Tattoo Machine: Tall Tales, True Stories, And My Life In Ink (2009) - Plot & Excerpts
I have a feeling that there will be numerous uninspired blurbs about the book "Tattoo Machine" hailing it as the tattoo industry’s "Kitchen Confidential." I wouldn’t go so far. Jeff Johnson does invite his readers into some of the seedier and funnier stories about his life as a tattoo artist and offers up some second hand stories that may cause you to laugh and/or cringe. Johnson has a clever and visual way with words and the book is a quick, enjoyable read. I appreciated getting a glimpse of who he was as a child and young man and how this has lead to who he is now. He is successful nowadays and drives a BMW--which he chose to point out. But his writing is somewhat disjointed and near the end of this read, I was left wanting a little more depth to his stories and a little less of what came off as slick and “cool” business owner-speak. I had some high hopes for this book. I have spent some time in a few tattoo shops as someone who is married to a tattoo artist. I am nowhere near an expert on this “industry” but I have seen and heard a bit. My opinions may be colored by my relationship and interactions with other tattoo artists and customers. One thing I can’t help but mention is the use of illustrations to introduce parts of the book. They are some on the poorest and amateur drawings and I was surprised that someone like Johnson, who does appear to be a good artist, would allow them into his own book. Overall, I would recommend "Tattoo Machine" to someone who likes a fun memoir but I don’t think I can wholeheartedly recommend it to the tattoo artists I know. I can now say I know more about tattooing than I ever wanted to. Johnson's wandering personal manifesto about the philosophy and art of skin art is prosy, self-important and occasionally pretentious in tone. The man hasn't met an adjective that he doesn't like, and yet he still feels the need to pepper his writing with profanity, as if to assure readers of his street cred. That being said, he does tell some marvelous stories of irate customers, crazy employees, in-shop pranks and ink jobs gone terribly wrong. I was particularly struck by his story of tattooing a suspected serial killer, who was covered with women's names, dates, and social security numbers. There was also the woman with the flipper, the punk chick & her massive boyfriend who tried to rob him, and the homeless men who all got free tattoos of Bill Murray. He debunks myths (there is no such thing as a "vegan" tattoo parlor) and relates the proper way to care for a new tattoo, but the chapters where he rails against the homogenization of the tattoo industry verge toward the pedantic. For aficionados of the topic only. I was interested enough to finish it, but can't imagine it appealing to a wider audience.
What do You think about Tattoo Machine: Tall Tales, True Stories, And My Life In Ink (2009)?
This sounded really good, but I just couldn't get into the writing style. Oh well!
—reading
Jeff Johnson is an @sshole. Now I understand why Sea Tramp has such a lousy rep.
—BasketballBabe
ridiculously funny.. but mainly just ridiculous.
—Perry
