Tuesday, August 3, 2010

TYLER B MURPHY - Tattoo Artist


I like to go back to Africa every so often and pay homage to the land that reared me. On my last trip I paid Sins of Style a visit and Tyler hooked me up with a tattoo of an anchor on my inner arm. I wanted something meaningful done in my home town and I felt it was appropriate, it is also a reminder to keep my shit together - prolly better I use that meaning actually. Tyler opened his own shop on Bree Street in Cape Town in 2008 after making a name for himself as one of Cape Towns best tattoo artists. I knew him from when we were teens and my then boyfriend used to skate with him ... it's a small world is little Kaapstad. I've always known him as a pretty dope graffiti artist, so when I heard he started picking up tattoo needles I knew he was gonna be increds. Like seriously, I only ever really want Tyler to put permanent shit on my skin. The boy has skills...everyone in Cape Town knows who Tyler B Murphy is, even Ninja from Die Antwoord hits him up. Ol' Murphy is also a bit of a chiller so he took his time getting back to me on these answers...no biggie..it's a chiller you want getting up close and personal with a sharp object and your skin anyway, you dig? Richly finished tattoos done by a hell of a man, look it up if you are ever lucky enough to visit the Mother City.


Ninja



I am happy ... that I live by the beach. I can catch a skate and watch the sun set a stones throw away from the waters edge.

I am ... waiting for the big soccer ball game to come to an end. It has been better than I expected, but I still wonder if the countries economy will survive after being raped by the FIFA mafia.

I have always ... liked to write my name on things.

Whenever I ... catch the train, I keep my eyes open for new pieces on the track sides. If I'm lucky, I will spot a new panel. On rare and special days I might get to see some whole cars running.


My favourite colour ... is meranti wood, stained with rose tinted varnish. As I sit writing this, I can look up and enjoy it all around my shop walls.



I will never ... be cool with people calling tattoo's 'body art' or 'skin art'. People talk about going to get some ink...what is wrong with the word tattoo? Do they think that they are making it better by changing the words around? It is not their place to come and try and make things sound new and cool with some kind of fresh twist. The culture has thrived for many generations without them. Their new fancy terms are neither needed nor welcome. It is like kids renaming skate tricks after playing the misinformed TV games.

My thoughts on ... people who do not appreciate art are few.




I support ... people who 'Do For Self'. I will help people who show that they have passion and drive to make things work. I support small little shops as often as I can. I would rather give them my money than support foreign owned chain stores evil economy of extraction.

Lately it has occurred to me ... that the world might not change nor end in the year 2012 and that I should increase my daily vocabulary. I intend to cease cussing...except on special occasions.

It makes me laugh when ... I watch Will Farrell movies, or old episodes of the Chapel show.

My biggest accomplishment ... is having raised a healthy, polite and honest young man child.





If I could choose to meet anyone it would be ... Jan Note aka Nongaloza

Life is all about ... contributing to the universal group consciousness of God's human experiment. Or fulfilling your desire to work like cloned miner slaves for our alien masters. Or learning to love.

I wish I never ... let my selfishness steer me into compromising positions.

Often I think ... that most animals that are kept as pets would rather live free in the bush. I think that the planet would not miss our presence for one second if we were all to die, or dematerialize into the nether. I think that a few dozen well placed volcanic eruptions could rid the world of all our plastic pollutants.



The Obnoxious Owl ... would be a cool thing to carve into the branches of a tree where real owls have been known to loiter.



Owl tattoo by Tyler B Murphy

4 comments:

Unknown said...

Awsome Read!!

faith said...

we love you tyler b murphy!!!!

lauren fowler said...

great interview!
always support local and handmade rather than evil and big and cheaply made.
:)

frank said...

that was cool i think i will read it now.