I wish I had 100 extra hands and 10 extra lives to be able to practice all the types of art I am interested in. From the basic wood worked items and ceramics that I currently do, I also enjoy working with textiles( weaving, embroidery, sewing) and documentary film.
Oh, no. Williamsburg was untapped man. And a friend of mine, this dude Sturenzo (???), that I grew up with, he had the shop on Metropolitan Avenue, which later became Flyrite Tattoo. Because Elio bought that shop from my boy and Elio opened it up as Flyrite, which obviously is a fucking world famous shop. And Elio was always a fucking nice dude. He was always cool to me. I only met him a few times ever, but he seems like a great guy. But yeah, so it was us and Flyrite. And again, Flyrite was there probably two or even maybe three years prior to me opening up B-52.
Being from Asia, I’ve seen how the industry can sometimes be misrepresented by poor ethics or rushed practices. My goal has never been to follow trends or fit into any scene; it’s to add real value to the craft. That’s why I want to highlight what proper tattooing truly requires: a clean workspace, correct hygiene standards, and respect for both tradition and technique. Tattoos should come from intention and professionalism, not shortcuts or hype.
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I’m not quite sure if the know of needle making and sterilization will altogether disappear? It certainly is slowly less and less getting passed on as most tattooers now use disposable tubes, needles and cartridges .
I still soak, decontaminate, brush, rinse mine and Marnie’s tubes daily, it’s just part of my routine for over 30 years. Sometimes I wonder how many hours of my life I’ve been at this process!
He immediately infused me with traditional values in terms of machine building and tattoo history. I vividly remember him asking me about Coleman one day, and when I didn’t know who that was, he got so upset he literally walked away mid-conversation. “A generation of tattooers who don’t know Coleman… it finally happened,” he said.
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