"The smell of greasepaint, wild beast, sugary treats, western saddles and burnning gypsy witch candles, old damp canvas.... on dirt, on asphalt, on an african priestess in Brooklyn in 1965, her black leather panties in his liquored hand, the hot biker roustabouts gripping wrenches, working violently all night long....."
Not your average perfume sales pitch. This is an excerpt from the newly launched Carnival Wax website brewed by my friend Agatha Bloise.(www.CarnivalWax.com)
Agatha is best know for her leather work . She is a world renowned designer and craftswoman. But to me she is one of my favorite people. When I first moved to New York in 1990 I spotted Agatha in a crowd at some show. She had Motorhead tattooed across her shoulders in giant black letters, all of a sudden my little tattoos weren't so tough. A few years later when I had just started tattooing on my own I actually got to meet Agatha and traded her a tattoo for a pair of pants.....
In honor of Chucks pending move to Atlanta we headed over to Mason Dixon Bar for a little fun. A few of us ended up on the mechanical bull and I think it's safe to say that I, Michelle Myles am the Daredevil Bull Riding champion. That's right, I beat the boys. Although I did watch Celebrity Bull Riding on TV so I might of had an edge. Luckily there's a video, you decide.
Another Friday the 13th down. Two in a row. What a pain in the ass!!! But we still had fun. We learned a valuable lesson this time. NO more big tattoos ever again. We decided to mix things up this time by drawing up two sheets. The Friday the 13th sheet, called the "turd" sheet, had some rather tasteless options but to be fair we did offer a couple number 13s and even a wu-tang 13 on the sheet that were fun and harmless. The twist was that we also drew up a Daredevil sheet that had some killer tattoos to pick from. The Daredevil sheet was way too involved they were too big, too detailed. It slowed us down and they actually were more tiring to do than the little easy stuff. So sorry we pooped out early. Next time we will stick to the little easy stuff so we can get everyone in. We still manged to get over 90 people through the shop! Which wasn't enough for some people. By 10:00 we had had it and retired the Daredevil sheet.
The best part of Friday the 13th is having so many people come through the shop in one day. It's fun to meet new customers as well as see our regulars. A few people told me they were laid off or out of work and couldn't afford to get tattooed with the hard times but now they could come in a get a cool tattoo for $20. That makes the hard work feel more worthwhile.
The shop makes no money off of Friday the 13th. All money goes to the artists doing the tattoos. In fact we pay for the supplies used for the day and we pay people to come in and help out. It's a long day we show up around 10am to get the sheet ready. Most people are appreciative. But then there's the people with entitlement issues.
The gimme gimmes. Like the guy (or gal?) who left a comment on my last blog entry. They were so outraged that they said after coming in five Fridaythe 13ths in a row they were never ever coming back for Friday the 13th again. How dare we draw a veiny penis for them. In fact, they're going to take their $20 elsewhere!! That's rich. Please do so because we don't do Friday the 13th for your sort and we need more room for the people who get it. Friday the 13th is on our terms, we try to do something fun for everyone, but it's not for everyone and it's a lot of work. We don't have to do it and we will only do it as long as it's fun for us
Wow, two Friday the 13ths in a row! This Friday the 13th is going to be special. Yes we are doing Friday the 13th tattoos again but April fools day may come early this year. Buyer beware!
We have decided that this Friday will also be Daredevil Tattoo appreciation day and we will have a special sheet of designs to celebrate your love for our shop. Same deal $20 a head for some devilishly good designs.
Otherwise the same rules apply. First come first served. You're going to have to wait forever to get tattooed. Some people have waited 6-8 hours! Be prepared to hang out but we will take your name and cell phone number and call you when its close to your turn to get tattooed. We only do the tattoos at Daredevil . We open at noon. No one gets to see the sheet until we open. For that matter we usually draw it that morning. Fun City is open for regular business.
DO NOT block any of our neighbors when you are waiting. Don't block the the building entrances. Don't block the Pink Pony Cafe next door.... you get the idea. Be nice and polite to all of our neighbors. Don't complain about how long you have to wait. Make an appointment for another day if you don't want to wait all day. Bring valid state ID. You must be at least 18 years old to get tattooed. No ID no tattoo. $20 cash, no credit cards. One tattoo per customer. No hand, neck, side, foot, lower back, chest tattoos. We stick to the easy spots so we can tattoo as many people as possible. Please bring a few extra dollars so you can get a snack or refreshment from the Pink Pony or Max Fish. They deal with piles of people all day waiting to get tattooed so if possible help make this a busy day for them as well and something to look forward to for all of our neighbors. Support the LES! I think that's everything. Remember this is a very hectic day for us you're getting tattooed in the midst of chaos come in at your own risk!
LeRoi Manhattan 174 Ludlow Street NY, NY 212-253-6402
94 Saint Marks Pl. New York, NY 212-353-8282
Another Friday the 13th down. Two in a row. What a pain in the ass!!! But we still had fun. We learned a valuable lesson this time. NO more big tattoos ever again. We decided to mix things up this time by drawing up two sheets. The Friday the 13th sheet, called the "turd" sheet, had some rather tasteless options but to be fair we did offer a couple number 13s and even a wu-tang 13 on the sheet that were fun and harmless. The twist was that we also drew up a Daredevil sheet that had some killer tattoos to pick from. The Daredevil sheet was way too involved they were too big, too detailed. It slowed us down and they actually were more tiring to do than the little easy stuff. So sorry we pooped out early. Next time we will stick to the little easy stuff so we can get everyone in. We still manged to get over 90 people through the shop! Which wasn't enough for some people. By 10:00 we had had it and retired the Daredevil sheet.
174 Ludlow St. New York, NY 212.533.8303