A Journey Back To Innocence

The 9th International London Tattoo Convention happened this past weekend with over three hundred artists from around the World, plus entertainment, merchandise stalls, food and drink. This event is NOT billed as The Happiest Place On Earth nor will you find the tag line Too Much Magic For Just One Day. However, this is well and truly my version of Disneyland and exactly how I would describe it. This was my sixth visit to the convention and my interest and excitement has never waned. There are always artists I wish to see and talk to, not so sure the feeling is always mutual. I tend to come across as a stalker. Not a great impression but I promise you it's all with good will and the best intention. I should have been behaving like this in my teens and not as I get ever closer to forty, but this is how it is. I was accompanied by my Brother this year and set out to visit a handful of artists and try and see some of the entertainment that we usually miss out on due to

So it's officially Autumn. Here in London that means cold, windy and wet. Occasional sunny spells. All the time, some of the time, whatever, your guess is as good as anybody's. On my way into work this week I've noticed lots of really nice leather jackets being worn, mostly by women it has to be said, but never the less it's the perfect jacket for the season. It feels so good being able to wear mine again. I really believe once you've found the perfect jacket, and it's worth waiting for and trying on many, you won't ever need another one again. Take the time, spend the money and you will have no regrets. I opted for clean and classic look. No studs or patches, black of course. It looks great with everything and is empowering. You don't need to own a motorcycle or be in a punk/rock band, though both of those would be awesome. If you are checking this blog out you are probably a bad-ass and have one already. In case you haven't found the perf

I don't even have to make the title of this post a play on words. It is what it is. The recent release of the Vans Syndicate x Ice-T pack rekindled my desire for some real West Coast gangster shit. I put Ice-T's album "O.G - Original Gangster" back on my playlist and listened to it in it's entirety on Friday. Before NWA, before Snoop and all the rest, the undisputed OG Pimp Ice-T represented west coast hip-hop to the fullest. The fact that he even took on heavy metal with his group Body Count makes what he did even more outstanding. I don't ever want to hear anyone say Kanye West has made an album that pushes boundaries until it resembles even just a small fraction of what Ice-T has done. And let's face it, that ain't gonna happen. Ice-T Original Gangster I'm not going to get into all he has achieved on all sorts of levels (music, movies, television, books...), but I do highly recommend you take time out to do so for yourself. Wik

"....the clock on the wall reads a quarter past midnight."  This DJ Shadow tune is playing in my head as I write this post, fairly melancholy but it still kicks ass. Fitting with my mood today. Today I remember my father who was taken from us far too soon. #FUCKCANCER I rejoice in the joyful memories of my time with him, and I mourn the loss of memories we won't be able to share. Like the song "Alive" by Pearl Jam, I didn't get a chance to really know my father before he died. I regret missed opportunities and not having been able to see through the lies I was fed whilst growing up. I try and be a father to my children that I believe he would have wanted to be to my brothers and I, and I try and live up to being the man he was as told by everyone that knew him. I'm told he would be proud of us all and I do believe that. I hope to be able to forgive those responsible for the five thousand miles and walls placed between us, like he had bef

I wonder if anyone reading this remembers Archie the skeleton and this advert for Scotch video cassettes. Having looked it up on YouTube it reminded me that it was from 1985, the year I moved to the UK. I don't know how long it ran for, but it would seem that the marketing team nailed it with this one. Shit, I'm a little surprised I can remember it actually, I have a very selective memory. That's really the subject for this post. Here is a dictionary definition for you - mem·o·ry     (m m -r ) n.   pl.   mem·o·ries 1.  The mental faculty of retaining and recalling past experience. 2.  The act or an instance of remembering; recollection:  spent the afternoon lost in memory. 3.  All that a person can remember:  It hasn't happened in my memory. 4.  Something remembered:  pleasant childhood memories. 5.  The fact of being remembered; remembrance:  dedicated to their parents' memory. 6.  The period of time covered by the remembrance or recollection of a person