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 On
the road with Mike McCabe.
Mike McCabe is a well respected tattoo artist and historian
from New York City. His first book, "New York City, an Oral
History". is now sold out. Mike is previewing excerpts from
his next book while traveling throughout Asia. He is capturing the
essence of what might well be the swan song of traditional Asian
tattooing as the modern western movement sweeps around the globe.
His stops include Thailand, Vietnam, Burma, Laos and Cambodia among
other stops. We will be posting original articles weekly over the
next couple of months. Print Magazines wishing to use this content
should email Tattoos.com
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content.
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June 29th "Tattooing
Phnom Penh, Cambodia 2001"
 When
you walk the streets you are walking what was a genocidal battlefield
during the 1970s when Pol Pot's insane regime of the Khmer Rouge
terrorized the country. Phnom Penh's population of more than a million
was drained and murdered to under 1000 people. People say when you
pick up the soil here, you can squeeze the blood out of it.
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 August
03rd "Black Magic Tattoos" 2001
Upstairs the arjan's studio is large and airy, about
25-foot square with louvered windows at the back for cross ventilation.
About 10 young men sit on the floor around two tattoo apprentices
who are pushing ink with long traditional needle wands into two
devotees. Mr. Nue sits in a meditative position surrounded by bowls
and books. Some bowls have water in them, others offerings of money
from customers. To his left is a very crowded alter with several
Buddhas.
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June 17th "A Sukhumvit
Tattooer in Bangkok 2001"
Ouy tattoos on the notorious street called Sukhumvit
in Bangkok, Thailand. Her spotless, sidewalk level booth is open
to the hectic street. Huge, belching busses; tuk-tuk taxis and
thousands of cars fly past a few feet from her small work area.
Pedestrians with curious eyes stride past sneaking peaks at the
modern tattoo flash she hangs neatly on her clean, white walls.
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June
22nd - 2001 "Noom tattoos South Bangkok 2001"
"In the old days people who got tattooed at a certain
temple could identify others who got tattooed there too. They could
see the particular work of an Arjan. They would identify with the
others who got tattooed at the same temple. If you got into a fight
in the street and saw the work of your Arjan, you would stop fighting
immediately because you were in the same group."
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