I am not really sure when I first actually met Josh Arment, but we went on a very memorable journey right before my daughter was born. He had arranged for us to go shark diving with great white sharks off the Mexico coast at Guadeloupe Islands. There were seven or eight tattooers on a boat for five days with some really, really big sharks. One of the highlights for me was when I got to high-five a 16 foot great white shark, it was pretty awesome. Unfortunately for Josh, he shared a room with a sea sick Oliver Peck. Oliver seemed to think that puking in the garbage can in a room the size of an airplane bathroom was acceptable shipmate behavior. I got to know Josh well, and our friendship solidified on that voyage. I mean how could it not? What with the combination of sharks, food, a small boat, and little tattoos being done on sketchy and rough seas, what's not to bond over?

Before moving onto the world of tattooing, I need to mention that Josh is a truly amazing person. His dedication to this profession is remarkable, and he is both humble and gracious. I have never guest spotted at his shop, but would love to, as I've heard nothing but great shit about it. And the fact that the Aloha Monkey has deep roots to the late Mike Malone, aka Rollo Banks, does nothing but add a sense of dignity to the shop's name. Josh has no problem keeping it up with his well-schooled style that lies somewhere between Malone and Roberts, as he's been heavily influenced by both. Josh has one of the most amazing bodies of tattooing I have ever seen, including a Bob Roberts back piece and an amazing Ed Hardy panther on his chest. Ridiculous.

Family keeps me on the home front now, so I was not able to fly to Minnesota to do this interview, as I can't hop on a flight anytime I want. Luckily, my co-worker Cody Miller was going on a trip to Florida and then to Minnesota, so I asked him if he would interview a couple of people I thought should be up on here, and I'm grateful that he somewhat nervously agreed. I would like to thank Josh for agreeing to do this, and Cody for making it happen. Enjoy it, and make sure you check out Josh Arments work on his website http://www.alohamonkeytattoo.com/, and definitely add him to your list of artists that you must be tattooed by.

Thanks again,

Scott

Part 1 of 2:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlHRxoEgcTg