hogg

Ya don't say...I'm back in with him for a small add-on this Sunday. :)

I have a left-field contribution: "Johnsburg, Illinois" by Tom Waits. At about a minute and a half, t's one of the shortest songs around, but I've always loved it. I sing it to my daughter often. http://youtu.be/azD2Q5FudBE Here are the lyrics (with the tattoo reference in bold): She's my only true love, she's all that I think of Look here in my wallet, that's her She grew up on a farm there, there's a place on my arm where I've written her name next to mine See I just can't live without her, and I'm her only boy She grew up outside McHenry in Johnsburg, Illinois Makes me wonder who did Tom's tattoos:

Welcome, Duderino (or Dude, if you're into that whole brevity thing).

Love that stuff. Filler is so much fun! I miss it (on my arms, that is).

That's killer, @el_alquimista! I'd love to hear more about it.

I think you just described Mike Wilson?

In 2008, the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco invited Horitaka of State of Grace to participate in their MATCHA series. Horitaka not only gave a lecture on Japanese tattooing--he also tattooed a client in the museum, as did Horitomo, Horiyuki (aka Jill Bonny), Colin Kenji and Shige (who was also accompanied by one of his clients). Horitomo put in a few hours on my arm, then worked on Khalil Rintye's ribs for a while. It was a very odd experience. I've been tattooed at conventions, but this was very different. At conventions, most of the attendees are tattooed. At the museum, that was not the case; tons of people were coming up and asking me all kinds of questions. (If only I'd brought earbuds--plugged into nothing--I could've played it off like I couldn't hear them.) In the end, I was happy to participate. Until last week, I never knew there was a video of the event. Check it out: at 3:40, you can see me and my buddy Clem comparing open spots on our legs. Clem's the guy with the huuuuuuge Jeff Zuck panther on his back (as well as lots of other awesome stuff). But my favorite thing about this is that the top youtube comment says, "0:59 is that Ami James?" :D

Welcome, Mingo! Make yourself at home.

Thanks so much for that, @smiling.politely! That was a real treat. Your dad sounds awesome.

Well, in that case, here's the other link that @dirbab asked me to post:

That's weird. @dirbab PMed me to say that it wasn't showing up, but I can see it just fine.

@David Flores mentioned Dan Gilsdorf on the first page. I'd say he qualifies. His traditional is great, but he also has beautiful Japanese work that reminds me of Miyazo's stuff. Oh, and Dan Gilsdorf :: Atlas Tattoo :: Portland, Oregon

@kylegrey: Stewart Robson is an excellent addition. Traditional, black and gray, and stellar Japanese.

Mike Wilson Juan Puente Scott Sylvia Not only are these guys all capable of pulling off damn near anything, but I just noticed that their names are all the same length.

You'll be hard-pressed to find 5/8" chain, though. The biggest I've ever seen in a store was 1/2", and that weighs a lot less then 5/8". Call around, though, and see if you can find a tractor supply or marine supply company. You only need two 5" lengths of it. The 3/8" leader is easy to find. Here's a popular setup (although I'd go with 3/8" for the leader instead of 1/4"):

Welcome! Fathers and sons on LST. Very cool.

I should add that Drew Flores (of the above facemelting torso) sports one of Chris Brand's Cholo Suikoden backpieces (a la the one on Ben Grillo). Drew also counts Chris Brand as an influence. For those fortunate enough to be familiar with the elusive Mr. Brand's work, the parallels are clear, but Drew most definitely does things his own way. I can't say enough good things about either of them.

Welcome aboard!

A thousand times yes. When I was getting those tigers on my ribs, I left the station soaked in sweat. That was far and away the worst I've experienced yet. Thankfully, Tim Lehi is super fast (and broke it up over 4 sessions). My longest rib session was 2.5 hours, but they were the longest 2.5 hours of my life.

@Scott R: On lunges and DB presses? I'm having a hard time picturing that. I'm referring to these:

Congrats on the PR! Always feels great, especially when it's a number like that. ;) Anyone else here ever use chains? I first tried them in @Hrubarb's garage and went out a bought a set right away. I really like them for Louie Simmons-style "speed" days. That's what I plan to do tonight: bench with chains and box squats with chains. Trying to add break through some sticking points on those lifts.

Yeah, Scott nailed it--and it only took him an hour. I showed up not knowing what I wanted to jam into that weird space. He said, "We'll figure something out." Right before I walked over to his station, my wife noticed a cobra on some old Lee Roy Minugh flash and said, "Get a cobra!" I love that woman.

@RoryQ, it's always, always better to start too light than to start too heavy! I'll let @kylegrey weigh in here with a much more authoritative voice, but my two cents is that you should squat instead of leg press if at all possible. I got a lot out of a high-rep squat routine, and I'm sure you would, too.

I just call it "a Jeff Rassier tattoo." He does phenomenal Americana and is known for weirdo shit, so I figured I'd have him do both.

rosshogg. I follow you. :)