KAT VON D: THE BEST OF REST OF THE "HOTTEST CHICKS IN METAL" INTERVIEW
When I interviewed hard-rockin’ tattoo artist and L.A. Ink star Kat Von D for our Hottest Chicks in Metal III issue, currently on newsstands, I talked to her for nearly 45 minutes, but due to space issues in the mag (i.e. everyone on staff’s desire to run the pics of her as big as possible), we ended up having to cut the shit out of our Q&A. Which is too bad, since it included some good stuff. Well, thanks to the Internets, the leftovers from our conversation don’t have to go to waste—so here, for your reading pleasure, is the best of the rest. —Executive Editor Brandon Geist
REVOLVER When you’re tattooing someone whose band you’re a big fan of, do you get nervous at all?
KAT VON D No, not at all. You know, it’s weird, I think that living in Hollywood, you get really desensitized to stuff like that. I just think that there’s a mutual respect, a mutual admiration, so that’s how you make the connection, you know, and pretty much everyone I tattoo I end up becoming friends with because you spend so many hours with them, you know what I mean? It’s funny, because with all the people I’ve ever wanted to tattoo, it wasn’t like, Oh yeah, I really want to tattoo that guy because he’s in my favorite band; it’s been like, I just get stoked when they want to get something cool.
I know you’ve tattooed Marta of Bleeding Through, who’s on our cover with you. What can you tell me about that?
The funny thing about that is, when I started tattooing, I was 14 years old, and I was living out in the Inland Empire, in the Redlands area [of Southern California], which is a really small town that no one knows where it is. And I remember there was a really big hardcore scene there. You know, even the Christian kids were starting hardcore bands, and it was pretty crazy. And I met this guy Derek [Youngsma], who was in and out of all these hardcore bands. Then all of a sudden the singer of Bleeding Through was getting tattooed in the shop that I was working at, and he was like, “Yeah, you know Derek’s playing fucking drums for us. You know Derek?” And I was like, “Oh my god, I haven’t seen Derek since I was, like, 15 years old.” And sure enough I was in Dallas when they were on tour—at the time I was married to a tattooer, and he had a shop—and Derek was like, “Are you in Texas? I’m in Dallas.” And I was like, “Dude, come down to the shop.” And the whole band came down to the shop, and instead of getting “FTW,” which is, like, “Fuck the world,” they got “WTF” for “What the fuck?” [Laughs] And I tattooed that on Marta’s foot, actually—she probably got the most painful one out of everybody. And in the end it was cool because I got Derek to tattoo it on me, and he doesn’t do tattoos or draw. It was fun.
Do girls handle the pain of getting tattooed better than guys?
Um, I think it all depends. Like, personally, I’m a big wussy. I suck at getting tattooed, but you know, they say that the woman’s body is designed to have a higher pain threshold, because our bodies are designed to give birth. But it doesn’t matter how many kids you’ve had, if you’re getting your foot tattooed, it’s gonna hurt, you know what I mean?
Do you have favorite and least favorite parts of body to tattoo?
Yeah, the easier parts are the arms, like, the top of your forearms—that’s a piece of cake. But those spots are always the ones that go first, so that’s why I think that tattoos generally get more painful as you get older. But I think that the crease from your leg to your ass, like, for me, that was the most painful tattoo ever. I was freaking. I wasn’t crying, but I was definitely tearing up. And to this day it isn’t finished. [Laughs]
Do you end up having a lot of weird interactions with male fans?
No, you know, I get some weirdos, but usually it’s cute. Like, I was on the plane the other day when I was coming back from New York, and there was this cute little rocker kid. He looked really young to me, but he had tattoos and stuff. And I was sitting down, and he passed my seat and he’s like, “Hey, I’m a big fan,” blah, blah, blah, and I was like, “Oh cool, nice to meet you,” and then he went to sit down. And then later on the flight, the flight attendant comes up to me, and he’s like, “Don’t shoot the messenger!” and he gives me this little letter, and I opened it up and it was like, “I’ll feel like an idiot if I don’t ask you, but would you like to go out for a milkshake with me? Circle yes or no.” And then it says, “Yes,” “No.” [Laughs] I didn’t know what to do, so I didn’t circle any of them—I just kept the note because I collect that kind of stuff. And I just recently got a new boyfriend [Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx], so I’m no longer on the market. But then, yeah, we’ve also gotten weirdos who come into the shop. One guy came in and was, like, huddled in the back of the shop—somehow he got back there—and you know, the assistants were like, “Uh, excuse me, can I help you?” And he was like, “Oh, I need to talk to Kat. We’re on this cosmic level and I know her soul.” It was totally weird, you know. And the guy looked Paulie Shore! I’m like, What the fuck? WTF?!
How do you think becoming a celebrity and having your own TV show has affected your art?
I think it’s affected it in a positive way. I think it keeps me on my toes. I feel like, you know, I have to be a good representation of tattooing. And everything I do on the show gets overanalyzed and dissected not just by tattooers but by everyone in general. You know, everyone’s a fucking critic. So I think especially with season two, I really fucking pushed myself, tried to do bigger pieces, and just really tried to take it to the next level, cause I feel like there’s always room for improvement, you know.
Do you feel a responsibility to be a good role model, particularly to your female fans?
Yeah, definitely. But you know, in no way did I want to glamorize tattooing or promote chicks to get into it; it’s not about that. I mean, I guess I’m a kind of a feminist in the way that I believe a woman should be independent and self-reliant, but I’m not trying to be like, “Yo, go burn your bras and do this shit; do what I did.” You know, I think that if you’re a good tattooer, you’re born to do it, and then there’s no ifs, ands, or buts—you can’t go to school for it and become extraordinary, you know. It’s like a musician—just ’cause you buy a guitar doesn’t make you a rock star. But at the same time, from the email that we get and from people that I meet on the street, you know, sometimes you get soccer moms coming up to you, and they’re like, “Dude, you really inspired me to start my own business,” or whatever it is, and that’s what I’m stoked about. And as far as the kids go, you know, I’ve really altered my lifestyle. I mean, I’m sober now. First season I was, like, drunk the whole time, and you know, I don’t want kids to think that it’s cool to get drunk all the time. And smoking on camera. I know, this sounds really lame in a way, cause I’m never gonna change who I am, but my mom and dad watch the show, too, and I care about that stuff, you know. I mean, I hate smoking more than anything, and that’s my last goal in life: to quit. I feel like every time I smoke on camera that kids think that it’s OK. Without sounding like a goddamn prude, you know, some people just don’t give a fuck; they just do whatever. But it’s like, man, being a role model comes with the job, and you really gotta think about it.
Your show and Miami Ink have both contributed to making tattoos a lot less taboo and lot more mainstream. Do you have mixed feelings about that at all?
Yeah, I think it’s good and bad. It’s good for the industry in the sense that, fuck, people are busy. But at the same time, it’s bringing a lot of people into the tattoo shop who probably shouldn’t be getting tattooed, you know what I mean? It’s weird, it’s like, when I got on Miami Ink nobody did portraits, and when I got on there I started doing all the portraits, and I got pigeonholed a little bit, like, “Oh, if you want a portrait, you go to Kat.” And it’s like, Well, I do more than just portraits. But people started, like, every time somebody died, it was like, I have to get a portrait of them. And it’s like, No, dude, the only dead person I have tattooed on me is Beethoven. I like to get people who are still alive; I want to show my dad the picture of him or whatever. It’s like, when Britney Spears came out with her bellybutton pierced, and then all of a sudden girls are born with their bellybutton pierced, you know. And it was no big deal, but fucking 10 years ago shit was different. You know, I do miss the idea of tattoos still being something taboo and underground, but at the same time, dude, I remember that as a female being heavily tattooed going to the mall, it fucking sucked. I felt like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman every time I’d go into the Christian Dior store. It was like, Look, I’m not going to steal anything, you know what I mean. I’m not going to eat your children. But now people are way more open-minded.
What advice would you give to someone who’s considering getting a tattoo?
I think you have to be 100% when you get tattooed. It’s not a fad; it’s not something that’s in or out. You know, sometimes we turn people down, and then people get mad, and they’re like, “I didn’t think you were so stuck up!” but it’s like, Dude, as a tattooer, it’s our job to guide people to make sure they don’t get tattoos they’re gonna regret. I think the worst thing is when people bring in, like, pictures of celebrities who are tattooed, and they’re like, “I want the same tattoo as them.” It’s like, Dude, don’t you realize a 100 million other people got that already? I mean, everything’s been done a million times over, and you can use stuff for reference, but do your research and get something different. Be original.
