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GHOST HUNTER STEVE GONSALVES
by Brian Sullivan
From the October 2005 issue of Prick Magazine.
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 Ghost Hunter Steve Gonsalves. |
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 Steve's tattoo by Gunnar. |
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He is the detective on "Ghost Hunters," a former cop, who
patrols the dark corners of homes, museums, jails and even
ships across the entire United States ... looking for or debunking
the paranormal.
Born in New Bedford Massachusetts, raised in Pennsylvania and now
living in western Massachussetts, Steve Gonsalves is a fresh young face on the
hit Sci-Fi Channel series.
And he is passionate about what he does.
He started conducting paranormal work at age 15, researching and
reading and going to seminars to the point where he was doing it semi-professionally
at age 17. By age 20, he was leading home investigations in
Worcester, Mass. In 2001, he started his own team of investigators called
New England Paranormal. Shortly thereafter he teamed up with Jason Hawes
and Grant Wilson, the founders of The Atlantic Paranormal Society (TAPS),
and was chosen to be part of their budding television series. Gonsalves has
grown into the role and camera sights, and has taken on being the technical
manager, in charge of all the equipment, cameras, and myriad of hand-held
devices in season 2 of the show.
"This job is the only thing that doesn't scare me. I'm afraid of heights,
I'm afraid of bugs, I'm petrified of flying in a plane," says Gonsalves. "They've
tried to get me to fly so many times, but I just won't do it. I was supposed to
go to Ireland to investigate castles and I got as far as the tarmac, but I couldn't
get on the plane."
Yet, he has no fears of tattoos. When not ghost hunting, Gonsalves can
often be found exposing his arms for more.
"My tattoos are mostly horror-movie stuff. It's a passion for me, very
addictive. I love and hate the pain at the same time. I got into tattoos at 19
years old," he adds.
Gonsalves bares the work of five talented tattoo artists:
Mike Connors' work: The Exorcist, Day of the
Dead, Night of the Living Dead, Evil Dead 1, Evil Dead 2,
The Nightmare Before Christmas, Darkest Day of
Horror, Zombie Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein
as kids.
Shane O'Neill's work: Young girl and posessed girl,
Haunted house with iron gate.
Gunnar's work: Trick or treat, halloween inspired
Creepy Kid.
Jaimie Cross' work: Evil Dead 2, posessed Ash.
Eric Merrill's work: Halloween inspired full
sleeve including jack-o-lanterns, a black cat, a candy
corn, fall leaves, a green witch, a candy apple and some
bats in front of a moon.
"Ghost Hunters" is seen in more than six countries
across the world. Gonsalves, along with Hawes
and Wilson, has also founded TAPS PARA Magazine. The
glossy publication is in more than 100 locations across
Southern New England.
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