by Chaz Hungwell Photos by Frank Mullen
From the April 2005 issue of Prick Magazine.
Originally from Southern California, Andrea Smith is an Atlanta transplant who is an
avid tattoo collector and full fledged ass kicker ... at least in a roller rink. Roller
derby, the extreme sport from the '70s, is making a comeback. Andrea, who
skates under the name Demi Gore, is a skater on the newly created Atlanta Rollergirls roller
derby team. They're one of 25 or so teams on a national league.
A love of horror and gore led Andrea to study special effects
make-up in Pittsburgh. "All I want in life is to make a head explode
on film," she says. She eventually landed an apprenticeship under
Andre Frietas of Atlanta special effects studio AFX. When she's not
kickin' ass or making people look like they have had their asses
kicked, she bartends at the Brewhouse Pub in Little 5 Points.
Andrea got into tattoos and roller derby at an early age.
"My mother's old boss Katie Powell was one of the original
Derby girls. She skated on various leagues in
California in the late '50s and early '60s. I used to
love seeing her old photos and hearing old stories
of her being a bad ass jammer. So when I
saw the sign up sheet for the Atlanta
Rollergirls, it was inevitable that I joined,"
recalls Andrea.
Her first taste of tattoos
came at the tender
age of 13 when
Andrea and
her best
friend "stole
some India ink
from art class and marked ourselves for the first time." She got her first "real tattoo"
to cover up her India ink experiment when she was 15, but "it was a $20 dragon that
wrapped around my ankle by a guy named 'Tex the Tattoo Trader.' His machine was a
total jailhouse set up. As my stencil dried, he
sharpened his guitar string that he used as a needle.
You can imagine how that one turned out."
With that learning experience behind her
though, Andrea has collected some killer pieces
from legitimate tattoo artists.
If you think you are tough enough to hang
with these girls or maybe you just need to get
out a little extra aggression, check out
www.atlantarollergirls.com. They are always in
need of more kick ass girls. All skill levels are
welcome. The Roller Girls will be in the Inman Park Parade on April 23 and hosting a
fundraiser on May 11th at the Earl.
