332B Goswell Road, London is home to what is now the country’s most famous tattoo studio; the location for London Ink. But when the camera crew pack up and the stars leave the set, the studio returns to the hands of its manager, Sparx, and he’s keen to impress the point that London Tattoo is a world away from the television show. You’ve seen the program and the DVD’s out now, so it’s time to introduce you to the real people who work day-to-day at London Tattoo…

Sparx

Could you give us a brief insight into how your involvement with the TV show, London Ink, came about?
It’s been less than a year, but my God, what a year, probably my hardest, most stressful and challenging, but also the most interesting and rewarding. Along the way there have been tears, arguments, the break-up of partnerships, as well as lies, deceit, theft, jealousy, resentment and more, yet I’m still here!
At the end of January last year, Dan Gold was approached by a production company, World Of Wonder, in relation to making a TV documentary called London Ink for the Discovery channel; this was to be the UK’s answer to Miami Ink.
Dan mentioned to me and to another friend, Maya, that he would love to open a new studio. Having always been into tattoos, I said that perhaps we could partner him, and that’s how it all began. We began sourcing premises and during the search looked at many shops, with many landlords knocking us back as soon as they knew what we did.
World Of Wonder sent a camera crew down to do a screen test, promising to get back to us, and in the meantime we were approached by another production company called Indelible, who were looking to make a short pilot to present to MTV. Eventually they made a short taster and at the same time we opened company bank accounts, etc, and formed a company called London Ink Ltd. The working title for the pilot was London Ink and it was shot and cut in March 2007.
In the meantime, World Of Wonder came back to us with the option of using Dan for the show along with our new studio, and we agreed, although there was also interest in the pilot. This was the start of many meetings, which went well in the early stages, but eventually turned sour. To cut a long story short, without our consent or knowledge, Discovery channel’s lawyers made a trademark application for the name London Ink, therein stealing our name. I can safely say that they were the most deceitful, underhand and dishonest people I have ever had the misfortune to deal with, and the whole experience left me with a bad taste in my mouth.

So what happened?
Eventually the TV show was filmed, that was as far as my involvement went. I was never actually present when filming was taking place. After that, the shop was closed whilst we awaited our license. We were also told not to tell anyone that the shop was ours until after the show had aired, apparently so as not to ‘shatter the suspense’, as they put it.
Eventually it became apparent that Maya could not work with Dan and I, so she left by mutual consent, leaving us to carry on.

What did you think about the show when it finally aired?
Sparx. To be honest, I didn’t really like the show that much. Given what I’ve said about the company, that may sound like sour grapes, but I didn’t genuinely think it was that good. I don’t actually think that either Miami Ink or LA Ink are great shows either, but I like them because I’m interested in tattoos. They are better than London Ink because of the glamour element; there are people in bikinis, everybody’s hot, and the weather’s great. It’s either South Beach or Hollywood and this is the Goswell Road, it can’t really compare. We lack glamour, and I also think that if they had used an existing studio, where there were already interactions and banter, things would have been more real. In Miami Ink you can see that they are mates and things gel.

So the show was too constructed?
In many ways, though there was no script.

How about the design of the shop?
We did that. We worked in conjunction with a set designer, he was a lovely chap, independent, and he didn’t actually work for the TV company. We got a great shop out of it. We wanted something that wasn’t too traditional. We wanted somewhere that if you were a 20-year-old secretary who had never been tattooed in her life, you would not be scared to walk in and ask questions.

What do you think about the characters they picked for the show?
Obviously they picked Louis for the Beckham connection, Phil’s great. For me, Nikole was the star of the show; she just really didn’t give a shit about anything, Phil came across as a bit insipid, Louis tried to be balshy for the sake of it and Dan was just Dan.

How do you think the characters matched up to those in Miami Ink?
I think it’s incomparable because they were already mates and the frictions that took place were genuine frictions.
The production company wanted to recreate the same kind of dynamics; they wanted a woman, someone with balls so they got Nikole, someone causing friction (Louis), and someone to fuck up, which was Dan, basically. Artistically, Dan came out badly ‘cause Louis battered him all of the time about everything he did. It’s all a matter of opinion but I think that Louis made himself look silly because he made it look like there was only one way, his way. To be fair however, a lot of what he said was right but it was more about the way he said it. I don’t think the public like people who bully people and he never had a bad word to say about Nikole or Phil, it was always Dan. I’ve worked with Dan and he’s not perfect but there’s a way of telling someone. Taking over someone’s tattoo is wrong, I know it’s TV but I didn’t like that. But I think that Louis is that kind of character anyway, he likes to chew on people.

How do you see the future of the studio?
We’re here to stay. When this place opened up, there were the usual doubters and detractors, people who hold the philosophy that people like me, who aren’t tattooists, should not own tattoo shops, much was made of that.

Talk about that.
I’ve been getting tattooed for 23 years, I love tattoos. Lots of my friends are tattooists and involved in the industry. Sadly for me, I can’t draw a matchstick man, so I’m never going to be a tattooer. I never thought I would get the opportunity to own a studio, but the opportunity came along and I grasped it with both hands. There have been the critics who have said that I’m doing this for the money or the kudos and that we’ve sold out, but I can assure you that I’ve done a lot of things previously that have made me a lot more money than this and have been a lot less hard work! I do about 70 or 80 hours a week here, I work seven days a week, all of the responsibility falls on me, but I love it here, it’s great fun!

Is the fact that you are not a tattooist an advantage?
I think so. I make all of my decisions on a pragmatic level, I’ve got no artistic ego to stroke, unlike some bosses who are tattooists and may resent other artists taking jobs which they wanted to do themselves. I don’t lack passion or vision, we’ve got a 15-year lease on this place, so I’m in it for the long haul. This is something that I’m both proud and privileged to be a part of. In the past this industry has been based on the cloak-and-dagger approach; everything is a big secret, no-one wants to tell anyone anything, it’s been something like a secret society, or maybe in reality, more like a sewing circle, lots of nonsense and backbiting. At the end of the day, tattooing is a business like any other; everybody has got to make a living or they wouldn’t survive in the industry. I don’t want to get involved in that bitching; we’re just here to make a future for ourselves.

What did you do before?
I’ve done just about everything. I worked in the building industry when I left school, I’ve worked in logistics, that suited me, as I’m a really logical, pragmatic kind of person - I’ve had lots of management and organisational roles. When I was studying, I worked as a stripper for a couple of years. I’ve also been as estate agent and had other boring jobs. So for me, this is brilliant, it’s where I want to be.

The studio is quite open plan, quite minimal.
Everything has its place. There are still lots of the old school-style of studios that I also love, but by the same token, you have to move forward. Here I want to cater to everyone and provide an environment that is accessible to everyone, keep things clean and bright, though hopefully not too clinical. I didn’t want it to be like a hospital but I think it looks good how it is.

When did you start getting tattoos and what kind of work did you get done?
I started getting tattooed around 1985. When I started, there were only about 10 shops in the whole of the M25 area so there wasn’t much choice. I got my first work done at Fulham tattoo studio. Dan has tattooed me over the years. I’ve got a mixture of work; old school swallows on my chest, writing on my hands, weird new school twist on a Japanese design on my left sleeve, Dan’s new school stuff, old stuff on my arms and legs, stuff from New York and Miami. Some of the old flash will be covered in the future. A lot of it is not bad work and the first tattoo I had is still bright and hasn’t faded, it’s just that I’ve changed since those early days. I don’t regret those tattoos, it’s just that some of them bore me now; it’s just about the evolution of what you’ve got. After all, people repaint over paintings on canvas, so why not tattoos on the body?
When I started there really wasn’t much custom tattoo going on in this country and if there was I didn’t know much about it. The Internet has done a lot to make tattooing more visible, we are all aware that we have more options. There weren’t many guest artists from overseas and even the flash was limited. And the type of people getting tattooed has become so much more diverse too.

Is there anything else you want to say?
Just to emphasise that we are here for the long haul. As much as the TV coverage has helped to bring people through the doors, we now have to stand on our own. Apart from Dan, none of the guys we have here were involved in the show, so it’s about establishing ourselves on our work, our ethics, etc. In some ways tattooing is quite an old-fashioned industry, but I think it’s important to embrace the future and technology and to move forward.
The TV show was great but this is London Tattoo, not London Ink.
I have a vision and hope to achieve it with the help of my customers and staff and I intend to build a reputation based on outstanding work and customer service, and it’s my belief that we have the team and determination to do it.

Dangold

Let’s talk about the TV show.
What TV show was that? (Laughs).

Basically you are the only tattooist currently working in the studio who was involved. Was it what you expected?
When I got approached by Discovery, I was very wary of the whole concept. At one time there was even a programme for MTV that we turned down, as it seemed like they were going to sell us out. But I had seen Miami Ink and unlike many people, I really liked it. I think the format really worked and I think that it has done tattooing the world of good. So when a similar concept was suggested for this country, I felt quite happy to sign up for it. At the same time, I knew that by signing up I was putting my neck on the line, but that’s nothing new, as I’ve always done that within the tattoo industry anyway and anyone who speaks their mind or does something a little differently is always likely to be criticised.

When I interviewed a couple of the tattooists from Miami Ink, they spoke about the jealousy they encountered from other tattoo studios when they signed up for the show. Is that something you encountered?
We were aware of that and we were aware that other elements in the industry would criticise us for our participation. What I wasn’t expecting was just how personal the attacks would be and how nasty it would actually get. In a way, as soon as you become involved with the media, it’s almost like you are selling your soul to the devil. You are at the mercy of the editors, and I was expecting people to hate the formula or concept, but to vilify the individuals in the show just seems to be a little bit strong. We know that everyone in the industry wanted to be involved, contrary to what they may have said! We were the lucky ones who were chosen - don’t hate us for that.

How did you feel about the way the interaction between yourself and the other artists was portrayed on the show?
Everyone went in with their own egos and when you put those egos together in that type of environment, there are bound to be sparks flying. Obviously, some people’s egos are larger than others, but all of the arguments and conflicts were real, it wasn’t orchestrated just for the show. I didn’t actually see the show, but I’m aware that much of the conflict seemed to be between yourself and Louis.
Dan. I’m not at all surprised at the way in which Louis reacted to me; I can be a nightmare to work with at the best of times. Louis is a very organised person, I’m very disorganised, and we are polar opposites. I was the only artist that Louis hadn’t actually picked; it was Discovery who were adamant that they wanted me included, Louis had handpicked the rest, so it was obvious that he may feel some resentment towards me being there. In fact I didn’t really mind the way he spoke to me, or the way I was portrayed, I think that Louis actually showed himself up rather than making me look bad. It’s sad that he had to play up to the cameras in that way and represent the shop like that, especially when it was actually my shop, not his, but as an artist, I have a lot of respect for him. At the end of the day, not everyone is going to like you all of the time, and that’s the reality of the situation.

Aside from the conflicts with Louis, how do you think the team got on?
What I think was really cool was that within a few days, the whole thing ran as though the shop had been established for some time; we forgot that the cameras were there, things just went along as they would in any tattoo shop and that would include artists who don’t get on - that’s life. I was quite happy with the way the show went, it was fun and has opened up a lot of opportunities for me, both in and outside of the industry. I’m now doing a lot of art shows and it looks like I may be getting my own shoe out for a big brand company. These are things that I have always wanted to explore, so that’s all really great.
Tangling with TV can always be precarious, it’s all down to the editing, and they can put together any kind of storyline they want from the footage. In general I thought they did a pretty good job, they captured who we were and what we were about. I didn’t go into this thinking that they would portray me as an angel and they showed me for my faults and all. That’s the chance you take when you go on TV and certain people may not like you because of that, that’s just the way it is.

Allan

Born and raised in Transylvania, Allan spent most of his childhood inside a coffin or playing at the local graveyard. From an early age, whilst other kids played football, he expressed a big interest for drawing monsters. Allan later attended art school where he learned many different techniques and mediums before deciding that it was tattooing that he would develop as a career. His main influences are, E.C. Comics, Horror Movies and Rock’n’Roll. Allan currently works at Haunted and has a guest spot at London Tattoo.

Demian

Tell us something about yourself.
I’m originally from Venezuela but I’ve been here for 15 years.

How did you become involved with tattooing?
About 7 or 8 years ago I met a Spanish guy called Punko who used to work with Bugs at Evil From The Needle. I got a little bit of work experience at a studio, which didn’t last that long, and, almost before I realised it, I was opening Blood Brothers. I’ve been involved with Blood Brothers for the last four and a half years, but recently Jim and I decided to split, so I’m selling him my shares so he can then carry on with the shop and his team.

So how did you become involved with London Tattoo?
I’ve known Dan for quite a few years and shortly after the TV show was filmed he offered me a position here, which suited me as I had been looking for an opportunity that would allow me to spread my wings. I’ve only been here for a few months, but I already feel pretty well settled. We have a good boss and a solid, brilliant team who all strive to achieve a high standard of work. There are no egos here; things are pretty laid back and relaxed, the vibe is good.

What style of work do you prefer to do?
My main love is colour, new school stuff; my influences are people like Bugs and Marcus Pacheco. I love the new school collectives, people like Mat Difa, that’s ultimately the kind of work I’d like to end up doing.

Tell us something about your own tattoos.
I’ve got work by Punko, I’ve got work by Bugs, I’ve got other bits and pieces, I started getting tattooed about ten years ago, none of the tattoos were done when I was in Venezuela.

Why did you relocate from Venezuela to London?
My aunty was the official translator for the Venezuelan consulate in the 80s, so I initially came here to visit her. I have dual nationality anyway so I was able to stay. Coming to London at the age of 17 was overwhelming what with all the punk and the rock scene, so I just basically decided to stay and I never went back.

Do you know much about the tattoo scene in Venezuela?
I’ve not been home since 1999, so it’s hard for me to say too much. There is a guy called Jesus Salayero, I keep seeing his work in the magazines, he’s amazing. I’m more in touch with the graffiti scene in Venezuela, that’s pretty vibrant and I suppose that there are many similarities between graffiti artists and tattooists.

What kind of clients come to you here?
So far it’s been consistent in that they have been fairly educated about tattoos, they are open to suggestion and generally come to get decent sized, substantial pieces of work. It’s all custom work; I’ve not done one piece of flash here and that’s really inspiring, as I am constantly challenged.

What plans have you for the future?
At the moment I’m feeling pretty solid here at London Tattoo, I may also work in Barcelona in Punko’s shop, which is based near to the Museum Of Contemporary Art in the city centre. I’ve also been offered guest spots in a couple of tattoo shops in Milan. I’ve spent the last few years battling to get my portfolio up to scratch, to achieve a uniform standard that I’m happy with and now I feel that my career is just starting to flourish, so I’m just loving the ride.

Andy Baxter

I first met you a few years ago when you were starting out in the industry. Tell us how that came about?
I was working in a bar in the Portobello Road near to where you live and I used to tattoo in my room there in my spare time. It wasn’t until 3 or 4 years ago when I got my first proper job in a good studio, Tusk, that I really got my head down and started to develop my skills as a tattooist.

How did you manage to get taken on by Tusk having had so little experience?
God knows. There were a lot of people who may have deserved that position more than me, but I took my portfolio down to the studio and managed to talk my way into the job. That was a really lucky break for which I am grateful, as working there enabled me to learn so much, establish myself and broaden my horizons with regard to what tattooing had to offer.

Tell us about the style of tattooing you prefer to undertake?
I enjoy doing more realistic stuff…I like doing portraits. I’m also doing some painting nowadays and that is influencing my tattoo work. When I was at Tusk, Mat Difa, who is an incredible artist, encouraged me to paint, but at the time, I couldn’t really get into it due to the fact that I was so engrossed in my tattooing, but now I’m totally cool with it.
I like doing black and grey designs, as I’m more in tune with that style than with some of the colour work. However, since working at Tusk, I have become more familiar with a wider range of styles and so I’m now more versatile as an artist.

How would you describe your own tattoos?
A lot of the tatts I have are cover-ups. I was one of the boys chucking bricks at windows, but the tattoos that I accumulated at that time have no real significance so they have now been covered. Some of the work I have was done when I was in the States; I got stuff done when I was at Tusk and I’ve got some work by Curly.

Whenever I see you, you have a different image. Is that something you think about a lot?
Not really. It’s just that I get easily bored, so change my hair or my look because of that. I don’t make deliberate decisions to change the way I look; it’s more spontaneous than that. I don’t enjoy monotony, that’s probably why I’m not in a relationship, I constantly feel the need to move on and explore new things, that’s what’s life is all about, for me anyway!

What else would you like to tell us?
I’ve been incredibly lucky. I learnt so much at Tusk and it was an amazing experience working there. What is so exciting for me is the fact that I now have the ability to do so much more technically than I could in the past, so I’m looking forward to the future, big time.

Lucy

I got involved with London Tattoo a few months ago. It started as a friendship built on a tattoo I had there, then before I knew it I was part of the family and behind the desk manning the reception.

Recently Sparky and me have trained in laser tattoo removal and will soon be working from the newest addition to the shop…a laser lounge.

We’re not completely removing tattoos as that goes against what we believe in. We’re going to provide a service where clients can have their unwanted tattoos broken down, so that they can have a better and more varied cover up in its place.

We’re now going through the endless task of registration with the healthcare commission, but be patient, it’s coming!

Inma

I moved to London from sunny Alicante about six years ago at the age of sixteen.

I was always good at drawing and with the help of friends, I got into tattooing. Initially I had an easy start, but the following five years were quite frustrating. I was tattooing on and off both from home and from various walk-in shops, and this enabled me to support myself through college and various other teenage activities. Basically, I worked on my own and didn’t learn much….BAD!

About a year ago I finally realised that I had to give a lot more if I was ever to become any good, so I became a lot more focused and landed a job at Tusk tattoo studio. This was probably the most important step of my career as for the first time I was working full time in a custom shop, side by side with other artists whose work I admired. Working in that environment got me really inspired again and I produced my best work to date during the few months that I stayed there. After Tusk unfortunately closed, I went to work with my friend Allan at Haunted Tattoo Studio until I eventually found a full-time position here at London Tattoo. I love it here because we have such a great team. For me, it’s very important to be surrounded by good artists who are passionate about their work. We all have different strengths, so there’s always something new to learn. And we have fun! All under Sparx’s excellent management, (hehe). As well as working at London Tattoo, I also work at Magnum Opus down in Brighton once a week.