Since 2003, Adam Callen has been the editor and publisher of BodyMod.org, not the largest or oldest full-spectrum body modification publication on the planet, but pretty damn awesome =). Copyright © 2023 Adam Callen. Permission is granted to reprint this article in its entirety as long as credit is retained and usage is non-commercial. Requests to publish edited or shortened versions must be confirmed in writing. For bibliographical purposes this article was first published June 15, 2009 in New York City, US.
I hope someone sees the humor in this =)
Long Beach Ink-n-Iron Tattoo Convention '09
Ok, so i’m on a plane and reaaaaaly not sober =)
Besides the point, the Ink-and-Iron Long Beach Tattoo convention was a hell of a time. I’m normally not a fan of the west coast. Too much sun and fake people. I never really thought of the LA area as a “night” area. My eyes have been opened. But really only due to some seriously awesome people.
I arrived in Long Beach the day of the convention. I would have liked to arrived the day earlier, but I was trying to cut corners on the cost of things. My friend Jack from Wyoming was there, and he picked me up once I got into town. I haven’t seen him in almost a year, so it was refreshing to see a friendly face once I got into town.
[drunken sidenote: I think that these ramblings need to happen at the most truest moment. If I were to force myself to write about everything right after it happened, it would be to boring to me. I want to keep everything as natural as possible and as fun for everyone. Otherwise, what’s the point? Now is the time I want to share =)]
So, Jack takes me to the convention which is on board the Queen Mary (a really old cruise ship that's historically famous...check it out if you’re interested =). So, we show up and head to the the bottom of the ship. There’s three levels inside all full of amazing tattoo artists from around the world.
The first thing that I noticed though is that I noticed the ship was leaning to the side just a hair. Made you feel off balance the entire time. It’s understandable considering that it’s a giant ship anchored to a dock, but it made me wonder if everyone’s tattoos would be crooked.... I’m sure they’re fine ;)
The first thing I noticed once on board (never used that term at a convention before) was that there were a lot of vendors and artists selling art. I really appreciated this as I wasn’t there to get a tattoo, so it gave me something to window shop with. This should happen at more conventions. Are the west coast artist more into things other than tattooing? I hope not. Shows are nice, but most of the time lame. Give me something to look at and come back to, that’s what we want!
Thankfully I was there towards the end of the evening, so I didn’t have to spend too much time in the tattoo area. There was a band about to go on stage outside that was supposed to be really good, The Bronx (they’re not from NYC, they’re from LA... a bit skeptical). I figure it’s worth a shot. Jack has a reputable taste in music, so I head outside. This is when I really notice the amount of vendor booths and food stands out there. There were all kinds of people selling some really cool art and wares all around me.
!IMPORTANT!
Not really, but I needed a word to break this up to insert this thought:
There area TON of rock-a-billy guys and girls at this convention! I’m used to them convening on tattoo conventions, but this was ridiculous! I would say that it was at least half... maybe more. There were even barber stands and beauty parlor shops setup to get people into the style! Dan Marshall, a good friend of mine, has been a rock-a-billy guy since I’ve known him, but in the last few years, he’s turned Japanese Samurai / Bret Michaels. Getting a little fed up with it, he finally took the chair and had his old style put back. Much more fitting.
So, The Bronx put on a good show, and then I headed back to the convention part. There were lots of great artists from all over the world. Some of them included Robert Hernandez, Bob Tyrrell, Boris (from Hungary),
Besides the point, the Ink-and-Iron Long Beach Tattoo convention was a hell of a time. I’m normally not a fan of the west coast. Too much sun and fake people. I never really thought of the LA area as a “night” area. My eyes have been opened. But really only due to some seriously awesome people.
I arrived in Long Beach the day of the convention. I would have liked to arrived the day earlier, but I was trying to cut corners on the cost of things. My friend Jack from Wyoming was there, and he picked me up once I got into town. I haven’t seen him in almost a year, so it was refreshing to see a friendly face once I got into town.
[drunken sidenote: I think that these ramblings need to happen at the most truest moment. If I were to force myself to write about everything right after it happened, it would be to boring to me. I want to keep everything as natural as possible and as fun for everyone. Otherwise, what’s the point? Now is the time I want to share =)]
So, Jack takes me to the convention which is on board the Queen Mary (a really old cruise ship that's historically famous...check it out if you’re interested =). So, we show up and head to the the bottom of the ship. There’s three levels inside all full of amazing tattoo artists from around the world.The first thing that I noticed though is that I noticed the ship was leaning to the side just a hair. Made you feel off balance the entire time. It’s understandable considering that it’s a giant ship anchored to a dock, but it made me wonder if everyone’s tattoos would be crooked.... I’m sure they’re fine ;)
The first thing I noticed once on board (never used that term at a convention before) was that there were a lot of vendors and artists selling art. I really appreciated this as I wasn’t there to get a tattoo, so it gave me something to window shop with. This should happen at more conventions. Are the west coast artist more into things other than tattooing? I hope not. Shows are nice, but most of the time lame. Give me something to look at and come back to, that’s what we want!
Thankfully I was there towards the end of the evening, so I didn’t have to spend too much time in the tattoo area. There was a band about to go on stage outside that was supposed to be really good, The Bronx (they’re not from NYC, they’re from LA... a bit skeptical). I figure it’s worth a shot. Jack has a reputable taste in music, so I head outside. This is when I really notice the amount of vendor booths and food stands out there. There were all kinds of people selling some really cool art and wares all around me.
!IMPORTANT!Not really, but I needed a word to break this up to insert this thought:
There area TON of rock-a-billy guys and girls at this convention! I’m used to them convening on tattoo conventions, but this was ridiculous! I would say that it was at least half... maybe more. There were even barber stands and beauty parlor shops setup to get people into the style! Dan Marshall, a good friend of mine, has been a rock-a-billy guy since I’ve known him, but in the last few years, he’s turned Japanese Samurai / Bret Michaels. Getting a little fed up with it, he finally took the chair and had his old style put back. Much more fitting.
So, The Bronx put on a good show, and then I headed back to the convention part. There were lots of great artists from all over the world. Some of them included Robert Hernandez, Bob Tyrrell, Boris (from Hungary),
im originally from san diego but i used to go
party up in l.a. there most def parties past 2 am!
Photos are great too, as always!
Can't wait til next time, hopefully we'll find a bar open later than 2am!!!