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My buddy Bruehl and I once conspired to get on LA INKED by telling the producers that we were two of DR. BRONNER's adopted children, and that we wanted Kat to tattoo portraits of him on us. With banners that read ALL ONE OR NONE. Had we just said we were addicted to porn.... we wouldn't have had to lie.

Tattoos on me by Rollo at China Sea, 1989-91.

This is on Daredevil Tattoo blog about the NY Ink Show..I couldn't have said it better. That's right I said it. People keep asking what we think of the new show and I'd say that about sums it up. I only saw the first episode. We've been expecting the worst and it's the worst. Chris Torres is the only artist in fact from New York and he was cast as TLC's tattooed answer to Jersey Shore. Their space is reminiscent of the set of Friends. Ami's shop, or I should say TLC's new tattoo parlour on Wooster Street is the unrealistic equivalent of Monica's huge apartment that only a character on TV could afford. All the "I hope I can pay the bills" is a joke. Real life tattoo shops do not have ads on the sides of buses. They're casting the same sorry customers. Dead babies, cancer, tragic endings are needed for inspirational subject matter. (nothing against memorial tattoos except TLC thinks that's the only compelling reason to get tattooed) I'm surprised at how many people actually think there's any reality involved. The scenarios are scripted it's become an hour of bad acting and cheesy scripts. As interesting as a tattoo shop can be and as much fun as it is to get glimpses into our customers lives and their motivations for getting tattooed the reality is that these shows are orchesrated by people who have no actual interest in our industry. There is no understanding or appreciation for the truly fascinating stories and backgrounds of the people who come through our doors (not just the sob stories). It's a caricature written by squares who think they know what a tattoo shop is about. It takes a lot of talent to really portray people's reality in a way that is respectful and truly compelling. I'm a huge fan of documentaries. I love learning about other people's realities. But it takes thought and vision to capture that spark that can be so interesting. Something that doesn't easily fit into the drive by format of a TV series I guess. It's too bad that there is no respect for our industry involved in the creation of these shows. Tattooing is such a rich subject matter it's dissapointing to see it dumbed down for the masses but I guess we shouldn't expect anything else. By the way shame on TLC for knocking off our friend Mark Mahoney's shop name SHAMROCK SOCIAL CLUB. Devil City Press

Speaking of- Im considering booking some time with Deno on his DC stop... gonna call the shop tomorrow to see if he has time open. Can anyone shed some light on pronunciation? Deno like Dino Deno like Den-o I dont want to look like a bigger ass than normal when I call...

Second tattoo I ever got was about 4.5 hours on ribs, started around 10:30 at night got done bout 2:30, two hour drive back to school, had class at 8 so said fuck sleep went to all my classes then went out partying, ended up gettin no sleep for like 50 hours.. 2 days later I was so sick I couldnt even get out of bed.. College is such a great learning experience

I kind of hope this show doesn't come to England. I'm already sick of people telling me what their tattoos mean, and the dramatic stories behind them. On the other hand, it could be fun if you play the Needles and Sins drinking game while you watch it. Have you guys seen that yet? Go to Needles and Sins Tattoo Blog and it should still be on the front page- it sounds hilarious :)

I have to reiterate what i said earlier, that anything one says about these shows is perceived as jealousy or envy. That being said , I expected the worst, but hoped for the best. My critique---- As a New Yorker, from Brooklyn -- it's is because of people like that guy Chris that I now live in Alaska. His on screen persona is pretty awful. As a female who does tattoos I couldn't and don't identify with the female who tattoos on the show. So the " I'm not respected as a female tattooist " is maybe something that could have been explored in the 1990s, maybe and I don't like her on screen persona either. All the extra people annoy me, the tv drama etc. Ami is Ami and his mentor was Louie ( who I knew and cared for ) but if anyone knew Louie than watching Ami act the way he does is to be expected. I do really like Tim's work and his on screen edited personality was OK. I hate the show so far

I bet she smells like sweaty leather and cigarettes.

We eventually didn't do it because we could have fucked up and gotten picked. Then I'd have to get tattooed by Kat Von D.

My boss (Jack Witt) used to zap at a couple of different spots on the Pike (Lee Roy's, Long BeachTattoo) and has a killer scrapbook of vintage photos and business cards. I scanned all of them the other day. Being an ex-HA(apparently not an easy club to quit) and working on the Pike in the mid 70s, he has a boatload of great stories. I can't give ALL of the gems away, but here's some decent ones I can post.