I recently caught up with a friend of mine, Gerry Beckerman, who has been a professional tattoo artist for almost as long as I've been alive. I asked Gerry to do an interview with me, and he graciously accepted. I thought that his insight and experience would be beneficial to readers who might be considering the profession of tattooing, or even those who are just curious about what a tattooist thinks about his job. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed talking with Gerry.
Karen: Gerry, how long have you been tattooing?
Gerry: "I've been tattooing professionally for 22 years."
Karen: What got you interested in the business?
Gerry: "I put a few homemade tattoos on myself and some friends when I was young, but got my first professional tattoo the day after I got married. It was a heart with my wife's name in it. I had heard it hurt real bad and so was all pumped up for it, but after he got started I thought 'this isn't bad at all'. After that, it was every time I could afford a tattoo I was there. By the way, let me say I got my first 5 tattoos from Peter TAT-2 Poulos. Anyway it seemed like he really enjoyed what he was doing and I was fascinated by the whole thing... the environment, smell, artwork....everything! The first opportunity I had to apprentice, I jumped at it."
Karen: How long did you apprentice?
Gerry: " About a year; then I worked at that shop for another year before opening my own studio."
Karen: What did your family and friends think about you getting into the tattoo business?
Gerry: "I'm glad you asked that. My wife was very supportive. In fact she sold her sweet sixteen charm bracelet to buy my first tattoo machine. My mom and friends didn't care for all my tattoos that much. Some of them would call me the walking comic book! After I started making money at it, and especially after I bought the bar next door to my studio, my mom came around..Now I was a 'businessman'!"
Karen: So, do you enjoy the job after all these years?
Gerry: "I love it even more now than when I first started. The business has evolved so much in the last 10 years, with the infusion of new talent, that every day is still a challenge and an adventure."
Karen: What would you say is your favorite part of the job?
Gerry: "This may sound funny, but it's the people. I get such a wide variety of people...Some of them are more interesting than others but all have a story...the path that led them to...getting a tattoo. Those stories are interesting to me. But, I also have to say that executing the design the customer wants is a part I enjoy also because it's a challenge."
Karen: But, the only people that get tattoos are freaks, rebels, and bikers right? (smile)
Gerry: "That used to be the perception. Those were only the visible ones. There were many other people from other walks of life getting tattooed only they didn't show them. Now, with the mainstreaming of tattooing many of these people now get tattooed in areas that are visible and many people who wouldn't get a tattoo before are getting them. Thank the mass media for that!"
Karen: Are there any famous artists, tattooists or not, that have influenced you down the path of your career?
Gerry:" As far as tattoo artists go, I would have to say Jack Rudy and Ed Hardy. Jack Rudy was probably the first artist to explore the boundaries of so called 'prison' tattoos; all black and gray work, which at times is more striking than color. Black work also tends to stand up better in the skin over longer periods of time. Ed Hardy was and still is in my opinion the best tattoo artist in the world. His use of line and color and the scale of his pieces ..... awed me when I first started out and his work has been the yardstick I measure the proficiency of my work by. There are many artists out there now, too many to name who are so talented that one has to keep on his toes to not get left behind."
Karen: Have you personally met any famous tattoo artists?
Gerry: " Well I knew Peter TAT-2 personally. He’s been given a lot of credit for bringing about the mainstreaming of tattooing, changing the image, if you will. I've met Lyle Tuttle, Philadelphia Eddie, Shotsie Gorman...and I was tattooed by Stan Moskowitz, Jerry Staunton and Jim Watson, who I also know personally."
Karen: What would you recommend to someone wishing to get into the tattoo business?
Gerry: "The only recommendation I could make would be to find a reputable artist and try to get him or her to apprentice you. It may seem old fashioned, but in my opinion is the only right way to learn. And beware!! If the artist that teaches you does lousy work , so will you, and bad habits are harder to unlearn than learning from scratch!"
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