NEWS: Needled News by Marisa DiMattia

CULTURE: Needled News by Marisa DiMattia

Yesterday, I was reviewing the tattoo news of the week when this message popped up on my screen from my buddy Dave of Big Kahuna Tattoo in Florida:

Following that message, our online conversation included references from Dave on how watching the show is akin to watching one's mother in a porno, how clients now come in and tell him how to tattoo based on what they saw on TV, and even how people on the street now frequently ask him the meaning behind the tattoos of his full body suit. He preferred when they just crossed the street in fear.



Of course, Dave will admit that the show has increased business. With some of the mystery gone, the general apprehension of walking into the unknown dissipates and leaves people free to waltz in the studio for their own work of art.



While Dave and many other tattooers I've spoken with are clearly on the anti-tattoo TV side, I'm still trying to figure of how I feel about Miami Ink. I'm gonna try and flesh it out here today.



Before I do, let me just say that I am clearly decided on the other tattoo reality show, Inked, a big joke of a show where the focus is on the drama and "hijinks" of the cast than on any art. I was once asked by one of their producers if I knew tattoo artists who would want to be part of the show. I could not find one. Enough said.



On the contrary, Miami Ink does feature really good tattoo artists. Chris Garver's tattoo portfolio is first rate, especially his Japanese work, and Kat Von D does a mean portrait tattoo when she's not posing for ubiquitous pictorials. And now I hear that one of my fave tattoo pin-up artists, Joe Capobianco, will be doing a guest spot on the show from April 2 through the 7th. What this all means is that the general public gets to see a high standard of tattoo art and can make better choices when deciding on an artist.



The public does not see the full picture, however, and this type of reality programming is often far from the truth. First, in Miami Ink, clients don't just walk in and make an appointment. They go through producers, they are booked based on things like a good back story to wanting the tattoo. But not every body tells a story. No one has to die for you to get tattooed. You do not need to be a victim of abuse to reclaim your body via art. Tattooing the name or face of your child on your body does not make you a better parent. Not that these are bad tattoos but they do not represent the full breadth and depth of the tattoo experience.



Many people get tattooed because it just looks pretty. Because they like it, and that should be enough. That's reality. I guarantee you that most tattooists will not throw you out of the studio for not having some spiritual awakening that compels you to get needled. In fact, many are probably grateful that they don't have to hear the story.



Which brings me to another tattoo truth: Most tattooers do not work in the resplendent glamour of being flown to the Super Bowl, Hawaii, and A-List parties. They do not regularly tattoo wrestlers, rock stars, and models. In fact, many people they tattoo do not bathe before the session. Tattooers generally work for hours hunched over with a buzzing machine in their hands leading to bad backs and carpal tunnel. They perform tasks like kicking out drunken frat boys and cleaning up vomit from clients with weak stomachs who can't take the pain. They deal with cries, screams, and large burly men who pass out and pee themselves because they're too manly to take a break. I've seen it. It ain't pretty. But I think it would make for more interesting television.



What are your thoughts on tattoo reality TV? Leave your comments below.



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For tattoo headlines of last week, read Needled's take on guy who's suing his tattooer for misspelling a stupid tattoo, a story on how one amputee transformed his stump into a dragon head that's a work of art, and more.

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Marisa_DiMattia is a lawyer and editor of Needled.com, a blog on tattoo art and culture.

I am so tired of being asked to explain my tattoos! Sure there are a couple that have meaning behind them but most are there for no reason other than I thought it would look good. I actually miss people asking me if they hurt!
I took my kids on vacation last week and instead of feeling like a freak show, I felt like an afternoon special! Tattoos seem to make us worthy of strangers' attention. That sucks!

Too bad they don't just focus on the art and the artist rather than the customer and their shitty life.

I stopped explaining the meanings of my tattoos a long time ago.
I just tell people "I'm a collector" and it's usually enough for them.

The one thing I really do hate is when people with a tiny little tattoo feel the need to wrap "ink talk" with you because they think they've joined some elite club because they got a tattoo. I'm sorry but your barbed wire armband is not the same as my 2 full sleeves and gigantic ribcage pinup. The fact that you have a tattoo and I have a tattoo does not make us best friends.

I'm happy to field serious questions about the art but don't bring it up to make small talk with me.

As a tattoo Artist I have a Love/Dislike relationship with this show. I admit I have only watched a little of it. It's too much like being at work. After a long day of tattooing the last thing I want to do is watch some one else doing my job. I want a break from it.

That being said, the show has been good for the industry. Clients seem to be thinking more before they come in. I get less of the "I want a tattoo" but the person doesn't know what to get do they just look for the cheapest thing.
People are beginning to understand that this is real work and how to communicate with the artist about what they want. Yeah a bit "Too Much Info" some times but so much better than it was. I've also noticed an upsizing with customers. Seeing lots of big pieces on the show that look great seem to be making people see the value of a tattoo bigger than a quarter.

I also think that middle America seeing that lots of normal folk get tattoos is making lots of people rethink their prejudices against the heavily inked. And considering it for themselves.

Yeah it's a pain in the ass to be asked what your tattoos mean by total strangers, but now they aren't thinking that you are a criminal/ drug addict/ whore..

I like watching Miami Ink for the art, not for the whole meaning behind it. I guess the meaning part is there to make the show more interesting..!
I want to get a tattoo of a snowflake - why? Because I like snow. 'Nuff said!

Judging from the beginning or yr story, looking tough is a big part of it too.

Yr saying that deliberately doing something that makes you stand out from the crowd is drawing attention?! Mon dieu!

But seriously. I hear just as much bitching about tattoos becoming mainstream or less edgy as I do about people with tattoos not wanting to be judged or shamed. News flash: those two things go hand in hand. If you want tattoos to be accepted, they're going to be mainstream.

I personally cannot stand Miami Ink. I'm so fed up of all the firefighter memorial tattoos featured and the other silly back stories. It's fine to have a meaning to your tattoo, just as it is perfectly acceptable to not have one. I just hate how the producers need the people to have that story. Why can't it be more realistic?

Who says I'm not a criminal, addict or whore?

I personally enjoy telling the story of my tattoos because they are part of who I am. Each tattoo is a representation of me and why wouldn't I want to share that. Any body adornment: tattoo, piercing, scarification, etc... should have some meaning to you otherwise it is as superficial as fake breasts, collagen injections, plastic surgery, etc... If it doesnt mean something to you and is only done for the aesthetic pleasure then it is meaningless. You have one body and what you do to it should have meaning and a purpose.

I can't work this one out

Is it that they pass out from the pain or that they pass out from holding back pee because they don't want to take a toilet break?

While i have tattoos i have never regarded myself as in with the ink scene <shrug> I got tattoos i liked by tattooists that were recommended. I've never been hugely interested in anything beyond that. This said, having a reason for getting a tat is a lot better than getting one because of peer pressure or being blind drunk.

Also while none of mine have stories other than the fact I had come across and liked the images in question (though why I liked them is peronal to me) I have never understood why you would simply take something off the boards in the shop? If you are going to have something placed irremovably on your body you'd think you would want something personal and at least somewhat particular, rather than something any bugger could have (and probably does).

I don't think Miami Ink is shown down in OZ, but if it leads to better informed choice all the better.

so on this show, every tatttoo they make needs to have a story or something?

Reality TV tattoo shows. From my perspective as a tattoo artist, it's a double edged sword.

I admit that Miami Ink has it's good sides. Yes, it's been good for business. Yes, more often these days the casual and spontaneous shopper will choose something a bit more involved and pricey than the doo-dads they might have chosen had they not been inspired by last night's episode. In the big picture, broadcast media has put tattoo in the homes of all classes of people, all over the country, all over the world. Sports figures, rock stars, celebrities of all kinds sport their ink on television. The advertising industry has caught on to the trendiness of body art, and tattoos get featured in TV and magazine ads. That all has a positive impact on me, one of the guy's who makes their living through tattoo art.

On the down side? I can't tell you how tired I am of being told about what happened on Miami Ink last week.

Yes, Chris Garver does good, solid work.
Yes, Kat Von D is too sexy for her job.

People idolize the personalities and events they see on television. Not to put down the tattooists on Miami Ink, but just because they're on a reality TV show, they aren't the pinnacle of fine art tattooing. The average customer doesn't know the first thing about the *real* who's who of tattooing. I could list *scores* of tattooists who do work that's light years beyond what is showcased on Miami Ink, but to the average uninformed customer, these folks must be the absolute best - why else would they be on television? Gah.

I could go on about my issues and pet peeves with the show, the way it's completely sensationalized, the ugly aspects all whitewashed away, the glamour outshining the *true* reality of tattoo... suffice it to say, I'm not personally a fan of Miami Ink.

Alas, I must admit it again - in spite of the down sides, it's good for business.

You approached your article in a very analytical and neutral way, Marisa. You summed it up as with "I'd be interested in knowing what you think" finale. I'd like to know what you really think, passing your own judgement. Do *you* like Miami Ink?

Normally I dislike "reality" tv shows, but I enjoy Miami Ink.
The things that I don't like is how they repeat the persons story a couple of times during the show and how every tattoo actually has a story (the article above this explained that tho). None of mine do, my thought pattern is hmm I like that idea/style/image, then I would designed something and have it done.

I do like seeing people getting tattooed and watching how the design developed, it sounds corny but it has been educational for my parents and their friends who thought getting a tattoo involved a paint brush that got under the skin (?!).

Although I think it would be fab to go on MI and get inked I would be worried that I would humiliate myself on telly and never be able to go to the USA again, and I much prefer to get inked by someone I trust rather than someone I've watched on TV.

I watch the show from time to time for one reason , to see Garver's work . Same reason I buy tat magazines . I like looking at what's new out there , to see where the art is heading . I can't stand that other show , too much horse shit .

And this is why I Love love love you all.

Oh and as far as Miami Ink. It's not real, and many of my friends who ask me the MEANING of my body mods are aware that its a show. I'll admit, I get annoyed when some random person says "Why did you get those? Does it have any Meaning for you?" and I go nope. I wanted em. MI has given people a false sense of tattooing, BUT there is truth in the idea that tattooing is a spiritual endeavor. I've heard many people tell me that getting a full back piece was an amazing experience. Its one I hope to have.

I like watching people get tattooed and I like hearing people get tattoed. (Except for the whiny people who cry and moan. That annoys me.) So I watch Miami INk not for its stories but just because I enjoy seeing the images and the work that is being done.

As far as me wanting to get a tattoo from Kat Von D, I'll wait until she does a guest spot in NY. There's no way in hell I'm going to go through an AUDITION before I get a tattoo.

Really, my perspective is warped because I'm at my husband's tattoo studio when I'm not doing legal work, so for me, there's no *wow* factor. I've never been entertained by the show nor learned anything but I do see how it can appeal to wider audiences.

I'm also not a tattooist and don't have to deal with some of the ridiculous backlash mentioned in the column so I don't have a burning hate for it either.

It's not bad. I'd like to see something better.

I'm minus-ink so far- my first one'll be for my 19th birthday. Tattoos for me are art on a canvas that is going to be forever - so you've gotta be careful what it is and where it came from. I appreciate that TV tattooists increase a person's knowledge and standard of art - but not the trend. Tattoos each have a story - even if it's bad ones like "so this one time I was drunk...." but that does not mean that each time you see an inked body in the street you've got to ask WHY.

I have a love / hate relationship with the show. I like to see the art, love to hear the gun and I'm glad that its bringing an awareness, on one hand. On the other hand, to have to sit through "I want this pretty little fairy and this is why, tear tear" is quite painful. I enjoy when they show someone getting a new additions to their "in progress" tattoos.

+1 fucking one...