Bang Bang: My Life in Ink

by Keith “Bang Bang” McCurdy

The celebrity tattoo artist takes fans on a tour through his life and art, combining captivating vignettes and stories with more than one hundred color photos.

Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, Rita Ora, Cara Delevingne, Rihanna, and many more of the hottest celebrities in the world have been seen on the red carpet, on concert stages, and in magazine spreads wearing stunning ink created by Keith “Bang Bang” McCurdy, the most in-demand tattoo artist in the entertainment world. Bang Bang’s work has taken him across the country and around the globe, to any and every locale a celebrity client may request. From Rihanna’s controversial gun tattoos, to inking Justin Bieber at 40,000 feet—a record—each of Bang Bang’s tattoos comes with its own epic story. Now, this creative genius invites readers along on his adventures, sharing amazing tales from his life and career.

Named for the duel guns tattooed on his neck, Bang Bang began his career in his mom’s tiny Delaware kitchen. Self-taught, he practiced with a kit from an art store before eventually moving to New York. Over the past decade, Bang Bang’s talent and vision propelled his rise into the spotlight, and today, his fresh, accessible aesthetic draws men and women, tattoo vets and novices alike eager to experience his ultra-fluid and realistic designs created with the finest needles and inks. Bang Bang’s visual style transcends the clichés of the tattoo world; he creates a truly different form of art.

Filled with engaging personal stories and striking photographs that bring his bold, vibrant designs into detail, Bang Bang is a must-have for Bang Bang fans and tattoo lovers everywhere.

Genres: Nonfiction, Art, Memoir, Autobiography, Biography, Celebrity

240 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 17, 2015

Reviews

[SUSAN *Nevertheless,she persisted* · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love the art of tattooing.I "own" seven of my own,each tattoo marking different passages in my life.
So when a book about tattooing and/or a tattooist becomes available I hit the Amazon-buy-with-one-click button and start reading.

I am sure Bang-Bang is a great tattooist,but I am unsure why he felt the need to write this book. It is just boring. I am not sure if it was the content or the writing style but it failed to captivate me in any way. Perhaps it was just wrong book,wrong time.

[Freda Mans-Labianca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing!
What a life, and he is still pretty young yet. This guy tattoos everyone you can think of. My fave was Lenny Kravitz. He also tattoos non-famous people too though. Still, to be so young, accomplished in his craft, and a legend already.... Kevin McCurdy has definitely arrived.
I love the tattoos I have. When I read about artists like Bang Bang, it makes me love them even more. He said something that is resonating through me about tattooing women and how you need to accentuate the beauty, not subtract from it. That's so true. It's all about placement, especially on a woman. I'm a chick with 9 tattoos, but I still like to glam out and go to fine dining restaurants. Tattoos on a woman need to be balanced so they don't take away from your femininity. Bang Bang has mastered this art! He may be among the best in the business, but he strives for better constantly. He never stops learning or challenging himself as an artist. That's why he's a legend.
Tattoo fans; read this! Enjoy the wicked photos of his and other artists' work. You will be blown away. Of that I guarantee.

[Jess the Shelf-Declared Bibliophile · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a tough decision between leaving 2 or 3 stars. I went with 3 just because it WAS an interesting read, and the artwork from all of the artists in his shop is absolutely stunning. HOWEVER, he was/is completely unlikeable as a narrator, protagonist, biographist, and person. I understand and agree when he says that tattoo artists must be confident, however he surpasses confidence and hops on the train to arrogant Doucheville. I rolled my eyes at nearly everything he said. Overall, it was interesting because I do love tattoos and the celebrity stories were fairly interesting as well.

[Jenne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think tattoos are interesting even though I don't have any, and this guy is not that interesting but he does seem very excited about tattooing, so good for him.
I'm not entirely sure why I read this book basically in one sitting when I haven't been able to find any other books I want to read lately, but there it is.

[Rick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very enjoyable story of tattooist 'Bang Bang' McCurdy and his rise from self taught inker to highly sought after artist who's tattooed Katy Perry, Rihanna, Rita Ora, Cara Delevingne, and a host of other celebrities. Many gorgeous photos of his work and the entertaining, behind the scenes stories about them. One interesting tidbit is that he often gets the celebrities to tattoo him - he has them create a small signature work and actually tattoo it on.
I think anyone interested in tattoos, art, or interesting stories of today's biggest stars will enjoy this. His artwork is truly outstanding. I was fortunate to win this in a giveaway, but would have purchased regardless.

[Lexie Theodore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hands down one of the best, most genuine, down to earth books ever. He has a crazy life and it translates so well into book form. His artistry is amazing and the color photos were awesome! In general the quality of the book was great, I just loved the feel of it. I thoroughly enjoyed every page and found myself not being able to put it down. I can't wait to get a tattoo by this man. Great artist, great person, great book. Thanks Bang Bang for letting us into your life.

I recommend this to anyone who loves a good tattoo and a crazy story.

[Sarah - All The Book Blog Names Are Taken · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have several tattoos on my back and it's been 4-5 years since my last one. This book made me crave a new piece of art.

Full review to come.

++++++++

Check out my complete review at my book blog:

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[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found Bang on YouTube and was impressed by his knowledge of the physiology of tattoos on the body. I’d never heard an artist explain tattoos in such a way. He also talked about how there should an educational path for artists and how strict laws should be passed to clean up shops. He blew me away. He’s an amazing artist with an equally amazing story. 🤯

[Mina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly I'm not a fan of the tatts this guy has put on celebs, but his portfolio in this memoir is actually great. He has a down to earth, upbeat, strong voice. Interesting if you're into tattoo art progression or celebrity tattooists.

[Marci · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this book in a good reads giveaway. Amazing artist...amazing book!

[Chien-Wei Kung · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok, so this is one of those books I just happened to walk through a library and picked up. I don't have any tattoos, and probably won't ever get one, but the subject was nevertheless fascinating to read about. If you're looking for a literary masterpiece, you won't find that in this book, but if you want a raw account of one man's journey, you'll get that, with the bonus of seeing tattoos on various celebrities and the stories behind them. Bang Bang sounds like a fun guy, a great artist, and one who is very concerned about customer experience, satisfication and safey, and for that, props to him. Overall, I rate a book on how well it keeps my attention. For this book, I didn't want to stop reading ocne I picked itup, and here I am, 2 days later, having finished it, so I'd say it deserves the 5 I'm giving it.

[Emily Madison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really, really enjoyed this book. It was interesting to learn about Bang Bang's background while also learning about the art of tattooing. I am not quite sure why this book has received such bad reviews - I respect Bang Bang as an artist and anyone who thinks he is overly egotistic doesn't understand that what he does is QUALITY work, so he has a right to be. I would take a confident, egotistical artist who is friendly any day over the man who maybe grunted two words to me while I got David Bowie tattooed on my arm.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm fascinated by tattoos and tattoo artists and tattoo artists who tattoo famous people and tattoo artists who become famous. So I think that's why I enjoyed this book.

It's a pretty quick read. I really admired his hustle - it's not like anything came easy for him. I loved seeing the tattoos - both his and the tattoos he did on other people.

[I Contain · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting book for those curious about the inner workings of the tattoo industry.

[Chris Bedz · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bad. Instead just punch yourself in the nuts.

[Claudia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, fast read. I want a tattoo!

[Christopher Honthy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Bang Bang: My Life in Ink in college, and for about a week after, I was convinced I wanted to become a tattoo artist. What drew me to this biography was how straightforward and raw it felt. The writing is easy to follow, cutting right to the heart of the story without unnecessary fluff.

While it does have its fair share of celebrity name drops—making it a fun, light read at times—the real core of the book is about the pursuit of artistry and the passion it takes to succeed. It’s not just about tattoos; it’s about what it means to dedicate yourself to a craft and how that journey can shape your life. It’s an inspiring, no-nonsense read that stuck with me long after finishing it.

[Samantha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Received in exchange for an honest review

Bang Bang, the celebrity tattoo artists whose art is featured on some of the most iconic stars and models such as Rihanna, Katy Perry, Justin Bieber, and Cara Delevingne.

Bang Bang: My Life in Ink, is Bang Bang’s pictographic memoir, informing readers of his upbringing and less than appealing start to his tattooing career.

Bang Bang has a large range of abilities and styles, but he easily highlights the type of work he likes and does the best. One feature I liked in particular was the inclusion of his work. This book is very much an artist's portfolio as it is a memoir. It wouldn’t be ‘Bang Bang’s’ memoir without the feature of his art and tattoos.

However, reading up on his life and his interactions with celebrities was a little boring. I didn’t particularly like his tone and his approach to talking about other people. There was also some information I felt was too private to even share with readers, but that’s just me.

Bang Bang also includes highlights of the tattoo artists that work in his studio. I thought this was a wonderful addition and a nice touch. Along with their profiles are a few samples of their own work.

Overall, Bang Bang: My Life in Ink is a relatively quick read (that could be finished in a day or two), with some really awesome photography, that provides inspiration for one’s own desire for ink.

Read if you like: memoirs, photography, tattoo artists, art

[Courtney · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have no idea what my expectations were going into this book... I guess I thought it was going to be more tattoos, less life story maybe? Anyway... whatever my expectations were this book was not whatever I thought it was going to be.

If you're a big fan of Bang Bang or maybe even a big fan of Rihanna, this is probably something that will interest you. There's interviews with some of the celebrities that Bang Bang has tattooed, anecdotal stories about tattooing parties in hotels, flying around with Katy Perry's tour in Scandinavia etc.

Somehow this book is neither here nor there. On one hand it's sort of an autobiography piece but feels too shallow to really be that, the look back on Bang Bang's childhood is stark but there's no weight behind it. On the other hand it sort of falls under a motivational book... the determination in the face of odds that led Bang Bang to being one of the most well known tattoo artists in the world.

My rating is probably more two and half stars than just two, as a read (and I was surprised at how much there was to read) it was pretty enjoyable. However I don't think I'll recommend this to anyone unless they're an aspiring tattooist or a big fan of Bang Bang.

[Dav · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked this up randomly on the "new" shelf at the library. Much better than I expected, with a lot more words than pictures. although admittedly I skimmed a lot of the words in various places. Interesting life story for sure (the part with his 4 year old friend Kristi was a nice bit).

Favorite quote: "I don't want to do tattoos -- I'm not a tattoo doer. I want to create tattoos, I want to figure out tattoos. I want to sculpt tattoos, I want to fuck up tattoos -- but by no means do I just want to do tattoos.

Coming off of just finishing also Uncle Bob's The Clean Coder: A Code of Conduct for Professional Programmers I recognize the passion of a craftsman there, and you always have to respect that.

[Theresa C. C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was hoping to see more of his work, rather than read about a lot of parties and name-dropping. Interesting if you're interested in this particular artist's rise to fame. Not so great if you're more interested in his art itself.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

just finished this book got new insight into the world of tattoo my only previous exposure was to my niece and nephew both with sleeves .Have passed this book on to them to read

[Hope · Rating 3 out of 5]

A compelling story, but the author is not the greatest writer. Although it does feel authentic.

[Sue · Rating 1 out of 5]

The art and the story are compelling but the name dropping is a little sad.

[Cole · Rating 3 out of 5]

I mostly browsed through the photos, but when I did dip into the text... ugh.

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thinking about getting a tatoo to cover a scar...