BAD @SS TATTOO TONY Interview
Why has BLACK FLYS Eyewear endorsed Tony Weintraud who has a Tattoo Parlor in Pretoria… Because Tony is an industry leader and after you’ve read this feature on him you’ll know why… So please enjoy!
KDT: How long have you been tattooing?
TW: I just want to say before we start, that it’s cool to be involved in this feature and that I hope that everyone likes what I have to say,
Having sad that, I’ve been tattooing for about 14-15 years now.
KDT: What got you into tattooing, when did you know that this was your calling?
TW: I’ve loved tattoos for as long as I can remember. I was always into Metal and hard core, alternative types of music and they were always tattooed, so it was kind of natural.
So quite early on I was intrigued. I got my first tattoo when I was just 14, on a skateboarding trip to Durban. A little skater group emblem we used, drew it up and had it done before we left to go back home.
By the time I turned 18 I knew I wanted to do this type of work forever, I just didn’t know how. I was collecting tattoos from a few artists that were around at the time. Then one day I got tattooed by Dee from “Rudy’s tattoos”, back in the day, and we hit it off. I hung around the studio over a few months and did odd jobs like drawing designs, cleaning up and helping people with their tattoo choices.
Through a very sad turn of events, the studio lost thier long time friend and body piercer. I then started working full time and the rest is another story.
KDT: How long was your apprenticeship?
TW: I did what you would call a “classical” apprenticeship, which kind of means that it’s two years of training under the guidance of a qualified tattoo artist.
Although I started tattooing on clients as early as 6 months into my training, I still worked like an ‘appy’ for the two years.
KDT: Do you remember the very first time you entered a tattoo parlour?
TW: Like it was yesterday. It was that trip to Durban when I was 14, we got a lift into Durban and went to “Kevin’s Custom Tattoos”. The place was a typical old school tattoo studio, you know, the flash on the walls , vinyl floors, people smoking everywhere, bikes outside, bikers inside and of course the snake in the cage. Classic.
I remember that I didn’t have enough money, so my buddy’s pitched in, and I got our skater group’s logo on my hip. It hurt like hell, and I was scared shitless- but somehow I knew this was the best experience ever. I was totally zoned for the next few hours as my adrenaline high slowly wore down on the drive back to Pretoria.
KDT: Are there any famous Artist’s or Tattoo artist’s, that have influenced you on your journey?
TW: I studied art through school and fine art after school as well as graphic design so my influences of artist’s is huge. The ones that stand out are M.C. Escher, and Henry Magritte.
As a tattoo artist it’s difficult to pick just a few, but I always like artists that stand out – Portraite: Bob Tyrell and Paul Booth, New school: Joe Cappobianco, Eric Merril, Jeremy Justice, Justin Weatherholts, Nick Chaboya, Jimi Litwalk and my favourite- Nick Baxter.
KDT: If there was any tattoo artists presence you could be in, who would that be?
TW: That’s a difficult question.
I’ve met and knocked drinks with some of the worlds greats, namely Paul Booth, Bob Tyrel, Justin Weatherholts, and Jeremy Justice. These are by far some of the best people/artists I’ve had the opportunity to meet and speak to, and let me tell you the stories they have and the experiences they’ve shared is priceless. I would, however, love to meet Joe Cappobianco and Nick Baxter.
But having said that, I think that every artist I meet , be they from here or overseas, if they have that love for ink slinging like I do, we tend to get on well.
KDT: After all these years do you still have the passion for the craft or do you see it as a business like some?
TW: It’s definitely not just a business, this is my life and my love, and every single day I drive to work I can’t wait to get going on something cool for someone. This is what I’ll do till I can no longer hold a machine or they take me away screaming.
As an artist I’m constantly evolving and changing, adapting to new ideas. I keep moving forward as far as I can possibly go until I have to evolve again. It keeps things fresh, and complacency is never an option.
The people who treat it like a business will die inside, sooner or later, or they aren’t artists at all or possibly never were. I’d rather not tattoo anyone than tattoo someone just to take their money. I’ve even talked people out of getting tattoos because I felt they didn’t put enough thought into their piece. People will respect that. It’s definitely not just a business for me.
KDT: Why is there this stigma around tattoos and how does the man on the street need to view this craft?
TW: I think the stigma around tattoos stems from a number of things. Ancient civilizations had no problem with tattooing and markings, with tattoos being common place for identifying and separating each other into sub-cultures, families or tribes. Other cultures used it to strike fear into enemies and this, by and large, still exists on some kind of scale today. To some extent religion plays a part and so the act of showing tattoos becomes a social taboo. More recently, in the later 20th century, the spread of disease made the art of tattooing dirty, and even after the industry cleaned up its act it was dealt a body blow. Another serious stigma is prisons and gang members, where badly done tattoos are the norm.
I think that lately, economics plays a huge role in the quality of work available. With the amount of clearly terrible tattooists running wild all around the world, they certainly don’t have a shortage of clients, because they’re cheap. Cheap means nasty and that means they look like prisoners or gang members, and that leads to the generalization that everyone with tattoos is a ex-con or gang member, or just economicly challenged.
I think the man on the street just needs to see beautiful work, T.V. shows on tattooing help and so does the abundance of magazines that show tattoos as well as advertisers that see the niche market of selling tattooed people.
The more good work that’s shown out there the more people will understand that high quality work is not the rubbish that second rate tattooists try to peddle on thier walls or internet websites try to sell on thier websites.
KDT: Where do you see yourself in ten years?
TW: Still doing what I love, but hopefully on another continent or at least traveling way more with my family.
I’d love to brand tattooing to the next level and open lifestyle stores that sell everything to do with tattooing and the tattoo genre. I want to brand myself as an opinion leader in the world of tattoos and it’s lifestyle.
And last but not least I’d like to have my own tattoos finished by then.
KDT: What would you recommend to someone wishing to get into the tattoo business?
TW: Be willing to put in the work.
I see so many studio’s and tattooists out there offering ‘courses’ to become tattoo artists, and to me this is mainly because they want to make a quick bit of cash on the back of an industry that’s getting a lot of attention right now.
This is a sure fire way of becoming a terrible tattoo artist. Without doing an apprenticeship you will never get your tattooing to the next level, you will never understand certain techniques and wont get respect from people who can spot a poser a mile away. It also means you want to get into the industry without paying your dues, and that means you have no respect for tattooing or being an artist. Paying your dues is what it’s all about.
Get your portfolio up to scratch- I’ve seen so many people come in to my studio without any form of portfolio, and then they expect me to take them on as an appy. Weather you’re good at art means nothing without something to show for it.
Take your work past every tattoo studio in the country and show them your work and if they say no, try again when your works better- or try again when they have an opening. Studio’s usually only have one spot available every 2 years.
If your work is good they will show an interest and that usually means ‘ hang around and we’ll see about it’, again if you’re serious you’ll do anything to get in.
Apprenticeships are about being at the bottom, they’re hard because it weeds out the chancers and short-cutters, the bane of professional tattoo studio’s everywhere.
Tattoo Tony, thank you very much man,
Kevin from Black Flys.
