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With all do respect: GET WHAT YOU WANT.... Efh the consensus. Richard, " Jilly Bonny aka Horiyuki is the best in the States for a Phoenix. The Phoenix is a beautiful metaphor, design, it's traditional, they can be simple to elaborate, and depending on who you pick to actually do the tattoo the options are limitless, with how, and where, and what kinda look ya wanna pull off... Do your research, it always helps in the long run.... Jacksonville, FL has a few guys that you could consult with, and I'm sure you'd be stoked... Mike Wilson, Jason Harms... Attached is tattoo by Jill Bonny....

You shut up! You shut up right now and let me be right! lol touché ol' chap.

grammar nazi's !!!

Thought I might throw up a few more thoughts on my trip to Japan (tattoo-related ones, primarily). We got back last night and the jet lag doesn't appear to be as bad travelling from East to West... I'm back at work, which totally sucks, quite frankly. On the upside, we will be back in Japan in just over a year in order for my GF to begin her backpiece with Shige. Meeting Shige and getting a little tour of Yellow Blaze and the stencils of work he is doing at the moment was amazing. If anyone is interested in getting work done by him the only thing I would say is that actually going there in the flesh seems to be the number one option (arranging it in advance, obviously). I think this is his way of sorting time-wasters from potential real clients. He takes his consultations very seriously and it was one of the most rigorous I've seen... Lots of questions, discussion, teasing out of a plan spanning a number of years. Aside from the consultation at Yellow Blaze that we had to make, Horiyoshi III's tattoo museum is open almost all the time (seems to be closed only the 20th and 30th of the month) and is only 1000 yen to enter. It's a cornucopia of tattoo-related history, which so much stuff crammed into such a small space that every time you turn around you're looking at something which is one of a kind. Right at the door is a painting that Shige gave to Horiyoshi and if you go further in there are a tremendous amount of vintage books and prints as well as quirky statuettes etc. Interestingly while there we met Horiyoshi's future successor manning the till. He was discussing his father with a visiting American at the time and although there was a bit of a language barrier it seemed to be the case that Horiyoshi still meets people certain days of the week, although whether or not he actually takes clients wasn't clear. The tattoo museum stocks a fair range of Horiyoshi's books, prints and some others from State of Grace, but I would point out that they are quite expensive to buy there. 'Kokoro', for example, was 12000 yen more expensive there than at Tower Records in Shibuya (their top floor book section seemed very extensive, huge range of Horiyoshi books, State of Grace, books from Grime and collaborators etc at reasonable prices... For Japan, I guess). While in Kyoto a week later I called into Harizanmai and spoke to Gakkin about being tattooed next year. Harizanmai is a very slick tattoo studio and I picked up a quirky t-shirt designed by Gakkin which I think is a kind of play / perversion of the idea of a Japanese crest. He drew a kind of grub gestating in the centre of it. Harizanmai probably had the most western-friendly access of any of the studios we were in, but perhaps only because Gakkin and Gotch travel to the west so much. On the topic of how large tattoos are received in Japan, on westerners at least, I would say that overall it was not a major issue for our purposes, but if I was living or working there I think it would have merited a bit more consideration. Due to the 32 degrees temperature on some days I was wearing shorts and t-shirts most of the time. Despite this I would say most Japanese seemed to be polite or disciplined enough not to stare, point or otherwise react to the sight of a fair bit of coverage on show. I saw some smaller tattoos on Japanese kids while I was there so perhaps the times really are changing ... Maybe there is a greater degree or acceptance. Or maybe I just got the benefit of the doubt as a foreigner (possibly always more likely). Once or twice someone who we'd been talking with for a little while would politely ask to see something a little closer, and they were particularly interested in the dragon leg piece. Strangely it seemed to be either kids or older people (like 60 plus) who had a positive reaction. Middle aged people either didn't react openly or seemed to have a more ambivalent reaction. The only place I felt slightly uncomfortable, partially because I was conscious that in hindsight I probably should have preferred to cover up more (but didn't because of the sheer heat and humidity), was when visiting some sights like larger temples in Kyoto. On one particular occasion there was a tour group of middle-aged people who seemed, as a group, to react more than normal to the sight of my leg tattoo. Whether that's because they were a really provincial tour group, or were from a conservative or religious group of some sort, or because they were offended on some other basis, I don't know. I wore trousers and a polo shirt out to dinner a couple of times and in the two weeks we were in Japan there were a couple of minor occasions where I thought possibly my half sleeves were an issue. On one occasion we were politely told a pizzeria was by reservation only, even though it was more or less empty. We beat a polite retreat. The other time was at the Park Hyatt in Tokyo, where we stayed for a couple of nights as a treat. There was a 'no tattoo' dress code for the swimming pool and their bars and lobby coffee area. I suspect this is 50% because it's Japan and 50% because it's a 5 star hotel which might well employ the same rules in Paris, London (I'm not really sure, to be hoenst). Either way when we had dinner and drinks at the Peak Bar (made famous by 'Lost in Translation') I wore a shirt and trousers anyway, making it a non-issue. The swimming pool apparently hands out rash-guards, interestingly.... For those wishing to swim anyway. I'm not sure what they'd do about leg tattoos... A burkini? I visited a few sento (baths) in Kyoto and Tokyo without any problems or diplomatic incidents, but I picked locations which I believed were tattoo-friendly (or at least tolerant of them).

Please recognize that Stewart's advice is the best advice you will ever get--for free, on the internets, at that.

"Half bodysuit"? You mean like half, vertically? Right side tattooed, left side empty? That's not a bodysuit, it's a terrible idea. If you want a bodysuit, get it from one tattooer, or 'family' of tattooers. Mostly you don't get to plan it. You have an idea of what you want where but it may be that the relative proportions of animals/flowers will be fucked up. Take your tattooers advice. Your tattoos will be better for it. If you want a body full of Japanese style tattoos from different tattooers, just start with one guy/girl and get a bit at a time finished then move on. It won't be a bodysuit, but you'll be covered in tattoos. If you go to good tattooers and choose well, they will be sympathetic to each other's styles and choices. Once you start with a good tattooer, you'll notice more and more options and subject that are suitable or that appeal to you. Don't worry if you don't have it all planned out. But really you should start by taking to tattooers who you will get tattooed by. In person or by calling the places they work at is usually more informative than via the internet. Remember that good tattooers think about this stuff all the time. Not just on their downtime in the evenings, but all day, every day. So they will probably have some neat problem-solving tricks and advice. Good luck.

there's a lot of other mention worthy weirdness that happened at that show, hahaha. the shirt i got from that show is on it's last leg, sleeves have completed detached and now several holes are starting to spread with each time i wear it. the meatking records design that was on the back is completely gone. todays playlist is all psychobilly the meteors-wrecking crew tiger army-all heartbreak engines-all creepshow-all the brains-all nekromantix-random tracks from each album mad sin-newest album chop tops-all the cramps-all koffin kats-inhumane frantic flintstones-raucaus years demented are go-in sickness and in health charlie horse-unholy roller

Dapper Rabbit offers you a nice cup of tea! Tally ho!

I believe the apostrophe between the O and the D makes that a contraction, so it's not spelled incorrectly. We're all comedians agagagagagaga....

Boy, I just finished The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia. Not sure if I'm depressed or feel great about my life...

There needs to be a thread dedicated to one of the greatest comedians of all time. His new show has trumped the old one (which I never thought was possible.) Who the hell else feels this way?

Wow, he is a genius, never heard of him till now. Been having a great laugh watching his Shameless special. But out of beer now and must take a quick walk to the convenience store to buy more, just as soon as my legs stop their pins and needles.

a brief history of touchdown jesus, it was built in front of the solid rock church (a church that has had known ties to a horse farm directly across I-75 that was a front for running cocaine) just north of cincinnati and i remember the first time i saw it all i could think was "touchdown!!" apparently i'm not the only one that thought that. well, last year touchdown jesus was struck by lightning and burnt to the ground. a beautiful sight!

I think the reason there are so many Phoenix tattoos, is the same reason there are so many eagle, panther and pin up girl tattoos, because they make a good tattoo. I have never been one for getting tattoos with meaning, but in this case it's a good tattoo idea and it holds meaning to you so it seems like a win win situation. Just make sure you get it as big as you can, make it powerful and bold. That guys portfolio that was posted earlier in the thread looks like he would do a good job, some nice work.

Jackson would like to come too!

The proper spelling is 'tattooed'. Sorry, I think I'm funny too..

Dios mio man.

It was good to hear a little about your trip Rory. You got it summed up pretty good. Middle aged Japanese are the most conservitive about anything over here. Every summer it seems like you see more and more tattoos out in the open. When I came here 5 years ago it was rare to see a Japanese walking around outside with any visable tattoos, now it's maybe about 1 in 20. I know there are a lot more out there, but just hiding. Tattoos are a good conversation starter with them, cause now they can finally talk about them with out sounding like a criminal.

That's a go, @dcostello.

Add that fool Hogg to the list!

We tried to take a fair few photos, although some of the things that probably would have been interesting to people here (like the interior of Yellow Blaze, Horiyoshi's museum etc we didn't take any because it didn't seem appropriate). I'll put up any good ones I do find in this thread down the line. Yeah, it was a good trip ... Although expensive, it must be said. I'm going to be spending the conceivable future working whatever overtime I can find.

Just one other thing. We brought over a few small bottles of Irish whiskey (from the last few independent Irish-owned distilleries) to give out as presents along the way. So at the last ryokan we were staying in, Tokyo Ryokan, we gave the owner and his wife some. They were a young couple and the ryokan itself is kind of unusual - it's a sort of eco-house with some unusual architectural features... Little details like hand-finished wood and stone elements where you don't expect them. It was small, but immaculately clean and very friendly. TOKYO RYOKAN OFFICIAL WEB SITE Some info about the design features here: TOKYO RYOKAN OFFICIAL WEB SITE - Design In conversation we'd talked to the husband about tattooing, and it turned out that he seemed to know a little about the scene in Japan. We didn't want to ask him directly (it was one of those situations where it seemed like he was talking around things, and we'd only just met him). So the next day we came back to the ryokan and he had left us a tube containing several Shige prints as a gift... Signed by Shige. He said he thought we might get more enjoyment out of them, and that he had been holding on to them for a while. Guess it's a small world.

I love phoenix tattoos but the downside is they are pretty common, many artists will tell you they do them all the time. If you don't mind that, then go ahead and get one. They have a lot of meaning behind them. At one stage I was considering getting a phoenix tattoo myself, but decided to get a Kirin instead as they are far less common. You could also look at Foo Dogs.

Another Rodney Raines tiger...on me.

Just returned from my local theater. I was entertained throughout the movie, but found it to be a little more serious than I had expected. I was hoping for a typical Paul Rudd (Wet Hot American Summer, Role Models...) type of movie. If you enjoy Paul Rudd ingeneral then you should watch it. But if you are looking for constant laughs and shit, might want to netflix that shit.

I feel like I'm a clash of different styles. I speak a few different languages, have more than a few interests, and have done a lot of different things in my life. My tattoos are a reflection of that, and as much as I admire people with one full suit from a single artist, I know that it's not for me.

In reply to D's Wu Tang Pizza

When I lived in Austin I worked at the Alamo Theatre. It is the greatest movie theatre in the world. They run this video before the film starts.

I love this scene from Street Trash http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zewUniS26bg&feature=player_detailpage

gummo - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvXSDfC7PLc&feature=youtu.be almost exactly like living in ohio, the town this is about is right next to the town i live in... ironically, i'm going to miss living here

Watching Young Guns. The Peyote scene is one of the greatest scenes in film history. "DID YOU SEE THE SIZE OF THAT GOD DAMNED CHICKEN?"

Got this today at Sacred. The chick is from the X-Files episode where the Tattoo is controlling the dudes mind and making him kill people. The words "All Sewn Up" is a Lucero lyric. Im all Sewn Up with bad tattoos.

DeeDee Ramone

i think misspelling of words is up there. also, backwards tattoos. you guys see that TATTOO WARS show? it was awesome!!!!!!!!!! you see the one with mike rubendall up against bugs? i like the way they showed mike doing his homework researching his design and doing some sketching while bugs went to his mechanics place to work on a hot rod. come tattoo time, mike did an INCREDIBLE job. bugs on the other hand decided to just draw his design on. and drew it BACKWARDS!!!!!! thats some crap you learn in the first week of an apprenticeship. not 20 years into your career.