CABS

I impulsively get tattoos on the regular. I'll just go into a shop not knowing what I want and pick something off the wall, so to speak. It's more fun that way.

Thanks for the heads up. I might just do that come convention time. But I still want to visit AWR. Hell, I still want to visit Portland. Dan Gilsdorf moved back up so that gives me another reason to visit. And I hear that the strippers are hipsters. Stripsters, if you wheeel. And that there's a shuttle that takes you from brewery to brewery to brewery. If that ain't enough incentive to visit, I don't know what is.

Thanks man. Yeah, I'm really digging it. Exceeded my expectations for sure. I asked Wade what he likes to tattoo and he said "whatever walks through the door." I then asked him if he prefers a certain style to tattoo and he said, "You kind of have to know how to tattoo every style." What I was trying to find out is if he really liked doing traditional. I wouldn't have Thomas Hooper to do a panther head (I'm sure he could do a killer one though) or I wouldn't have Steve Byrne to do a realistic color portrait. I like to play to an artists strengths. Turns out Wade is typically know for his black and grey, but he totally did an amazing job with the traditional too.

That's sick man. I want a rose and dagger on the back of my leg too, how fitting. I like visiting conventions, but I'd much rather visit tattooers at their home base. Jeff P and Ross Carlson do killer tattoos. Maybe I'll make a trip to Portland this summer. Flights are cheap from the Bay Area.

I lurk B9 and saw you post this on there too. Wanted to comment on it but couldn't. Phil's work is super rad. His animal heads are awesome. He takes lots of cool risks with the geo/traditional and using negative space. I dig his color palette too. Trying to get something from him soon.

This sounds killer! I need to do this one day.

Speaking of Sekret City, not too long ago he got tattooed by Adam Warmerdam. Warmerdam does killer lady heads.

I'm always paranoid that if I mention an upcoming tattoo, someone out there will call that shop and cancel my appointment. Weird, yes I know.

I used to live in Long Beach, so of course I'm biased. Port City, Dark Horse, Spotlight for starters. If you're willing to trek to Orange County you got Gold Rush, Torch, Sid's. If you're ever in the Valley, you got JoJo Ackerman's spot in Santa Clarita. Tons and tons of options in SoCal.

Jeff P is on my list too. That flash special sounds rad as hell. Duly noted.

Yeah, splitting time. Tues and Wed at Port City, I believe. The cool thing about that is their shop is 5-10 min from the Long Beach Airport. Jet Blue sometimes has these awesome deals that fly you right into Long Beach for 50-60 bucks (each way) from the Bay Area.

Most definitely. I'm sure they will knock it out of the park.

Walk in style by Wade Hex at Port City Tattoo in Long Beach, CA. I had no idea what I wanted to get. First thing that popped into my head was "geisha lady head". What a stacked crew over at Port City. Vastly underrated. I'd love to get tattooed by anyone at that shop... Eric Jones, Tom Moser, Uzi, Jack Mauk, Renan, Wade Hex... heavy hitters.

I have 5 at the moment. I was not planning on it, it kind of just happened that way. Get what you like. - - - Updated - - - I need more animal tattoos. Or faceless tattoos, if that makes any sense.

I'm such a sucker for guest spots. If I see an artist I like coming through town, I'll try to secure a spot even though I have something already booked close to that date. That's usually what happens. Or if an artist is relocating for good, I'll try to get booked with them too before they leave. But sometimes when I travel, I try to get more than one tattoo (to make my trip "worth it", get my moneys worth, etc.). I honestly had no idea what the norm was for healing 1 or multiple tattoos. Sounds like most people heal 1 at a time, which is good because that's what I'm starting to do. When Forrest Cavacco tells you that you're going to fast, then maybe I should pump my brakes, take his advice, and slow it down a bit. If I see a guest artist coming into town and I already have an appointment booked for that month, then I'm just gonna have to miss out.

I'm trying this thing where I heal one tattoo at a time. It's tough though. I'm sure it's better for the body and what not. I used to heal like, 3-4 tattoos at the same time. This guy that was getting tattooed next to me noticed that, and he mentioned that I should take vitamins and iron pills. Does everyone else heal 1 tattoo at a time? Or do you guys heal multiples too?

Funny story about this... I told this girl I know (not girlfriend) that I was thinking of getting a traditional Jesus head tattooed on my chest. She then goes on to tell me that it would be super awkward for any girl that I end having sex with, because when they look up they would see Jesus. True story.

Temple Tattoo - Oakland, CA. If you're getting tattooed here in Oakland, grab a beer at Beer Revolution in Jack London Square. The phrase "beer nerd heaven" is an understatement. Total dive bar. If you're looking for a classier vibe, then you gotta go to The Trappist in Old Oakland. Not as many beers on tap as Beer Rev though. If beer is not your thing, Cafe Van Kleef in Uptown/Downtown makes an awesome Greyhound. Unfortunately, these watering holes are not exactly walking distance. If you got a car (or bike) though, it's a quick little ride.

I highly recommend getting tattooed by Freddy.

Dan Higgs design by Dustin Wengreen at Tattoo 13 in Oakland, CA. Super stoked on this one. One of my favorite Higgs designs.

Missed out big time when he was tattooing here in the Bay Area.

I only used a card when I got a Visa gift card for Christmas. In the Bay Area, only Blackheart and Spider Murphy accept card. So I used my gift card to put a deposit down. Other than that, cash is always king. It's just simpler for everyone.

Yup, that's on me. I can't believe it's on me. I'm beyond stoked. - - - Updated - - - Thanks! All I told him was I wanted a lady head with the Wu-Tang logo somewhere in there. He did an amazing job. I had no idea he listened to Wu-Tang. He said Liquid Swords was his favorite solo album.