Meeting Ed Hardy

Time… It drives me crazy. Have you ever had to wait for something? Nobody likes to wait. Waiting for the shower to get hot. It takes what, twenty seconds? Waiting for someone to come out of the house, when you’re already in the car?… Waiting for your package to arrive after you’ve checked the tracking and it’s “Out for delivery.” Waiting for summer break, when you’re in fifth grade. That was the worst!

It was the year 2000. Y2K was a bust. Some of you reading wouldn’t even remember, but there was supposed to be a worldwide technology crash because all of the world’s computers allegedly weren’t programmed to go past 1999. I’m sure it was started by some fear mongering conspiracy theorist trying to capitalize on ignorance. My in-laws called a family meeting to make a plan to “Bug out” to a safe place in the woods where they wanted to bury guns and freeze dried eggs to survive. I was excited to live out my “red dawn” fantasies… (not really)…I remember watching Australia celebrate the new year 16 hours ahead of us, and nothing was crashing. Same as always, just screaming drunk people in little paper hats. As the new year rolled along with the setting sun, and the time zones alerted their occupants of the new millennium, we at the end of the day, in the Pacific standard time zone, just waited. We waited to finally be the last ones on the planet to play Prince’s song “1999”.

What about the other end of the spectrum? What about when the time has gone but you don’t know how or where it all went. 

In 2000, I had only been tattooing since August. Less than a year, and had bought as many tattoo magazines as I could. Which happened to be about three. There weren’t that many then. I even bought some used ones from 1996, that had biker babes. Nipples were ok to show back then, on those hairspray teased chopper straddlers. I remember seeing a photo of Deano Cook standing with Bob Baxter at some convention holding a beer. That was the photo… Deano, talking to Bob holding a Budweiser. That was magazine worthy? I remember reading their names. I didn’t know Deano was an amazing tattooer, I didn’t know Bob was editor in chief of the best tattoo magazine around. It just looked like two regular guys talking. I clearly remember thinking, “These guys must be pretty important to have this picture printed in a magazine, but they look pretty damn normal.” Years later I had the privilege of meeting both of these influential men. RIP Bob Baxter, thank you for all you did for the tattoo community. 

A few months later, 2001 now, and the NTA, (National Tattoo Association. The NTA originally started as the “National Tattoo Club of the World” back in early 1976… when I was three) they were having their annual convention just an hour and a half away from me in Reno, NV. I was nervous, but wanted to go. I’m a self taught, still tattooing in my trailer in a town of 5000 people, scratcher…heading to see some of the world’s best. Walking into the casino. I see Paul Booth sitting at a table outside the convention doors, eating a sandwich. He looked like he should be eating a sacrificed baby goat, but it was just a regular sandwich. (I didn’t know who Paul Booth was, I just knew I had never seen a person look like they were the bad guy from Mad Max out in public) We walked through the doors to a world of the tattooed. The first booth was Jack Rudy’s. I didn’t know who he was either, but I could tell he was a bad ass. He had a crowd around him, and he was signing the posters and T shirts. A couple booths down, I see the guy who drank the beer with Bob Baxter. There he was. My first celebrity tattoo experience. Deano Cook, doing some crazy detailed porn pin up on a guy’s calf. His “Penthouse” magazine laid out for reference. His wife, at the time, was selling T-shirts that proclaimed in giant block letters, “FUCK YEAH THEY HURT!” and on his table was a sign up sheet for the Christian Tattoo Association. (Funny), Seemed Ironic, but what did I know? He was tattooing with three liners and three shaders. I only owned one machine at the time. 

We made our way around the small convention floor. I came to a corner booth. A quiet, gentle looking man was sitting behind a table of books. He had a button up plaid shirt on, and a beanie, folded up like he worked on the docks. He was older than the rest of the guys I saw there. There was a young guy showing him his small book of dragon paintings. He must have had a hundred paintings in this little photo album, all painterly Japanese style, crazy looking dragons and the older gentleman in the booth was telling him what he thought. As I tried to look and listen, I was shrinking inside. This kid obviously younger than me. I was 27, he looked like he was 20. He had done however many paintings were in that photo album more than me. That’s because I had never done a single painting, and wouldn’t for another four or five years. As he flipped through the book with way too much enthusiasm, the older man just looked… Then told him,  “Keep it up.”

 I looked down at the table at all of these books. I didn’t have much money and I had no idea what to get. But there was something about the quiet calmness he had, and obviously he knew something about something. The way that young guy was talking to him, the honor and excitement he had just showing him his paintings…I saw the original Sailor Jerry Flash book on the table. The only one out at the time. A blue paper back book of old tattoo designs. My friend told me traditional tattoos were cool, but I couldn’t understand why. I picked it up. It was $50. I couldn’t believe a paper back book of old tattoo flash would be that much. But I wanted it. I then picked up a cheesy looking, smaller book. It looked like a coloring book for kids to me. “Dragon  Tattoo Design” It was like $35. I grabbed it since they were talking about dragons. I look inside and it’s just simple line drawings. I was wrestling against my logic that was saying, “ You’re really going to pay this much for these? I did pay it, I just wanted anything I could get about tattoos. I showed them to my friend Jason, he liked Traditional, so I knew he’d like the Sailor Jerry Flash. I showed him the dragon book and he said, “I think that guy is a pretty big deal.” I look at the author, D.E Hardy. I walked up to him, hoping it was him at least. I said, “Could you sign this book?” I didn’t want to be laughed at, since I didn’t even know if he was actually the guy, let alone who Don Ed Hardy was…. He said, “Sure.” he  asked my name, and wrote, “To Jeff, Keep the art alive. “ Don Ed Hardy. 

“Keep the art alive.” 

I didn’t know what that would mean to me as the years have gone by, but those words mean more than I can describe. 

Skip ahead a year, and I’m back in Reno for the Lady Luck Tattoo show 2002 (15 years ago now). I attended my first tattoo seminar by none other than Lyle Tuttle, the room full of eager tattooers hoping to glean some wisdom and knowledge from the San Francisco legend who tattooed Janice Joplin…  Lyle takes a big drink of his cocktail and  says, and I quote, “Tattoos aren’t art!!! And…don’t drink coffee or water when you tattoo, cause they make you piss, and that takes time… and time is money!” 

Two very different perspectives. I respect both men, but after 17 years… I think I’ll go with Ed’s advise. 

Something happened to me a couple years ago, about 15 years into tattooing. It feels complex and difficult to explain, and I want to use a clever metaphor to illustrate some profound ethereal realization of a multidimensional perspective… but, the reality and simple truth is… I finally fell in love with tattooing. Straight and simple. I love it. I love how real it is… and how difficult it is. It hurts to see the culture be torn apart and dismembered over the shallow pursuit of money and fame, when the real value of what we do is in the heart and soul of it. it’s in the blood so to speak. Its in the pain. It’s in the healing… it’s in the fleeting, fading color, and in the memory of whatever experience the person has while getting the tattoo. Whether they were 20 and drunk, or 40 an traveling to Japan for work. 

The lasting value is in the temporal experience. How ironic. “Keep the art alive.” I decided to look up the dictionary definition of art…

art¹

ärt/

noun

noun: art; plural noun: arts; plural noun: the arts

1. 1.
   the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power.

It’s funny that there’s no mention in the definition here of money, hourly rate, years of experience, location, who you know, or who you are…. 

I want to thank Mr. Don Ed Hardy for telling me the most important thing to do in tattooing. He didn’t tell me how to do it. He didn’t tell me what I needed to learn, who or what I needed to know. He didn’t tell me where to go, or what to get when I got there. He did however tell me the only thing he should have and the only thing I think is worth repeating or passing on. So to you. reading this, I concur… 

You too, “Keep the art alive.”

http://www.hardymarks.com

http://www.edhardyoriginals.com

2017 resolution

res·o·lu·tion

ˌrezəˈlo͞oSH(ə)n/

noun

noun: resolution; plural noun: resolutions

1. 1.
   a firm decision to do or not to do something.

 It’s a new year. I’ve been asking people what their new year resolutions are? I can’t recall anyone having anything too specific. I’ve experienced a general resistance to the idea. Here’s my opinion. Based on the definition, I believe people in general just aren’t prone to firm decisions. A firm decision holds one accountable to consequences. If you or I were to make a firm decision to do, or not do something, we would know exactly when we failed to follow through on that firm decision. Say I decide to eat better, which I did new year's morning, but by lunch, I had gone back on that decision and ate an unhealthy amount of spaghetti. I had just gone running so I could justify it a little, but here’s my situation. I’ve been twenty five pounds overweight for the last twenty something years. Being overweight contributed to a poor self image and a bad lower back which caused me to get back surgery when I was 26 and left me inactive and still overweight until I was almost 40. I decided to exercise a few months before my 40th birthday and lost about 25 pounds. I felt great, but having not been active for twenty years I encountered numerous minor injuries, pulls, strains etc. Discouraged, I joined a powerlifting gym and got into lifting. I got stronger and felt even better, but also gained about ten pounds. In 2016 I tore my calf muscle and tore something in my wrist and had to take a few months off. I did physical therapy and just rested things, I also drank wine daily and kind of just ate whatever I wanted. Feeling discouraged, and like “what’s the point?” I’m 43 and no athlete, I’m just your average mid life crisis kinda guy. I gained another ten pounds and woke up Jan 1, 2017 twenty four pounds up from  two years ago. I’m right back where I started almost four years ago. Do I feel like a failure? Yeah, of course. I have failed to keep my resolve to be lighter, healthier and more active. Do I feel like I won’t be able to get back on track? Yes, I do. Do I feel like none of the last few years mattered?  No…I feel like it’s been incredible. I’ve worked out and got stronger than I have ever been before. I have finished 8 Half marathons, one full marathon, I’ve learned how to run, swim, Mountain bike, power lift… I went from 5 pull ups to 25 pull ups unbroken. I’m able to work all day without getting sore or have my back hurt. I can walk on my hands, do double unders, and so many other fitness things I’ve never done before. Are My pants tight? Yes, and I can’t stand to see myself in the mirror. I feel fat. I feel embarrassed, and I feel like I can’t get back to where I was a couple years ago. I only wear stretchy pants. I’m like “nacho Libré”… But, maybe the point isn’t to get back to where I was, but to move forward to where I will be. Could it be that there’s a new place to go to rather? I guess I could take another “before pic” and then cut out carbs, drink a gallon of water a day and measure out my 20 raw almonds for a snack no later than 6:30 pm each night, but is that where I want to be? Maybe there’s a new place to be where I eat what I want and drink the wine I want and run when I want. Could there be a state of mind where what I want coincides with who I am? Where I don’t want to eat as much because I do want to be healthier? Where I go running because I want to find that meditative balance of movement and breathing and seclusion from the busy pace of life. Where I’m just resting my mind as my body finds a rhythm? I don’t want to exercise anymore out of fear of getting fatter. I don’t want to go to the gym because I want to fit into my pants better, or again. I want to go because I feel like it, because It’s good for me and because Im able to.  

So Here’s my “fitness resolution”… I resolve to not have a weight goal, or constantly weigh myself. I resolve to only eat things that I feel good about, and to eat with gratitude. I resolve to exercise as often as I can, and to vary it, so it feels spontaneous and fun. I resolve to accept myself for who I am, which happens to be someone who’s doing the best I can with what I’ve got; always knowing that, ironically, there’s plenty of room to grow… even though my pants are too tight. 

di.a.logue

Early fall of 2016 I had the extraordinary opportunity to collaborate on a full back tattoo with a good friend and an incredibly talented and clever tattooer, Markus Lenhard, from Germany. We’ve worked side by side on occasion for years. We’ve also taught seminars side by side, but this time we got to literally work together on one tattoo for two days. I can’t speak for our client William Jones, a fellow tattooer from Wales, or for Markus, but it was an amazing experience for me. A learning experience and an opportunity to contribute what I have to something bigger than me and with more scope of vision than I’m capable of by myself. That’s what the true gift of collaborating contains. We spent two days designing, drawing on, stenciling, and tattooing, in various order. My friends at Heartisan films were on site to capture the progress and process to put into this mini documentary for you to watch. 

We then spent a day teaching our seminars on tattooing the next day. We also filmed them and will have the full double seminar available on flash drives very soon. Since it was two people discussing one subject, (tattooing) we decided to title the project "Di.a.logue". It was incredible to present and hear each other's perspective and thoughts on the subject of tattooing.  I look forward to working more on this project and also more projects like this. I hope it inspires you to expand your expression to include others in your life. 

click to watch

COLLABORATION VIDEO

Collaboration Video

Décoratif 2017

It's often my goal to bring people together with likeminded intentions. I believe as individuals we all have strengths of course, and likewise, we all have weaknesses. As much as people like to focus on their weaknesses, I've made it a practice to work on my strengths instead, and find others who's strengths are my weaknesses. There's a saying, "A chord of many strands is not easily broken." I love that, and believe it.

I also love decorative tattooing. It was my first draw to the craft. I was inclined that way, I suppose by having a pacific islander heritage. Polynesian tribal tattoos were my first love. I have since explored a wide range of genres in tattooing but ornamental, designs still hold my heart and soul.

My idea was to gather some people, some I know, and some I haven't met yet. These people all exhibit a high skill set and understanding of what I consider to be a pivotal and integral genre of tattooing. It's the basis of so much of what we do. The flow, balance, movement, and mood of any tattoo, especially large scale work have their roots deep in ornamental design. May 11, Russ Abbott and Laura Jade will both present their seminars to the group and guests. Russ' presentation is titled, "Hammer & Chisel" (The Intersection of Brute Force and Refined Intent) and Laura Jade will present her's, "The Jade Effect". I'm confident that these two seminars together will be an incredible platform to launch our time together off with creativity, inspiration, and an equipping that will catalyze the rest of the people into a high state of mind. we will spend the evening organizing, planning and exploring the possibilities of the next day's efforts.

May 12, our plan is to collaborate in pairs and small groups on tattoos and other art i.e. paintings, designs, concepts, sketches, perhaps larger projects like books, art exhibits, who knows what else? I have some specific people in mind that I'd like to see work together like Laura jade/Savannah Colleen, but we will have to see how things develop naturally. The last day (optional) will be spent reflecting and enjoying the local Applegate Valley's wine tasting, and each other's company, further planning and exploring possibilities and projects.

The plan is to capture all of this as well by the film company I've been working with for the past few months (Heartisan Films) to produce a great relic and memory for those who attend, and also to inspire, equip, and ignite others to move in a similar direction in their own lives. This will have a limited attendance because of the space available, (Approximately 30 people). I hope to have you join us.

           Jeff Gogué

purchase your ticket

Synchronicity..

The answer depends on your perspective, your perception, your opinion.  It’s really a choice.  Where you choose to look at something from, is really up to you, isn’t it?  Where does “it” start?  Where does “what” start?  Where does “anything” start? You have to pick.  I mean if you’re going to state a starting point of anything, then you are the one deciding it.  One of my favorite words is decide.  It means to sever, to cut, to separate from. If you decide on a pair of shoes to wear, you are separating that pair from all the others.  A decision to make a film led to a decision to go to Japan with my filmmaker.  I usually visit there in early April for the Sakura (cherry blossoms) or mid October just for the mild temperate days, but our production schedule demanded an earlier trip.  The 1st of September was our departure date.  These days are hot in Yokohama.  The humidity adds a perceivable ten degrees to how hot it feels.  That heavy waft of hot thick air as the jet way door opened to get off the plane triggered the sweat from every pore of my body.  We spent the first few days getting footage of my normal route through Kanagawa, Japan, where I tattoo, and got my back piece done.  The gardens, the shrines, and busy street routines…  I wanted some reprieve from the sweating and decided to take the crew to Nikko Toushougu shrine north of Tokyo.  My friend Horien took us.  The 2 hour train ride took us through the countryside, with  rice fields, small towns, and up into the mountains, passing lots of cemeteries.  Those always remind me of how fast our lives go.  Those people buried in the ground, they were all familiar with right where we were, just in another time.  Our shared experience had similar components.  The same forests, the same mountains, the same types of clouds passing over and through the trees with distant rumblings of thunder in the late summer air. 

A random decision based on the temperature and humidity.  “Let’s go to Nikko.”  Keiko, (Horien) met us at the train station. We planned on a certain train to get there, but when we went get the tickets, the guy suggested taking another train and transferring at a different station so it would cost less.  Assigned seating on the five tickets purchased, I just handed them out to everyone in no particular order.  As we sat down, Keiko showed us that the double chair seats could spin around and we could face each other.  My aisle seat then became the window seat facing backwards.  I’d been on this trip just a few months earlier so I traded seats with Antonio so he could look outside and I could talk to Keiko.  The landscape flew passed sometimes so close it was a blur and sometimes it would open up into epic valleys with the clouds overhead and the long distance to the horizon made me feel like we were going in slow motion back in time.  Antonio set his camera on the window sill and we were all just talking.  We started talking about synchronicity and how things seem to just magically work out sometimes.  About how none of this was planned more than a few weeks prior, and everything seemed spontaneous yet things were falling into place as if orchestrated… Antonio is an amazing photographer, artist, musician, and filmmaker.  He was talking about just going with the flow of life, and being open to what could happen.  As the train slowed for one of the few stops along the way, we both happened to look down at the camera sitting against the window, I wasn’t looking out the window, I was looking through the viewer screen on the back of the camera.  Everything slowed to a stop and there in the frame of that camera was the perfect iconic photo.  Perfect lines, perfect planes, contrasting squares and triangles, an amazing color palette, the quintessential Japanese girl talking on the phone with a medical mask.  No one else on the platform, it could not have been set up anymore perfect, no adjustments, no moving the camera.  The timing, the placement, the synchronicity was incredible.  We all saw the picture, then I looked up and out of the window to confirm what I was seeing was real.  Antonio put his finger on the shutter button on top of the camera and “click”… 

There it was, an image captured.  A gift from everywhere and everything.  A ghost suspended in time.  The train took off again.  I looked at Antonio, “Its as easy as that?” I asked... He responded...“Its as easy as that.”

(click on the image above to see it large, Photo by Antonio Melendez Heartisan films)

FTW

These 1997 Micky Sharpz coil machines were the first real machines I bought. A little over one year into tattooing I was working weekends at a shop in Reno Nevada and a tall thin guy came in and looked over the counter at me as I was working. He quietly said hello and just watched for a minute. He said, “Hey man, if you raise your back coil up a bit your machine will run way better.” He wasn’t watching, he was listening… I stopped and he showed me how to add a shim under my back coil to get it as close as possible to the armature bar with out touching. It made the machine run like a dream and on less volts. He was covered from knuckles to throat with american traditional tattoos. His chest had the Sailor Jerry victory lady. Stars and dots filled in all the gaps… I barely had any tattoos. My forearms and a couple on my legs. He was getting out of tattooing to move to San Diego to do Glass blowing…. I couldn’t comprehend why anyone would stop tattooing…. Maybe he had hepatitis? Maybe he knocked up some chick and needed to skip town to avoid having his balls cut off??? Who knows? I just know I love these machines… and I get it now, Tattoos are just tattoos. I love tattooing but it’s not the whole universe. Most of the time, I’m embarrassed of the tattoo “industry” I love the culture of tattooing. I love the trade, the craft, the passion, the reality…. I hate the industrialized, monetized, commercialized, nonsense, bullshit. I fucking love tattooing. Real tattooing… Marking your body in rebellion, against the grain, of whatever you need to push against. “FTW” such a cliché but so true… Yes, “FUCK THE WORLD!” whatever world view you have that you need to say “fuck you” to. Say it! Do it! Even if you need to quit tattooing to go blow glass for the stoners of the world. Then I say, "Do it!" as they say… “Stay true to you.” Someone stayed true to who they needed to be, and I got a life changing experience and a couple machines that fed my family for a few years and now are daily reminders that you gotta do what you gotta do to stay true to you. (photo cred.... My son, Andrew Gogue IG: @andrewgogueinfocus )

2nd Emerald Isle Tattoo Session, Dublin Ireland

I just got back from the 2nd annual Emerald Isle Tattoo Session. A two day event. It was a full day of top notch seminars on tattooing covering too many facets of the trade to mention, from business to art theory, from health and long term injury prevention to holistic and cultural activism through the art of tattooing. The group who attended was incredible. They were gracious, attentive, eager to learn and share, and had a sense of humor and humility. and everyone was there for a good time. I’m not sure how many countries were represented but it was definitely an international representation. The organizer- Martin Mciver, brought Durb Morrison, Gabe Ripley, Matt (Oddboy) Barrett-Jones, Nick Baxter and myself 

 together to share our experiences with everyone and I could almost literally see the ripples of effect go out from there through everyone’s attitudes, art, and lives. I’m excited to see the long term effects just one day of sharing can have on a group of artists. The second day started off with an intriguing discussion panel from the presenters and the group. I’ve been on a lot of these panels and they usually just irritate me , but this one felt insightful, productive and bonding. The fun bonding was when we teamed op an took on the city center of Dublin for a crazy treasure/scavenger hunt, interacting with historical landmarks, music and cultural history and of course just having fun with the tourists and the locals. We finished up at an Irish pub for food drinks and a ton of laughing. I couldn’t have had a better time and I’m so glad things like this are going on in our industry and trade. It wasn’t a rockstar epic event with 50,000 people and fireworks… it was a friendly group of real people that want to give more and grow more as artists and people. I loved this gathering and I’d recommend it to anyone and everyone who share that perspective… the more you give the more you receive. Visit: www.Emeraldisletattoosession.com or www.facebook.com/emeraldisletattoosession

Instagram: @emeraldisletattoosession