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PAUL BOOTH
brings dark things to life
by Chuck B.
Photos courtesy of Paul Booth
From the December 2003 issue of Prick Magazine.
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 Painting by Paul Booth. |
 Tattoos by Paul Booth. |
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The music industry may have Ozzy, but tattoo fans have their own prince of darkness
- Paul Booth. For over a decade, the New Yorker with the penchant for all things dark and
demonic has been captivating fans and artists alike with his skills as both a tattooer and a
fine artist.
Though he has had no formal art training - just "a lot of trial and error, book reading,
a lot of sharing ideas with friends" - he has been credited as an influence for countless
artists in his use of black and grey and pushing the boundaries of artistic development in
the tattooing field. "I'd like to get back to art school some day" says Booth, "but I have this
fear of being programmed."
Originally from Boonton, NJ, he currently lives in New York City where he will soon
be hosting his own radio show called "Beneath the Needle: Tattoo Radio" on SIRIUS
Satellite Radio. We caught up with him shortly after he ended his tour with the band Slayer,
tattooing guitarist Kerry King. We are privileged to feature
him this month as our "Big Dog."
Chuck: Were you an artistic child or was it
something you discovered later in life?
Paul: Yes, I was an artistic child. I never got picked for
baseball so I sat at home and drew pictures.
When did you actually start tattooing and
how did you get into it?
Well, my interest in tattooing was inspired by my first
tattoo - my daughter's name,
'Tabitha.' Sitting there
watching the needle
pierce my skin, I was
totally intrigued by
the art form. I did
my first tattoo in
November of '88. I
haven't stopped
since.
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 Paul Booth and the Slipknot
Clown. |
 Evan Seinfeld of Biohazard, tattooed
hand by Paul Booth. |
 Kerry King's (Slayer) head by Paul Booth. |
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You have
family that goes way
back in the industry - East
Coast Al in Kansas? Was he an early influence?
Al was one of the first people in the industry to give
me the time of day. He gave me a lot of good advice, and his convention in Kansas City
was actually the first one I ever worked at. In that sense, he became my tattoo uncle. So,
he'll always be my Uncle Al.
Who are some of the artists/tattoo artists that have influenced you?
What qualities do you like about them and how do you incorporate that into
your own style?
Greg Irons: If you don't know who he was, you ain't worth a shit. I remember the
first Greg Irons piece I ever saw, and it was this dragon sleeve with this dragon cruising in
and out of layers of water; the dimension was incredible. That was when I realized I could
really approach this as an art form.
Bob Roberts: He walked up to me at a convention and gave me a huge compliment
early in my career and really inspired me. He said he really liked my grey work and then
proceeded to ask if I could pull it off without using any diluted black. Like just using
straight black. I thought,'Holy shit, I didn't think it was even possible!' And then I realized
who I was talking to.
Jack Rudy: He is the one who originally told me about layering black and grey.
He was a big influence in my early days.
Guy Aitchison: I find Guy to be a true visionary artist. I've always found him
very inspiring to talk to.
H.R. Giger: He once told me that when tattoo artists move to paper or
canvas, something gets lost. I, of course, didn't agree and felt I needed to do
my part to help change the public perception of tattoo artist capabilities as fine
artists. Hence, all of the art content at the tattoo shows I produced (Tattoo
the Earth and Massachusetts Tattoo Festival).
I hate to be politically correct, but I really, truly do have to say there are
countless that I have not mentioned here. These are the ones that are in my head
at this moment.
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When did you first start getting the fame and
notoriety for your work and how did it develop?
Back in '91, I finished my first back piece that got major
magazine coverage and started it all. After that, I started doing
conventions and traveling, still getting a lot of magazine coverage.
I finally opened up my own shop, first in NJ then I
moved to NYC, still traveling to conventions about half of the
year. Documentaries, Rolling Stone (especially), TLC, MSNBC,
CNN, MTV, Fuse and the Discovery Channel compounded
together have really taken things to the next level.
Since your tattoo style is so well-defined and
well-known now, do you ever want to just start going
in a different direction?
I'm sure there are a lot of people that would like to
see that. The thing a lot of people don't realize is that most
of the work they have seen from me over the years was stuff
I did at conventions which consists of a lot of demon heads
and such. When I'm home, I get to work on big projects
where I can really explore my boundaries. I do some color
work at home; I've done a couple of pin-ups here and there.
Believe it or not, I actually enjoy trying new things. However,
the theme will always be dark. That's where my heart is.
What challenges you now as an artist? What
still keeps this field fresh for you?
I think the same things challenge me now that always
have - things like never enough depth in the image, beating
the healing monster, shit like that. I think all of the things that
I have going on outside of actually tattooing really keeps my
tattooing fresh to me. I stay home a lot more now to focus
on more projects, not just tattoo projects, but other stuff like
a radio show, a home DVD, more fine art, sculptures and such.
How does it feel to have your style emulated in
so many people's work?
It flatters me more than anything really. I know my customers
probably aren't thrilled to see their work duplicated,
but I see a lot of people that draw some influence to one
degree or another and I think that is the ultimate compliment.
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There's so much emotion in your tattoos. Do
you get caught up in that darkness emotionally when
you tattoo or do you keep that separate?
There is definitely no keeping it separate, I spiral
downwards into some pretty dark places when I create
art. I don't think I would even want to keep it separate, at that point it would just be a job. I find
the more art I produce the mellower I get. I am pretty laid back and I think it's because I get all
the aggression out in my art. This is why I always tell people if I quit making art I would definitely
be a serial killer. Those images would become real life, I am sure of it.
In your paintings, you use different mediums - mixing acrylics, charcoal and
digital photography. How has that influenced how you tattoo or does it? And how
did ArtFusion come about?
Jack Rudy once told me, 'You should be able to tattoo like you draw, and draw like you tattoo.'
I interpret that as tattooing is really just another medium for an
artist, whether you are sculpting, painting or tattooing. All should
have the same level of artistic ability.At that point, all mediums compliment
and help each other.
The ArtFusion Experiment came into being from two specific
areas in my head. One, I'd spent a lot of time tattooing alone and felt
a certain stagnation or tunnel vision, if you will. To create a forum
where artists could create together on a level playing field I felt
would be a very special experience for people like me. There is a lot
to be learned from your peers. And two, I saw an opportunity to
force feed the public tattoo artists as true fine artists. At my shows,
tattoo artists from all over the world were showcased. I feel like an
important step was taken in how tattoo artists are viewed by the
general public. I'm not taking myself too seriously, I'm just really
proud of the accomplishment. Now I see tattoo magazines printing
more and more fine art from tattoo artists. And I like to think our
project had a little something to do with that. Filip, Guy and I brought
artists together from 30 different countries! The ArtFusion Camps
were magical, to say the least. I look forward to doing more.
You actually give seminars in art theory, techniques
and more. Elaborate some on what you teach.
My seminars are on right brain theory and brainstorming
techniques. I've kind of put the seminars aside for a while as I reevaluate.
I'm a horrible speaker; just not good in front of groups of people.
I guess that's why I'm a visual artist. I try to get my point across
in my seminars, but sometimes I even wonder what the hell I'm talking
about. I put a guy to sleep once! Anyway, mainly what I focus
on is building the most creative environment you can to help you
tap into your full creative potential. Basically, it is getting rid of all
of the stimuli that keeps your left brain active and hinders the
creative process that occurs in your right brain. I pay attention
to sights, sounds, smells etc. For example, visually, there are no
signs or written words in my work area. The music that I play
when I work has no audible lyrics. My studio smells like an old
church and I generally work by candlelight (and a small work light)
for atmosphere. I also have a shitload of eye candy that I have collected
and people have given me over the years.
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You travel so much - tattoo conventions and with various bands
- has that influenced you in any way? How you create? How you work?
It definitely influenced my speed. Perhaps out of necessity, I'm not sure, but over the years I've
gotten much faster. Not that being fast is a goal; it just seems to come naturally. I think from the
high energy at conventions
and the need for getting large
amounts of work done on
bands in short periods of
time due to their crazy
schedules has honed my
skills a bit. The same goes for
the creation process.
Conventions and band travel do not allow for hours of
brainstorming. You have to learn the ability to create on
the fly, like turning on a light switch.
Any rumors about yourself that you'd like
to dispel?
Absolutely not, I love to hear the rumors!
Sometimes they get really out there. I usually find it pretty
amusing. It amazes me what people will believe without
having a clue. The only rumor I feel like addressing is
the one about me getting my hands broken because I
keep getting these damn sympathy emails telling me to
get better. It's starting to make me want to puke. As far
as any other rumors go, Yes, I have a 14" dick and I CAN
lick my own eyebrows!
The tattoo you sent in of the guy with his
throat slit all the way around with stitches holding
his head on is crazy! Is there anything that has been requested of you that is just too much
to swallow or you wouldn't do?
Here at Last Rites, we cater to the disaffected and the sick. Remember kids, every ass needs
a seat and I've got a big ass. Contrary to popular belief, I use my instincts a lot to make sure people
are ready for what they are asking for. Kurt, the guy wearing the slit throat, waited quite a while for
that piece. He lives in the bible belt; I wanted him to be ready for the obvious social implications. He
still has no regrets.
What is the sickest or most mind boggling tattoo that you have done?
That would have to be the smiley face I put on Gil Montie's wife, Angie. That scared the hell outta
me. I still have nightmares.
Do you have any words of wisdom, praise or dismay about the tattoo and art
industry? (Any rants or raves?)
Eat your spinach. You're gonna need it.
What's coming up for you in the next few months? Projects, appearances,
conventions, etc.?
I have a lot of cool
shit going on here. I've
decided to cut back drastically
on convention travel.
While I now stay home
a lot more, not only can I
focus on large, multiplesitting
projects, but I can
also focus on other
endeavors. The end of this
year marks the beginning
of my own radio show
with SIRIUS Satellite
Radio. It's called, "Beneath
the Needle :Tattoo Radio" and will be a live call-in show where I interview celebrities about their tattoos,
interview top-notch tattoo artists with technical tips and shit like that, and of course, lots of Death
and Black Metal. I'm excited because for me, it's another avenue where tattoo art is getting more and
more respect. Plus I can swear.
We also started a video production company called Mekonium Productions and are currently
working on a home video full of crazy shit. I'm painting and sculpting a lot more now that I'm home, and
I always like to make good use of my little creations, like home décor products, etc. Anything to keep
me occupied and from thinking too much can only be a good thing.
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Check out Paul Booth's shop in New York:
Last Rites Tattoo
215 East 4th Street
New York, NY
Call: 212.529.0214
Or visit www.darkimages.com
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