Karma.Punk Collages on Human Skin. TrashPolka With an English Accent. Re-examining Bits and Pieces of What’s Been Discarded in the Haste of the Late 20th Century and Sticking Them Together. Stills from a Postmodern Science-Fiction Movie Set Ten Minutes in The Future. Global Slang for The Common Man. Pornography for Plutocrats.The Myth, and the Religion of Design Or Die. Talent Borrows, Genius Steals. So Kiss The Future. Forget The Past. Stealing From The Thieves Selling Out And Selling It Back. Resist Baby! If You Don’t Understand What’s Going On Then It’s Probably Art. Repeating The Meaningless Until It Means Even Nothing More. Like A Hub Cap Diamond Star Halo. Another Ego-Star With A Crystal Sheen Guitar. Don’t Bore Us Get To The Chorus. London-Paris-NewYork-Munich Everybody talk about MMM-Pop Music. A Flesh And Machine Multi-Media Statement. So Put On Your Mouse Ears And Get In Line. Because Right Now Is Harder Than It Looks. So Mix me a Mirrorball Molotov And Mind The Oranges Marlon. An Irreverent Revolution Or An Incoherent Evolution? Who Cares. Hi-Tech Piracy. Customised and Collaged. This Is Ours To Destroy.
I Beg to Differ is my blog. It isn’t about grandeur; but rather the charming messiness of life, the questionable decisions that are involved and how it somehow seems to make sense in retrospect. My name is Paul and you Might know me from the podcast and YouTube channel that I share with my buddy Chris called That Tattoo Show.
During our time making the show, I’ve shared some stories from my life as a professional creative in other fields, it was very well received & it became clear that a lot of new tattooists are seeking out authentic voices that share the kind of advice that’s essential but, sadly, all too often unavailable.
Invaluable advice and wisdom has been shared with me over the years in various art settings and it’s genuinely helped me navigate the stormy seas of art vs. Commerce. Over the years I’ve come to realise that the most important things we learn in tattooing are rarely from books. They’re mostly from the life experiences of our mentors, shared in the age old tradition of ‘the Tattooists tall tale’! You see, Tattooists love to tell tales and share stories and, I guess, I’m no different.
For the last few years years I’ve had a regular column in Total Tattoo Magazine and for the last four years I’ve been taking That Tattoo Shows show notes and expanding on them for that very column. Some of what’s presented here been a topic of discussion on the show, written into my singular (and often more coherent) thought about it and then published in Total.
But, recently, I’ve found my feet as a writer and discovered ‘my voice’. This new found skill combined with my oddly unique perspective as a columnist, ‘broadcaster’ and professional Tattooist has given me an outlet for the many and varied thoughts that I have on a lot of topics that affect tattooing in the 21st century.
So, I’ve decided to put them here. In the form of the Tattooists tall tale. Hopefully for your enjoyment.
Along the way I’ll also tell you how this creative soul stumbled though idealism tripped over the real world and fell into integrity. All without spilling my pint. And it’s mostly true!