Tattoo Artist Magazine - The Quarterly Trade Journal for the Professional Tattooer

Steve Moore
Interview by Adam Sky

It seems the trade off with wanting to put yourself out there by having your stuff published in tattoo magazines as it makes you run the gauntlet of people who are going to rip off your work. Look what happened to Aaron, look what happened to Guy...

I know, it's so sad. Sometimes I wonder why notoriety matters at all. But I guess it's all about being recognized by your peers. But bottom line - it's about making your customer happy.

I don't want to embarrass you by saying this but you've got this insane following now and a massive customer base here in Vancouver. How do you think you've managed to create this massive clientele base with almost no media recognition?

I try and deliver what people want and I try to make everyone happy! I guess the work speaks for itself. If someone comes in with an idea, I'm not going to tell them their idea is bad; the only way the tattoo will turn out bad is if I draw it bad. So it could be a typical thing that everyone's done a hundred times, (like a dragon), but you can put your own spin on it and make it cool. As long as it turns out to be a nice looking tattoo, it's good for the industry. You know how you get people who say, "I don't normally like tattoos, but THAT looks cool!" and that becomes a positive thing for tattoo.

A really common thing that people comment on when your name comes up in conversation is that you really don't seem like the tattoo type. When I think of tattooers, I think of drunken lunatics and you don't even swear! So what made you decide you wanted to do tattoos?

I remember when I was younger I felt that after I was dead and gone I wanted to have contributed something to the world. When I started tattooing, it became a thrill knowing that something I've drawn on someone was going to be there long after I was. It was an honor that this person had chosen me to mark them.

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