I finally got out the house. Stretched my legs on a nice Thursday evening and made my way to the upper part of the Tenderloin to see Analog Tattoo‘s new tattoo shop and art show. It’s not as scary as it sounds – even though it sits above one of SF’s most poverty stricken areas – but it’s still not a total good idea lugging around thousands of dollars worth of camera equipment. I am usually pretty unfazed by the ghettos here and I’ll gladly bite any hobo in the shin if it means freeing up my shit. After all… I do have rabies.

Stepping into the newly revamped building, you’ll first notice a sea of work gathered by the collective that consists of today’s true masters of tattooing. Analog shows its high allegiance from the greats with Shawn Barber, Chris O’Donnell, Mutsuo, Ichibay, Mike Davis, Toby Torres, Horitomo, and Mike Giant to name a few.

Tattooing poses a number of myths and facts resulting in some interesting statements and outcomes. Myth: Tattooing your arm miraculously makes your penis bigger! Fact: If a girl has a tramp stamp, always tell her about myth #1. Myth: A girl will go home with you because of your myth #1. Fact: Masturbating with a tattooed arm is like the prison version of the stranger.

Though evidence will prove me wrong, I still like my tattoo artist to have somewhat of a solid background in the arts. It’s not so much that it will be reflected in their tattoo work, but moreso that there are creative juices flowing in their heads – whether it’s picking out the right colors or adjusting the composition in seeing how a piece will lay on the body. It shouldn’t be such a cookie cutter system. Every tattoo should be treated as a framed work of art.

Dragon by Philip Leu going for a measly $9,000. Worth every penny.

If you are seeing a man sucking on his own red penis… then my friend, you do not need glasses.

My favorite from the show by Julian Zeff. It’s like T&C Surf Design meets old Japanese folk art.