TATTOO HOLLYWOOD 2010
Wednesday, September 29th, 2010 by Little Dave Parker
Hello hello, my minions…
I know it’s been a while, but I’ve been ever-so-busy with my life, which, as you all can imagine by now, is rather hectic. People don’t understand how Miss Lohan could keep missing her court dates, but people like Lindsay and I can’t always make time for everything people want us to do, like making appearances for charity, or “legal obligations.” This lifestyle is extremely demanding, but we do the best with what we have.
In this blog I’ve decided to talk about the Tattoo Hollywood Convention that happened this year…it was my first year attending, and in this humble artist’s opinion, it was great.
First I should probably describe the experiences I’ve had at other events. Tattoo conventions were originally started for artists themselves to share their work and experiences with each other. A good example would be the meetings of The Bristol Tattoo Club started by Les Skuse that thrived in the 1950s. Old photos from the era show tough old bastards hanging out drinking beer and showing off their tattoos and tattoos they’ve done.
Later in the century, in the 1970s, tattoos were still very much a part of “fringe” society. The community at the time mainly consisted of bikers, military, and rock stars. The conventions were still very much focused on the gathering of the artists themselves, and the exchange of inspiration and ideas.
Tattooing became more and more popular, with a big boom in the 1990s and an even bigger boom once reality television got involved. Nowadays, tattoo conventions are more like Lollapalooza circa 1993. And if that makes me sound old, I don’t care. Listen to your elders because we know what we’re talking about.
Conventions today not only attract a much broader portion of society (due to the mainstream acceptance of tattoos), but also provide a much broader variety of entertainment. Apparently it’s no longer enough for people to see the work of artists from all over the world (and maybe throw back some beers). Now we have rock concerts, car shows, burlesque shows, wet t-shirt contests, pin-up competitions, and everything else you can think of. Not to mention an absolute clusterfuck of bullshit vendors selling crap that has nothing to do with tattoos. Blechh.
Which brings me back to the Hollywood convention. Tattoo Hollywood 2010 (held at the Renaissance Hotel) was only the 2nd year of the convention’s existence, I believe, and once again masterminded and organized by the amazing Lachel Rarratt … who probably doesn’t want me to mention her name, so I’ve changed it. Putting something together of this magnitude in an area as completely fucked as Hollywood was, I’m quite positive, no easy feat. And despite whatever obstacles were thrown at her (and believe me, there were a lot), she kept a clear head the entire time and was always happy to help with anything we artists (see: lazy scumbags) needed.
Although the convention started Friday, the party for us started on Thursday, as many of the out-of-state artists flew in that day to prepare. That night, I got to meet some of the crew from Elm Street Tattoo (Dallas, TX). Along with our crew (True Tattoo), we pretty much demolished an otherwise “upstanding” establishment that was trying to host a soothing night of karaoke. We made sure it reached its true potential.
The convention started Friday, and after working out all the kinks and bugs in setting up, things totally took off. It was really an experience to be in such close presence with such a great roster of artists, like Jack Rudy, Oliver Peck, Freddy Negrete, Bob Roberts, and all the way from Florida, the almighty Richard Stell of Inksmith & Rogers. Artists of all different styles and backgrounds were working in full force, including Horiren of Japan, who was an absolute wonder to watch work.
What really separated this convention from others was the perfect balance it had of high profile tattooists with a minimum of cheesy hype and bullshit circus acts. There was no burlesque show. There was no hot-rod competition. And the only things being sold by the few vendors, for the most part, were artwork and supplies. Otherwise, it was simply a great collection of tattoo artists tattooing. Nothing more, nothing less. There was plenty to see and take in, but not even close to the point of being overwhelming. There was an awesome outdoor patio right outside where there was not only always someone to talk to, but always a place to sit and chill out as well.
I’ve never paid so little for a beer at a tattoo convention … or any other sort of event, come to think of it. We were also treated to the absolute best food I’ve ever had at an event, supplied by Wolfgang Puck’s restaurant. It was very reasonably priced (seriously), and lemme tell you, beat the SHIT out of waiting in a 30-minute line to buy a slimey $20 taco from a food vendor at a typical tattoo convention.
Another interesting thing that happened at this convention was the tattooing of Yours Truly. After some short discussions, my co-worker Mr. Jeffery Paige and I went inside where he proceeded to DRILL MY KNEECAP WITH A TATTOO MACHINE UNTIL I COULDN’T TAKE IT ANYMORE. Haha, I’m kidding. Kind of. But make no mistake, it had been so long since I’d been tattooed, it was refreshing and fun to get tattooed at the convention and walk away with a little “souvenir.”
All in all, the convention was great, and I truly hope Lachel does it again in 2011. I expect to see all of you there. Until next time…party on.
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