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KUSTOM THRILLS TATTOO
SHOP OF THE MONTH
by Jenn Alexander
From the December 2008 issue of PRICK Magazine.
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You’re used to reading about great tattoo artists here at PRICK, we
wouldn’t print anything but the best. But what about a rockin’
shop to go with those artists and their badass tattoos? Welcome
to Kustom Thrills Tattoo in Nashville, Tenn. Located in the heart of East
Nashville, KTT first grabs your eye with its shiny ‘55 Ford that has a true
hot rod paint job (black with flames) sitting out front. Upon entering
you’re surrounded by red walls with black trim, a velour leopard print
couch and matching shop doors, pin stripped counter tops, and diamond
plate splashguards. There’s the occasional car part, a vintage gas pump,
and a pinball machine towards the rear. In the middle of the shop sits a
Harley with gold metal flake flames. The artist’s booths are decorated
to the max with artwork, flash, posters, a skull or two, and quite a few
Rat Finks. The atmosphere is very inviting—no harsh fluorescent lights
and no antiseptic smell.
Chris St. Clark opened KTT about a
year and half ago when he moved to
Nashville. “I felt like I had hit the pinnacle
in my career, I was getting too old to work
for anyone else, and I just had the driving
force to do it,” says St. Clark. The thematic
concept and name is Ed Roth inspired. It
reflects the custom culture, both past and
present, which surrounds his work. Roth
was not only a design inspiration, but also
part of St. Clark’s motivation. “If you can
dream it, you can do it” was an idea he
admires from Roth and wanted to see
how far he could take his own shop. St.
Clark was nice enough to sit down to
answer some questions.
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How long have you been tattooing
and who are some of your
influences?
About twelve years now. Some influences
are Tony Olivas,Tom DePriest, Bob Tyrrell,
Big Gus, Jack Rudy, and Brian Everett.
What do you like about tattooing?
It’s just a kick-ass thing to do
What’s the tattoo scene like in Nashville?
There are a lot of really good artists here and
everyone is pretty friendly with each other. I really
respect and admire the artists in other shops
around town.
Who works at Kustom Thrills and what
are their specialties?
We have Adam Wakitsch, Katherine Gray, Jonny
Lashley, and Brandon Henderson tattooing and Matt
Gray piercing. We can do anything, but everyone at
the shop is especially good at traditional, neo-traditional,
and black and gray realism.
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I noticed a portion of the shop is taken up by an art show. How often
do you have them?
About once a month, it’s a new concept for us right now. It’s fun to have opening parties,
and it helps promote local artists in our community. I really wanted our shop to be
about quality art rather than just pumping out as much as we can to make a buck. We’ve
been hosting other events as well like our annual Rock ‘n’ Rods BBQ, which is around
May. It includes a car show, live bands, and soon to be vendors.
What do you think makes
your shop different?
We offer a relaxing and inspiring
environment for clients and artists
alike. We’re not worried about
getting people in and out; we’re
about getting the best work done.
Our goals are set very high. I want
everyone in the world to know
who we are and the shop’s name.
What are your thoughts on
the current TV shows on
tattooing?
I don’t know if it has helped or
hurt the industry. I think it has
helped it grow, but at the same
time it has made tattooing so
mainstream that it’s not sacred
anymore. It’s good to see that the
artists in the industry aren’t starving,
but there has been an
explosion of tattoo shops and some of them
are just trying to make a buck. The shows
have made it more accepting if you’re tattooed;
it’s not as taboo anymore. But, it’s
also taken some of the individual out of it.
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We like to hear funny tattoo stories,
have any?
Yes! We had this customer, that we had given
the normal run-down of tattoo aftercare to,
call us from the drugstore when they were
searching for an aftercare product. They wanted to know if warming lubricant, being fragrance-
free and all would be ok.
What are your future plans?
I want to be one of the biggest, baddest shops ever. We’re starting to do a lot of traveling,
going to conventions, and getting in a revolving list of guest artists.
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Kustom Thrills Tattoo 1000 Main Street, Suite 107 Nashville, TN 37206
(615)226-3009
For more information, go to www.kustomthrills.com.
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