious
organization responsible lor the genocide. lt won't be easy. A sense ol dread
hangs over Shepard's every move, and one wrong decision could cost you an ally,
your ship, or even Shepard's lile. With explosive new weapons, intuitive squad
commands, and a new starship at your command, at least you'll have a hghting
chance. And il you see 1ar 1ar Binks, please kill on sight. --ATT"ERTZ
GAME ON
BIOSHOCK 2
Systems: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC
Peal estate in Papture must be at an all-time low. Ten years alter Andrew
Pyan's empire ol individualism was disrupted, a new hgurehead has taken over
the underwater city. With an ex-priest rallying deranged citizens to the new
leader's cause and an army ol Big Sisters enlorcing a rigid view ol humanity,
each player becomes a rogue Big Daddy who must extinguish the movement.
Armed with a big luck-oll drill, superpowered plasmids that harvest the energy
ol the elements, and a rivet gun, your lumbering hero has the mettle to match
the lightning-last strikes ol the relentless Big Sisters. Once your menacing
monstrosity sets the world right, jump back in time with the BioShock 2 multi-
player, a series ol death matches that take place during the lall ol Papture.
DARK VOID
Systems: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC
Pilot-lor-hire William Grey should have known better than to hy across the Ber-
muda Triangle. His plane inevitably goes down over the legendary trouble spot,
and he's teleported to a parallel dimension dominated by an alien race known as
the Watchers. 1oining other human survivors, Grey must hnd a way back to Earth
while lending oll attacks lrom his oppressors. His prelerred method ol warlare?
1etpack. With rockets strapped to his back courtesy ol Nikola Tesla (don't ask),
Grey takes the hght directly to his technologically superior enemies, scaling aerial
lortresses, jacking UFOs, and blasting oll to salety when gun battles go wrong.
Dark void's unique vertical combat takes getting used to, but once you master
the jetpack, the high-octane combat unleashes your inner Pocketeer.
INKEDLIFE\PLAY
ARMY OF TWO: THE 40TH DAY
Systems: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PSP
Here's the setup: Two steroid-shooting, joke-spewing mercenaries are in Shang-
hai lor a routine mission. When the city comes under siege lrom a rival private
military contractor, the cocky duo ditch the bravado and prepare lor the worst.
Escaping the chaotic disaster zone won't be easy, with buildings collapsing
around them, panicked civilians running lor their lives, and a hail ol gunhre that
makes Alghanistan look like Club Med. Working in tandem, players must coordi-
nate attacks, avoid shooting bystanders, and make tough moral decisions as they
battle through the ravaged ruins. With the spoils ol war, players can hne-tune their
weapons with scopes, barrels, grenade launcher attachments, bigger clips, and
even decorative paint jobs. Finally, a zebra-striped AK-4? to match your tattoo.
22 | ).+%$-!'#/-
INKEDLIFE\SPEND
PHONE HOME
Phone calls just don't cut it anymore. We need smartphones that can tackle
e-mail, Twitter, and Facebook, play music, plus hnd us a place to drink and help
us get home alterward. Sony's Xperia X10 smartphone (about S800) uses a
variation ol the Google Android operating system to sync everything lrom your
Gmail and Google Calendar accounts and access applications such as Google
Maps. The device also includes an 8-megapixel camera, 4-inch touch display,
Wi-Fi, 3G, and GPS. We aren't sure, but we think it also makes phone calls.
TOY
STORY
At some point your body will be a
used-up canvas ol tattoos without
an inch ol space lelt lor ink. Pather
than kidnap someone else to use,
transler that art love to a Munny
by Kid Pobot (S10, kidrobot.com).
Artists everywhere paint and draw
on the 4-inch blank plastic toys
(tattooer 1ulie Becker did the Trik-
ky, right, and 1osh Woods the Bub,
lar right) and even get together lor
a three-day Munnyworld conven-
tion. ln addition to Trikky and Bub,
the latest additions to the Munny
lamily include Pally and Pooz,
animal-like critters begging to be
redesigned. Give Pooz the knuckle
rocker you always wanted.
Maybe it's the memories ol past
sessions, but we can't pitch old
skate decks in the trash. Neither can
the designers at Deckstool (deck-
stool.com), a company that makes
stools lrom old decks. Choose a
premade stool (S199), or send
them your shredded decks and
they'll build a custom stool (S1?9).
They're a perlect place lor parking
your ass while your ankle heals.
SIT
ON IT
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24 | ).+%$-!'#/-
badcockapparel.com
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INKEDLIFE\VIEW
lt's 6:30 p.m. in Los Angeles, and Kevin Llewellyn is apologizing lor his
morning voice. ll his math is correct, the realist painter has gotten roughly 24
hours ol sleep over the past three days-but they've been strange hours at
best, accumulated sporadically, in hts and starts.
"lt's crazy. l've been painting [Nikki Sixx ol Mtley Crue| almost every single
second l've been awake," Llewellyn explains, clearing what's lelt ol the morn-
ing voice lrom his throat. "lt's an old master portrait," he continues between
coughs. "You know, like a van Dyck."
Except Llewellyn's oil painting ol the bassist standing shirtless in a dark
coat with lapels made ol raven wings isn't exactly the type ol subject matter Sir
Anthony van Dyck was working with as a 1?th-century court painter.
But that's Llewellyn's style. While other realists stick to bowls ol lruit, he's
all about portraying modern raw elements (conjoined letus skulls and pierced,
weathered strippers) through the rehned and elegant brushwork ol the old mas-
ters. "Yeah, it seems like the realists today don't paint things like a naked girl
with her legs behind her head or the virgin Mary crying blood," Llewellyn says.
"Well, there are a lot ol realists who paint the virgin Mary-but not like that."
Most realists also don't live a lilestyle that ollers such muses. Sure, Llewellyn is
into timeless techniques, reading art history books, and dropping into museums
to study the classics in person. "But at the same time, l love things like punk rock
shows, strippers, and all the crazy shit that goes with it," he says, trailing oll into a
boyish laugh. "That whole punk rock lilestyle and the whole old masters, baroque
thing have been so ingrained in me that l didn't really have a choice about it."
For Llewellyn, while the artist lilestyle has come with an immortality obsession
and dream ol living on like van Dyck, the punk rock lilestyle has come with a
penchant lor tattoos. "Like right now, l don't care about lame or being known-
it's all about making a body ol work that will last lor hundreds ol years. And l
think that's the same thing with all my tattoos," explains Llewellyn, who has work
lrom Shawn Barber, Henry Lewis, and others. "l get all these skulls-you know,
stull that reminds me ol my mortality and that l'm not going to live lorever. But
through the art your soul goes into every single piece. So in that way, the tattoos
are just another reminder ol: Paint your ass oll." -%LLEN4HOMPSON
GET REAL
Los Angeles painter Kevin Llewellyns
work is a study in punk rock realism.
KAT VON D
APPROVED!
CIockwise from far Ieft: 4HE3EVERED
(ANDSOF.IKKI3IXX, coIIection of Nikki
Sixx; Kevin LIeweIIyn; "LACK0OINSETTIA,
coIIection of Kat Von D; 6ICTORIA
(YNDMANOF!MSTERDAM, coIIection of
Mr. and Mrs. Eric and NicoIe Schmidt.
26 | INKEDMAG.COM
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INKEDLIFE\GO
BEST GALLERY FOR LOCAL ART
Pocha catches up with Sao Paulo's latest street artists-and her lriends-
behind Choque Cultural's doors (choquecultural.com.br, Pua 1oao Moura
99?). The gallery, which has become a stomping ground ol sorts lor the
city's next generation ol gralhti, tattoo, graphic design, and illustration art-
ists, is littered with sculptures, portraits, and other lorms ol mixed media.
ll you want to see where Sao Paulo's art scene is heading, just check out
Chivitz's gralhti. He luses street lile and skate culture with cubism in the
lorm ol charming caricatures. And Pocha can't help but talk up the work
ol Yumi, who does some wild stull with plastic.
BEST LOCAL DRINK
"Sao Paulo is lamous lor being
a gastronomic city, there is no
mistake!" Pocha says. "Almost
everywhere, you can hnd good
places with good drink options
and dillerent Brazilian tastes. But
l need to say, il you go to Brazil
you must try a caipirinha." lt won't
be hard to hnd the drink, made
with a lermented sugarcane
liquor (CACHAA), sugar, and
lemon, since it's Brazil's national
cocktail. "lt's awesome!"
BEST SPOT TO SEE IT ALL
Even though locals will argue
that 46-story Edihcio ltalia (Av.
lpiranga 344) is the tallest build-
ing in Sao Paulo, it's actually
the second, behind Mirante do
vale. (A lorgivable mistake since
Mirante do vale sits in a valley
and is closed to public visitation.)
But Edihcio ltalia does have "a
great Sao Paulo view," according
to Pocha. "And you can enjoy it
lrom a restaurant [Terrao ltalia|
on the top ol the building!"
BEST TATTOO SHOP
When in Sao Paulo, you can't hit up just
any tattoo shop, and that's why Pocha
olten points lriends in the direction ol
Led's Tattoo (ledstattoo.com.br, Av. lbira-
puera 34?8). "These guys are responsible
lor one ol our biggest international tattoo
conventions in Brazil," she says. "l really
respect Sergio 'Led' Maciel, the shop
owner. He has a big crew ol amazing pro-
lessionals." The artists tattoo everything
lrom traditional to 1apanese styles and
everyone lrom locals to Brazil's celebrities.
BEST DINNER IN A TREE
Beel and a gigantic, 100-year-
old hg tree: those two things
alone can draw anyone into
A Figueira Pubaiyat (rubaiyat.
com.br, Pua Haddock Lobo
1?38), a traditional upscale
restaurant built around the
base ol an enormous hg tree.
But lor Pocha, it's the FEIJOADA
that makes the place. "This dish
was invented in the slave times
and is made in a clay pan," she
says ol the moderately salty,
but not spicy, traditional stew
thick with beans, jerked beel
loin and tongue, sausage,
bacon, and pork ears, tail, and
leet. "They make it with the
highest quality ingredients, and
it is the best recommendation l
can give lor trying FEIJOADA in a
classy restaurant."
DESTINATION:
SO
PAULO
Brazilian tattooer Camila
Rocha gives a guided tour
of Brazils biggest city.
When Sao Paulo tattooer Camila
Rocha relocated to Los Angeles, she
brought a bit ol Brazil with her. Now
stationed at Kat Von Ds High Voltage
Tattoo, Pocha arrived with her tradi-
tional 1apanese tattooing style, some
Sao Paulo charisma, and a solid list ol
tips lor navigating Brazil's biggest, rich-
est, and busiest city. "We have spots lor
lashion, nightlile, rock music, alternative
cinemas, restaurants, and art galleries
lor street artists," says Pocha, her excite-
ment almost as strong as her Brazilian
accent. "Oh, and my lavorite, gralhti
artists." We caught up with Pocha and
asked her to spill on her hometown's
"it" spots, including where to hang out,
where to shop, and where to eat a hne
Brazilian meal in a 100-year-old hg tree.
Yes, we're serious. -%LLEN4HOMPSON
KAT VON D
APPROVED!
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INKEDLIFE\WEAR
KNUCKLE DOWN
photo by 1ONATHON KAMBOUPlS
From top. Poom 101 Sl|ver sma||
and |arge b|ack rhodlum rlngs,
both custom order, room101sl|ver.
com; Good Wood b|ack-and-go|d
two-nger rlng, goodwoodnyc.com;
Spragwerks AK-47 three-nger
rlng, spragwerks.com; Me|ody
Ehsanl The Chaln two-nger rlng,
karma|oop.com; Lazaro Soho two-
nger dagger rlng, 212-219-8494.
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FEBRUARY 2010 | 29
PEAS CORPS
INKEDLIFE\WEAR
C|ockwlse from top |eft.
Stssy gray peacoat, stussy.
com; I.N.C. Cambodla
peacoat, macys.com; C|oth
Loglc Peacoat C|asslc,
tu||e4us.com; Vo|com Ackrlte
coat, vo|com.com.
photo by 1ONATHON KAMBOUPlS
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INKEDLIFE\DRIVE
A lew years ago, il you were asked to name two
things that were NOT synonymous with auto racing,
volkswagen 1ettas and diesel engines wouldn't have
been bad answers. Alter all, 1ettas were sensible
sedans, and diesel engines provided admirable gas
mileage but were in no danger ol being adopted by
NASCAP. Today, however, the volkswagen 1etta
TDl Cup runs races with specialized versions ol the
diesel lour-doors that complete the entire season-it
lasts six months-on about two tanks ol luel.
Enter the limited-edition 1etta TDl Cup Street
Edition. Outside, it looks almost exactly like the
racer, but without the numbers, ad decals, and
dents caused by dickhead competitors. The
chrome lront end is replaced by a sleeker grill and
wide-mouth intakes, while wider side skirts, a ball-
sier rear bumper, and 18-inch wheels complete
the sporty look. A 2.0-liter, 140 horsepower turbo-
charged clean diesel produces 236 lb-lt ol torque,
which is a slight disappointment since the power
plants in the track cars enjoy a 30 horsepower
upgrade. But that doesn't mean the package is
all show and no go; stiller suspension, borrowed
lrom the sporty 1etta GLl, makes cornering a lot
more lun, and the larger brakes make lor quicker
emergency stops when you hnd yoursell rounding
a corner straight toward a preschool playground.
lnside the cabin, lnterlagos bucket seats cradle you
and your passenger up lront, and the leather steer-
ing wheel is mated to paddle shilters on models
equipped with vW's awesome DSG tranny (a six-
speed manual is also available). Go ahead, take 'er
lor a joyride-Ma Nature won't mind.
Also last, and also green, the Fisker Karma is billed
as the world's hrst "luxury plug-in hybrid electric
vehicle." Well . okay, sure! Underneath the hood,
there's a 2.0-liter, 260 horsepower turbocharged
lour-cylinder that runs on standard gasoline. Big
deal, right? Thing is, it doesn't drive the wheels-it
charges the batteries that power the drive train. The
result, according to Fisker, is 408 horsepower and a
space shuttle-like 959 lb-lt ol torque. All lor a killer
6? mpg. But don't pull out the neck brace quite
yet-the Fisker Karma isn't slated to hit the streets
'til next lall. And with the estimated S8?,900 price
tag, it will take the entire salaries ol you and your
roommate to allord one. But tell him to think ol all the
money you'll save on gas! -+Y(ENDERSON
GREEN GETS FUN
Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Street Edition
2.0-liter turbo-diesel lour-cylinder
140 horsepower
S25,000
Fisker Karma
2.0-liter lour-cylinder
260 horsepower
S8?,900
If your local farmers market starts a racing league,
these two cars will rule it.
C|ockwlse from |eft.
Vo|kswagen 1etta
TDI; Flsker Karma;
slde vlew of Flsker
Karma; slde vlew of
Vo|kswagen 1etta TDI.
FEBRUARY 2010 | 31
Hl`klj`e^jg`k
Stop thc frustration of dry pcnctration. Our Iuhcs arc thin, vatcr-hascd gcIs that don`t stick
or stain. AII Out To Sca skin carc products arc frcc of junky nIIcrs and unscy chcnicaIs.
K_XiJ_\9cfnjLip Luhricant
hits storcs in March!
To nnd out norc ahout our
uniquc skin carc Iinc, visit
My husband is always
telling me to get filler,
asking me if Im going
to get sleeves. I dont
really care about that
stuffI just get what I
want. Tara Levitin
inked
people
PHOTOBY*!#+4(/-03/. FEBRUARY 2010\
ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww www. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w.st st st st st st st st stor or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or or orem em em em em em em em em em em em em em em em em em em em em em em em em em em em em em em emag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ags. s. s. s. s. s. s. s. s.co co co co co co co com m m m m m m m m m & & & & & & & & www.fantamag.com ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww www. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w.fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fant nt nt nt nt nt nt nt ntam am am am am amag ag ag ag.c .c .c .c .com om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om
INKEDPEOPLE
Old keys and tiny laucet handles. A pocketknile and a woll tooth. Where
others see antique oddities, Tara Levitin sees jewelry. The rising star designer
behind Leviticus 1ewelry hnds inspiration in anything lrom a book ol water-
colors to music lor an old movie-the stranger the jumble, the better. "l do
stull on a whim," she says. "ll l leel like making this, l'll make this."
Born in Texas, Levitin relocated to Los Angeles, where she received a
degree lrom the Fashion lnstitute ol Design & Merchandising. Alter graduation,
she bounced to New York City and back to Texas, where she began designing
her line ol handmade jewelry, Leviticus-in honor ol Levi, her brother who died
in 2005-as a means ol staying home with her daughter. The company grew
bigger, thanks to lans such as Pachael Pay and Pixie on ,! )NK, and these
days Levitin is locused on building internationally and expanding her online
shop. "l know that people want to touch and try it on belore they buy it. That's
my biggest thing-getting everything out there," she says.
Levitin says her tattoo inspirations and ideas are "almost like my jewelry,
because l'll get an idea or l'll see something l like and l'll think on it. lt's a bit
dillerent with tattoos, though, because l'll make mysell sit and think about it lor
at least hve months belore l get it." Her journey into the sell-expression ol ink
began with her hrst tattoo: two stick hgures based on a Padiohead album logo
done by a "biker guy at a tattoo shop in Houston." Her mother cried. Levitin, on
the other hand, had no regrets-she was hooked. At least 12 more lollowed.
ll Levitin does have a regret when it comes to her ink, it's only that her
lavorite one is on the back ol her arm, which means she can only catch a
glimpse ol it in a mirror. ll she could do it over again, the image ol the vintage
girl in the window would be placed lront and center so Levitin could see it as
olten as she liked. "My husband is always telling me to get hller, asking me il
l'm going to get sleeves," she laughs. "l don't really care about that stull-l just
get what l want." --ARY4OTO
TARA
LEVITIN
photo by 1ACK THOMPSON 34 | ).+%$-!'#/-
From Ieft: Darren Parkinson,
Dan Smith, Cortney Miner,
Iimmy WaIsh.
INKEDPEOPLE
Dan Smith is living two dreams at once. When he's not lronting the New
Wave-inspired rock act The Dear & Departed, he's busy at his other gig as a tat-
tooer at High voltage Tattoo in Los Angeles-a job that's immortalized him on the
reality show ,!)NK. "lt is dilhcult to balance two lull-time jobs, but even though
l'm insanely busy with the show, the songs still manage to get written," Smith
says, adding that his two worlds recently collided when Kat von D came to visit
TD&D in the studio. "The show isn't going to last lorever and it was an opportu-
nity l had to take when it presented itsell," he acknowledges belore adding, "l'm
so lucky to be able to spend my time doing two things that l love."
Smith was originally born in England and bounced around New Zealand and
Australia belore lorming The Dear & Departed in Orange County, CA, in 2006,
out ol the ashes ol his old metalcore act. Although Smith, drummer 1immy
Walsh, and guitarists Darren Parkinson and Cortney Miner have only been a
band lor a relatively short period ol time, they've already toured with everyone
lrom Tiger Army to AFl-despite having more in common musically with artists
like The Cure and The Church. "To be honest, we haven't really ever been
about that southern Calilornia scene, so it's interesting to be thrown into the
mix," Smith says with a laugh when asked what it's like lor the band to perlorm
at lestivals like the vans Warped Tour. "My lavorite stull to listen to are British
bands like The Stone Poses or The Cure."
Those inhuences are clearly present in the band's new EP, #HAPTERS, which
sees them channeling the ghost ol lan Curtis despite the lact that it was pro-
duced by New Found Glory's Chad Gilbert. "l really think these songs are
a much better representation ol who we are than our previous recordings,"
Smith says. From the anthemic pop ol "Tambourine Love" to the brooding bal-
lad "There lor the Taking," #HAPTERS is a breakthrough mix ol Brit rock with
muscle. So is Smith worried that his reality Tv status might allect his band's
credibility? "l don't really see any negative aspects to being on ,!)NK. As lar
as the show goes, l'm just trying to do my best to represent tattooing the way
l think it should be done." -*ONAH"AYER
THE DEAR
& DEPARTED
KAT VON D
APPROVED!
photo by DPEW TPlZlNKSY FEBRUARY 2010 | 3?
INKEDPEOPLE
Southern Calilornia custom car guru Skratch laughs cautiously about the
howing script across the lront ol his Skratch's Garage T-shirt that reads, "l
ain't the best but l'm better than you." Alter a pause he admits, "Well, it's kinda
true." And he makes a damn good case lor it.
Skratch is best known lor his skill as a pin-striper lrom his lour-year stint on
TLC's /VERHAULIN. But unlike most others in the world ol kustom kulture, he
can do just about anything: lrames, suspensions, sheet metal, wiring, painting,
bodywork, welding. "That's where my name comes lrom," he says, "'cause l do
everything lrom scratch."
As a rule, where there are hot rods, there are tattoos. Even pin-striping,
Skratch's specialty, shares similarities to tattooing-lrom its protected
cralt and specialized tools to the act itsell. Skratch grew up in a lamily ol
mechanics but didn't discover pin-striping until later in lile, alter hanging
out with tattooer buddy Oliver Peck at Elm Street Tattoo in Dallas. "l was
down at the shop one day and they started messing around with pin-striping
brushes," he explains. "So l went and bought some brushes and paint and
worked on that instead ol tattoos."
Skratch picked up his hrst tattoo, the iconic logo lor Clay Smith Cams, in the
'90s. Now he's pretty well-covered, and tattooer Sid is hnishing up his back
piece ol a giant Oldsmobile motor. "l don't get that much car stull anymore,"
says Skratch. "lt was all mostly car-related at hrst, and now l have wacky stull,
like an eagle with no head that Oliver did." The rest ol his work comes lrom
Baby Pay, Eric Maaske, Sam Chamberlain, Chad Lambert, Geoll Horn, and
1ens out ol Old Bones in Sweden.
ll it's not obvious yet, Skratch doesn't spend much time in the hrst lew
gears. He has worked with companies such as Tyler Surlboards, Bell Helmets,
Barry Grant carburetors, and Cherry Bomb brand mulhers, and has collabo-
rated with names as wildly dillerent as Poger Miret (Agnostic Front vocalist
and Dirty Devil brand clothing lounder) and Christian Audigier (inlamous Ed
Hardy bedazzler). He's owned a garage since he was 19 and sleeps less than
lour hours a night. All ol this isn't to say that Skratch is the best-but there's a
hell ol a good chance he's better than you. -0ATRICK3ULLIVAN
SKRATCH
photo by 1OHN DOLE 38 | ).+%$-!'#/-
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I AM NOT
OUTSIDE THE GUNMETAL GRAY DOOR OF A NONDESCRIPT NORTH
Hollywood building lies a colorlul doormat and a
kitschy lrog statue, the kind you'd hnd on the lront
porch ol a house in the suburbs. Both read "Wel-
come." This is not the entrance to the Monastery, Kat
von D's private photography studio. Less than two
leet away, there is another door with another door-
mat. This doormat is plain and beige, leaturing large
black letters that simply proclaim: "GO AWAY."
Kat whips around the corner in a convertible black
Bentley with the top down, exclaiming, "l'm so sorry l'm
late!" She was, alter all, running a whole lour minutes
behind. The world-lamous tattooer and star ol TLC's ,!
)NK pulls into the garage, hnishes a Ped Bull, and opens
the side door to her studio. She saunters up the stairs
past walls lined with an array ol religious artwork and
greets Oscar the pit bull at the top. lt's here that the
room opens up to an airy, lour-story lolt with 10-loot
ceilings and giant windows that allow the alternoon light
to hood over statues ol the virgin Mary and images ol
1esus on the cross lining the ledges and bookshelves.
Kat grew up in a religious lamily, but the decor
isn't meant to pay homage to those times. The lamily
belonged to the Seventh-Day Adventists, a religion
that typically shuns ornamentation and jewelry. "l
remember my sister liked rosaries growing up and my
parents were like, 'You can't wear that because it's
idolatry.'" Another area ol the lolt has been sectioned
oll lor her latest passion, portrait photography,
partially ignited when boylriend Nikki Sixx gilted her
a new camera. Alter snagging a cigarette, Kat eases
into a gilded, thronelike chair, and l settle into a plush
victorian sola with Oscar sitting proudly next to us.
She has a hot Hollywood tattoo shop, a hit tele-
vision show, a best-selling book, and a rock star
boyfriend. Now the most famous tattoo artist on the
planet is trying to find herself in all of the madness.
B Y R E B E C C A S W A N N E R
P H O T O S B Y J A M E S D I M M O C K
FEBRUARY 2010 | 41
n photos and on the show, Kat's lea-
tures seem to have an angular, hard
edge. But lace to lace, she's inhnitely
solter. The sharpness lades away, replaced with a
leminine beauty that's just not as apparent on the
small screen-perhaps because ol the way the hlm
crew lights her AC/DC-inspired Hollywood tattoo
studio, High voltage. And the tattoos, which pop in
photographs, blend with her skin in such a way that
you'd think this is how she came out ol the womb.
But in her nearly all-black getup, with a long knit
cover-up, a slinky top that reveals a striped black-
and-white bra, and vinyl pants, she still looks like-
with the exception ol hip-hips-rock royalty. And she
should. Kat owns a successlul tattoo studio in the
heart ol Los Angeles, ,!)NK draws in an average ol
about three million viewers a week, she has tattooed
dozens ol well-known celebrities, written a book that
made the best-seller list, and banked enough cash
to allord a top-ol-the-line car and a house in Hol-
lywood. Not bad lor someone who's just 2?.
ln 1982, when Katherine von Drachenberg was
born, lile wasn't nearly this glamorous. Her parents,
who both hailed lrom Argentina, had relocated to
Mexico so her lather, a doctor, could be closer to
her grandlather, who was teaching medicine there.
The von Drachenbergs were lar lrom rich,
but that didn't matter. "l have to say, my happiest
moments, other than right now, would be that time
in my lile. lt was as simple as it gets." Lile revolved
around lamily and religion instead ol pop culture.
On the weekends, the von Drachenbergs played
the piano, visited grandparents, and sang hymns.
"We didn't have a Tv. l didn't see MTv until l was
16, at a lriend's house." Her grandmother is an oil
painter and a pianist obsessed with Beethoven, and
she inspired Kat to lollow in her creative lootsteps.
Though sometimes she hated it, Katherine and her
older sister, Karoline, practiced the piano lor an hour
or two each day, and she spent most ol her lree time
playing with her siblings and sketching. Even a cur-
sory glance at her early work would reveal she has
a natural talent, but Kat didn't think it would take her
anywhere. "l wanted to become a doctor when l was
little. My dad was my hero and l wanted to be like
him. He would say, 'Why don't you be an artist when
you grow up?' And l would say, 'Dad, that's unreal-
istic. Aside lrom being an architect, there is just no
way you can make a steady career out ol art.'"
When Kat was 4, her parents moved the lamily to
southern Calilornia. "lt was kind ol a huke we were
born in Mexico, because my dad always had the
idea that America was a better place to raise kids."
On the way to their new home, Kat was treated lor
the hrst time to music that wasn't classical or lrom
the church when her lather stopped at a gas station
in the States and purchased cassette tapes leatur-
ing the music ol Dolly Parton, 1ohnny Cash, and
Elton 1ohn. "l remember driving lrom McAllen, Texas,
to Calilornia with my dad translating 'A Boy Named
Sue' to all ol us. My mom, when she came to Amer-
ica, didn't speak any English, and music was one ol
her ways ol learning it." Years later her lather took
42 | ).+%$-!'#/-
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Thomas Wylde dress; Hellmuth ring; Kat's
own bracelet. Previous page: Alexander
McOueen dress, courtesy ol Chic Little
Devil; Dolce & Gabbana shoes; Carrera y
Carrera blue gem gold ring; Amrapali
snake bracelet; Kat's own bracelet.
www.storemags.com ww www. w.st stor orem em emag ag ags.co co co com m m & www.fantamag.com ww www. w. w.fa fantamag ag.com
Thomas Wylde
dress; Hellmuth
black stone ring;
Kat's own spider
ring and bracelet;
Fendi black
platlorm pumps.
www.storemags.com ww ww www. w. w.st st st st st st st st st st st st st stor or or or orem emag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ags.com & & www.fantamag.com ww www. w.fant ntam amag ag.com
her mother to vegas and they ended up meeting Dolly
Parton. "l remember how stoked my mom was because
she said Dolly Parton was so nice to her. That was prob-
ably my hrst experience with understanding the idea
ol lame because we didn't have that growing up. Like,
1esus was lamous, but l wasn't going to meet him."
Fame is not something that sits well with Kat. But
it's something she's had to come to terms with. "l never
wanted to be on 3TAR 3EARCH. l just saw [-IAMI )NK|
as an opportunity to be a good representation ol tat-
tooing." But despite her well-meant intentions, once
she joined the cast, she lound hersell rejected by a
portion ol the tattoo community. "Tattooers dehnitely
have their opinions about me or their perception ol me,
and l lelt that a lot ol that wasn't coming lrom a place
ol love. There's nothing that makes me dillerent other
than my situation, but l had to come to terms with [that
lact that this lile| isn't normal, and lrom this point on
there are just things l can't do like l used to. l try to
separate mysell lrom the tattoo politics. Tattooing is
hard enough, and you don't need other people's egos
allecting your ability to create."
She doesn't only have to deal with her dissenters; she
also has to hgure out how to work ellectively with the
cameras around. "lt's pretty lrustrating. When we're hlm-
ing, everything takes twice as long as it would in real lile."
To capture enough lootage lor one hour-long episode
ol ,!)NK, the hlm crew must hlm lor hve days-usually
lrom 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. A lot ends up on the cutting room
hoor. "Sometimes it's discouraging because l'm doing a
tattoo and the chemistry between me and the client is so
compelling and lor whatever reason, it gets cut. That's
the stull that's out ol my control," she says.
Her lack ol control over the editorial direction ol the
show is one ol the reasons she's angry about the most
recent season, the second hall ol which launches this
month. "l really hate the direction the network decided
lor this season. The last thing l would ever want is lor
people not to take that shit with a grain ol salt. And that's
the thing-people believe whatever they see on Tv. The
network wanted it to be drama-derived, and that was
everything l stood against. l was crying every day, like, 'l
can't believe they edited me saying that. Girls are going
to think that's the right behavior.' l just have to do my
best and, at the end ol the day, whatever happens is out
ol my control. But l still battle with it."
Cue the entrance ol the shop's new manager, the
very blond Aubry (who just happened to be on the sec-
ond season ol 2OCKOF ,OVE), and tattoo artist Paulie,
who moved lrom Brooklyn but never ht in. There's also
the auditioning ol new artists Kat had never met, like
Amy. The tattooers lans see aren't, lor the most part,
the ones who work at High voltage when the show
isn't hlming. But letting go ol two ol her lavorite costars
wasn't something she wanted to do. "They made me
get rid ol Hannah [Aitchison| and Kim [Saigh|. That
was so hard. l told the network, whatever it takes, l'll
do anything. ln the end, Hannah and Kim understood
it was in no way my decision. Unlortunately, you have
the 1on and Kates and all the other attention-seekers
that cause viewers to watch the shows, and that's the
direction they wanted."
I REALLY HATE THE
DIRECTION THE NETWORK
DECIDED FOR THIS SEASON.
THE LAST THING I WOULD
EVER WANT IS FOR PEOPLE
NOT TO TAKE THAT SHIT
WITH A GRAIN OF SALT.
FEBRUARY 2010 | 45
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o stay content when the cameras are going, she keeps
her locus on her tattooing, a passion she discovered at 14
when her lriend Oliver Guthrie asked her to tattoo his leg with
the iconic Mishts skull. "lt was magical. The instant l started tat-
tooing that kid, l was like, this is what l have to do." Guthrie ended up becoming
a tattoo artist himsell, and it wasn't long until Kat got her hrst tattoo, an Old
English style * on her ankle lor her then-boylriend, 1ames. Not long alter, she
ran away lrom home with 1ames, taking a bus all the way to Georgia. The bond
didn't last. Alter a lew months, she moved back to Calilornia, and they drilted
apart. But the tattoo remains. And alter lading out ol Kat's lile 10 years ago with
her wondering il he was still alive, 1ames showed up at the last stop on her book
tour lor (IGH6OLTAGE. "lt was like staring at a ghost. l instantly recognized his
voice. l still leel a lot ol love lor him in those times, but l'm a dillerent person."
1ames isn't the only ex whose name is emblazoned on her body. Over the
years, she's had the names ol many ol her boylriends tattooed on her including
"Orbi," a tribute to her time with Alex Orbison, Poy Orbison's son. With the excep-
tion ol the prohle ol her ex-husband Oliver Peck on her thigh, she's kept them all.
But she didn't laser oll the portrait ol Peck because she harbors any ill will toward
him or because she's upset that he set out to (and did) top her Guinness World
Pecord ol tattooing 400 people in one 24-hour period. "l think Oliver is one ol the
coolest-looking guys l've ever met, and by lar, one ol the most interesting people
l've ever met. But it was a big part ol my leg and it was hard to work around."
At 16, she got a job tattooing at Sin City in San Bernardino. Alter two years
ol learning to tattoo through trial and error, she was able to enjoy a proper
apprenticeship. "lt was so exciting and scary because it was such a ghetto
part ol town-a lot ol crazy activity going on. There was a lot ol rillrall and
drinking and drugs and guns." She was also living with a prostitute. "l met her
at the movie theater and l didn't know, obviously. l didn't have a car and she
lived close to the shop. She exposed her lilestyle to me and it was really sad to
witness because she had two beautilul kids who were already allected by her
addiction to drugs and all that stull."
lt was at Sin City that she acquired the moniker Kat von D. "l would always
write out Katherine von Drachenberg, which l love. But this kid would come
around a lot and he abbreviated it to Kat von D. l always disliked it because
l was a lan ol von Dutch, the painter, and l always associate von D with
von Dutch and l lelt that it was already taken. But it stuck." Alter all, von
Drachenberg is a bit ol a mouthlul, and Kat hersell was sent home in the hrst
grade because she couldn't spell her own last name.
Alter a year and a hall at Sin City, Kat was searching lor something more
serious and scored a job tattooing with Pete Costa at Blue Bird Tattoo in Pasa-
dena. "l got the job by accident because he needed some time oll. He was the
only guy working there. To me, this was like, 'This is L.A.! This is big-time!' But
it was, compared to what l was doing."
lt was there that her tattoo skills greatly improved as she started to under-
stand the dillerence between a good tattoo and a great one. Alter her stint
at Blue Bird, she bounced around, working at a handlul ol other shops until
she landed at Clay Decker's True Tattoo in the center ol Hollywood. This is
where she lortuitously met tattoo artist Chris Garver. The week she started,
Garver was getting ready to leave lor what would become -IAMI)NK. Alter a
lew lun months at True Tattoo, she received a call lrom Garver asking her to
be on the show. At hrst, she lelt welcome, but those leelings soon laded as
Kat butted heads with the shop's owner, Ami 1ames. So when approached
with the opportunity to return to Los Angeles and star in her own series, she
jumped at the chance. And while we don't get to see them onscreen very
olten, she's very proud ol the crew she's put together at the shop: 1ell Ward,
Khoi Nguyen, Nate Fierro, and others who have dubbed themselves "The B
Team." "Those guys are better than me at tattooing in so many ways. l did that
on purpose. l don't want to be a big hsh in little water," Kat says. "We have a
certain amount ol camaraderie that l haven't experienced in any other shop.
. Tattoo shops have camaraderie like a brotherhood. There's this thing that
joins you. l think that's why l loved tattooing so much. l always wanted that
and didn't have it with my lamily as much as l like to think l did."
That camaraderie extends to the lriends, bands, and other clients she tattoos
at High voltage. Pecently, she started giving away some ol her 50 machines
as gilts-bestowing one with a Deutsch Mark to Motrhead's Lemmy Kilmister
and a heartagram machine she used in a music video with HlM to her close
lriend Bam Margera. "l look at each tattoo machine and think about how l've
made thousands ol tattoos with it." Tattoos on such people as Margaret Cho,
1ared Leto, and 1esse Hughes lrom Eagles ol Death Metal.
Alter each ol the tattoos Kat inks, she puts her leather quill pen to paper
and writes about the experience, recording that person's story in her journal.
"A lriend ol mine once asked, 'How do you deal with all the death and heavy
stull?' ll l don't get my thoughts out l carry them with me, and that stull can les-
ter. l went through a really gnarly depression last year learning how to balance
it. The journaling has helped me process a lot ol those thoughts." The world will
get to see some ol these private musings when she publishes a year's worth
ol entries in a second book, scheduled lor release this lall. Kat will personally
select and lootnote the entries and photograph each person.
Ol course, Kat doesn't just give tattoos. One ol the most recent ones she
received was a portrait ol musician and lriend 1ohnette Napolitano, done by
Dan Smith ol High voltage. "l used to drink through my tattoos a lot. l think that
was a major part ol getting this lar. Because now, as a sober person, it's deh-
nitely been a challenge getting tattooed. l suck at it." She drank an entire bottle
ol tequila just belore getting her back tattooed with the words "Mi vida Loca,"
but recommends that people don't drink when they're getting inked. "You're
probably not going to make the best choice il you're under the inhuence ol
something. Aside lrom that, it's really annoying lor the tattooer. lt's hard to do
a straight line when someone is puking on themselves."
And perhaps her most well-known tattoo, the one ol the Hollywood sign writ-
ten in red lipstick, involved another tattoo no-no. "l totally ripped that oll some
cool rocker chick. l was working at True Tattoo and she came in. She was like, 'l
want to get the New York Dolls logo, but instead ol saying New York Dolls, l want
it to say Hollywood.' l'm like, that's a genius idea. l ended up getting it. l never
thought l'd run into her again. But then l did at the Beauty Bar and l'm like, 'Oh,
hey,' with my lucking midrill showing. l'm trying to hide the tattoo, but l'm sure
she's seen it. ll l saw her again, l'd be happy to do it lor her. We can be twinsies."
That tattoo is just one ol the many that will compose the bodysuit she's working
up to completing, minus the chest. "Eye contact is important, and il you've ever
had a conversation with a guy . l think boobs are distracting enough."
But despite all her connections with the glamorous lile and the lact that
she stars in a hit show on television, von D remains a very private person.
She built the Monastery because she wasn't comlortable shooting models
she didn't know at her house. The conversations she most enjoys with her
clients are those that happen oll-camera. And when not at work, she's usu-
ally locusing on one ol her many projects, be it her makeup line with Sephora
(she's involved with everything lrom selecting the color palettes to designing
the product packaging), the documentary she's been hlming about love, death,
and tattooing, the singing lessons she's been taking, or just taking the time to
draw and play Beethoven on her piano.
When she does go out, she prelers to surround hersell with lamily, her boy-
lriend, and her lew close lriends-those who know her by a dillerent name.
"When l hear someone call me Katherine, l know it's probably a lriend or lamily.
lt's weird to say, but l am not Kat von D."
46 | ).+%$-!'#/-
Alexander McOueen dress,
courtesy ol Chic Little Devil;
Marlies Dekkers black panties;
Fendi black platlorm pumps;
Kat's own bracelet.
Hair & Makeup: AnnaPose Kern
Stylist: Laura Duncan
lor OpusBeauty.com
Prop Stylist: 1amie Dean
lor TheMagnetAgency.com
Location: Smashbox Studios
www.storemags.com ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww www. w. w.st st stor or orem em em em em em em em em em em em em em em em em em em em em em em em em em em em em em em em em em em em em em em em emag ag ags.co co co co co co co co co co co co co co co co co co co co co co co co co co co co com m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m & & & & & & www.fantamag.com ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww www. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w.fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fant nt nt nt nt nt nt nt nt nt nt nt nt nt nt nt nt nt nt ntam am am am am am am am am am am am am am am am am am am am am am am am am am am am am am am am am amag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag.c .c .c .c .c .c .c .c .c .c .c .c .c .c .c .c .c .c .c .c .c .c .c .c .c .c .c .c .c .c .c .c .c .c .c .c .c .c .c .c .c .c .c .c .c .c .c .c .com om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om om
DEAD MEN
From Ieft
to right:
Archzie;
Timo-Timo;
Iussi 69;
Iyrki 69;
Bazie.
Photos:
ViIIe AkseIi
IuurikkaIa
N WALKING
VAMPIRE
ROCKERS
69 EYES
WANT TO
INFECT THE
U.S. WITH
THEIR GOTH
N ROLL.
BY
BRAD
ANGLE
"The late '80s were a very magi-
cal time in New York," says 1yrki 69,
the singer lor Finnish gothic rock-
and-rollers 69 Eyes. "There were
clubs like the Limelight, the Pitz, and
CBGB, and l'd see my idols like The
Pamones and 1ohnny Thunders on
the streets." For a period ol six years,
the then-wide-eyed glam rock teen-
ager would save enough money to
make pilgrimages lrom Helsinki to
the Big Apple and soak up as much
ol the Peagan-era rock scene as he
could. These experiences not only
inspired him to lorm 69 Eyes, but also
helped establish the band's aesthetic
and lyrical themes, the latter thanks in
no small part to 1yrki 69's dabbling in
NYC's goth underground.
"People were always telling me,
'You look like a vampire, with your
blue eyes and white skin.' l was even
a member ol the Count Dracula
Society ol New York," 1yrki 69 recalls
with a laugh. "So when we started
the band we naturally explored vam-
pires and horror movie themes."
KAT VON D
APPROVED!
FEBRUARY 2010 | 49
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From Ieft
to right:
Timo-Timo;
Bazie; Iyrki
69; Iussi 69;
Archzie.
\INKEDMAG.COM
Since lorming in 1989, 69 Eyes' sound has evolved lrom the gritty street
glam ol Hanoi Pocks and Guns N' Poses to the Sisters ol Mercy meets '80s
hard rock style lor which they're now known. But 1yrki's lascination with the
undead remains a local point ol their lyrics, as heard on 69 Eyes' latest record,
"ACKIN"LOOD. "With this record l decided to bravely go where no goth-and-
roll guy had gone belore, and make a concept record about vampires," says
1yrki with another laugh.
And his timing couldn't be better. When producer Matt Hyde (Slayer, Monster
Magnet) discovered "ACKIN"LOOD's concept, Hyde couldn't contain his excite-
ment. 1yrki recounts, "Matt said, 'That's great! We have this new movie in the
states called 4WILIGHT, and it seems like they're already promoting you guys!'"
To help give "ACKIN"LOOD's hrst single, "Dead Girls Are Easy," the appropriate
blood-sucking havor, 1yrki enlisted old lriend Bam Margera (who also directed 69
Eyes' diabolical "Lost Boys" video, lrom 2004's $EVILS). "l hrst met Bam about 10
years ago, when [Finnish rock band| HlM was becoming very popular and bring-
ing a lot ol people to Finland," says 1yrki. "Now it seems like every time Bam and l
hang out, we get wasted and talk about him directing a video."
Margera heshed out the "Dead Girls Are Easy" concept with sexy vampire
girls and tattooed lans. A close look at the video will reveal that the extras are
lull ol ink leaturing the 69 Eyes logo and gothic ankh symbol. "They're actual
lans with real tattoos," says 1yrki. "lt's the ultimate sign ol appreciation."
To reward that appreciation and celebrate the release ol "ACKIN"LOOD, the
band held an online contest in which lans submitted photos ol their 69 Eyes
tattoos, which were judged by 1yrki's longtime lriend Kat von D. Coincidentally,
the two were hrst introduced around the same time 1yrki met Margera, thanks
again to HlM singer ville valo.
"Kat was in Finland to see HlM, and that's when l hrst took notice ol this
beautilul tattooed American," says 1yrki. "lt wasn't until later that we became
lriends and l saw her portrait tattoo [work|, which is EXTRAORDINARY."
1yrki's connection to tattoos reaches back to the same late '80s NYC scene
that spawned his musical inspiration. Back then tattooing was still banned
within the city limits. So with the help ol his lriend 1upiter, who had some tattoo
connections (and has since become a tattooer in her own right), 1yrki hopped
a bus to New 1ersey, where the art was legal. When they arrived on the other
side ol the Hudson Piver, 1yrki lollowed 1upiter down a hight ol stairs into the
basement shop ol now-legendary tattooer (and current proprietor ol Brook-
lyn's Flyrite Studios) Elio Espana.
"lt was very exciting," says 1yrki. "He put on Led Zeppelin's (OUSESOFTHE
(OLY, which brought even more mystique to an already spiritual experience."
For his hrst tattoo, 1yrki wanted something discreet and "romantic-that a
girl would discover il she was lucky enough," he says with a laugh. So 1yrki
had Espana sketch a small, lull-color 3-D heart, which he tattooed on the right
cheek ol the singer's butt.
To this day, that "glammy valentine" has been his sole tattoo, a lact that may
soon change il Kat von D gets her hands on 1yrki's backside.
"When we were in L.A. recording "ACKIN"LOOD, l talked with Kat about updat-
ing my heart," says 1yrki. "The schedules haven't worked yet, but she promised to
do it. lt'll be cool . but maybe l should ask Elio il he approves hrst!"
PEOPLE WERE ALWAYS TELLING
ME, YOU LOOK LIKE A VAMPIRE,
WITH YOUR BLUE EYES AND WHITE
SKIN. I WAS EVEN A MEMBER
OF THE COUNT DRACULA SOCIETY
OF NEW YORK. JYRKI 69
FEBRUARY 2010 | 51
SAMANTHA HUMPHREYS
ll you're not down to work hard and play hard, then
Samantha Humphreys can't be bothered. "That's just
the way l've always lived my lile," says the 26-year-
old Los Angeles-based graphic designer who has
recently broken into the movie industry. "lt's always
been about pouring mysell into something, like a hlm
project, lor, like, lour months or so, and then being
able to balance it with something lun," she explains.
Most recently, Humphreys has been working in
the art department on the movie 3PIDER-AN. And
as soon as the project wraps up, she'll be back to
playing hard. "lt's lunny, though, because when l
say PLAY HARD, people usually go right to partying
and alcohol and shit," she says, trailing oll to a gig-
gle. "But l'm actually completely sober. l don't drink
or do drugs or anything like that." lnstead, during
her oll months Humphreys can be lound under the
needle ol artists and lriends such as Nick Baxter
and Nathan Kostechko at Coil Tattoo Gallery in L.A.
and Tim Kern at Tribulation Tattoo in NYC.
"Oh, l couldn't tell you how many tattoos l have,"
she says. "Because how can you really count
them? Like, is a sleeve just one or all the parts?"
However you count them, there's one by
Kostechko on her lelt shoulder that leads into a
lamily-themed sleeve, inspired not only by her ded-
ication to art, but also by her time in lndia studying
Hinduism. The slender, lour-armed body ol Saras-
wati, goddess ol creativity, stands with two heads.
"One head is mine," Humphreys says, "and the
other is my sister's. lt's great because we're so
alike, yet so dillerent. She doesn't have a single
tattoo." -%LLEN4HOMPSON
PHOTOS BY ARI MICHELSON
STYLED BY BORY TAN
52 | ).+%$-!'#/-
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Its always been about pouring
myself into something
and then being able to
balance it with something fun.
\).+%$-!'#/-
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FEBRUARY 2010\
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\).+%$-!'#/-
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MM Couture leather vest;
victoria's Secret underwear;
stylist's own boots. Page 55: H&M
suspenders; victoria's Secret
underwear; stylist's own hat.
Makeup: Amy Chance lor Urban
Decay/CelestineAgency.com
Hair: Christian Marc lor Pene
Furterer/CelestineAgency.com
FEBRUARY 2010 | 5?
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New York Dolls
PHOTOS BY MARLEY KATE
STYLED BY JULIE WILLIAMS
On 1oey, G-Star coat; Converse shirt. On Pead, G-Star
jacket and top; Sue Ellen suede pants; Tracey Tanner
bracelet; Mars and valentine earrings and rings.
FEBRUARY 2010 | 59
Top: On Gabe, Oak pants; S2vS tank; his own belt. On Pead, CaShmere dress; Karen Walker belt; G-Star blazer;
C. viviani necklace (available at The Future Perlect). Bottom: On 1oey, Pochambeau top; Andrew Buckler pants. On
Gabe, Andrew Buckler pants; Digby & lona necklace. On Pobert, Andrew Buckler shirt; Levi's jeans; Keds sneakers.
60 | ).+%$-!'#/-
On 1oey, G-Star pants and jacket; Converse top; Pussian Criminal T-shirt;
Duckie Brown boots. On Gabe, Levi's jacket; Lina Osterman jacket and
jeans; Digby & lona necklace; Duckie Brown boots. On Pobert, Pudel jeans;
BBlessing shirt; Bess vintage jacket; Chris Habana necklace; Keds sneakers.
FEBRUARY 2010 | 61
www.storemags.com www.storemags.com & www.fantamag.com ww www.fa fa fa fa fa fa fant nt nt nt nt nt nt ntam am am am am am amag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag.c .c .c .com om om
On 1oey, G-Star top; Chris Habana necklace; Unconditional
jeans. On Pead, Andrew Buckler top; Sue Ellen pants; C. viviani
necklace (available at The Future Perlect).
62 | ).+%$-!'#/-
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Top: On Gabe, Pochambeau top; Levi's jeans. On Pead, CaShmere dress; Giuseppe Zanotti boots; Chris
Habana necklace. Bottom: Pudel jeans; G-Star belt.
FEBRUARY 2010 | 63
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Top: On Gabe, Levi's jeans; his own belt; Digby & lona necklace. Bottom: On
Pobert, Andrew Buckler shirt; Levi's jeans; Keds sneakers. On Gabe, Andrew
Buckler pants; El Peal top; Billy Peid shoes. On Pead, Daryl K top; Levi's
jeans; Pour La victoire boots; Tracey Tanner culls; Malene Birger bracelet.
64 | ).+%$-!'#/-
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On 1oey, Unconditional jeans; G-Star top; Chris Habana necklace. On Pead, Andrew
Buckler top; Sue Ellen pants; C. viviani necklace (available at The Future Perlect);
Tracey Tanner cull. On Pobert, Pudel 1eans; Keds sneakers; Andrew Buckler top;
his own bracelets. On Gabe, Surlace2Air T-shirt; April ?? jeans; his own shoes.
FEBRUARY 2010 | 65
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ON LOCATION lmagine hitting the best rock clubs, checking out lowbrow artists on display at up-and-coming galleries, and browsing a history museum-all in one night. That's the idea
behind a stay at New York City's Ace Hotel, where these photos were shot. For the museum hx, Ace's historic rooms (the building dates to 1904) are scattered with vintage lurnishings,
custom pieces, and antiques curated by design hrm Poman & Williams. The art comes lrom artists such as Brooklyn-based graphic guru Mike Perry and duo Doug Cunningham and 1ason
Noto, who got their start designing skateboards. There's even a Michael Anderson mural composed ol hundreds ol gralhti stickers in the lobby (check out page 61 lor a glimpse). So where
does the rock 'n' roll come in? Take your pick: the lobby bar that looks like a stage set, the turntables parked next to stacks ol vintage records, or your own iPod (all the rooms have stereo
docks). With all that going on, plus the Breslin Bar and Dining Poom-a carnivore's delight lrom the crew at The Spotted Pig-there's really no reason to take to the streets.
66 | ).+%$-!'#/-
Opposite page: On Gabe, Pudel jeans; Diesel shirt; vans
sneakers; his own belt. On Pead, April ?? jeans; Levi's
tank top; Daryl K blazer; Tracey Tanner cull; Malene Birger
bracelet. On 1oey, Andrew Buckler pants; Diesel hoodie; Billy
Peid shoes. This page: On Gabe, G-Star shirt; April ?? jeans.
On Pobert, Pochambeau top; Levi's jeans; his own bracelets.
-ODELS1oey lor Major Model Management; Gabe lor Ford
Models; Pead lor Muse NYC; Pobert C. Nelson. (AIR 1ordan
Long with Exclusive Artists/Kerastase Paris -AKEUP Erin
Green ,OCATIONAce Hotel
FEBRUARY 2010 | 6?
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INKED: Your band logo, the heartagram, is a
popular tattoo. Where did it come from?
VILLE VALO: l came up with that design on the day
l turned 20. l remember showing it to people and
saying, "Now l hnally got a cool logo lor the band."
lt's ridiculous the amount ol people l've seen it tat-
tooed on over the years. lt's a great honor.
Were you intentionally trying to combine a
symbol of love with one of evil? The irony ol it is
that the pentagram is only the symbol ol the devil in
Christian propaganda and in Hollywood cinema. ll
you search lor the origins ol that symbol, it doesn't
necessarily have to do with any religious lorces.
And l'm not a religious person, so lor me it was
just a combination ol Mtley Crue's 3HOUT AT THE
$EVIL coming together with something like "Let Me
Be Your Teddy Bear" by Elvis Presley-something
overly cheesy and sentimental combining with
something way more macho.
What was your first tattoo? ln 1998, l met a dude
at the Poxy in Helsinki who played in a couple bands.
l didn't even know he was a tattoo artist at hrst. He
did this little heart on my right wrist. That was a test to
see how it would leel and what it was all about.
Obviously you passed the test. That's when l
decided to do my whole lelt arm. l went lrom the
most minimal thing to the biggest thing possible. lt
took months and months to hnish because we were
on tour a lot. Also, every time we got together we
had the tendency to listen to Motrhead and get
drunk. The sessions were short because it's hard
to hold a tattoo gun while totally oll your head.
When did you become friends with Kat Von D?
We were working on [2005's| $ARK ,IGHT, which
we recorded in Silverlake, CA. And l had an idea to
have a big emblem tattooed on my back that would
be the cover ol the album. One ol my mates told
me about Kat and l didn't know her work at all, but
we set up a date at the Painbow. The lunny thing
was, we were sitting next to one another lor 90
minutes belore noticing each other. Neither ol our
cells were working and then l just heard a lriend ol
hers say, "Hey, Kat," and l thought, Oh luck, she's
been sitting here the whole time.
Why didnt Kat tattoo your back for the album?
For some reason Kat and l started working on
another idea, a portrait ol a Finnish author named
Timo Mukka on my arm. Originally, l was going to
dedicate my right arm to all the authors that had
inspired me. But we only got so lar as to do him,
Baudelaire, and Bukowski. And then l got the eyes
VILLE VALO
Q+A
BY JON WIEDERHORN
The HIM singer on getting clean, his new album, Screamworks, hanging
with Kat Von D, and his tip for a good first date. Hint: Bring Bam Margera.
When HIM frontman Ville Valo asked LA Inks Kat Von D to tattoo three hedonistic writers on his
right forearmAmerican author Charles Bukowski, French poet Charles Baudelaire, and Finnish novel-
ist Timo K. Mukkathe characters were supposed to represent role models for Valos own decadent
lifestyle. Between 1997 and 2007, the Finnish singer had spent only about two weeks sober, and while
his drinking didnt impair his creativity or productivity, it certainly decimated his health. In September
2007, when HIM finished mixing the brooding, metallic Venus Doom album, Valo was at deaths door.
I went to a doctor who said I was going to have heart failure if I didnt stop drinking and that I
should go into an emergency room right awayto which I replied, That sounds great, but I dont have
the time because Ive got interviews to do, Valo says.
Soon after, the singer did check into a celebrity rehab center in Malibu, CA. And to the shock of many,
he completely sobered up. Hes been clean now for two and a half years, and today the hedonists on his
arm are a reminder of how low hes liable to sink again if hes not careful. But while getting sober has
greatly improved his physical health, its come at a price. Not going to bars has left him with nowhere
else to go, and being unable to dull his emotional pain with alcohol has made him feel anxious, depressed,
and vulnerable. These emotions are evident in abundance on HIMs new album, Screamworks: Love in
Theory and Practice, a bittersweet disc that shivers with melancholy and clamors for redemption.
Catchier and more sonically eclectic than Venus Doom, songs like Shatter Me With Hope and Ode
to Solitude are still loud, rife with buzzing power-chord volleys, cutting guitar lines, and granite-solid
beats. But much of the music is woven with darkwave keyboards, layered guitar, and piercing pop
hooks. And while Valo still mopes and screams like a cross between a depressed goth and a teary emo
brat, his vocals are generally as infectiously tuneful as Depeche Modes Dave Gahan.
The evening after his 33rd birthday, the clearheaded vocalist picked up the phone at his home in
Helsinki to talk with INKED about his history with tattoos, the creation of Screamworks, why he almost
drank himself to an early grave, and how he still smiles at funerals.
KAT VON D
APPROVED!
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FEBRUARY 2010 | 69
ol Edgar Allan Poe on my back. Kat did one and her
ex-husband, Oliver [Peck|, did the other one.
Do you and Kat see each other often? We
recorded the new record in Los Angeles, so l got to
hang out with her a couple times, but she's a busy
woman and a workaholic like me, so whenever we
have the chance to hang out, l don't want to make
her work. lt's been about a year since she's done
ink on my skin. There's a picture ol Klaus Kinski
sucking his thumb with a naked chick that she did
on the lelt side ol my navel. He's one ol my lavorite
actors and one ol those egomaniac lunatics that
l admire. And then she also did a portrait on my
breast ol Maya Deren, a '40s surrealist hlmmaker.
What do you think will be your next tattoo? l
think it depends who's doing it. l've always said to
Kat that l'm her canvas. We've got a list ol ideas-we
just need to hnd the time. But l'm not in a rush. l've
got plenty ol ink in my skin, and l think my main goal
and mission is to one day do my legs mysell.
Are you any good at tattooing? No, l'm shit. But
no one's gonna see my legs anyways, so l can just
doodle on them. l was just thinking ol writing my
lavorite lyrics on them so whenever l'm taking a
poop l can read some [Arthur Pimbaud| or some-
thing. The thing is, when l was drinking l never had
the courage to get mysell the equipment. l was
always alraid l'd wake up with something ridiculous
like the word "pussy" on my lace the morning alter
a party. And that would hurt like hell to remove.
Have you had any tattoos removed? One
drunken night back in the day, l had my then-
hancee's hrst initial tattooed on my ring hnger. l
later removed it with cigarettes by using my hnger
as an ashtray lor a while. We were on tour and it
got inlected really easily, but it's nearly gone.
Screamworks is much poppier than Venus
Doom. l think ol it as a cathartic scream ol
creation-being laid bare and completely honest
without being alraid what people might say about
you. l wanted the album to have the similar uplilting
melancholy ol Depeche Mode. The songs are kind
ol bittersweet and sad, but they're still something
you want to party to and dance to. And production-
wise, l wanted to hnd the sweet spot in between
Depeche Mode and Guns N' Poses or The Cult.
A lot of the lyrics are about tragic relation-
ships. Have you given up on love? l think l'm
between relationships in the sense that l'm sincerely
hoping there will be one someday. So let's say l'm
hopelul every hve minutes, then l lose hope and l
have to pick up a guitar and write a song. Then l'm
maybe hopelul again lor the next hve minutes.
At least as a single guy you dont have to feel
guilty about scoring goth groupies. l've never
been into one-night stands because they're way
too much ol a hassle. l don't hnd it to be worth-
while lor anybody just to go in a pub and pick up
somebody, go somewhere, do the dirty deed, and
then tell somebody to luck oll. l don't leel that to
be sensitive; l don't leel that to be rock 'n' roll. l
just leel it's really disrespectlul towards everybody
involved. l've yet to experience a good one-night
stand, but maybe l've just had bad ones.
If youre not hitting bars or picking up women,
what do you do with your spare time? What
spare time? l've turned lrom an alcoholic into a
workaholic, and l've been concentrating so hard on
writing music that it's hard lor me to do anything else.
l haven't read anything in about a year, and when l
try to mellow out and watch a hlm l can only watch
it in hve-minute spurts because l have to pick up the
guitar. l'm a moody lucker and l'm not comlortable
in my skin, so il l don't work and get a new song
done, l leel like l ain't worth shit. l validate mysell with
music, and whenever l write something new it gives
me purpose and an excuse to exist. So whenever l
have writer's block, l'm always hell to be around.
Did being sober change the way you
approached the music for Screamworks? l
think so. l was coming out ol a very dark spot and
trying to learn to live again, but without alcohol,
which is really dilhcult because suddenly you're
not numb and you leel everything. You're like a raw,
open nerve. l saw a bit ol a glimpse ol hope ol a
better tomorrow and tried to write about that. The
whole vibe ol the album is lairly tragic in a positive
sense. lt's about me understanding that there is a
light at the end ol the tunnel, but not being quite
sure whether it's an oncoming train or not.
How did your drinking get so out of control?
l tend to be a rather excessive person, so l just
wanted to see how lar l could go, and how method-
ical l could be in my insanity to try to reach new
levels ol leeling like shit. l had the stress ol working
on an album and l had a relationship that was lalling
apart at the same time 5,000 miles away, so l sell-
medicated to the point where my only sustenance
was alcohol. l had to wake up in the middle ol the
night and drink a six-pack ol Pabst or Stella Artois
just to be able to sleep the next two hours, and
then l'd be shitting and vomiting blood and trying to
work at the same time.
What made you finally decide to get help?
l was just ashamed ol mysell because l was
doing all the things Ozzy Osbourne was probably
doing-passing out at the table during important
record company dinners. l just realized that music
means more to me than a bottle ol beer. lt was a
crazy time, but l think it's very important lor any sell-
respecting rock 'n' roller to be able to experience
shitting blood. lt's very character-building.
Did you ever feel suicidal? When you are in the
throes ol liquor, you are being suicidal. As Ozzy
said [in "Suicide Solution"|, "Suicide is slow with
liquor." And l think smoking as many cigarettes as l
did is kind ol premeditated, conscious, very stupid,
slow suicide, in essence. l've had sell-destructive
thoughts as well, but that's the classic Nietzsche
thing where thoughts ol suicide help you through
many a sleepless night. l think everybody at some
point in their lives thinks about how the world would
be when they're gone. But l'm still here, and l think,
just out ol spite towards lile, l don't want to go. lt's
gotta be lile that takes me away, not me.
Many people who become sober find God
in the process. Are you still an atheist? As
much as l've always been. ln America there are
very, very lew rehabs that are not alhliated with
the 12-step program, which is basically religious.
lt holds up to Christian values, and the steps are
that you have to believe in a power higher than
yoursell. And you say the serenity prayer. l always
said, "Ozzy, give me the serenity" to do this and
that instead ol "God." But l never went to the
A.A. stull alter l came out ol the prison l was in.
The Malibu experience was invigorating, but l still
don't leel that any part ol me is willing to accept
any ol those scriptures that have only caused a lot
ol pain and sullering in so many people's lives and
99 percent ol all the wars.
In times of tragedy, isnt it hard to make
sense of life when you dont believe in any-
thing? No, because lor me, death is a celebration
ol a lile hopelully well lived. l'm the guy at lunerals
who smiles and remembers the good things. When
my grandma died and people at the luneral were
weeping, l smelled the pancakes she used to make
and the cigarettes she used to smoke and l heard
the sound ol her hip-hops on the hoor.
Do you have any vices left? Smoking. l've been
trying to cut down lor a long time, but it just doesn't
seem to work. l'm so stressed out l smoke three
packs ol Marlboro Lights a day, but now l only smoke
one-quarter ol a cigarette. A couple pulls and it's
gone, which is an incredible waste ol good tobacco.
Give us one crazy story about hanging out
with Bam Margera. There are so many to men-
tion, but they all include illegal stull. l remember
in 2002 l was seeing a lady who was based in
New York. One day l hew in to see her, and when
l got to the airport l called Bam, and he said they
were having a big party at their house. So he
rented me a limo to pick me up at this girl's apart-
ment in New York and drive us over to Pennsyl-
vania. The limo pulls up and l opened my eyes
and there are mini-ramps and all the skaters and
everybody lrom *ACKASS just going crazy, shatter-
ing windows and mirrors and getting lucked up
while Bam's parents are shouting at everyone not
to break things. lt was like being in a movie. That
was one ol the wildest parties l've ever been at,
and it was a good hrst date.
?0 | ).+%$-!'#/-
FEBRUARY 2010\
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PHOTOS BY RUSS QUACKENBUSH
BY CHAUNCEY HOLLINGSWORTH
HOME
BRAVE
THERE ARE EIGHT MILLION WAYS TO DIE ON THE STREETS OF COMPTON, CA.
DEPUTY FIRE CHIEF MARCEL MELANSON LIVES TO STOP THEM.
OF THE
F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 0 I N K E D MA G . C O M P A G E 7 2
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O
N THE OUTSKI RTS OF LOS ANGELES, THE CI TY OF COMPTON
has just been hit with a ?.8-magnitude earthquake. The situation is
grim. Power is down throughout the city, as are landline telephones,
cell phones, lnternet connectivity, and the entire 911 emergency system.
Almost every area highway is reporting damage ranging lrom moderate
to severe, and rail lines have sustained severe damage. Multiple hres are
burning throughout the city even as damage to water lines has lelt water
pressure low or nonexistent. Hundreds ol citizens need shelter, and getting
assistance lrom surrounding communities is not an option.
Welcome to hell on earth.
Marcel Melanson is concentrating on a panel ol radios, the communications
interlace lor Compton Fire Station 3, as he works on a laptop. Lean and good-
looking with close-cropped black hair and skin the color ol sand, he is perhaps
the antithesis ol the stereotypical hrehghter. He has no gut and no mustache
(unless you count the one tattooed down his index hnger). The tattoo ol hames
and wind bars that snakes up his arms and the 1apanese kabuki masks that peek
over the edges ol his black shirt collar seem almost perverse against the back-
drop ol his crisp hreman's unilorm, as il a maelstrom ol luries is bursting out lrom
beneath his otherwise prolessional exterior. Leaning back, his hngers tack away
at the keyboard as he works through a series ol error messages. With his striking
hazel-green eyes, he looks more like a luturistic heet commander or the leader ol
an alien legion than the deputy chiel ol the Compton Fire Department.
A clipped burst ol static comes through on the radio: at last, a clear connec-
tion. "Loud and clear, over," says a terse voice. Melanson nods with satislaction.
This dire screenplay is a drill lor the Compton Fire Department, where
33-year-old Melanson is deputy chiel-one ol the youngest in the nation to
hold that rank. ln southern Calilornia, where earthquakes are common and the
6.?-magnitude Northridge quake ol 1994 killed at least 5? people and caused
about S20 billion in damage, the scenario is all too real. A multiagency report
lrom 2008 lound that southern Calilornia has a 9? percent chance ol sullering
a similar quake within the next 2? years.
"You know it's going to happen one way or the other," says Melanson. "lt's
like anything else-il you have a cralt, you want to practice your cralt. ll we
never got to use our skills, it'd be great, but the lact ol the matter is that we
do, and we know it's going to happen."
Working in one ol the hve busiest hre departments in Calilornia, hrehght-
ers in Compton practice their cralt more than most. The department-84
employees, lour hre stations, nine lrontline emergency vehicles-handles
an average ol 10,000 emergency calls per year. The department's average
response time? Four minutes and 30 seconds.
That made them the perlect choice lor &IRST)N, a reality Tv series on BET that
lollows Melanson and his lellow hrehghters as they battle everyday calamity on
the streets ol Compton. Around Los Angeles, even the hrehghters moonlight in
the entertainment industry, but the dillerence between Melanson and other real-
ity Tv stars couldn't be more stark. While Heidi and Spencer eat ice cream and
shop lor Uggs in 4HE(ILLS, Melanson and his crew saw through security bars
and kick open doors so they can run into burning buildings. They are the hrst on
the scene in the most terrilying moments ol Compton citizens' lives and deaths.
RI DE- ALONG: THE STREETS
A ride-along sounds suspiciously like a drive-by, but it's the only way that
"probies"-aspiring hrehghters who endure an 11-month probationary period
prior to becoming volunteer hrehghters-can learn the trade. By riding along
on hre trucks and shadowing hrehghters on their emergency calls, the pro-
bies are able to lamiliarize themselves with hrsthand encounters while the
experienced veterans monitor the action.
Like most people in southern Calilornia, Melanson spends much ol his day
in an automobile, and an extended ride-along is the only way to interview him.
From Fire Station 3, he will drive his government-issue Dodge Charger with
tinted windows to his administrative olhce at another hre station-a cluttered,
?4 | ).+%$-!'#/-
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$EPUTY
&IRE#HIEF
-ARCEL
-ELANSON
ATWORK
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wood-paneled room that looks like the principal's olhce in an antiquated ele-
mentary school, a place where Melanson seems particularly out ol place. Then
he's oll to another town to attend a meeting with hre olhcials, then back to the
hre station. ln transit, his two BlackBerry smartphones are in a state ol constant
agitation, and he excuses himsell to held phone calls, e-mails, and texts lrom
both the department and his wile. Believe him when he says he loves his job;
his persistent animation is incredible. He does not stop lor collee or lood the
entire day, yet his energy never hags.
The city ol Compton is an area ol 10 and a hall square miles that is
home to about 100,000 people and approximately ?5 known gangs. lt is the
acknowledged base ol the Crips and the Bloods, two ol the most notori-
ous street gangs in the world, whose territories more or less evenly divide
the city. According to data tabulated lrom FBl hgures, it was the 12th most
dangerous American city in 2009.
"Compton has a rich gang history. The sad part is, it dehnes Compton," says
Melanson. As we drive past one-story houses and tidy yards that look as il they
might belong to any south L.A. subdivision, he's eager to point out how the real
Compton varies lrom the version put lorth by gangsta rappers N.W.A. in their
genre-dehning classic 3TRAIGHT/UTTA#OMPTON. "The Crips didn't start here. The
Crips started in South Central L.A. as a group ol individuals who were associ-
ated with the color blue because ol the school color ol the high school they went
to. The Bloods started here in Compton because there was a group ol individu-
als that was tired ol getting beat up by this other group ol individuals, the Crips,
so they started their own gang. lt became the Bloods, and the color ol their high
school was red. That's where it all began, the red and the blue. lt's that simple."
Melanson shows me a drive-through luneral home where mourners can
stop under a carport to sip a latte and pay their respects as they observe the
deceased in a long, bank-style window. On another block, a man in a white
T-shirt, jeans, and bright orange patent kicks comes out to the car. A proles-
sional comedian named Louie G., he explains that the house next to his was
gutted by hre; he met Melanson when he was putting out the hames. "He saved
my house," he says. "This guy's a real-lile hero. Everybody likes the show. But
who do they like? Who do they know? Mr. Tattoo." We pass a group ol His-
panic men in cowboy hats breaking in a small, brown colt in the middle ol the
street. They pay us little mind, but the horse stares with wide and crazy eyes, as
il to acknowledge that this whole scenario is just a bit out ol the ordinary.
Melanson outlines the biography ol Compton: how the whites took hight
in the '50s and '60s as blacks moved in, how the Hispanic population is now
predominant but is haphazardly represented because ol the olten uncertain
citizenship status ol its members. A lover ol history, Melanson talks about the
origins ol the hrst civic hre departments and medieval hrehghters in 1apan, lrom
whom he hrst acquired his love ol tattoos.
"When l was about 16, somebody related [the idea ol| the hreman as a
modern-day samurai, a public servant," he says. "So l started reading about
them and what they did, and in that same era, among the working class, there
were people who were hremen. They were heavily tattooed like the samurai
were, and that would show their bravery. And when you go back to other times
and places where people were heavily tattooed, it was a ritual, it was a rite ol
passage. lt was to show bravery-it showed that you could endure pain. ln line
with 1apanese mythology, they would tattoo dragons on themselves that were
surrounded by water. The dragon is a protector, and they would surround it by
water to protect them lrom being burned."
C|ockwlse from |eft. Me|anson at work; Me|anson wlth wlfe, Eml|y, and klds, Gunnar and Cody;
Me|anson speaks to members of the Los Ange|es County Flre Department Exp|orer Program.
?6 | ).+%$-!'#/-
So it's htting that Melanson's hrst tattoo was a 1apanese-style dragon among
waves on his hip. "A lriend ol mine did it at his house with a homemade gun with a
guitar string," Melanson laughs. "l've gained a little weight since then so l thought
it was going to blow up to be Pull the Magic Dragon, but it still looks good."
Like the man himsell-the sleeved-out bad-boy role model, the hreman who
smokes cigars, the lamily man with a wile and two kids who drives a custom
lowrider Cadillac while listening to 1ohnny Cash-Melanson's tattoos are a
contemplation ol opposing elements. On one arm, arching hames and a skull
wearing a hrehghter's hat-"you know it's a ghetto hreman because it's got a
gold tooth"-on the other, smooth black wind bars, water, and dice.
As a child ol a black mother and a white lather who divorced when he was
a toddler, this duality extends deep into his identity. "My whole lile, l've never
ht in," he says. "l was always too white or too black. People that are multiracial
know exactly what l mean because l lived in the black neighborhood with my
mom and l was known as the white boy, and then l moved in with my dad in
an all-white neighborhood and l'm the black guy. To this day, there are people
who are disappointed because l'm not black enough or because l'm not white
enough, or l'm too white or l'm too black. l've always been on the lringes."
As a permanent outsider, he embraced tattooing without hesitation. "What
l've gone through in lile has aided me in being tattooed," he says. "You're an
outcast, lor lack ol a better term, when you decide to be lully sleeved, espe-
cially when you decide to tattoo your neck. You've crossed that line. l think
there's even a line beyond that when you do your throat, you do your lace. l look
at that like, Whoa, that's a little crazy. But because l've lived my whole lile as an
outcast, it wasn't a big mental block lor me to go and be tattooed."
The prejudice and judgment that was heaped on him because ol his race
has morphed into a dillerent lorm now that he's a hreman. A prolession known
lor its traditionalism, the American hre service prides itsell on its unilorms, on
its status as community heroes and role models. lt's long lorgotten its medieval
1apanese predecessors, il it ever acknowledged them at all.
"Prolessionally, it took some thought to be tattooed because it isn't the norm
to see a hreman lully sleeved with their neck tattooed. l knew that l was going
to be scrutinized. l knew that there were going to be people who believed it
wasn't prolessional. l know that people scrutinize everything that l do because
ol it, and l guess l was willing to accept that scrutiny. l look at that scrutiny as a
challenge lor me to stay on my game. l guess l was lowering people's expec-
tations on purpose," he laughs. "Coming in under the radar."
Not all hre departments allow their members to be tattooed, and Melanson
has encountered many peers who openly question his qualihcations as a
representative ol the held.
"l hear it all the time: 'ls that the best look lor the hre service?'" says Melan-
son. "We all wear a unilorm where we're so much alike that we have a uni-
hed lront. Do tattoos make you that dillerent to where you can't ht in? We
should be a representation ol everybody, and are we potentially going to rub
somebody the wrong way? l understand that side ol it. lt's a valid point. l get
questioned very olten about prolessionalism."
One wonders il the questioners would continue their line ol thinking il they
saw the hrehghter emblazoned on Melanson's back climbing into the mouth
ol a raging blaze as skulls emerge lrom the smoke around him, or the Maltese
cross on his wrist, an ancient symbol ol hrehghting.
"The knights lrom Malta were hghting against the Saracens and they wore
this cross on their armor," he says. "The Saracens used hre when they lought."
PROFESSIONALLY, IT TOOK SOME THOUGHT TO BE TATTOOED BECAUSE IT ISN T THE NORM TO
SEE A FIREMAN FULLY SLEEVED WITH THEIR NECK TATTOOED. I KNOW THAT PEOPLE SCRU-
TINIZE EVERYTHING THAT I DO BECAUSE OF IT, AND I GUESS I WAS WILLING TO ACCEPT THAT
SCRUTINY. I LOOK AT THAT SCRUTINY AS A CHALLENGE FOR ME TO STAY ON MY GAME.
Me|anson at hls
desk at the re
department's
admlnlstratlve
ofces, though
he works most|y
ln hls vehlc|e.
FEBRUARY 2010 | ??
RI DE- ALONG: THE FI REHOUSE
The next night at the hrehouse, Melanson and his lellow hrehghters Wayland
Davis and Shon "Halvo" Halvorsen are hanging out in the kitchen-Halvo dic-
ing steak in preparation lor the hrehouse's chili cook-oll, Davis nursing a sore
shoulder. A mixed martial arts hght is on the Tv in what serves as the hre sta-
tion's living room. lt's a slow night. Unlike the summer evenings documented
on the show, November's chill means that lewer people are outside drinking,
drugging, or shooting. The conversation quickly goes to what the men have
seen when the nights aren't so kind.
"Pemember the train versus taxi cab?" Halvo asks Melanson. They use the term
'versus' when two things collide: train versus taxi cab, vehicle versus motorcycle,
vehicle versus pedestrian. There's rarely a question as to the winner. "There's
shit where there are body parts everywhere, but that doesn't really allect you
like some other kind ol things allect you," Halvo continues. "Pemember when
that lamily got killed? That was probably the gnarliest thing l've ever seen. Drunk
driver hit this lamily that was at a taco stand, the dad had just got a promotion at
his job, took his whole lamily out lor dinner. Mom and dad, lour kids, killed 'em all.
Babies hanging out ol cars, the whole lamily wiped out. People who saw it were
passing out. lt was just carnage. They didn't know where all the body parts were.
lt took 'em hours to take the people lrom underneath the dashboard."
Burnout comes suddenly. "We had a captain who had gone lor 30 years
and he saw a kid get taken out with an AK-4?," Halvo says. "A child, 5 years
old-blew his head oll like a watermelon-walking with his mom in the center
ol town. 1ust random violence, shooting at someone else and a stray bullet hit
him. We have a saying, 'Everybody's got a limit.' Even hremen have a limit ol
how much they can take in terms ol the job. That captain hnally said, That's it.
He lelt that scene and retired. You wonder where your limit is."
The horrors ol the job are immediately dismissed and the talking stops on
a dime when the loudspeaker beeps three times and a dispatcher announces
a call. The leel is almost military as we run to the engine and pile in, a band
ol brothers going on a mission. Part power, part exhilaration, part pride, it's
every boy's dream to be where Melanson is, looking down at the road ahead
as the sirens blare, the driver blasts the air horn, and cars pull out ol the way
lor a real American hero.
SOMEBODY REL ATED [ THE I DEA OF] THE FI REMAN AS A MODERN- DAY SAMU-
RAI , A PUBL I C SERVANT. I N [ THE SAMURAI ] ERA, AMONG THE WORKI NG
CL ASS, THERE WERE PEOPL E WHO WERE FI REMEN. THEY WERE HEAVI LY TAT-
TOOED L I KE THE SAMURAI WERE, AND THAT WOUL D SHOW THEI R BRAVERY.
Scenes from Compton Flre Statlon 3 and the tralnlng facl|-
lty where remen stage emergencles on the burn tower.
?8 | ).+%$-!'#/-
It wasnt until I started
getting exposed to the older,
more soulful aspects of
tattooing that I realized this
was my calling. It dawned
on me one day that I was the
luckiest guy in the world.
Kore Flatmo
PHOTOBY2/-!.4)453 FEBRUARY 2010\
www.storemags.com ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww www. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w.st st st st st st st st st st st st st st st st st st st st st st st st st st st st st st st st st st st st st st st st st st st st st st st st st st st st st st st st st stor or or or or or or or orem em emag ag ags. s. s.co co co co co com m m m m m m m m & & & & & & & & & www.fantamag.com ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww www. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w.fa fa fa fa fant nt nt nt ntam am am am am amag ag ag ag ag ag ag.c .c .c .c .c .com om om om
INKED: Can you describe the first time you
stepped into a tattoo shop?
KORE FLATMO: l was about 15. l went with an
older lriend ol mine to a place in La Puente called
Fat George's. lt's really lamous in southern Cali-
lornia, where l grew up. lt was kind ol tough and
a little scary. l leel lucky that it was my hrst place
because it's such an important part ol southern
Calilornia tattooing.
When did you get your first tattoo? lt was three
or lour years later, when l was 19. l had just moved
out to Hollywood. My hrst tattoo was done in an
apartment on the hoor in a really run-down place
on Cherokee. My lriend was a little too ambitious
and chose a design lrom the great lantasy artist
lrom the '?0s and '80s, [Patrick| Woodrolle. He
had a book called -YTHOPOEIKON lt was this lizard
wrapped around a planet. lt was airbrushed and
multimedia-really beautilul. You should see what l
got on my back. ;,AUGHS= He carved me up and it
took, like, a month to heal. But he was a good lriend
ol mine and tattoos are about more than just how
they look. The meaning ol the tattoo is important.
When did you decide to get work done at a real
shop? About two weeks later, l walked into some
tourist trap on the boulevard and picked something
oll the wall, just like everyone does, l think. lt was a
design by comic book artist Bernie Wrightson. lt's
this beautilul -ASTEROF-ACABRE cover ol one ol his
comic books. l asked the tattoo artist where l should
put it, and he said l should put it on my sternum-
right in the middle ol my chest. That killed me. lt
was the most painlul experience l have ever had.
Occasionally l'll see that and it reminds me ol how
little we knew back then, as a group.
Do you ever think about covering them?
One is partially covered because new work
went around it, but l didn't want to lorget where
l started. ln the course ol my time, so many
changes have happened and it's easy to lorget
those early days, so l keep them.
It sounds like you got off to a bad start, so why
did that draw you into tattooing? The experi-
ence is what matters. l started getting involved in
tattooing in 1989 or 1990. ll your lriends got into
tattooing six months belore you, you ended up being
the guinea pig. l remember a lriend ol mine saying,
"Hey, let me put this on you." Up until then l had
hardly any interest in tattooing at all. lt was actually
getting the hrst couple that really got me interested.
How did you end up tattooing professionally?
l started at a dive on Hollywood Boulevard. lt was
one ol the many tourist traps. They had airbrush-
ers up lront and tattooers in the back. My job was
selling jewelry and T-shirts to tourists, but l also did
these paint-on tattoos. Then a person approached
me and asked me il l wanted to apprentice. We
quickly moved down to Sunset Boulevard. lt took
about six months to build this shop called Purple
Panther. lt was a rough place with a lot ol problems
early on. The shop is still there and it's under dil-
lerent management. l hope mentioning it doesn't
besmirch its name. That was 19 years ago.
Was it tough starting out in that kind of envi-
ronment? l'm sure a lot ol people in tattooing share
the same story where they're thrown into it and you
really don't have much ol an apprenticeship because
the people around you really aren't living up to their
responsibilities. l had maybe a month and a hall ol
practice belore l started working every day. l was
opening and closing without any supervision, and
that's not a good way to start. But in some ways l
was incredibly lortunate to get around these people
who allowed me to get involved with tattooing.
Did you know right away that you had found
your career? That moment didn't come in lor a
couple years. lt seems kind ol taboo lor a tattoo
artist to say that they weren't born to do it. But in
my case, l had dropped out ol college and was just
living and trying to hgure things out. All ol a sudden
it started happening to me. lt was cool because it
KORE FLATMO
PLURABELLA TATTOO STUDIO
Cincinnati, OH
plurabella.com
513-542-9837
INKEDSCENE\ICON
KAT VON D
APPROVED!
photo by POMAN TlTUS 80 | ).+%$-!'#/-
was very dilhcult and l had to work seven days a
week, 12 hours a day. l was the shop slave as the
apprentice, and our shop had a drug problem. lt
wasn't until l started getting exposed to the older,
more soullul aspects ol tattooing that l realized this
was my calling. When l started really getting that
personal satislaction lrom the work, l was already
two or three years in. lt dawned on me one day that
l was the luckiest guy in the world.
Why did you end up moving from California to
Ohio? All those stories start with a girl, and so does
this one. A young lady who was lrom Cincinnati
had moved to Hollywood. When she moved back,
l took a vacation out to see her. At that point, l had
already grown tired ol the pace ol Hollywood. lt's this
24-hour drive ol who you know, who are you tattoo-
ing, and even what concert you were attending. That
was never really my thing. When l visited this girl, l
noticed that the cost ol living was maybe hall ol what
it was in Hollywood. l moved here and rented a single
apartment with just a drawing table and lived really
simply until l met my wile, Brenda. That's what kept
me here. l have been with her now lor 14 years.
What is it like sharing a studio with your
wife? Even though we work in the same studio,
we have completely private areas. lt allows you
to talk about things when you get home because
you really haven't spent all day together. That's a
saving grace. But we dehnitely understand each
other more because ol the shared lrustrations
that go along with tattooing. l know this is going
to sound biased, but l consider her a really strong
artist. ll l didn't, it would be really hard to be with
her. l love her in every other capacity, but l really
don't like bad tattooing. So il she wasn't good,
that would be a problem lor me.
PluraBella is a private studio without a sign.
Do you ever miss the traditional shop experi-
ence? l do, and l'm able to mix that in through exten-
sive travel. l get a bit isolated, and l have a really
heavy workload. Four months will go by in the blink
ol an eye just working through what l have to do.
But we have built in probably three to lour months
ol travel a year. Over the last 10 years, l've been to
eight dillerent countries and have tattooed in some-
thing like 50 or 60 dillerent shops. That hlls in that
need. You miss the camaraderie. Tattoo artists are
good storytellers. So l get a dose ol it, but then alter
about a week or two, l'm ready to come home.
What is it about bigger custom pieces that
appeals to you? My overall goal is to work holisti-
cally on the body. l always take into account the per-
son's unique physiology, and the larger-scale stull
demands it. lt presents a compositional challenge
When I see Kat [Von D] on David Letterman, I think its
a good thing. If people try to say something hurtful
or ignorant, Im happy to straighten them out.
FEBRUARY 2010 | 81
to create a homogenous, complete picture. My
personal goal is bodysuits. That's what l see as the
acme ol tattooing. When you're able to get clients
that are willing to commit on that level and have the
wherewithal, both hnancially and mentally, you can
achieve those goals. l spent the hrst hve or 10 years
doing a lot ol portraits. l was known as the portrait
guy. That was hne then, but lor me the most dilhcult
and rewarding work is the larger stull. The ultimate
is a complete bodysuit done by one individual. l have
gone so lar as to do both arms, the back, and some
legs. But my clients almost always have some previ-
ous work lrom someone else, and as ol right now l
haven't completed one.
What are you currently working on outside of
tattooing? Pight now, l'm hallway through carving a
one-oll guitar lor the Gretsch company. l have actu-
ally done three ol those lor 1ack White ol the White
Stripes, one ol which appeared in the documentary
)T-IGHT'ET,OUD. The people at Gretsch saw it and
they commissioned me. l have also done a lot ol
engraving. l hand-engrave plates lor making prints.
l do a lot ol painting and charcoal. One new thing l
have been doing is making my own drawing boards.
l just cut really nice pieces ol Masonite and draw on
them with Sharpies and sell them as originals.
Is it tough working for rock stars? l just hnished
my third guitar lor 1ack lor The Dead Weather.
Every time he starts a new band, he gets a new
guitar. Even though he's playing drums in this
band, he got one. ;,AUGHS= l'll say this about 1ack:
He understands what it is to be an artist. He under-
stands that l'm a tattooist and he understands the
time lrames l work in. But l recently worked on
a movie called 4HE %XPENDABLES. l designed the
logo, and at one point you see Mickey Pourke as
a tattoo artist and all the stull in the back is mine.
l was tattooing the individual behind the movie a
lot, but we had a bit ol a lalling out. l can't take any
ol that personally.
How did you meet Kat Von D? l was on one ol my
return trips to L.A. visiting my lamily. l had drawn a
set ol hash back in '99 or 2000 and l was going
around to shops selling it. l walked into a shop in
Acadia and there was this really striking-looking girl
there. At that time, she was really into certain Mexi-
can cinema actresses lrom the '30s and '40s and
she dressed in a vintage way. She was really nice
and she actually bought two sets ol hash. l had that
leeling l was going to know her lor a while. l have
been around Kat through all ol these changes, and
it has been amazing to watch.
Has she ever asked you to come on her
show? She has, but she knows that l'm uncom-
lortable with being on television. lt's not lor me.
As nice as it is lor her to ask, it's even nicer ol her
to understand when l decline.
What is your view on tattoo TV as a whole?
l have no problem with the shows. l think the con-
troversy is starting to die down now, but three or
lour years ago, it's all people would talk about.
People knew that [Kat| and l were lriends so they
would gripe to me. l don't think it harms tattooing
in the least. l think it has helped it. l think that the
amount ol good that those shows have done lor
bringing in business to the average tattooist lar
outweighs any minor problems with it that people
might have. People complain because they think
it's going too mainstream, but l know something
about the history ol tattooing and the role cer-
tain artists have played in pop culture. Look at
George Burchett in England. He was widely
known throughout the entire country. Look at Lyle
Tuttle in the '?0s, and look at Paul Booth in the
'90s. When l see Kat on David Letterman, l think
it's a good thing. ll people try to say something
hurtlul or ignorant, l'm happy to straighten them
out. -3TAN(ORACZEK
INKEDSCENE\ICON
I just finished my third guitar for Jack [White] for
The Dead Weather. Every time he starts a new band,
he gets a new guitar. Ill say this about Jack: He
understands what it is to be an artist.
82 | ).+%$-!'#/-
www.storemags.com ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww ww www. w. w. w. w. w. w. w.st st st st st st st st stor or or or or or or or or or orem em em em em emag ag ag ag ags. s.co co co co co co co co co co co com m m m m m m m & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & www.fantamag.com ww ww ww ww ww www. w. w. w. w.fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fant nt nt nt nt nt nt nt nt ntam am am am am am am am am am amag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag.c .c .c .c .c .c .c .com om om om om om om
lt's hooding in Pichmond, vA. Torrential winds
and a hurricane warning have the locals sick, hus-
tered, and bailing water out ol their basements.
But the downpour hasn't stopped tattooer 1ason
Hobbie and the rest ol the Absolute Art crew lrom
trudging to the shop to tattoo.
"lt's still raining," Hobbie says. "lt's crazy, man,
there was, like, a hurricane up the coast all the way
through here. There has been pouring-down rain
lor, like, the past three days. lt's just a mess." His
laid-back style doesn't seem to let a little precipita-
tion interrupt his daily how. "We'd never close the
shop. Everybody that works here is on their own
agendas. ll they have appointments they'll be at the
shop, il they don't have appointments they don't
necessarily have to be here. Everybody's coming
and going and doing their thing."
Alter apprenticing under Crazy Ace Daniels at
Way Cool Tattoos (now located in Toronto), Hob-
bie opened the Absolute Art Tattoo shop in 1992,
and would eventually join with silent partner Timo-
thy Hoyer as the shop expanded. The stall, which
included Hoyer lor many years, now includes six
accomplished artists-Hobbie, David Boisineau,
1osh Brown, Brian Bruno, Mike Pennie, and Zac
vining. "Everybody here is so established. Brian
Bruno is super-well-known lor doing traditional
1apanese work. So he has that specihc clientele
looking lor him. 1osh Brown is known lor his Ameri-
can traditional," Hobbie boasts. "All the bases are
covered here. l leel super-blessed to be working
with such well-rounded tattooers-some ol the
917 W. Grace St., Richmond, VA
804-355-8001
absolutearttattoo.net
ABSOLUTE ART TATTOO
INKEDSCENE\SPOT
photos by DAvlD KENEDY
Back row: Brian Bruno; Iosh
Brown; Mike Rennie. Front row:
David Boisineau; shop manager
Keith Harper; Iason Hobbie.
84 | INKEDMAG.COM
best tattooers in the world. lt's nice to know, as a
business owner, that no matter who walks in the
door at any time, no matter what they want, they're
going to end up getting a really good tattoo."
Located in the heart ol the virginia Common-
wealth University campus, and amongst a hot-
bed ol music clubs, Absolute sits in the eye ol a
storm ol vCU coeds and rocked-out skateboard-
ers. "There's an art school right over here. We
get a lot ol students," says sell-taught tattoo vet
1osh Brown in his Southern twang. Brown boasts
that 50 percent ol his clients are vCU students.
According to artist Mike Pennie, the stall caters
to the hardcore crowd, college kids, and walk-
ins, as well as the growing number ol people who
demand custom work.
"Some ol the guys that work at the shop used
to play in hardcore bands and punk rock bands. All
ol us grew up on that music," Hobbie says. "And
we were all involved in skateboard culture. The ties
helped us build a lollowing. We get the clients that
were in those circles." Two doors down lrom the
shop is a hardcore music club and venue; every
time there's a show, the line cuts right in lront ol the
shop. That's not bad action.
"A lot ol bands come through Pichmond and
play at some surrounding clubs. So they'll come
through the shop," Hobbie explains. "Evan Sein-
leld ol Biohazard has been tattooed here a lew
times. He and his wile, porn star Tera Patrick,
were here about a year ago on business, and we
all met up and chilled. Unlortunately l couldn't get
her in my chair. She was working, so she didn't
want to get tattooed at the moment. Evan and l
have always stayed in touch ever since we met,
and he was crashing at my house instead ol
sleeping in the van."
All the artists who call Absolute Art home con-
sistently revel in the environment in which they
are stationed-hoods and all. The theme seems
to be: A great college town; a great southern
community; a great natural place; great music;
a great place lor tattoos. Brown continues as to
why location is key. "Oh man, you can get any-
where. We can be down at the beach in two
hours. We can be way up in the mountains in less
than an hour. We can be in a big city in no time. l
mean, it's all right here."$AVID$IEHL
CIockwise from above: tattoo by Brian Bruno; interior of
AbsoIute Art Tattoo; tattoo by Iason Hobbie; tattoo by Iosh
Brown; tattoo by David Boisineau.
FEBRUARY 2010 | 85
www.storemags.com & www.fantamag.com www.fantamag.com
INKEDSCENE\SHOP TALK
NAME: Katie
SHOP MANAGER AT: Kustom Thrills Tattoo Studio,
Nashville, TN
My dad was the hrst person to get tattooed when the
shop opened up. His signed dollar bill is lramed and
hanging in the lront ol the shop.
A homeless guy once threw all ol his belongings and
jacket onto the middle ol the lobby hoor and wanted
to know who could practice on him. When the artists
told him they didn't need any practice he screamed,
"Shit!," quietly gathered his belongings, and walked out
the lront door.
My daily duties include running errands and making
sure the shop is organized and clean and the artists are
led and calleinated. l also tend to all the clients, answer
the phone, and book appointments. Most importantly,
l'm the shop D1!
Know a ste||ar shop
asslstant who keeps
the autoc|ave hummlng
and the tattoo statlons
organlzed? E-mal| us at
shopglr|@lnkedmag.com.
photo by CALEB KUHL 86 | ).+%$-!'#/-
inked
holiday BASH
The lNKED Holiday Bash at Club BLvD in New York City
helped collect donations lor Toys For Tots. Evan Seinleld hosted
and drinks were provided by 360 vodka and SlN Energy Drink.
For more photos, go to inkedmag.com.
INKEDSCENE\EVENTS
photos by GlNO DEPlNTO FEBRUARY 2010 | 8?
INKEDSCENE\EVENTS
REPEAT OFFENDER
PedLetter1 in Tampa, FL, is an amazing tattoo shop built inside a converted
cigar lactory. The gorgeous space includes an art gallery that recently leatured
Pepeat Ollender, a solo exhibit by artist Tes One, who blends gralhti and digital
graphic design. For more photos, go to inkedmag.com.
photos by LUlS SANTANA 88 | ).+%$-!'#/-
www.storemags.com & www.fantamag.com www.fantamag.com
INKEDSCENE\EVENTS
SAN JOSE TATTOO
CONVENTION
Anything that comes out ol State ol Grace tattoo in San 1ose, CA, is worth
checking out-including the team's amazing tattoos, untouchable publishing
projects, and the annual San 1ose Tattoo Convention, dubbed A Convention
ol the Tattoo Arts 2009. This year's event included appearances by ink
heavyweights such as Grime, Scott Sylvia, 1ack Pudy, Beppe, and others,
alongside lile painting by Mike Giant and an appearance by ??-year-old tattoo
legend Thom Devita. For more photos, go to inkedmag.com.
photos by HOPlYUKl & 1ON AGClOLl FEBRUARY 2010 | 89
INKEDSCENE\EVENTS
LAST RITES
HALLOWEEN PARTY
Paul Booth's Last Pites tattoo shop is scary enough on a regular day,
let alone Halloween. For this year's bash, the crew ollered walk-in
tattoo appointments-a hrst ever-along with live painting, horror movie
screenings, a costume contest, and a midnight "Kool-Aid" toast. Luckily,
we survived. For more photos, go to inkedmag.com.
photos by SHANNON MOPAN 90 | ).+%$-!'#/-
www.storemags.com www. w.st st st storemag ags. s. s.co com & www.fantamag.com www. w.fa fa fa fantamag.com
THE ART OF
REBELLION
The line between tattooing, motorcycles, and art is as blurred as an old "1%"
tattoo. Harley-Davidson celebrated that relationship with The Art ol Pebellion,
a gallery exhibit celebrating 10 artists handpicked by Harley lor their bond with
motorbikes. The exhibit, held at La.venue in NYC, leatured art by Dirty Donny,
Frank Kozik, Art Chantry, Tara McPherson, The Pizz, and others. All ol the artists
painted a Harley lron 883 gas tank, and proceeds ol their sale benehted the
CUE Art Foundation. For more photos, go to inkedmag.com.
INKEDSCENE\EVENTS
photos CHPlSTOPEP POSALES 92 | ).+%$-!'#/-
INKEDSCENE\EVENTS
love hurts
When we received a postcard lrom our lriends at New
Zealand's Tattooed Heart shop, we were ready to pack our
bags and get out ol NYC. The Auckland shop recently hosted
Love Hurts, a broken-heart-themed exhibit leaturing work
by tattooers Adam Cralt, Seth Wood, Liesje, Tom McMillan,
Hamish McLougham, and others. We'll visit next summer.
Promise. For more photos, go to inkedmag.com.
photos by NOPPlE MONTGOMEPY & KATAPlNA BPANlSOvA 94 | ).+%$-!'#/-
inked marketplace
!$6%24)3%-%.4
Tattooer Meg McNeil was born into art. "l was born in L.A. but when l was 5 we moved to northwest Washington into a 150-year-old
barn," she says. "My dad is an architect. [The barn| has been an ongoing project throughout my whole lile. lt's been pretty rad." McNeil
began tattooing at MadHouse in Bellingham, WA, but relocated to Phoenix, where she lays down traditional American tattoos at Love &
Hate. "l'm inspired by so many great tattooers, past and present. Steve Boltz, Derek Noble, Mike Wilson, Chris Winn, 1ohn Montgomery,
Oliver Peck, Pick Walters, Sailor 1erry, Owen 1ensen-way too many to list, lor sure."
MEG MCNEIL
Love & Hate Tattoo, 322 W. McDowell Rd., Phoenix, AZ, 602-973-4093 myspace.com/loveandhatetattoo
INKEDSCENE\SKETCHBOOK
96 | ).+%$-!'#/-
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