day

CELEBRATING

of the
dead
WITH MADZILLA

NOVEMBER 2015 • DISPLAY UNTIL NOV 30

 CONTENTS

24 HODOR
28 MADZILLA
36 CLEV-
66 KAIJU BIG
72 CARL LENTZ

Cover One: Bonnie Rotton; photo: Christian Saint; stylist: Savannah Wyatt; hair: Kate Alley; make up: Jenai Chin; nails: Casandra Lamar.
Cover Two: Machine Gun Kelly; photo: Brian Ziff; stylist: Mia Colona + Ryan Ulsh.
AFFLICTIONCLOTHING.COM | INKEDSHOP.COM
 editor-in-chief rocky rakovic
creative director ian sami hajar
photo editor stephanie r. guttenplan
digital imaging specialist jessica h. dean

contributing writers
jonah bayer, matt bertz, anja cadlek, nick fierro, gil macias, leander schaerlaeckens, jessica wilde

contributing photographers
chad griffith, kareem black, justin cardwell, andi watkins, willie t, polina yamshchikov, mark mann,
michael kraus, robert chamorro, rc rivera

interns
erika curcio

sales kristine cummings / [email protected]

melanie (czoka) simmons / [email protected]
sales assistant laura robertson

web editor charlie connell

media manager cassie furnare
social media amanda colston
kristie kovats
jaime pietzsch
randy trost
jenna romanine

director of ecommerce ted bockius

brand manager dylan c. houser
vendor support manager steve pearlman
fufillment assistant joesph garrett

inkedshop store manager james delaney

customer service lisa thompson

inkedshop catalog managers woody kumetat

marketing designer jasmin chawla
office manager arielle lupo

international licensing john cabell, 303-449-9194

[email protected]

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INKED, ISSN (1555-8630) Issue 71 is published bimonthly by Quadra Media, LLC 12 West 27th St, 10th floor,
New York, NY 10001. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY, and additional mailing offices.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Inked Magazine, P.O. Box 8607, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33310-9965.
INKWEL “I aim to provide the public with beneficial shocks,” Alfred Hitchcock said. “Civilization has become so protective that
we’re no longer able longer able to get our goose bumps instinctively. The only way to remove the numbness and
revive our moral equilibrium is to use artificial means to bring about the shock.” Basically, the Master of Suspense
was saying that we have gone soft; fearing for our frigging lives used to be a regular—and he claims healthy—human
experience. We can thank our forefathers like Abraham Lincoln for taking out all the vampires and domesticating the
planet so we don’t have to live in constant fear of non-undead beings, but that animalistic emotion has atrophied in
our race, perhaps leaving us vulnerable for the imminent zombie apocalypse.

Throughout the pages of this our Horror Issue and Celebration of the Day of the Dead we’ll try to get your heart rate
up. Crystal Molina (1) painted calavera make-up on model Madzilla’s face for our appreciation of Dia de los Muer-
tos. The lettering on Madzilla’s feature “Ink Es La Piel Del Alma” was done by Alan P (3) and translates into “Ink Is
the Skin of the Soul.” Darius Baptist (6) styled Madzilla, along with our Skeleton in the Closet (7) for “Bone Up on
Fall Fashion.” We got sick of seeing impossibly skinny fashion models in spreads and ads so we enlisted an actual
skeleton to put on this season’s looks.

A substantial man, Kristian Nairn, was interviewed by Charlie Connell. You may know Nairn as Hodor from Game of
Thrones, but did you know that he throws raves? Connell’ll take you to the party Nairn hosted at Irving Plaza much
like he is carrying me ala Hodor and Bran in the terrible cut-and-paste job below (5). Coincidentally, another subject
who welcomed us to Irving Plaza to watch him do his thing was superstar tattooed pastor Carl Lentz, writer Leander
Schaerlaeckens followed him there (and all over New York City) during a day when Lentz gave nine sermons. A man
well acquainted with sinners, murderabilia dealer Eric Holler (8) presents art works from serial killers such as John
Wayne Gacy and Charles Bronson.

Photographer Robert Chamarro (4) provides a deeply beautiful and tremendously haunting shoot for our own spin
on American Horror Story: Hotel “Do You Have Any Baggage?” Over the following pages we hope to quicken your
pulse, activate your sweat glands and ripple your tattoos with goose bumps.

Rocky Rakovic
Editor-In-Chief
[email protected]

1 2 3 4

5 6 7 8

10 | INKEDMAG.COM
Till Death Do Us Part

Iz&Co.
www.izandco.com

@IzandCo
MAI BONNIE ROTTEN
Dani Rivera Nothing sexier than a
pizza bikini
C Rz Now that’s a deep dish pizza
Rebecca Lowe Sexy lady, and I [nor-
mally] like men....you rock it girl
Samantha Molnar Absolutely
obsessed with this babe!
MACHINE GUN KELLY
Erin Kay Henderson Tattoos are
such a gorgeous piece of art that express
the soul. Especially on an such a talented
[musical] artist.
Gabriel O’Donnell I’m not really a fan
of MGK but at least dude stands for some-
thing he’s not just a jackass like every
other rapper out now
WE CAN GIVE IT TO YOU BUT WHATCHA YOU GON DO WITH IT? Art is ever
Stu John Hearns I hate the new
evolving, that’s why we try to publish the best in the world. But when we pro-
school style of hip hop but he is killing it.
duce an issue we hope that’s not the end of the artistic flow, we want you to
be inspired to create your own art or remix what we have presented. For in- CAMI LI
stance check out what Julio Cesar (@ mz09art) did with our Christy Mack by Manuel Jacob Loya III I love looking
Christian Saint cover shoot for the last Sex Issue. We know that most of you at the pics no doubt but I also dig the
are so damn creative that we want to see what you’ve done with Inked. Have interview. I think Cami is so entertaining.
you gotten a tattoo based off one of our images? Have you used something She definitely has that adult humor that I
in our pages for reference in your own art project? Have you made a bitchin’ like. Good job Cami.
paper airplane? Send a pic into [email protected]

INKEDSTAGRAM: HASHTAG YOUR SELFIE #INKEDMAG TATTOO OF THE MONTH

@FOXILLAA @JORDYN_RYDER

BY: A.D. PANCHO @AD_PANCHO

Want to be a Tattoo of the Month?
@MISS_TINA_LOUISE @KATSANDCROWS E-mail your ink to [email protected]

WRITE US. GOT SOMETHING TO SAY? SEND ALL PRAISE, COMPLAINTS, STORY SUGGESTIONS, AND OTHER COMMENTS TO [email protected]. ALL SUBMISSIONS SHOULD INCLUDE THE WRITER’S NAME
AND ADDRESS. LETTERS MAY BE EDITED FOR CLARITY, LENGTH, AND CONTENT. ALSO JOIN THE PARTY AT FACEBOOK.COM/INKEDMAG AND ACROSS PLATFORMS @INKEDMAG.

12 | INKEDMAG.COM
I N K E D | MY FAVOR ITE I N K

KAYLA
S O R R E L L S
BLAZER
&
S C H A F F E R
PHOTOS BY JUSTIN CAR
DWELL

14 | INKEDMAG.COM
OCTOBER NOVEMBER 2015 | 15
Kayla Sorrells
“It’s a toss up between my pelvic plate and
the Star Trek tribute piece on my abdomen.
The pelvic plate is actually the female re-
productive system in tattoo form. It serves
as a sweet warning with the cupcake and
skulls and snakes. It could be looked at
like Adam and Eve but I prefer a cupcake
over an apple! The Star Trek piece I adore
because growing up I only had three chan-
nels. I watched Star Trek every night, and
I loved Vulcans. I planned the piece years
ago bit kept putting it off. When Leonard
Nimoy passed away this year, I finally went
through with it as tribute. ‘Live long and
prosper’ is a great mantra for life! And the
second part is ‘7 of 9’ which was another
of my favorite characters. She was so dang
sexy!”
Blazer Schaffer
I have two favorite tattoos. A large black
astrologicsl scorpion on my lower back
that actually has my deceased sons ashes
mixed into it and a Dr. Who Tardis in my
armpit. The armpit tattoo was done by
Change Wilson at High Class Piercing and
Tattoo. Having the right artist makes all the
difference for me. I am fortunate enough to
have found an artist that can take my words
and translate them visually into exactly what
I want, someone who feels my tattoos, and
their importance to me. You can see that
in his work. Each tattoo on my body tells a
story about a moment in my timeline. They
can mark a deep an intense moment in my
life or something fun and silly that makes
me smile.
“A tattoo may enhance a woman’s beauty
by making her more interesting to look at,
but more than that tattoos are beautiful be-
cause they give so much depth. Throught
them women have put their life before me
to admire. Every shape, every curve, every
design—even the placement. Women are
mysterious creatures. Their tattoos only
add to their puzzle. Wow, I am obviously a
lesbian.
“I probably get complimented the most on
the details in my tattoos. At first glance it
is obvious that I am tatooed but when they
look closer they can see that there’s so
much more there.”

16 | INKEDMAG.COM
TRUST
ME...
IT WON’T
HURT
Enhance your next tattoo session
with our long-lasting line of
topical anesthetics.

Jon Mesa
Pro-Team ‘12

www.hushanesthetic.com hushanesthetic
 m od el : Ele n Gr aff m ake u p : b y Tat ya na K ra vch uk p ho to : I g o r K o sh e l e v
I N K E D | VI EW

18 | INKEDMAG.COM
 PHOTO
welcome
NEGATIVES Jane Long
Queensland, Australia
to a grave
new world
While looking for photographs to they could be happy and carefree.” they understand that my intention is
sharpen her retouching skills Jane Back when few people smiled in not to disrespect them but to honor
Long stumbled across the Flickr photographs—and certainly the them,” she says. “I think colorizing
archives of Romanian World War I Romanians of Ascinte’s work had the images makes it easier for us to
and post-war photographer Costica little to make them grin—the expres- relate to the subjects, we begin to
Ascinte. “There was something sionless subjects are wonderfully see them as more like ourselves and
about the subjects that appealed to fascinating in their new environment. in doing so we have a greater empa-
me—people trying to live a simple Perhaps the most interesting thy for the hardships they faced.
life in the middle of a war-torn area, thing about Long’s labor is the I’d like people to look at them and
trying to rebuild,” she says. Long differing reactions [seriously, show smile and think about what it would
didn’t just add color to the near-cen- this spread and the next to anyone be like to have duck feet or to keep
tury-old photographs she inserted around you]. The emotions range a trained goldfish for a minute or
whimsy. from being chilled to delighted to two. Just a moment to brighten their
“For the most part I want to put outraged on behalf of the subjects. day. And if they stop and think a
them into a different world,” she But Long has considered the souls little about the people in the original
says. “It’s naive, I know, but I want- of their, now, most-lasting images. images and the lives they lived then
ed them to be in a place where “I’d like to think they’d like them, that that’s a bonus!” —Anja Cadlek
ph oto by D ani il K ol odi n

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2015 | 19
20 | INKEDMAG.COM
FOR MORE INFORMATION
AND TICKETS VISIT:
$3 OFF
TICKETS
PROMO CODE:
NPA16INK1
(online only)

2015/16 TOUR SCHEDULE

PORTLAND, OR NEW NEW YORK OHIO CHICAGO, IL
Oct. 31 - Nov. 1, 2015 CITY! December 11 - 13, 2015 January 29 - 31, 2016 February 12 - 14, 2016
SACRAMENTO, CA NEW MIAMI, FL MINNEAPOLIS, MN PHOENIX, AZ NEW DATES!
November 6 - 8, 2015 CITY! January 8 - 10, 2016 February 5 - 7, 2016 February 20 - 21, 2016 NEW VENUE!

LONG BEACH, CA DALLAS, TX

November 20 - 22, 2015 January 22 - 24, 2016

Manufacturers subject to change.

I N K E D | DR I N K

“ H O N E Y, I ’ M AT
TH E O F F I C E ”
TH E GORG EOUS CAT MARI N I W ORKS AT TH E CLE V E RLY-
NAM E D BAR, TH E OFFICE, I N SAN CARLOS, CA—A COLI N
KAE P E RN ICK FLICK AWAY FROM SAN FRANCISCO.

W H AT’S TH E ATM O S P H E R E L I K E AT TH E
O FFI C E?
It’s pretty laid back unless there’s a sports
game on, then it’s every man for himself!

A C U ST O M E R WA L KS O V E R TO TH E B A R
D U R I N G A B U SY S H I F T A N D S AYS “ M A K E M E
S O M E T H I N G G O O D ” W H AT’ S YO U R M O V E?
I will Mule the shit out of anyone! I usually
make mine with Jameson or Bulleit, a lil’ lime,
splash of Sprite and some ginger beer.

WHICH OF YOUR TATTOOS GETS THE MOST

ATTENTION FROM CUSTOMERS?
The medusa on my thigh by Mitch Anderson
of Blackthumb in Salt Lake City. I get asked
about it at least once every shift.

W H AT’S TH E STR A N G E ST R E Q U E S T YO U ’V E
G OT TE N F R O M A C U STO M E R ?
I’ve had people ask if they can buy the shirt
that I’m wearing.

W E H E A R YO U H A V E S E AT S F R O M
C A N D L E STI C K PA R K .
We do, they add a little vintage touch to our
fire pits. Everyone loves them.

A R E Y O U A 49E R S FA N?
Am I allowed to say I’m not a 49ers fan? I’m
originally a Cardinals fan but, the two bars I’ve
worked in have been 49ers bars, so I guess I
can show them a little love.

I F S O M E O N E WA L KS I N W E A R I N G A
S E A H AW KS J E R S EY, H O W P O L I TE LY D O YO U
TE L L T H E M TO F U C K O F F?
Seahawks are a bitter subject, more so
because their fans are a pain in the ass
[laughs]. I literally had three or four tabs with
over $1500 on them each during Super Bowl
try to walk out without paying after they lost.
They’re lucky I’m a lady....

Y O U G UYS A L S O H A V E A B O C C E B A L L C O U R T.
A NY B O C C E R E L ATE D I N J U R I E S TH AT YO U ’D
L I KE T O TA L K A B O U T?
Not yet, but, hey, football season is just
starting.

22 | INKEDMAG.COM photo by R C R ivera

Out of Your Gourd
Tis the season where ever ything is “pumpkin spiced” from your
girlfriend’s lattes to your nephew’s M&Ms but what about you?
Here are four smashing pumpkin beverages: Blue Moon Har vest
Pumpkin Ale, Sons of Liber t y Pumpkin Spice Flavored Whiskey,
Shmalt z Brewing Company and Terrapin Beer Company’s Reunion
Ale ‘15, and Great Lakes Distiller y Pumpkin Seasonal Spir t.

Photo by M ichael Kraus

 I N K E D | PROFI LE

26 | INKEDMAG.COM
 HOUSE STARK MUSIC
Two things you may not know about the actor who plays Hodor on Game of Thrones: Kristian Nairn has
tattoos on his face and is a house DJ fresh off a tour called “Rave of Thrones.” Welcome to Nairnia.

By Charlie Connell Photos by Kareem Black

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015 | 27
 Irving Plaza is pulsating to house music. Every half-second the strobing lights seeing a kid holding a (stuffed) severed wolf’s head in the air as they dance, Nairn
gives one the experience of being in an a vaccum with the amazing sound and sees kindred spirits. His affinity with nerd culture is written all over his body in his
then illuminates the crowd to reveal a wave of revellers being controlled by an tattoos. It is the portrait on his left arm—a black-and-grey depiction of Sylvanas
enormous man on the decks. The New York City party set, well used to writhing Windrunner from World of Warcraft—that earns him the most nerd-cred. “She
with international stars, take the chant of local hero Jay-Z, “Ho-va! Ho-va!” and flip has a very interesting back story. I don’t want to say I related to it because I’m not
it for today’s host: “Ho-dor! Ho-dor!” an undead banshee, but there is something about her story that speaks to me.”
Yes, the man who plays Hodor on Game of Thrones is a house DJ and, yes, he Standing in stark contrast to the stars that adorn the right side of his face, most
is tattooed. of the tattoos on Nairn’s left side are morose in subject matter. Opposite the un-
While Hodor is known as a man of few words (well, just one word to be exact, dead banshee on his arm is a tattoo inspired by Watership Down—a black rabbit
if you don’t have HBO the only thing the character says is his own name, just representing death and a line about not fearing the end when it comes. On the
Google “Hodor” right now and see what comes up), Kristian Nairn is verbose and back of his neck Nairn has the word “dead” tattooed.
animated, especially when the conversation “I’m a bit morose, I’ve always been into the
turns towards music. His eyes light up and darker stuff,” Nairn explains. “I was the guy
a massive grin comes across his face as he listening to Obituary and Sepultura. I was the
explains how he came to be a DJ. guy with the long black hair and a crucifix on
“I came in because I had a massive music my head, upside down. I was that guy and
collection and I wanted to share it with peo- seven foot tall—it was kind of scary.”
ple,” Nairn says. “I wanted to share what I Back to those stars on his face, the stars
felt about music with other people. DJing is that seem to radiate cheer when Nairn grins.
a great way to do it, and that fact that you They provide a counterweight to all of the
get paid to do it is simply wonderful to me.” darkness wrapped up in his other tattoos.
While seemingly every celebrity with a lap- And while his other tattoos are filled with sym-
top seems to fancy themselves a DJ, Nairn bolism and meaning the stars were just the
has been behind the turntables keeping random choices of a 19-year-old.
the party going for decades. Long before “The funny thing is, well, I was drunk,” Nairn
he even tried his hand at acting, Nairn had explains. “But I swear on my grandmother’s
a residency in his hometown of Belfast, grave that I’ve never regretted them. It’s just
Northern Ireland. Over a period of more part of who I am now. It’s not Mike Tyson; it’s
than 14 years he got to know the crowd not like a big fucking claw. It’s actually quite
that came out to Kremlin. “They get used subtle, I love them.”
to you, you get used to them, and they start In fact, Nairn is considering adding onto the
to know what sort of songs they’re going to constellation, but only for an important life
get each week. It’s quite comfortable.” event. “Maybe the birth of a child, obviously
All of that comfort was thrown out the win- not mine (laughs). Or maybe making it to level
dow when Nairn gave up his residency to 110 in Warcraft…”
take the show on the road with his Rave of A tattoo would be the perfect way to cele-
Thrones tour. When we say that he gave up brate the end of Hodor’s journey when Game
his comfort we mean it quite literally—the of Thrones comes to a close. While Nairn
seven-footer doesn’t have an enormous didn’t appear on the last season of the show,
tour bus to relax in, he flies commercial. his character has not faded from fans’ memo-
During just one week of the tour he hit At- ries. Having a catchphrase can be a bitch for
lanta, Scotland and Texas. In that order. an actor, and while most people don’t often
Back in Belfast the crowds knew what yell it to him, he says that they tend to do so
to expect when they came out to see him only at the most inopportune times. “At traffic
and, more importantly, Nairn knew what the lights, when I can’t go anywhere, and I’m just
crowd wanted to hear. There aren’t a whole like, Oh my God, praying for the light thinking,
lot of similarities between crowds in New fuck off.” Nairn advises that you’ll get a better
York and Singapore but it is vital that the DJ response if you come up and start a conver-
finds a way to connect with them both. sation. Just don’t ask for a piggyback ride, that privilege is reserved for Bran Stark.
“You need to be able to visualize how you think the crowd will react,” Nairn ex- Being part of a cultural phenomenon like Game of Thrones can be a bit much for
plains. “It’s like a conversation between the crowd and the DJ—I’ll give them some some actors, especially the constant attention that they receive. Nairn had a little
then I mix it up to keep our energies at a similar level. If I was just playing all the easier time than many considering that he has often been the subject of strangers’
big tracks, all the hits, anyone can do that. They want to hear something that says attention for years thanks to his size. It was this attention that led indirectly to his
something about me, hopefully.” first ink—a nuclear symbol on his wrist.
Judging by the throngs of fans showing up at his shows Nairn’s hopes have been “All my life I have had to deal with people saying ‘How’d you get so big?’ and
fulfilled. Looking out on the fans as he does his thing, Nairn has noticed that his all sorts of that shit,” Nairn says. “I used to tell people that I lived too close to the
crowds look a little bit different than those of his peers. “Well, club kids don’t often power plant. It was a deflection story.
wear armor,” Nairn laughs. “Game of Thrones is sacks, armor and dragon heads. “I’ve had to own a lot of things about myself, that’s the only way,” Nairn continues.
You’re not going to see a lot of UV or Sesame Street characters.” “There’s no point in not owning it, it’s not going to go away. It’s everyone else’s
Some DJs would likely be a little flummoxed by looking out on the crowd and problem, it’s not mine.”

28 | INKEDMAG.COM
 For 10% of
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“COUPON C enter
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 W E A R I N G A M I R O S E P R I N T S P I K E D H E E LS I N K E D | COVER GI R L

30 | INKEDMAG.COM
 F E AT U R I N G M A D Z I L L A
photos by Mark Mann
stylist Darius Baptist,
hair: Katelyn McGinn; make up: Crystal Molina;

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015 | 31
G A S O L I N E G L A M O U R “J U D A S” B L A C K L A C E H E A D P I E C E A N D “TH I S M E A N S W A R ” P U M P S
 L E F T: W E A R I N G M A I S O N D E PA P I L L O N “ L I Z ” D R E S S A N D G A S O L I N E G L A M O U R M U LT I C R O S S G O L D N E C K L A C E ; R I G H T : R O C K E R J E W E R LY S P I K E R I N G , B ETS EY J O H N S O N B L A C K STO N E R I N G , S W A R O V S K I C R YSTA L S P I R A L R I N G ;
Madzilla (Madelyn Lance) is living the life. She models, DJs,
smokes a ton of weed and has collaborations with Sprayground
and Asphalt Yacht Company. Her body is a celebration of art and
her booty is a thing of beauty.

When did you know that you were able to live a creative
life?
My whole life has been pretty crazy from the start. My parents
were more open-minded and free spirited people. I grew up
very creative and always loved painting and art itself in different
forms. Ever since I can remember I always knew I was going to
live a very creative and wild life.

Do you see modeling as an art form?

Yes. I love that when modeling, you can be as creative and
artistic as you want. Everything is an expression or feeling.

Are your tattoos part of you or an accessory?

My tattoos are definitely a part of me rather than just an acces-
sory. They are personal expression of myself and my life.

What tattoo would you say is your current favorite?

My current favorite tattoo is my most recent one: my throat
piece. My friend Rafa did the tattoo in Orange County. The
tattoo is an hourglass with two hearts connected. It has blood
instead of sand and wings on the sides. It’s for my parent who
both passed away.

You DJ now, how would you say your tattoos differ than
most in the hip-hop community?
I would say my tattoos are different because they are done very
well and they have a flow to them and also the placement. You
have to really be dedicated to get your neck and face tattooed.

How often do you smoke or vape?

I smoke weed everyday basically, and I like vaping I just always
lose my vape pens!

How does it feel to enjoy marijuana in public now?

It feels great to just have it out in the open and be real about
it. I been smoking weed since I was 13 years-old, so it’s more
like medicine to me really. I’m more of a weed activist than a
“pothead.” I’m just a hard working, tattoo, independent weed
smoking model.

It seems like you are doing your own thing successfully

any pointers to inspiring creative people and models?
Keep striving towards your goals and never give up! Everyone’s
road to “success” isn’t easy at all. I still struggle all the time. But
it’s about keeping positive people and influences around you and
staying creative. Don’t be afraid to be confident and love yourself
the way you want other people to love you. Keep grinding.

What’s the Madzilla brand about?

The Madzilla brand is about being yourself. I want to show the
word that you can express yourself any way you like and it’s
never too late to start following your dreams—no matter how
big or crazy they seem. They are probly already coming true,
you just don’t know it yet! I just want spread positivity and
creativeness.

First thing someone notices about you: tattoos, dimple

piercings or booty?
A lot of people say something about the cheek piercings first! I
guess it’s not as common.... Then the tattoos, then the booty—
after they go look at my Instagram.

34 | INKEDMAG.COM
B o d y su i t b y J e ssi c a N i c o l e f o r Pe e p sh o w C l o t h i n g ;
c u f f b y A l Ae xMi sI CBLi tUt aBrW; EmAoRd eCl A’sGoEwDn Ssh
A NoDe sA LBSi ;k eG-AI nSdOi La InNLarr
E G LyA M O U R STU D D E D G L O V E S
M o t o r c y c l e s: c u st o m W i l d C h i l d
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015 | 35
 F O R E V E R U N I Q U E B I K I N I TO P; G A S O L I N E G L A M O U R C H A I N S H O RTS; A M I C L U B W E A R H E E LS
36 | INKEDMAG.COM B i k e - D u cati: Scram bler I con
I N K E D | HANDMADE

SHANEMUNCE OLDE MEDIA TATOO

38 | INKEDMAG.COM
P H OTO S BY M I C H A E L K R A U S
MADE

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015 | 39

Photos by Michael Kraus

SARAHMILLER
W YLD CHYLD TATOO

JEFF
GOGUE
OREGON

VICTORMODAFFERI
BULLSE YE TAT TOO SHOP
40 | INKEDMAG.COM
STEFANO
ALCANTARA
CRISGERMAN
INTERNATIONAL

NYC
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015 | 41
JOHNNYNOBODY T R AVELER
JEFF
GOGUE
OREGON

42 | INKEDMAG.COM
C U LT U R E
0 STARS ON BOOKING.COM
...but American Horror Story: Hotel gets 5 Natutical Stars (if a tattoo lifestyle publication
were to use a star ranking we might as well use the popular tattoo star design) from us.
The anthology series has entertained season after season (unlike True Detective) and
the hotel setting has us covered in goosebumps already. Jessica Lange may not be
returning this season (we’re hoping she pops up as a surprise hotel guest), but other
familiar faces are returning to fill the void, including: Sarah Paulson, Kathy Bates, Angela
Bassett, Wes Bentley, Matt Bomer, Chloë Sevigny, Denis O’Hare, and Evan Peters.
Bummed about Lange not returning? Well, get your freak on and re-watch American
Horror Story: Freakshow which is now out on Blu-ray. Lady Gaga makes her series
debut as Elizabeth—the owner of the ill-fated hotel. We assume that she has more than
just Little Monsters in her closet. —Gil Macias

DEAD MEN WALKING

AMC’s mega-hit The Walking Dead returns
this October with its sixth season. Spoiler alert.
The last time we saw Rick and co., they were
shacked up in a seemingly safe community
called Alexandria. Rick was having a hard time
adjusting back to normalcy after months of
experience in the savage real world. The sea-
son ended with Rick blowing away the town’s
asshole (and with good reason), but will he
be able to cope? Or slip down a darker path?
We’ll soon find out. The Walking Dead: The
Complete Fifth Season is now also available
on Blu-ray—catch up before the new season
premiere, its coming quicker than a hoard of
lumbering zombies. —G.M.

HELL’S KITCHEN ALL NUKED UP

Prison Ramen is about hard times The fourth installment Fallout trades the
and soft noodles are in. Clifton bombed-out confines of Washington D.C. for
Collins Jr. (actor Triple 9 and Man the East Coast elite irradiated lands of Massa-
Down), Gustavo “Goose” Alvarez chusetts. Players explore and shoot their way
and celebs like Danny Trejo, Slash through super mutants and and the unsavory
and Taryn Manning fill the pages sort of survivors who would rather steal your
with stories and ramen recipes. Mr supplies and leave you for dead than share
Cartoon did the cover lettering. Pour their last Nuka Cola. With an improved lighting
yourself a glass of pruno and dive in. engine, the ability to build your own settlements,
and tighter shooting mechanics courtesy of
former Doom and Halo coders, Fallout 4 is one
44 | INKEDMAG.COM wasteland you won’t want to leave. —Matt Bertz
 FLESH FLASH

Second to Inked in the world of tattoo art curation is German

publisher Edition Reuss. One of their newest offerings is the two-
part mammoth volumes called Tattoo Masters Flash Collection:
Selected Styles Around the World. On pages bigger than a
cafeteria tray you will find art by the world’s greatest tattooers
such as Jean-Luc Navette (above) and Filip Leu (right). —A.C.

THE INKED PLAYLIST

BY J O N A H B AYE R
POWERED BY DIESEL
COFFE BEAN MUGGIN’
ANCIENT VVISDOM
Countless movie stars have had to save New “Chaos Will Reign”
York City, this month it is former NYC club Ancient VVisdom’s melodic brand of metal sounds like Type
O Negative reimagined by Integrity.
bouncer Vin Diesel’s turn. In The Last Witch
Hunter his character became cursed with im- THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER
mortality after slaying the Queen Witch but she’s “Threat Level Number Three”
back and ready to dance again. The film also If you like your music as technical as it is aggressive you’ll
stars Elijah Wood and Michael Caine as a men love this dizzying track.
of the cloth and Rose Leslie who played Ygrette
on Game on Thrones. —G.M. THE DEAD WEATHER
“I Feel Love (Every Million Miles)”
Jack White & Co. make it look easy as they effortlessly
craft another timeless rock gem.

DEAFHEAVEN
“Brought To The Water”
Deafheaven get symphonic on this blast-beat driven black
metal anthem.

^ OKILLY DOKILLY
Do you make coffee strong enough to wake the dead? Our Sugar Skull
“All That Is Left”
Moustache Mug ($14.95, inkeshop.com) is a perfect vessel for your If you listen to one Ned Flanders-inspired metal band it has
morning sip, or any time you quaff a warm beverage like, say, an evening to be this one. Stupid metally Flanders
Mexican Coffee. Bring one into your workplace to make Nicole in account-
ing jealous that her “World’s Best Mom” mug isn’t as cool as yours. DUNGEN
“Allas Sak”
Swedish psychedelic heroes return in formidable fashion

ASH VS. THE EVIL DEAD

with this seventies-inspired sonic exploration.

HEALTH
“Dark Enough”
The last time we saw Ash Williams There’s something ominous about HEALTH’s dark brand of
was in the 1993 Amry of Darkness pop but that’s what makes it so satisfying.
(out on DVD) and we may not be
getting a new movie, but we’re get- JOANNA NEWSOM
“Sapokanikan”
ting the next best thing. Creator Sam
Joanna Newsom returns with an otherworldly excursion
Raimi directs the first of 10 episodes that truly defines categorization.
that premieres this Halloween on
Starz. Bruce Campbell reprises his CHUCK RAGAN
role as the “Boomstick” (and joke) “Vagabond”
wielder—we can’t wait to see him Chuck Ragan has become a master of modern folk and this
kick some more Deadite ass. —G.M. tune is a perfect example of why.

46 | INKEDMAG.COM
 E364
Deadskull
Earrings E363
Sorrow Cross
Earrings

R207
Desolation
R202 Ring
Amon-Ra
RIng ULP41
Sharp’s Cross
Pendant

A109
P730 P731 Black Consort
Bushido Capitaneus Wriststrap
Pendant Necklace P739
Harbinger
Necklace

ULP40
Pistonhead
P687 Necklace
P737 Wounded Love
Blast Furnace Necklace
Behemoth
Pendant

ULP41
Flame-Brain
P699 Pendant
AKP1
Asmodeus
Pin Head
Necklace P734
Kilt Pin
Black Talon
Pendant

ULFP22
R204 E362
Forever Inked
Necrogram Doom
Necklace
Ring Faux-Stretcher

Alchemy of England

www.alchemyofengland.com
please quote: 3520 Roberts Cut Off Road
“INKED OCT/NOV 2015” Fort Worth, TX 76114
WHOLESALE ENQUIRIES WELCOME! 817.236.3141 800.578.1065
Jewellery shown not actual size
There is something intrinsic in our community that draws us (and our tattooed likenesses) into the science

WILDE ABOUT SEX

fiction and fantasy realm. When the first part of Hunger Games: Mockingjay came out women in the
scene lamented that Halloween had passed as Cressida (Natalie Dormer) with her near-half-shaved head
and vine tattoos would have been a better costume then Miley and her wrecking ball. Now, with Part 2
on its way this November and a reminder to our female readers to shave their head this October here is a
chat with head makeup artist who created the newly iconic look, Ve Neill.

Ve Neill: “In the books it says she has vines that wrap around her head all the way down her arm. I went
online to see what vine tattoos have been done because I did not want to replicate what had been done.
I kind of Frankensteined some samples together I took leaves off one thing, vines off another. I did try dif-
ferent vines, the stronger ones didn’t look as pretty on her. I did want it to be beautiful because she is from
the capital and the whole idea is that these people from the capital are more gentrified and exotic-looking
so I didn’t want to put anything on her that would be too masculine. Then I took it to Glenn Hetrick (of
Face Off) who produced the tattoos for me, he has a lot of tattoos and he is adept at working with them
so it worked out really well for us. He figured out how they would flow on a friend of his who already had
her head shaved before we put them on Natalie. And Natalie loved the tattoo. She had to have loved it
because she had to shave her head for them.”
Our resident Sex Columnist Jessica Wilde (@
jessicawildemfc) is here to answer your burning
sex questions—though if it burns consult an actual
doctor right now. She’s not a doctor, but she once
role-played as a nurse so she’s beyond qualified.
Send your questions to [email protected].

My boyfriend told me he would like to watch me mastur-

bate. I fear I can’t relax knowing he is watching me! How
do you relax when you do it on MFC? —Alexandra

I try to imagine a field of flowers. Hundreds of horny

flowers. Then I just lay back and let it go! Try making him
a sexy video to watch before doing it in person. It will take
the edge off him seeing you live for the first time.

Is body hair really a major turn-off for most girls? —T

Everyone has different taste. If you like your landscape

then keep it. I personally think it’s sexy to have chest hair,
etc. It’s very masculine.

Why do you think so many people are cheating these

days? Example: Ashley Madison scandal —samboskene

Everything is too easily accessible. You don’t have to

go down to a dirty bar to have an affair these days, you
can do it from your smart phone. It’s a bit disheartening

ART SIMPSON
but there are still a few people out there that are honest
lovers…. right?

What do you suggest to someone who’s only had bad

There are few greater annual television events than The
relationships to do and get over it? —donguitarguru
Simpsons’ “Treehouse of Horrors.” Yes, we know the
show fell off in the ‘90s, but so did Weezer and we still
Hop back on that wagon my friend! You won’t find love by
buy their albums, hoping that one day they will return to
giving up and marrying your Xbox.
creative glory. We supremely prefer Halloween specials
to Christmas specials or what we assume Glee does
My friend asks me to try anal with him, but I’m a bit
around Valentine’s Day, and we think The Simpsons
scared, do you have any advice so that it’ll be a pleasant
capture the spirit of the holiday damn near better than
experience for us? –Sanne
any show (save maybe The Office with Creed). So
we are stoked to see this collaboration between artist
Lube. Use lube.
Ron English and Kidrobot. English added his signature
skeletal grin to Bart and Homer for three-inch Kidrobot
How can I convince my boyfriend to allow me to stick a
vinyl figures. Kenny Scharf also put his spin on Bart for a
finger up his bum while we’re having sex? —Amber
six-inch figure that also has tattoos (take that, Snake). All
three figures will be available next month, so put them on
Definitely do not surprise your man with a finger in the
your holiday wish list now, man.
bum! If you don’t have trust issues, then you will after that.
Ask your man if it’s OK. Most likely your guy will try
anything to turn your crank, he just probably won’t tell his
friends about it.

48 | INKEDMAG.COM
I N K E D | FEATU R E

DO YOU HAVE ANY

BAGGAGE?
/ / / /

T H R E E TAT T O O E D B E A U T I E S O F H O R R O R F I L M B R AV E A C LO U D L E S S
N I G H T AT A R U N - D O W N M O T E L I N T H E M I D D L E O F N O W H E R E .
ANJA ROBERTO EMILY
words by CADLEK photos by CHAMORRO starring SHEPPARD
co starring LILY OCKWELL OLLY HORNSBY-SAYER PAUL ZIVKOVICH EMILY TERNDRUP
location THE MCKITTRICK HOTEL, HOME OF SLEEP NO MORE
extras CESAR HAWAS FALYN SWERER
50 | INKEDMAG.COM hair and make up KERRY-LOU BREHM
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015 | 51
W E A R I N G B L A C K W E A V E D H E E LS BY A N N A K E R N , A C U STO M C H O K E R , V I N TA G E F U R J A C K ET A N D P U R S E
Heather Moss is one of the most amazing women
in the tattoo industry. She’s not just a banging body
with great tattoos, she runs Timeless Art Tattoo with
her husband Bobby Ross—she really is a ride or die
chick. Since she is the Boss Lady, we let Heather tell
her story in her own words.
There are so many daily thoughts, duties and over-
all love for the crew that goes into being the Boss
Lady at a tattoo shop. It has not always been easy.
In the beginning, even with the support of my hus-
band standing behind me, the artists who came and
went looked at me as unworthy of making decisions
and demands in the shop setting. I knew two things
had to happen: One, I had to stand my ground and
not be shaken. Two, I had to become irreplaceable
to the crew to gain their respect. Since I wasn’t an
artist I knew I had to make myself part of the team and
that is what I did. I branded myself to my business, to
my husband and most importantly to the crew that I
have today. After eight years, Timeless Art is one of
the best things that ever happened to me. It takes a
special breed of crazy. It taught me how to work hard,
respect my team and build my brand. We at Timeless
Art are all irreplaceable; there is no greater feeling
than the camaraderie of our team.
Chase Odem did Bobby’s name on my wrist and
Boog Star did my knuckles which read “Timeless.”
With those two exceptions my husband is responsible
for every drop of ink in my body. I chose black-and-
grey work because I love the way it looks. I love the
subtlety of the artwork and couldn’t commit to a ton
of color. My husband has always been a color artist,
and it’s pretty much all he did when we met. Now,
thanks to me, a majority of his work is black-and-grey
by request.
My husband is responsible for my favorite piece,
my right sleeve. It’s all about time, my family and our
love. The top portion reads “Timeless Love” playing
off both the shop and our partnership. The clock is
the time we got married; the numbers falling through-
out the sleeve are anniversaries, birthdates and other
important numbers. My son’s name Ryland Gage is on
the inside of my arm and my daughter Madison on the
outer. There’s a broken hourglass with sand spilling
out to represent time and reminds me to make each
grain of sand count. The crown on my hand is to rep-
resent the royalty of family and is finished with ‘One
Love’ just before my knuckles.
This industry is unarguably the greatest industry
on the planet. There are no boundaries for those
who find acceptance in the tattoo world. I was so
incredibly fortunate to be Miss Milano 2014 and not
only appear in Italy but to have an opportunity to
represent Timeless Art and World Famous on one of
the biggest scales imaginable. I do so many conven-
tions a year, sponsoring the Phoenix Body Art Expo
and my beloved United Ink. I look forward to each
and every one, to see friends, idols and companies
continue to grow and thrive in the industry.
Back home in Arizona, you have shops that love
each other and shops that hate each other. It keeps
the thrill alive. We have so much support for our local
community and it really shows during the Phoenix
Expo. Everyone was against such a big production
coming to the Valley at first, but each year more and
more join the fun. In Arizona, we wear less clothes
than the rest of the country so why not decorate the
TO P: D ETA I L E D R O B E BY D A W N D U N I N G C U LT U R E ; B OT TO M : W H I T E B R A C O R S E T A N D TA S S E L B OT TO M P I E C E BY M E L I S S A V A R G A S C O U TU R E
G R E E N A N D B L A C K F L A P P E R B A S Q U E BY A G E N P R O V O C ATE U R , B L A C K P E E K TO E H E E L S BY G U I S E P P E Z A N OT T I , E A R R I N G S BY O L I V I A W E L L S , STO C K I N G S BY C A P EZ I O , B L A C K N E C K L A C E BY EYE C A N D Y L O S A N G E L E S
 Heather Moss is one of the most amazing women
in the tattoo industry. She’s not just a banging body
with great tattoos, she runs Timeless Art Tattoo with
her husband Bobby Ross—she really is a ride or die
chick. Since she is the Boss Lady, we let Heather tell
her story in her own words.
There are so many daily thoughts, duties and over-
all love for the crew that goes into being the Boss
Lady at a tattoo shop. It has not always been easy.
In the beginning, even with the support of my hus-
band standing behind me, the artists who came and
went looked at me as unworthy of making decisions
and demands in the shop setting. I knew two things
had to happen: One, I had to stand my ground and
not be shaken. Two, I had to become irreplaceable
to the crew to gain their respect. Since I wasn’t an
artist I knew I had to make myself part of the team and
that is what I did. I branded myself to my business, to
my husband and most importantly to the crew that I
have today. After eight years, Timeless Art is one of
the best things that ever happened to me. It takes a
special breed of crazy. It taught me how to work hard,
respect my team and build my brand. We at Timeless
Art are all irreplaceable; there is no greater feeling
than the camaraderie of our team.
Chase Odem did Bobby’s name on my wrist and
Boog Star did my knuckles which read “Timeless.”
With those two exceptions my husband is responsible
for every drop of ink in my body. I chose black-and-
grey work because I love the way it looks. I love the
subtlety of the artwork and couldn’t commit to a ton
of color. My husband has always been a color artist,
and it’s pretty much all he did when we met. Now,
B L U E L A C E B A S Q U E BY M E L I S S A V A R G A S C O UT U R E, V I N TA G E N E C K L A C E , H E E L S BY C H R I S T I A N L O U B O U T I N

thanks to me, a majority of his work is black-and-grey

by request.
My husband is responsible for my favorite piece,
my right sleeve. It’s all about time, my family and our
love. The top portion reads “Timeless Love” playing
off both the shop and our partnership. The clock is
the time we got married; the numbers falling through-
out the sleeve are anniversaries, birthdates and other
important numbers. My son’s name Ryland Gage is on
the inside of my arm and my daughter Madison on the
outer. There’s a broken hourglass with sand spilling
out to represent time and reminds me to make each
grain of sand count. The crown on my hand is to rep-
resent the royalty of family and is finished with ‘One
Love’ just before my knuckles.
This industry is unarguably the greatest industry
on the planet. There are no boundaries for those
who find acceptance in the tattoo world. I was so
incredibly fortunate to be Miss Milano 2014 and not
only appear in Italy but to have an opportunity to
represent Timeless Art and World Famous on one of
the biggest scales imaginable. I do so many conven-
tions a year, sponsoring the Phoenix Body Art Expo
and my beloved United Ink. I look forward to each
and every one, to see friends, idols and companies
continue to grow and thrive in the industry.
Back home in Arizona, you have shops that love
each other and shops that hate each other. It keeps
the thrill alive. We have so much support for our local
community and it really shows during the Phoenix
Expo. Everyone was against such a big production
coming to the Valley at first, but each year more and
more join the fun. In Arizona, we wear less clothes
than the rest of the country so why not decorate the

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015 | 55
R E H A B C O L L E CT I V E O N E P I E C E ; V I TA F E D E A N D M I A N S A I B R A C E L E T S; V I N TA G E R I N G S A N D C H O K E R
 Girls: Leah Jung, Camilla Kybele Hansen, Kay Reynolds, Elena Venetia, Kristina Amato, Noelle Léon, Karlee Jane, Jessianne Marie
N E C K L A C E BY E Y E C A N D Y L O S A N G E L E S , B R A BY A G E N T P R O V O C ATE U R

Emily Shepard, the lovely blonde who was cast in this story, is a walking piece of characters in theatrics, is malleable as a model to the persona that the photographer
art. From her pretty tattoos to her modeling, through burlesque performances and now directs and dazzles behind a lace during her burlesque performances. Emily/Emily is
acting, her life is one of a true artist. shy but “Emily Shephard the burlesque dancer” commands every eye in the joint.
“I’d die for art,” Emily echoes from the last time we featured her. “People die for it all “Many women have ‘burlesque names’ but I kept my real name because of femi-
the time and it is important—art is Freedom of Speech.” nism,” Emily says. “Stage names for burlesque dancers came because before women
While the girl is a polymath in the creative world, she has turned her attention toward needed to be anonymous for the sake of their families and children, and I sympathize
acting, she is now working with Rooney Mara’s coach Bob Krakower and was cast in with that. But I won’t let our Puritanical society make me hide behind my art.”
Codes of Conduct, Steve McQueen’s HBO drama. “I am proud—on a tattoo level— About the location:
after booking that show,” she says. “The casting industry is starting to become less There are few places in New York City more magical than the McKittrick Hotel.
prejudice about the tattoo community. I used to go into auditions, even in the middle of Located on the West Side, and many years ago, the experience takes one away from
July wearing a big sweater. Now I think auditions have become with how good you are.” the hustle and bustle and selfie sticks outside the environs. Once you walk through
A working artist is one of the greatest and most-noble lives. When asked what her the doors you will be overcome with a feeling of nostalgia and intrigue which will make
aspiration is, she answers, “The capability to be on the level with talented people.” And you not won’t want to leave anytime soon—and you don’t have to as the McKittrick
other than McQueen she’s worked with the likes of Adam Levine and Debra Messing. Hotel is a one-stop nightlife destination (plus they have an amazing brunch devoid
Then she thinks for a few ticks and says, “I want to be able to do not just do the run- of the types of girls who wear “Sunday Funday” tank tops). The McKittrick houses the
of-the-mill movies for money, I want to make art and at the end of the year have a Roth immersive theater spectacle Sleep No More, the fine-dining experience The Heath, the
IRA.” rooftop lounge Gallow Green, a winter rooftop hideaway called The Lodge, and the
Emily is a bit of an introvert, a self-and-rightfully-proclaimed “nerd” who would rather jazz-infused Manderley Bar. So the McKittrick Hotel has dinner and a show and time
spend time on Reddit than out on the town. But on stage, she sparkles. She takes on travel and drinks.

56 | INKEDMAG.COM
 ( St anding f rom lef t t o right) 710 Ki n g Pen , M E D -ePen
Slim Vap e Pen , Ascen t b y D a Vi n ci ,
St orz & Bick el Vol can o D i g i tal & Mi g h t y,
PAX Premium Vaporiz ers in bla ck an d r ed , Sn o op D o g g G Pr o,
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 I N K E D | STU FF

58 | INKEDMAG.COM
BONE up
on Fall Style
Ph oto s by Michael Kraus St yle by Darius Baptist Mo del: Mr. Bones

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015 | 59
WEARING SONS OF HEROES PRINTED LEATHER BLAZER, “ALTER” TEE BY SULLEN CLOTHIG, ROBIN’S JEAN LEATHER CAP, VERSACE MEDUSA HEAD RING, PEREPAIX BEADED BRACELETS, RAYBAN SUNGLASSES, DOUBLE DRAGON CORD BANGLE BY BLACK LABEL

60 | INKEDMAG.COM
WEARING COCKPIT USA PLAID BOMBER, ZANEROBE PLAID SHIRT, GALLIANO DENIM JEANS, INVICTA WATCH
 SCHOTT LEATHER MOTO-JACKET, JOHN VARVATOS DISTRESSED LEATHER BELT, NANA JUDY DENIM JEANS, “BFF FOREVER” NECKLACE BY SOUVENIR JEWELRY, DOG TAG SKULL NECKLACE BY BLACK LABEL

62 | INKEDMAG.COM
64 | INKEDMAG.COM
 N
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J. Anthony Kosar’s
“Dead of Night” Lamp

 






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The “Dead of Night” Lamp featuring

original design by famed FX designer
CHOOSE LONG OR SQUARE COUPON FROM LAYERS
and artist J. Anthony Kosar is a
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AND DELETE YELLOW BOX
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lasts a full year. The edition is limited 16 in. H.
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payment before shipment. Sales subject to product availability and order acceptance.
The pieces of art to the left all came from the demented minds of murderers. We aren’t displaying
the works to celebrate the men who put them to paper but rather we present the pieces so that they
may give insight into the psyches of the creators. Clockwise from top left: Eugene McWatters, the
“Salerno Strangler,” was convicted of first-degree murder and sexual battery of three women, this is
his haunting work; Charles Rienhardt was convicted of murdering a man who was left as collateral
after a drug deal went bad, this is one of his creepy pieces of art; John Wayne Gacy also known as
the Killer Clown was convicted of the sexual assault and murder of a minimum of 33 teenage boys
and young men, this is his Skull Clown painting; McWatters’s gnarly skull; Gacy’s Seven Dwarves;
Gacy’s Pogo the Clown; another macabre piece from Rienhardt, Charles Bronson, considered
Britain’s most notorious prisoner drew this called “Day Release from Broadmoor,” the thought bub-
ble reads “This is bloody crazy.”

Eric Holler is the owner of Serial Killers Ink, a website that deals in the true crime memo-
rabilia including theses pieces of art, which he has provided to Inked.

Inked: What insight do you think we can gain from looking at a serial killer’s artwork?
Holler: From my perspective I’m not really sure that the art these guys produce really give any kind of
insight into anything outside of the basic fact that this one likes skulls or that this one prefers painting
clowns. If I were to come to one solid conclusion from the art these guys produce, I guess I would say
their minds do stay in a very dark place and that dark place often comes out on canvas.

Are you fascinated by the minds of these men?

I am very fascinated by their minds. That was the sole reason I began corresponding with and visiting
them. I wanted to find out what made them tick – why they did what they did. Why did this guy go out
and dismembered and cannibalized 20 people? Or why did this one keep the heads of his victims as
trophies? It obviously takes someone quite mentally ill to commit some of these crimes but I wanted to
go a step deeper than what is on the surface. In 20 years of writing and befriending infamous killers I
can honestly say that to this day I’ve gained no more insight or understanding than when I began. I do
believe most of us have an attraction to the dark side of life, even if just wanting to explore and learn
about it, instead of actually acting upon it.

How do you ensure authenticity?

I obtain most of my items directly from the inmates themselves. In obtaining items that are already on
the market, my years of experience in this business is what guides me as far as authenticity.

Who are some of the more questionable characters you’ve met in dealing with this sort of
memorabilia?
They are all questionable! They are in prison for murder for fucks sake! In all seriousness, I’ve had
nothing but pleasant experiences with these men and women of murder as well as my customers and
normal folk on the outside.

What would be the Holy Grail of true crime memorabilia?

I would have to say John Wayne Gacy’s clown suit—but last I heard it’s hanging in a museum in
Washington DC.
I N K E D | GI R L

x or a ba ttl e ro ya le
wa tch a ma tch be t we en me n in sp an de
’t y ou pr efe r to sil ve r po tat o?
e to be gin wi th w ou ldn ll m on ke y an d a gia nt
Si nc e wr es tli ng is fak inc lud ing a ha lf- ge rb il- ha lf- tu ca n, he photos by chad grif
fith

68 | INKEDMAG.COM
p h o t o s b y S e b r i n g R e vo l u t i o n m a k e u p b y Kerr y -Lou B rehm

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015 | 69

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015 | 69
 Have you ever wanted to watch a giant silver potato
wrestle a half-gerbil-half-toucan? Of course you hav-
en’t, who would come up with that? Randy Borden,
that’s who. A lover of old Japanese monster movies,
current pop culture and causing a scene, Borden cre-
ated Kaiju Big Battel when studying at the School of
Museum of the Fine Arts in Boston. A three-minute
“performance” turned into a life pursuit to dazzle, com-
ment on absurd politics and pit twin plantains against
a Hell Monkey [Why does Hell Monkey look like a pig?
“Because in Hell, monkeys look like pigs and pigs
climb trees.”] in the ring. This is a show, not wrestling,
as it is more theater of the ludicrous than WWE. “It
is performance art,” says Borden. “It is socio-political
commentary and parody of pop culture, not just guys
beating each other up for a three-count.”
The commentary can be subtle, like for instance, last
fall when North Korea outlawed Choco-Pies (like a
moon pie) per capitalism, Kaiju announced: “The hum-
ble Choco-Pie, at first glance a harmless sweet snack
but don’t be fooled, the Choco-Pie is quite possibly
the most dangerous snack food since Dorito’s had
pointy corners. Choco-Pie’s are so dangerous that the
government of North Korea has banned them in fear of
them being used to overthrow the regime. “Who cares”
you say? Well the Kaiju Commissioner in his quest to
bring fans the most danger power legally allowed by
law, has decided to put the danger of the Choco-Pie to
the test by challenging two Kaiju fighters to Kaiju’s first
ever Choco-Pie Fighto.”
So it’s all fun and games until D.W. Cycloptopuss
losses an eye? Nope, the whole event and culture
around the characters are a blast. Nothing is taken
seriously, not the wrestling (real fake-wrestling fans
may take umbrage with certain moves, get over your-
selves) and not even the name. Kaiju means “myste-
rious beast” in Japanese and the spelling of “Battel”
was not lost in translation but Borden misspelled it on
a T-shirt design. “People thought it was funny, so it was
left that way.” Bring your sense of humor and imagi-
nation to the next bout which coming to destroy a city
near you..
72 | INKEDMAG.COM
I N K E D | SOC IAL

TPH E
NK
UPASTORE
Tattooed megapastor Carl Lentz—who has the ear of Jay-Z, Kevin Durant and Justin Bieber—is not your father’s preacher man.
By L e a n d e r S ch a e r l a e ck e n s P h o t o s b y Po l i n a Ya m sh ch i k o v

74 | INKEDMAG.COM
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015 | 75
 The preacher who looks nothing like a preacher is beginning to lose his voice. Carl Lentz ater, the dozen or so musicians on stage, standing in the colorful glow of the
just delivered the seventh of the nine sermons and opening prayers he will give today. stage lights, make an almighty racket for the Almighty. The building throbs
So, sitting in the second row of a black SUV ferrying him between Irving Plaza and the with bass. Right in front of the podium, congregants jump deliriously – it’s
Best Buy Theater in Times Square for the umpteenth time today, he sucks on a cough practically a mosh pit. Inflatable balls bounce atop the crowd. Everybody is
drop. Being America’s hottest young preacher and befriending and ministering to Justin on their feet and seems to know the words to all the songs.
Bieber and an All-Jesus team of NBA stars is hard work. And it’s murder on your throat. Lentz comes on, without much fanfare, and steps into the light.
“Thank you for being faithful,” he begins, before acknowledging the logistical
Joe, a 20-something off-duty cop and Lentz confidant doubling as his driver, troubles of being a rapidly expanding and therefore nomadic house of wor-
threads the car through the tousled Midtown traffic, up Sixth Avenue and ship. “This is your church. It’s not an easy church to be a part of. It’s like a
across 42nd Street. His police badge dangles from the rearview mirror. scavenger hunt, but in God we trust.”
Leopard-print Chuck Taylors poke out of his designer jeans. He takes plenty He leads them into a raucous prayer and the band kicks up again.
of liberties with his fellow drivers to keep Lentz on pace with his frenzied Then Lentz leaves.
schedule.
In spite of Joe’s best efforts to get Lentz out of the building And now we’re in the car again, speeding back to Irving Plaza while a Hill-
quickly after giving his latest sermon on this blessed Sunday, everybody they song track plays on the sound system. Lentz re-reads his “message” for the
bumped into wanted their pastor’s time. And he had made some for all of day – he never uses the word sermon – on his laptop and tweaks it for opti-
them, even though there were more than a thousand people waiting for him mal effect. It’s color-coded for pacing and cadence.
uptown and he really had no time to give. Different congregations require different approaches. The morning ones
A crowd packed in tight had just hung on Lentz’s every word at Irving Plaza, tend to be mellower, as some in the crowd were out all night and tack some
an old, dark night club with a disco ball, blue chandeliers and a red hue church onto the end. Others catch the more animated night-time service
emanating from the back of the room. Like every one of his congregations, before they go out. “Hopefully they go out and have a different night,” Lentz
they had been a perfect reflection of the Millennial generation – black, Asian, says between sips of coffee. He and his “crew” used to go out after the last
white, Hispanic. He’d been a blur of sound and motion, set to the ambient service themselves, back when they would do seven or eight consecutively,
tones played by a keyboardist. The faithful cheered and hollered and raised running late into the night, before hitting up the city’s hip-hop clubs. He still
their arms in testimony as he stomped about the small stage, preaching and goes to see his friend DJ Clue? wherever he plays.
screeching in his breathless patter and gesticulating wildly to emphasize Lentz prepares meticulously. He has typed out several pages,
his message. Thick veins bulged in his neck. The colored lights caught the single-spaced, before memorizing them all. His preaching doesn’t feel
sweat beads on his forehead. He’d gotten increasingly animated while a rehearsed, littered as it is with off-the-cuff remarks. “It’s kind of like a come-
band assembled behind him and began to play. Slowly, the music built to an dian in that the more prepared a comedian is, the more free they tend to
all-out crescendo of Christian rock as Lentz left the podium. kind of flow,” Lentz explains. So he improvises a highly polished message,
Today, in late March, Lentz and the Hillsong Church, where depending on the room.
he’s a lead pastor, are trying something new. Rather than keep turning
away hundreds of the worshipers snaking around the block in an endless Irving Plaza for the fourth time. Another packed room. Lentz sways to the
line every Sunday, they figured simultaneous services in two venues might music as he waits to go onstage. He steps into the booming noise and the
solve their problem: eight in all, starting at 10 a.m. and resetting every few lights fix on him. “You might be in here brand new,” Lentz begins the ninth
hours. There’s a team of pastors, but the people want to see Lentz. So he service, which has been underway for a good hour. “Number one: welcome.
has bounced back and forth, either giving the opening prayer or the closing If you’re thinking, ‘Does it get any crazier?’ No. We sacrifice animals only
sermon. And he video-conferenced into a third location at the Wellmont once a month – that was last week.” He gets a good laugh.
Theater in Montclair, NJ. He congratulates the congregation for having found its church again. “I
Now, in the Chevy Tahoe, he strokes his forearm, one of the don’t even respect real churches anymore,” Lentz continues. “I’ve been in
10 spots where he’s inked – among them an angel, script and a lion for churches that have carpet, pews, sound systems and I’m like, ‘Ya’ll don’t
his three children; a Manhattan skyline; the 757 area code for his Virginia even love Jesus. If you did, you’d be in a club!” Another big laugh. His voice
Beach hometown; his wife Laura’s name; a pair of crossed-up pistols above is getting raspy now, his Virginia twang thicker. He cracks jokes as he reads
the caption “Make ‘em pay” for friends lost too soon. Men who look like scripture, making it feel as much like a stand-up act as a sermon. The bible
the 36-year-old Lentz aren’t typically found in churches, let alone minister- he holds has a big sticker on the front of it. Occupy All Streets.
ing to them. A scoop-neck t-shirt with short sleeves, once black but now Easter is just two Sundays away. Lentz suggests a quip to prod the lazy
badly faded and worn, makes no secret of his muscular frame. His skinny believers. “People feel really guilty about not coming to church, and you can
jeans and pointy shoes emphasize his tall build. He ditched the light denim use that on Easter,” he says. “Find somebody who you know they feel guilty
jacket up on stage, but the long chain around his neck remains. His beard and be like, ‘Hey, it’s Easter. Jesus rose from the grave; you can raise from
is trimmed everywhere but on his chin. His hair is buzzed up the sides; his your bed. Just one time a year.’” Laughter.
Mohawk slicked back. He clutches a necklace just given to him by one of Behind Lentz, a projection screen depicts a man holding a Molo-
the few older congregants. tov cocktail, beside the words The Weapon of Worship. He commands the
Now that he’s becoming something close to famous, Lentz doesn’t have to room with his wit and vigor. A talk about misplaced anxiety, frustration and
answer for his look much anymore. “Early on, it was harder to stick to your trust in God turns into a riff on the DMV. It took him a while to get his Virginia
guns,” he says. “The tattoos were a big deal back in the day. It’s less a big driver’s license changed after he moved to New York. He worried about get-
deal now because people are less ridiculous. People would ask me about it ting pulled over. “Every time I got in the car I felt like I was 18 again,” Lentz
all the time and I’d be like, ‘Why does this matter? This is so stupid.’” recalls to his flock, “riding dirty with weed in the back.” Laughter.
The privilege of success is the erosion of scrutiny. Just 4 ½ years after its He imitates the various stereotypes in his congregation. “Single
founding, more than 8,000 worshipers will pass through Hillsong NYC’s guy worship is this,” he says, his index fingers pointing skywards at chest
services today. height, his arms just off to his side. “You’re worshipping but you still look
pretty cool. And single girl worship is like this,” he continues, throwing his
On the way into the Best Buy Theater, Lentz quickly records a video hit for left hand in the air and spreading his fingers. “‘I love Jesus, but I’m also ring-
an in-house Hilllsong mini-doc and chatters to the many security people and less!’” Laughter.
volunteers. He commends the guy working the elevator on upping his Insta- He sometimes interrupts himself while rhapsodizing about faith and tithing
gram game. When he passes through, everybody in the room beams. There and reaching out to people about coming to their church. “Is this helping
a lot of bro hugs, fist bumps, “Love ya’s.” anybody?” he’ll say. “Holler back if you’re hearing me right now, y’all.” A
The service has just started as Lentz settles into the green room. In the the- cascade of whoops will wash over him. The youth before him is dressed

76 | INKEDMAG.COM
for nothing more serious than a casual dinner. A few people have
brought Starbucks cups. Others are eating. They text openly and
unabashedly. That’s okay here.
“Regular church is a little too formal for me,” says Alex Arevalo, 19
who has been coming for 6 months and sports a low-slung baseb
cap, a big chain and baggy clothes. “The energy that you feel in h
is amazing. This is more like our generation’s stuff.”

The first time Laura met her future husband, she was unimpressed
Sure, the tattooed American with a love for hoops and hip-hop wa
handsome and charming and instantly well-liked when he turned
up in Sydney in 2000. But, as Laura recalls now, “He was a bit to
cool for school.” Lentz had short, curly hair then, with frosted tips.
He wore earrings, chains and tight, white t-shirts. “Just think Justi
Timberlake back in his N*Sync days, that was him,” Laura says. H
was brash and boisterous, but also warm and driven and sure of s
They married in 2003, moved back to Virginia Beach and had the
first of their kids.
Raised in a devout family that attended churches of several differe
denominations, Lentz rediscovered his faith and was born again
during his sophomore year at North Carolina State. Now that he’d
found Jesus, his mother finally let him get tattoos – “She kind of
took half the fun out of it.” He’d been a basketball team walk-on b
transferred to bible colleges in Virginia and then Los Angeles, wh
he also worked as a Gucci store greeter. Then he learned about t
Hillsong International Leadership College. The Australian Penteco
tal mega-church was founded by Brian Houston in 1983 and now
has outposts in capitals all over the world. It owns an eponymous
record label that dominates the Christian Rock genre, providing
seed money for the global expansion of its franchise of churches,
and runs its own biblical college. Laura, whose family was close w
the Houstons, was already enrolled.
Back in Virginia, they became intern pastors at the
non-denominational Wave Church, rising through the ranks. Then
in 2009, they got a call from Joel Houston, Brian’s son and their
close friend, about starting a Hillsong chapter in New York City. T
accepted before they’d even learned what their roles would be –
lead pastors, as it turned out.
In the summer of 2010, they started meeting with their
prospective church members in apartments, just a few dozen at fi
but more every time. By late 2011, they launched their church and
1,500 people showed. Hillsong NYC has bounced between venu
ever since, hustling to meet a mushrooming demand and sustainin
itself on tithes and volunteerism. On Friday, they often wouldn’t kn
where they would be holding services on Sunday. A last-minute
tweet would tell their followers where to go.
Lentz says it all just kind of happened for him. “I’ve figured this ou
as I’ve gone,” he says. “As I started to go down this path, I started
thinking that maybe I’m called to do this, maybe this has somethin
to do with why I’m on the planet. I never woke up and said I wann
be a pastor. Absolutely the opposite. Never in a million years wou
have thought that I would be a preacher, doing any of this. The lon
ger you do this though, the more you find out that God’s using the
people who are available, not the people who are awesome. I thin
I’ve grown into it. I still find it hard to believe even myself what I do
TKTKTK POSSIBLE BRIAN HOUSTON QUOTE ON LENTZ TKT
KTK
Lentz and Hillsong fit each other well. If he was an unlikely pastor
he would be one in an unlikely church, which had no qualms abou
being different. “Doing church, conventional wisdom rules the day
he says. “And it’s ironic, because we claim to follow a God that w
the opposite of convention. That’s why when church is traditional,
it’s so predictable and I don’t believe it’s the right representation.
Coming here, from the way we dress to the way we do church to

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER
JUNE/JULY 2015 | 77
 where we have church, people say it’s uncon- not a problem, it’s a good thing. Because I
ventional. I don’t think so. It’s probably truer to don’t think religion is the answer. We always
our faith than convention.” tell people we’re about a relationship with
But that isn’t to say that Hillsong, God. Jesus said religion, in his mind, was help-
which has plenty of other pastors who don’t ing widows and caring for orphans. Religion is
look like pastors, consciously manages its not a set of rules and something you have to
image. “We never set out to be the cool, tattoo do. I love it when people say they hate religion.
church, or meet in the club,” he says. “We Me too. The version of religion they’re talking
meet in a club because that’s the only place about, I don’t agree with it either.” As a sub-
available. We have tattoos because we have stitute, Hillsong offers up a bare-bones kind
tattoos. People always ask about our clothes of church service. It more or less goes: music,
and it gets ridiculous, like we’re sitting there sermon, music, sermon, music. Lentz reads
planning what we’re gonna wear. This is what some scripture and interprets it. But there’s
we wear. A reporter asked if I wear a black, no liturgy, no communion, none of all that. Just
leather jacket to prove a point. No. It’s because worship and a message.
it’s my favorite jacket. A guy in my church Assuming the fifth of Americans going to
made it for me so I wear it.” church comes from the three-quarters that
What Lentz and the rest of Hillsong believes in God, at least half of Americans
do foster intentionally is acceptance. “This is are religiously disenfranchised and quite
a church where you can come as you are,” possibly open to an alternative like Hillsong,
he says. “No matter what that is – if you have which is consciously non-denominational. The
tattoos on your eyelids or whether you wear an opportunity is enormous. People give up on
Oxford shirt or some khaki pants. Whoever you practicing their faith if they don’t connect with
are, that’s who we want to get to know.” their church, but you wouldn’t use that logic in
That creed has helped make it the any other area of your life, Lentz argues. “If you
fastest-growing church in New York City. Josh went to a bad restaurant, you wouldn’t stop
O’Brien, 27, has been coming for two years. eating,” he says. “If you saw a bad movie, you
“It’s a very freeing church, very welcoming,” wouldn’t swear off movies. So give it one more
he says. “A lot of people probably were turned shot, come have a look at the way we do it and
away from church at some point in their life what we believe, and then make your call. Our
and the lack of formality is definitely part of the hope is people give us enough of a chance to
appeal. There’s a lack of walls. It removes a lot show ‘em what we’re about. We don’t want
of barriers that a lot of people probably associ- to change church. Our way isn’t the only way.
ate when thinking about church.” There are plenty of ways to do this. This is just
It has found a following among our way.”
celebrities, namely Justin Bieber, whom Lentz While that way is novel, its interpretation of
has known since 2007, and 2013-14 NBA the bible is conservative. The hot, new church,
MVP Kevin Durant, whom he baptized. Most which has managed to both capture and retain
days, Lentz connects with Biebs and KD, as the attention of Millenials – the ADHD gener-
he calls them, via text or a phone call. His Ins- ation which is far more liberal than any before
tagram account is littered with pictures of him it – is anti-abortion, anti-stem cell research and
with famous athletes, hanging out. “Our church preaches sexual purity. “It’s totally ironic,” says
is conducive to people in that lane, because Lentz of his church’s image as modern. “It’s
it’s easy to hide, it’s easy to slip in and out, funny how we get a rep for something that’s
and it’s the same language,” he says. “[Bieber] not actually true.”
is just one of the guys around here. We are
obligated to serve anybody who asks. If you *****
are famous, you deserve to have a church like
everybody else.” If you went out and tried, if you devoted serious
resources to the effort, you would have a hard
***** time finding someone who has less interest in
organized religion than I do. It isn’t on some
Lentz isn’t saving religion. Which is just as kind of liberal principal. I’ve been to traditional
well, because he dislikes the very construct church services a dozen or so times. I think it
of religion. He thinks it’s a bloated institution can offer people real, important structure and
that complicates and perhaps even obstructs support. It just isn’t for me.
a relationship with God. The numbers support Going to Lentz’s Hillsong services, I wasn’t
that assertion. Some 2.7 million American quite sure what to expect, exactly. I suspected
church members fall into inactivity each year, it might all feel terribly cultish. And I found the
according to the Hartford Institute of Religion idea of a person commanding such devotion
Research, while at least 4,000 churches have from so many people in such a short timeframe
to close their doors. Several studies have as Lentz has sort of dangerous. The night I
found that only around a fifth of Americans shadowed him, Lentz told me several times
go to church regularly. Yet according to a that he hoped I would return to Hillsong. Not
2013 Harris Poll, 74 percent of the population as a reporter, but as a worshiper. I would smile
believes in God. There’s a disconnect there. politely and move the conversation on.
“I love it,” says Lentz. “To me that’s But having seen Lentz in action, having gotten

78 | INKEDMAG.COM
a feel, over the course of three services, for his congre-
gation and its flow and pulse, I get it. The packaging of
this message is so original and accessible that I have
a lot more time for it than the dull drone of a regular
church service. The preaching itself is still lost on me,
but the framing has an undeniable appeal. To even a
heathen like me, it’s a good show. I don’t know that I
would rearrange my Sunday or go very far out of my
way to come back, but if I happened to be around, I’d
happily stop in. I’d bring friends. I’d bring my wife, who is
spiritual but never identified with any traditional church
and has grown curious through my reporting. You have
to see this thing.
Yet this is a real church, preaching a genuine, theolog-
ically-informed message. There is no artifice here, just
a different way of getting across the same two thou-
sand-year-old teachings. And below the “WELCOME
HOME”-banner, there’s a warmth so thick you could
bottle it. It’s not a labored we’re-at-church-so-let’s-be-
nice-to-each-other friendliness. Rather, it’s a sense of
organic intimacy, grown amid an improbable community
in the heart of an emotionally unavailable city. A commu-
nity that believes very much that its way of doing things
isn’t any less right for being unusual.
As for Lentz, he’s one of the more magnetic people
you’re likely to meet. But there’s a sincerity underpinning
the swagger. A substance beneath the assured sway
of a man bounding toward middle age knowing that his
ceiling is a long way off yet. Before meeting him, I had
taken great care in calibrating my bullshit detector. It
didn’t go off all night.

*****

The ninth and final service is winding down. Loudly, of

course. Lentz has delivered his message for the last time
today and slowly recedes behind the band as it kicks
into a full pomp, sneaking off into the shadows. He turns
his back to the crowd and hunches over at the waist. He
flicks a few tears from his eyes and then covers his face
with both hands, shuddering with sobs.
Lentz stumbles off stage, without a fuss. He has nothing
left to give. For this Sunday anyway.
NICK MEANS PHOTOGRAPHY
@NICKMEANSPHOTO

NICOLETTE IRONWING @IRONWING

CHASIDY LEE @C2D2

I N K E D | SC EN E

JOSE LOPEZ
by Stephanie Collazo photo by Mark Mann
P H OTO S BY W I L L I E T

F R O M R U S S I A W I TH I N K : O L E G S H E P E L E N K O B R I N G S H I S
R E A L I S M TAT TO O S TO T H E U N I T E D STAT E S.

84 | INKEDMAG.COM
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2015 | 85
 Pravda means “truth” in Russian. No word describes Russian tattooer Oleg Shepelenko Which is more challenging and why?
better, from his views on the industry to his realism tattoos that stay true to the Tattooing with color, in my opinion, is the most difficult because there are
subject (with the exception of the sugar skull mask he put on Vladmir Putin). Having dozens of shades that need to be introduced under the skin without damag-
travelled to the United States, the tattooer is leaving his mark on our local culture with ing it. It requires a lot of experience. For black-and-grey tattoos, things are a
dazzling pieces from portraits to animals. Before you book that backpiece you’ve been little different. This style is much faster and less traumatic. Therefore, almost
planning, check out this new kid from the Eastern Bloc. every good studio has a wizard that does well in black- and-grey. And this is
no surprise.
INKED: What made you decide to teach yourself how to tattoo?
SHEPELENKO: When I was learning how to do tattoos there were very few You look for inspiration in photography, do you ever photograph your own references?
famous artists in Russia to look up to. So I had to search the internet, books, Many of the portraits I do are of my own photos. I find it easier to take
and magazines for any information I could use to develop my skills. a good photo myself, rather than have to explain to the person what is
required of the photograph. I have a set-up for professional photography in
You began tattooing in 2001 as a hobby, why did you make the switch to professional tattooer my studio.
in 2005?
Over those first four years my work One of your more infamous tattoos is of Vladimir Putin painted
was improving so much that I began to up like a sugar skull. Putin is notorious for not taking well to
receive offers to work in professional being mocked, did you ever think there could be ramifications
studios. My client list was constantly for the person who got the tattoo or possibly for you?
growing. The career pretty much devel- My client came into the studio and asked for a
oped itself. Putin tattoo. The twist was he wanted it as unsual
as possible because he collects a lot of unusual
How do you think being self-taught has helped and sometimes funny tattoos. We did try our best
your career? How do you think your career would not to offend Vladimir Putin and I do not believe
be different if you had been mentored? this tattoo to be provocative or politically charged
I believe that being self-taught I have in any way.
come to work in my own style, free from
the limitations that I would have had What is the most unusual tattoo that you’ve done?
with mentors or teachers. I have often I would like to do more unusual, or unconven-
thought about learning from profes- tional, tattoos. Unfortunately my clients are
sional artists, but I’m always faced with increasingly turning to rather ordinary desires. But
the fact that they are restricted by rules. trust me, if I get to do an unusual tattoo, the Inked
I think it’s disheartening to have my art audience will be the first I tell.
limited by these rules, so I decided to
look at their work and implement some Being self-taught, you spent hours redrawing portraits of
of what I saw in my own work. people and animals, why have you now chosen to focus on one
medium (tattooing)?
What are the pros and cons of having been self Initially I wanted to draw so that I would copy
taught vs having a formal apprenticeship? images and increase my skill level in tattooing.
I have no limitations on my style. The I’m not so interested in drawing on paper, to me
main disadvantage is that in order to it is better that the time gets spent on creating a
succeed one would need to spend beautiful tattoo on the skin. The more I work on
two- or even three-times longer learn- the skin, the better I feel my level of tattooing gets.
ing. Going through trial and error and
constant experimentation is important in What was your first tattoo?
order to find what works best for you—it First tattoo I got I was 17 years-old and it was a
is time-consuming. pattern on the shoulder. I had my friend, Alexander
Haishyan, do it for me. It was very painful, but I
Were you working towards being an artist that focused on realism, or was this something you immediately realized that it was mine and I loved it.
came to love after dabbling in other styles?
I was always struck by the style of realism. And I purposefully tried to work Who do you want to be tattooed by?
on it and improve this style. I want a tattoo from Nikko Hurtado. I left a place for him on my leg. And on
the other leg, a place for A.D. Pancho. We sometimes talk, but can never
You work in realism, but you have said that you do not like doing fine details, why not? meet, because he and I are constantly working. Our schedules have yet to
Small details in the realism tend to change over a few years after the tattoo line up.
heals. I see, in some work, after a couple of years that noticeable details lose
their sharpness. So now I have to constantly work to ensure that my tattoos You have quite a collection of tattoos, who have you been tattooed by?
don’t lose the quality. This is my main focus when trying to master this style I have tattoos from a lot of amazing artists. I view every single one of them
at the highest level. as colleagues and friends. We meet, work together and build a friendship
through hard work and a shared passion for the art. The most recent piece
Would you say that you prefer color to black-and-grey? I’ve gotten was done by my friend Rich Zayas of Tattoo Lou’s in New York.
Yes. You can take the same color piece, give it to two talented artists, and He did the Statue of Liberty on my neck to represent my love for New York.
receive two completely different tattoos. We, as individuals, based on our
local environment, life experiences and so many more factors, interpret You are currently working out of Tattoo Lou’s in New York, any plans to make a move?
colors differently. Color helps to distinguish my work from the 1000s of I am working towards being a part of the team at Tattoo Lou’s. I appreciate
other artists out there. Looking at black-and-grey, you see many of the same being given the opportunity to be part of the World Famous Tattoo Ink Pro
works resemble each other. It is much more difficult to make your black-and- Team. The exposure I’ve gained since becoming a member has allowed me
grey unique and not like any other. to get my work out of Russia.

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88 | INKEDMAG.COM A m e r i c a n A p p a r e l b r a t o p ; C o n ve r se sn e a k e r s; vi n t a g e o ve r a l l s; hat by H urley
FIFTH DIMENSION
 ALEX
HOW DID YOU GET INTO TATTOOING?
I started as a client and one day I bought my own equipment
because I wanted to learn, inspired by my father who is an
artist and sculptor.

BRUZ
WHAT IS IS ABOUT REALISM THAT APPEALS TO YOU?
I generally try to be an integrated artist, despite the fact that
there are styles that I still haven’t mastered, like oriental, but
realism for me is a challenge, to achieve a photograph’s dom-
inance of light, contrast and volume.
YOU WORK MAINLY IN BLACK-AND-GREY, WHY HAVE YOU
V I S I T: I N S TA G R A M .C O M / A L E X B R U Z
DECIDED TO DO SO?
It’s not that I prefer to work in black-and-grey tones; it’s
that because of the skin tone of the majority of my clientele,
mostly Venezuelan, it is recommended to use “shadows,” so
that the color doesn’t dull out.
WHAT IS THE TATTOO SCENE LIKE IN VENEZUELA?
There is still prejudice, it is still taboo. In the past few years
peoples views on tattooing have evolved greatly. In a sense a
new generation of artists has been born, myself included.
WHAT OTHER ARTISTS IN VENEZUELA SHOULD WE SEEK OUT?
In my country: Axel Lopez who was my tattoo artist, and has
given me many tips; Darwin Enriquez who is a great artist and
is always evolving; Emersson Pabon who is a comprehensive
and high quality human being.
HOW OF YOU TEST YOUR BOUNDARIES AS AN ARTIST?
Working everyday, working hard on each job. I try to be a
perfectionist, and pay attention to the details in each piece. I
90 | INKEDMAG.COM give myself challenges like finishing a whole piece using only
one machine, with only one magnum 15 needle.
TO SEE MORE TATTOOS VISIT INKEDMAG.COM
 HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR SHOP, MEATTT, INC.?

MARINA
Meattt, Inc. is a tattoo art shop with a modernized butcher
shop theme. When you first enter the space there is a
butcher case stocked chock full of Meattt merchandise.
There are clear vinyl meat flaps to separate the space while

HEINTZE
tattooing, as well as a proper meat scale which holds all tat-
tooing aftercare needs. I focused primarily on the concept of
meat when branding. Through out the design process I refer-
enced the pattern of marbleized meat on all shop signage i.e
windows and front door. Meattt’s aesthetic is clean, modern
and strategic. Objects are carefully curated around the shop.
V I S I T: M E AT T T I N C . C O M These objects are significant to NYC, flash art and meat.
HOW DID YOU DECIDE ON YOUR BUTCHER SHOP AESTHETIC?
I have always felt that a butcher shop/tattoo art shop would
be quite humorous. The “body as meat” made sense in my
head. Part of my background is in branding so I basically
went to town when finally deciding on the name and decor.
WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR ARTISTIC INSPIRATIONS?
Toilet Paper (Maurizio Cattelan’s magazine), Japanese
textiles, Crap Hound magazine, going to Chinatown, the
inter-web, art fairs, the graphic novelist Lynd Ward, Ikebana,
Deno Tattoo or anything coming out of Circus Tattoo, Vice’s
Munchies, visual images from scientific and nature books
see: Taschen, (Isaiah) Toothtaker, @j__mckenna, and true
crime podcasts specifically Sword and Scale.
HOW HAS TATTOOING AFFECTED YOUR OTHER ARTISTIC VENTURES?
It has influenced my painting. I make large format flash-style
watercolors and I only use spit-shading as my technique for
painting them. I love spit-shading process as well as the gra-
92 | INKEDMAG.COM dation that occurs.

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 ARE PEOPLE SURPRISED TO KNOW THAT YOU FOUGHT MMA?

ARLO
I don’t really looki like a fighter so I feel most people are sur-
prised to find that out. I haven’t fought in a few years because
it started taking a toll on my body. Years of wrestling and
boxing wore out my shoulder and the last MMA fight I had
really messed it up to the point that I had to have surgery.
I’ve broke my hand a few times and have had numerous con-

DICRISTINA
cussions. If you are going to fight competitively you need to
put in the time so It was either fighting or tattooing. Tattooing
is something you can do as a career for the rest of your life
career so thats what I picked.

V I S I T: I N S TA G R A M. C O M / A R L O TAT T O O S YOU’VE MOVED AROUND SOME, OF ALL THE PLACES THAT LIVED WHICH
INFORMED YOUR ART THE MOST?
I would say Duluth, MN and Grand Forks, ND had the biggest
impact on my art style—both places have long winters with
not a lot to do, which gives you plenty of time to draw.
HAS SURREALISM/REALISM ALWAYS BEEN THE FOCUS OF YOUR ART?
Yes I would say realism and surrealism has always been
the style I focused on most. There is something about the
challenge of taking an image—usually a face—and morphing
it with some other element is extremely fun for me and some-
thing that I was always drawn to.
HOW DOES YOUR CONSULTATION PROCESS WORK?
For my surrealistic pieces, clients usually come to me with a
rough idea or some kind of a subject then let me do my thing
with it. But when they come and give me full artistic freedom I
feel extremely fortunate.
GIVEN FULL FREEDOM WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO DO MORE OF?
I want to do a lot more face-morphs in the future.
94 | INKEDMAG.COM

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 JAYLYNN
O W N E R O F S A I NTS I N K TAT TO O, ST. G E O R G E, UT
Some tattoo shops have music blaring, others have artist
stations set up with iPod hookups, but we play movies.
We have this hard drive with about 950 movies on it
and just let them play through. The best, however, is
when Movie 43 is on. You know that scene, with Hugh
Jackman out on a date with Kate Winslet and he has a
set of balls on his neck? Somehow, a customer is always
standing right beneath the TV when that happens and we
receive the same reaction every time of “What the f&%*?”
Followed by “What is this movie called?” with bouts of
laughter.
Abram does a lot of cover ups here at Saints. A lot! I’m
the one holding all the empathy when it comes to the
story of a hated tattoo and the reasoning for covering
it. It really gets to me when the clients cry; happy tears
are the absolute best, especially when its a memorial of
a loved one. We firmly believe that every client should
leave here thinking we kick-hard-core-ass. A woman
came in needing a cover-up because the memorial for
her son was not at all what she wanted. It was small, a bit
smaller than a business card, and Abram was asked to
do a cover-up of Rainbow Mountain, where her son had
passed. With that cover-up, Abram did not surpass the
size she wanted (which was no bigger than a standard
business card) and made it look just like a painting. The
reaction we see from our clients after they get a fresh,
beautiful tattoo that they’re proud of is immaculate.
Not too much crazy stuff happens here. We’re in small
town St. George, Utah. What does happen often?
Disagreements on pricing. Common, I know. I had a
recent experience on a Monday in August with a girl
who called. We are closed Sundays and Mondays, but
our shop phone is a cell phone so why not answer if I’m
available? I answer and a young woman is crying on the
other line. I wait for her to respond and she tells me how
rude people have been to her and that the shop she
just went to was mean. As I said before, I am way too
empathetic. So I ask what it is that I can help her with
today and she wants a tattoo, size of a penny or nickel,
but only has $25 to spend on a tattoo. Well, lets think,
if we need one liner, one shader, and two grips and
whatever ink we need for this tattoo, that is at least $25
there. I explain our shop minimum and that we just can’t
budge from that or we will have to with everyone else.
This young—not very kind—woman proceeds to curse at
me telling me that a tattoo that small is worth is $25 at
the very most. I try to understand why she thinks that way
but then talks shit on tattoo artists and people with ink
and we’re all going to hell?.... Uhh, I thought you wanted
a tattoo lady. Did I just get Saved?

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photo by Andi Watkins

 S S E L E VITT
JE M a il ig n a
n t M a lf o
rm a ti o n
J e s s e le v
it t. c o m

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