I have a couple of tattoos myself & am fascinated by them as a means of self-expression, so this was an overall fun read. Several others have rightfully pointed out that it is not the most well-written tome out there, and that it feels a bit disjointed/rambling. He does touch on several topics germane to the industry, such as the pain associated with getting a tattoo, of which he writes, "Anyone who says that tattoos don't hurt is, unfortunately, full of s***." As proof, he cites his own personal experience on the receiving end of the needle. This illustrates both the often bombastic nature of his narrative, and the egocentric reference point from which he often draws when relating an anecdote. Many of the stories he tells are genuinely interesting, shocking, scary, or amusing, but there are times when he wanders off into cruelty, such as he does in the chapter "Making the Cut" (spoiler alert) when he attempts to wring humor out of the failure of a new guy who only lasted four hours (helped along in no small part by Johnson & friend), apparently oblivious to or uncaring of the guy's obvious panic attack, which is something that is not at all funny to anyone who has ever experienced one. Johnson also dedicates an entire chapter to pranks as being the measure of true friendship among his peers; however, none of the descriptions of which left me wishing I were his friend. He does explain how the industry works (at least in his area), the history of the art, and how difficult it is to get started in the business. He also describes how the tools of the trade work, and about the tattooing process. The book is definitely a fun, fast read. Yeah, you can Google his work online, but a section of glossy color photos of his work & of the other artists about whom he writes would have been nice, too. "Tattoo Machine: Tall Tales, True Stories, and My Life in Ink is a memoir by Jeff Johnson and his career as a tattoo artist. This remarkable novel is a "backstage" tour of the tattoo industry. I really enjoyed this novel because of the description. It was so detailed you felt like you were really physically there with Johnson. The best part about this book was the sarcasm that Johnson so eloquently embeds in his memoir. I would recommend this book to absolutely anyone; especially people who are fascinated by tattoos or any other type of skin art.
What do You think about Tattoo Machine Tattoo Machine (2009)?
There were parts of this book that I enjoyed but overall I had a hard time getting through it.
—dey
Fascinating book about a world I've never experienced and am not likely to.
—kbebich93
Tattoo as art--a surprisingly great book. Now I want one...
—Kryssie
