Years from now, when nursing homes fill with tattooed and grommeted punks pushing 70, Kearney Nick Jones, now known as Nick 13, the singer/guitarist of psychobilly juggernaut Tiger Army, won’t have any regrets. “If I were a guy sitting in my bed in a nursing home, I would rather have sleeves, even if they’re incredibly faded and blurred, than be the guy sitting next to me that has no tattoos,” says Nick 13. “I think there would be more respect and affection from the staff because it’s evidence that you’ve actually lived a real life.” If ink in the skin is emblematic of a real life, then Nick 13 wanted ... Feature Story
It’s freezing in Boston, but Sandy Poirier pays the cold weather no mind—he’s sporting his typical uniform. “If I die, I want to be buried in a rock and roll T-shirt, tight jeans, Chrome Hearts jewelry, and sneakas,” he says, with a voice that sounds like a scratched-up recording of John F. Kennedy. At first glance, the owner of South Boston’s Shag Salon is slightly intimidating, that is until he picks up a glass of champagne, which softens his image a bit. “Girls think it’s a sexy drink,” he explains. But Poirier doesn’t drink often, and he doesn’t smoke, though his Tommy Lee-on-a-Harley look suggests otherwise. Oddly, the self-proclaimed “Rockstar ... Feature Story
As different industries continue to embrace tattoos, the importance of preserving the integrity of the culture has never been more important. That’s where Todd Burnes and Olivia Miner, of Canvas Los Angeles, come in. Originally conceived as a modest boutique, Canvas Los Angeles quickly expanded into a 4,000-square-foot store and gallery showcasing the clothing designs and fine art of the world’s most legendary needle artists. “The original vision, which remains the current vision, [was a] place to fully appreciate what tattoo artists are capable of outside tattooing itself.” Not a tattoo shop, but an innovative fine-art gallery and retail store exhibiting the non-skin-based work of tattoo masters worldwide. “Tattooing is ... Feature Story
Web exclusive: Check out our gallery of Korn tattoos here. Upload yours. Jonathan Davis is the last guy in America you’d expect to be well adjusted. Think about it: The guy’s whole career has been built on being a fuck-up. For the last 15 years, Davis has battled and exploited his inner demons as the lead singer of Korn, gaining legions of fans that empathize with his tortured childhood and share his dark fascinations. Born with severe, nearly life-threatening asthma, Davis was abused by a family friend as a boy, ostracized and ridiculed by his classmates as a teen, and became a drug addict and a rock star in his ... Feature Story
There is a balance to accessorizing: You want to look like you’re not about to take shit from anyone, but you don’t want to over do it and end up more Prince than punk. For some, this balance is an inherent trait. If you’re not one of these people, meet Mitchell Binder. Binder started his accessories company, King Baby Studio—a line of hefty silver rings, pendants, buckles, and more—after working as an apprentice and casting his own silver pieces for friends out of a 500-square-foot studio. In the late ’90s, a group of Japanese collectors found his jewelry on eBay, flew to Southern California, and bought his whole stock for ... Feature Story
