In August 2000 The GYPSY had the honor of cleaning up and
re-coloring the tattoos of "Slaughter" guitarist and back-up vocalist Jeff
"Blando" Bland and Slaughter's chief sound engineer Don Obenauer, the man
that cranks it up!
The GYPSY was working the Sturgis Rally and Races 60th
Anniversary event in his mobile unit on LaSalle street when Blando and Don
approached him about cleaning up their tattoos before their concert at the
"Camel Pyramid" that evening. A great friendship based on artist appreciation
and mutual respect was formed between the three men that afternoon.
In October of 2000 Blando and Don paid a visit to the SACTE
studio, which at that time was located in Baxter Springs, KS., and The GYPSY
finished the clean-up of Blando's tattoo's. Blando and Don gave The GYPSY and
his wife Debbie all access passes for their concert in Tulsa the next night. Not
only did The GYPSY and Debbie get to rock out back stage to the music of
"Slaughter" they also got the thrill of a lifetime when they were invited to
sing Slaughter's hit "Up All Night" on stage with them.
In 2002 The GYPSY and Debbie were again invited to hang with
Slaughter at another concert date in Tulsa, OK. The GYPSY has tried to convince
Mark Slaughter to get a tattoo but as he says, "I just can't decide what I
want...." That's all right Mark, we just want you, Dana Strum, Blas Elias and
Blando to continue to rock out and that's more than enough!
RIP Tim Kelly.
For more on Slaughter Please visit
www.slaughterweb.com
Shriners are men who enjoy life, fun is a large part of
the shrine. Shriners, along with their ladies, their families and friends
have many opportunities to enjoy the fun the Shrine has to offer. Activities
such as parades, dances, circuses, and parties offer something for every
member of your family. Many of these activities help support the Shrine's
philanthropy ... Shriners Hospitals for Children!
Every August 750,000 Motorcycle enthusiasts descend upon
Sturgis, South Dakota for the annual Sturgis Rally and Races. Making this
yearly pilgrimage are The GYPSY and Richard "Dick" Gudowski. The two men
became acquainted in 2000 and have become fast friends over the years.
Every year Dick and his lovely wife Mary seek out The
GYPSY and satisfy their tattoo cravings. Dick who is a Shrine Clown,
Horseman and was the 2006 Grand Potentate of the Aad Shrine of Duluth,
Minnesota has an ongoing Oriental motif across his back.
If you met this man on the street you would never know
that he is as heavily tattooed as he is but what you would know, within a
matter of seconds, is this; The man's heart is as big as he is.
If you ever plan to motor west,
Travel my way, take the highway that is best.
Get your kicks on route sixty-six.
It winds from Chicago to LA,
More than two thousand miles all the way.
Get your kicks on route sixty-six.
Now you go through Saint Louis
Joplin, Missouri,
And Oklahoma city is mighty pretty.
You see Amarillo,
Gallup, New Mexico,
Flagstaff, Arizona.
Don't forget Winona,
Kingman, Barstow, San Bernardino.
Wont you get hip to this timely tip:
When you make that California trip
Get your kicks on route sixty-six
Tattoo collector Ron Jones will soon make history when
the Guinness Book of World Records proclaims him the man with the most Route
66 themed tattoos. To date Ron has 57 tattoo's and all of them represent a
spot in the road on the famous road. The GYPSY has had the honor of doing
approximately half of Ron's tattoos.
Ron's own father does not even know the extent of his
obsession. "My 85 year old Father does not know I have tattoos," Ron has
said, "If he did it would kill him." Some day Ron may be able to roll up his
sleeves in the summer time but for now he'll just have to pray that his
father never sees the numerous magazines, newspaper articles and television
documentaries that Ron has been featured in.
In October 2008 my wife Debbie and I attended the Little
Rock Culture Shock Show in Little Rock. Arkansas. Also attending the show
were celebrities Kane Holder (Jason of Friday The 13th Movie Fame), Elvira
Mistress of the Dark, Evilla of Night Frights Horror Show, Author Amy Irene
White, Serana RoseThe
Lovely Assistant to The Enigma and of course The Enigma.
On my Birthday, October 25th, I had the honor of doing
two very special tattoos. The first was on The Enigma. If you don't know him
by name you know him by body. He is the side show entertainer that is
covered in blue puzzle pieces from his head to his toes. He approached me
and asked me to tattoo in one of his puzzle pieces stating: "I really like
your work and style Gypsy and I would be honored if you would tattoo one of
my puzzle pieces." I told him that the honor would be all mine. I asked him
which piece. He thought a moment and then pointed to the piece that sits at
the end of his chainsaw tattoo. You could have knocked me over, I was not
only honored I was extremely humbled that he would ask me to fill in that
particular piece.
The finale of his act is called the "Kiss Of Death" and
him and his assistant place apples in their mouth and proceed to kiss a
running chain saw cutting the apples in two. The tattoo of the chainsaw has
great meaning for The Enigma and for him to ask me to fill in the piece at
the tip of the saw was an honor beyond imagining.
Below is the slide show of me tattooing The Enigma. I
hope you enjoy seeing this historic event.
The Enigma asked me, "Why a puzzle piece within a
puzzle piece with an eye." I told him, "I have been listening to you
talk to people. You are very phylisophical and a very deep thinker. I
detect elements of Zen within your philosophy. Notice that the puzzle
piece is three dimensional. A three dimensional puzzle piece within a
flat puzzle piece. This illustrates the many sides to you in a world
that only see's your surface appearance. Notice that the eye is
incomplete. This is a symbol of your continued search for truth. You can
only see part of the picture, you are looking for the missing puzzle
piece so that you may see the whole picture." The Enigma thought about
this a moment and then smiling said, "That works!"
Another tattoo that I had the honor of doing at the
Little Rock Culture Shock show was done on the Manager of a Movie
Theatre the is a big fan of the Friday the 13th Movies. He asked Kane
Holder to sign his autograph below a tattoo he already had of the Jason
Voorhees character. He then asked me to tattoo over the autograph. Kane
stood nearby while I tattooed his signature. When the tattoo was
complete Kane looked at it and said, "I have seen my signature tattooed
on quite a few people but that is the best one I've ever seen." I told
him thank you and that I found that hard to believe. He laughed put my
head in a hammer hold and said, "Remember who you are talking too..."
Below is a slide show of the Kane Holder Tattoo.
Please enjoy!
Here are the other celebrities we had the honor
to meet at The Little Rock Culture Shock Show in 2008.
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The GYPSY and ELVIRA
MISTRESS OF THE DARK |
|
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|
The GYPSY, Author Amy
Irene White and D.Kay |
|
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The GYPSY and SERANA
ROSE |
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|
Evilla and The GYPSY |
*Copying or reprinting of
copyrighted material is expressly forbidden by law, is an infringement
of intellectual rights and is professionally unethical. Theft
and unauthorized copying of our items, photos or art will be dealt with to the full extent of the law.
Please note that a true professional will not copy a tattoo that was done
exclusively for another person.
WE DO PROSECUTE AND LITIGATE FOR DAMAGES!
Besides being a world class
tattoo artist The GYPSY is also a formally trained artist proficient in many
mediums. Below is an example of one of his works.
If you are interested in learning more about The GYPSY and his
art or if you would like to own an original work or print by The GYPSY please
visit
http://www.emerald-city.us
Interested in learning more about a career in the art of
tattooing and piercing? Visit
http://www.sekpress.net
