Tell me a bit about how you got started, because you have such a varied skill set.
When I came to Buffalo from Massachusetts, I was midway through my art education. The vocational school that I went to in Marlboro, had its students do nothing but commercial design: children's book illustration, business card design, layout and pre-press stuff. We were connected to the graphic arts, but it was an avant school at the time. When I moved to Buffalo, they didn't offer any similar programs, so I fell into graphic design. When I got out and went to college I kept graphic design and illustration as my forte, but also dabbled in art education and art therapy as well. Halfway through college, I started moving around, working for graphic design firms and then finished up at UB. I moved to Ohio, did more sign job odds and ends, but it was heavy text and not very art influenced.
I met this kid Crack who was a piercer and got me started into tattooing, but I was still I moved around a bit before ending up back in Buffalo. My girlfriend Dawn was the one that actually kept me here. I got a job working for Stylin' Tattoos, which used to be where my studio is no, then opened up my own shop in Allentown.
Did it seem possible to survive, artistically, here?
I hired Greg and Charlie, and then went on tour to Hawaii, Las Vegas and Hollywood to start prospecting new locations. When I came back into town, I realized that Buffalo hadn't been that bad to me. A few days before we were set to leave, we were driving up Elmwood and saw a sign on HOD (previously Stylin') that said 'for rent'. I couldn't pay for a store front that is what this is.
Once I got in there and got comfortably set, I thought, why not get back into what we originally wanted to do, design. I already had Greg, who was straight out of college with an illustration/painting degree. I could double up and teach him design and tattoo. We decided we should focus on design, then catch up with the tattoo game which will pay, our 9-5. Just as of recently, we got in touch with a local printer who is willing to do our printing out of his house for whole sale prices.
But you recently decided to begin a clothing line, how did that develop out of the graphic design business?
I had already been working with Jesse King and Chris Naugle who own Phatmans, I was customizing and drawing on their boards. Their business has grown along the same lines that my business has grown. We had a meeting last week and I'm going to sell my clothing and associate it with their Urban skate and snow line. We'll combine the Madd name and the Phat name, so it's Madd Phat clothing. So, while most of my drawings are intended to be on skin, they work very well into skate gear.
Tattoo clothing is fashionable - Ed hardy is a huge name in fashion. Not everyone wants to wear a tattoo, but nobody minds wearing tattoo art clothing. If I sell it out of my shop, a customer may want to wear my design for a day but that doesn't mean he wants to wear a dark image of a devil for the rest of his life. I like to keep my imagery disturbing without being filthy.
And the Guerilla Gallery?
Right. On top of this all, the gallery falls into my lap. I'm not a fool to let so much space go to waste - I know a lot of artists around the city.
You have a lot of different things going on, which is unusual for an artist. To stereotype, most artists are bad at getting themselves into the public eye.
Most artists aren't salesman, but it came natural to me. Thank god I took a job in high school where I sold pots and pans. I know how to market myself. In the tattoo world, no one should let you cut them for two and a half hour without getting to know a little about you first.
Did you ever have any alternative goals? Did you somehow always know that you would do this?
My mother had wanted me to be an art teacher, my father always had me in advanced art classes, but everyone always pushed me towards art. When I told my mom I wanted to be a tattoo artists she said, "Your brother will own a Harley dealership right behind you."
Now she says, "Some people's kids drew on the walls, mine drew on each other."
With all of this accomplished, what more could you possibly have on the horizon?
We're on the cusp of going to San Francisco where I'm speaking at a major tattoo convention and my thoughts of lately have been this: The media, shows like LA Ink make tattooing look really simple. They show a portrait, but all they really show is a tear in someone's eye and the finished product. Really, something like that is done over several sittings and not even once, have I heard anything mentioned about aftercare. You try holding a six oz machine with a needle connected and ink. Also, you have to do it skillfully, ethically and medically correct so that someone doesn't end up with a fatal disease. its not so easy. We can pay to have people go every year, to a blood born pathogens course, but why not give the public a blood born pathogens course that's taught by people in the industry. We can also then, talk about ethics. You can properly teach a tattoo artist to sterilize a tube, but its another thing to teach the common people how to walk into a tattoo studio, and know the warning signs that this place may not be the shop for you. We wouldn't selling ourselves, we're saying we might not even be the shop for you because every person has their own level of comfort. It's simply about promoting awareness about the industry.
Lightening Round!
Mighty Taco or Louie's Red Hots?
Mighty Taco... with extra sour cream
Cigars or cigarettes?
Cigarillos
Movie theater or home video?
Movie theater
PBR or Labatt?
Labatt. I just pose as a punk rock kid.
