Tales from the Old School of Tattooing

by Sean Hobden

Sean Hobden was the youngest member of the Old Timers Tattoo Club when it was formed in 1989. He was privileged to hear the stories of the last of the old time character showmen tattooists when tattooing was still a part of the underworld and hadn’t yet gone mainstream and become popularised. Now you can hear the stories of the legends of tattooing from the last century that were told to the author first hand. Read how street shop walk in tattooists dealt with the many drunks and long queues.
Humorous accounts and anecdotes of Ron Ackers, Painless Jeff, Cockney Paul, Benn Gun, Barry Louvaine, Charlie bell, Jock of Kings Cross and many more. Many old time trade secrets such as “Three waying” and the “Vanity sink” are revealed, as they are no longer needed in modern tattooing. The book also covers old school politics and serves as a social history of the last part of the previous century. The book now has it's own website so that you can see photos of characters in the book please visit seanhobden.com

"I found this book to be compulsive reading and incredibly hard to put down" Total Tattoo Magazine

"I often find the best example of a good read is one that cannot be put down. I read this book in one night" Gladstone Magazine

"Many of the stories are hilarious, full of dry wit and humour,blended with warmth and affection" Total Tattoo Magazine

"A laugh a minute rollercoaster of tattoo madness. This is a book you need on your bookshelf" Tattoo Master Magazine

121 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a tough book to like, sadly, because it makes many of its subjects look incredibly unappealing -- more so than the author intended, I suspect. Coupled with that, the book has not seen an editor of any sort and is riddled with poor spelling, grammar and punctuation. There is also a fair amount of repetition. All of this is unfortunate, because the concept of the book is strong. Here's hoping any subsequent edition gets the editorial attention it deserves. Sean can drop me a line to that end if he wishes!

[Briana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderfully hilarious and easy read

This was a great read! I got it for a school assignment and really enjoyed, genuinely laughing at all the stories and tricks played! It's a great first person account of the culture and character around tattooing in the 70's-early 90's. I'm glad I got to learn a bit about the history and "meet" some of the faces from before the trade was industrialized 😀 It reads like if you were at a family reunion having a conversation about your crazy uncles and all the crap they've pulled over the years. Along with some history and the way tattoo has changed from this dark, seedy, mysterious trade, to one that's become more accepted by the public and mainstreamed, and how that's good and bad. Grammar may not be the best, and being American I know I didn't understand some of the sayings/jokes. But I liked it! I would recommend.

[Laine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Get past the grammar and editing disasters, it is pretty much a collection of vignettes about old school tattoo artists getting drunk and having fun, often enough at another's expense. There are a few laugh out loud moments but for the most part, it is just silly blokes' humor set from the 1950s up through just around the time tattooing became mainstream. This is when the old school crowd either died out literally or moved over for the new generation to take over. Not enough meat there for tattoo or even pop culture historians to bother with.

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting look into tattoo history. Very pleased that my dad lent it to me!