Behind the Scenes at the “Word Made Flesh” Book Trailer Shoot
On Sunday, August 15, 2010 Eva Talmadge and I shot a book trailer for our forthcoming photo-anthology, The Word Made Flesh: Literary Tattoos from Bookworms Worldwide. First we spent a couple of hours with our videographer, Dev, at Eva’s apartment. We answered some questions, tried not to cut each other off too much, and did an impromptu scrounge of Eva’s library for books that inspired tattoos included in our book. I guess we found about two dozen. Then it was off to the legendary Fineline Tattoo on 1st Street and 1st Avenue. Fineline is the longest continually running tattoo shop in New York City, with a history that goes back into the underground days when tattooing was still illegal in Manhattan. Eva and our agent, Brandi Bowles, got themselves some literary tattoos from Mehai Bakaty, the son of Fineline founder Mike Bakaty and a worldclass tattooist in his own right. (I had initially promised to get inked, too. Needless to say, I bailed.) The trailer itself should be available sometime in the next couple weeks, but in the meantime I offer the following photo gallery- a preview of the preview, if you will (please do).
Dev gets Eva mic'd up for the interview.
I speak with hand gestures on a range of subjects.
Okay, this is where the real fun starts. Dev, Brandi, Eva (in the chair) and Mehai at Fineline.
Mehai puts the gloves on. Also pictured: the final moments in the life of Eva's unmarked arm.
This explains itself, right?
A look at the work in progress. These rectangles--representative of a window and a door--are from a poem by Daniil Kharms that appears in the Oberiu anthology of Russian poetry (Northwestern University Press) edited by Eugene Ostashevsky.
Victory!
Brandi's tattoo went on her inner bicep, so she had to lay out on this fold-out table.
Dev, Eva, and Brandi's very supportive fiance, Matt.
Brandi on a break just before the final stretch of coloring the letters. The tattoo is a quote from John Cage, "Begin Anywhere," drawn in the style of the cover of the Neil Young album Harvest. Above her head, to the left of the vaguely Masonic symbol and behind the translucent skull in a tophat, you can see the always-tempting Steal Your Face logo.
Another happy customer.
Boys are such wusses. Great job ladies.
cool tattoo. you know, austin has quite a tattoo scene compared to the other places i’ve lived. it’s also very literate.
There’s something about his black gloves that I find very ominous.
awesome…almost got a tattoo saturday myself, got a hat instead…maybe next time
Tony O has got some good ink (curated, not particulary well executed, but that makes it better). You will get marked Justin Taylor!
That is some fine, fine lettering on that “Begin Anywhere” tattoo.
Not to be nit-picky, Justin, but I really don’t think there’s anything “vaguely” Masonic about the Masonic symbol on the wall.
By calling it “vaguely” Masonic, I am now led to believe that you are part of some sort of Masonic conspiracy, and are attempting to distance yourself from it by pretending that you don’t know the square and compasses.
I also believe that the tracing paper square and compasses on the wall is there because you had this tattoo artist tattoo it on you.
CONSPIRACY!
Actually, I went with the qualifier “vaguely” to protect myself from the possibility–which seemed real to me at the time–that the symbol was entirely NON-Masonic. I had–and have–no idea what I was looking at. It was just some bullshit between me and the greatest band logo of all time. So put that in your 33rd-degree ring and smoke it, Jahbulon.
Yeah, aren’t they amazing?
Boys are such wusses. Great job ladies.
cool tattoo. you know, austin has quite a tattoo scene compared to the other places i’ve lived. it’s also very literate.
There’s something about his black gloves that I find very ominous.
You bailed? Ahhhh. Both you and Blake are getting needled if I have any access to a) your bodies and b) GHB.
awesome…almost got a tattoo saturday myself, got a hat instead…maybe next time
Tony O has got some good ink (curated, not particulary well executed, but that makes it better). You will get marked Justin Taylor!
That is some fine, fine lettering on that “Begin Anywhere” tattoo.
What were you going to get before you, ahem, BAILED?
Why did you bail??
Oh, sure. Like I’m just going to take your word for it when it’s clear—CLEAR!—you were just trying to throw us off the scent, Justin.
President Zachary TAYLOR (same last name? coincidence? impossible!) was a confirmed Mason, and it is very likely he had Edgar Allen Poe killed. Why has Justin Taylor been silent on the subject of Edgar Allen Poe on this blog? Hmm? Because like the rest of the literary elites (descended as they are from our Masonic presidents!) he has chosen to, through his silence, eliminate Poe (and Jack London! and El Cid!) from the canon? Hmm?
And what of Justin Taylor’s beard? Is it possible that it is NOT simply an inverse of the nonbeard of Illuminati Architect Nicholas Hawksmoor? Hawksmoor, a practitioner of Theistic Satanism had no beard. Satan is the adversary of man. The adversary of not having a beard is HAVING A BEARD! Taylor emphasizes his connection to Hawksmoor (and Satan!) by follicle metaphor. Hairs have follicles, but so, too, are there OVARIAN FOLLICLES. The ovarian follicle is the bud from which the egg is formed. Egg meets sperm. Embryo is conceived.
Embryoyo is a book by Dean Young. It was published by Believer Books, a division of McSweeney’s. McSweeney’s published Justin Taylor’s symposium on Donald Barthelme. Plato’s Symposium is a series of encomia on the nature of love delivered by a bunch of drunk Greek guys. People who are drunk often wake up to find that they have gotten what, readers?
TATTOOS!
I rest my case.
Not to be nit-picky, Justin, but I really don’t think there’s anything “vaguely” Masonic about the Masonic symbol on the wall.
By calling it “vaguely” Masonic, I am now led to believe that you are part of some sort of Masonic conspiracy, and are attempting to distance yourself from it by pretending that you don’t know the square and compasses.
I also believe that the tracing paper square and compasses on the wall is there because you had this tattoo artist tattoo it on you.
CONSPIRACY!
so JT, you have a book about tatts but no tatts?
Actually, I went with the qualifier “vaguely” to protect myself from the possibility–which seemed real to me at the time–that the symbol was entirely NON-Masonic. I had–and have–no idea what I was looking at. It was just some bullshit between me and the greatest band logo of all time. So put that in your 33rd-degree ring and smoke it, Jahbulon.
Yeah, aren’t they amazing?
that’s it. we’re totally adding austin to the book tour. for sxsw, perhaps!
@Catherine Lacey- I had a few different ideas, but the one I found (and still find) the most promising is the line “nor cease thou never now” which comes to us from a Middle English poem/song celebrating the return of spring. You can find it in the Norton anthology of English Literature–though I found it on the cover of an old Songs:Ohia EP.
@Nick Antosca- because I just wasn’t sure, and am still not sure.
@mark- yes, and we talk about this in the video (or anyway, in the sessions which may or may not make the final cut of the video). I actually think that it makes a lot of sense–and also supports the book’s larger argument about the mainstreaming of tattoo-culture–that a person who has no tattoos might still take a legitimate interest in the practice, and the attendant cultural contexts and implications thereof.
@Matthew Simmons- touche, sir. The only connections you missed were HP Lovecraft and the sinking of the Reuben James. But we’ll save that story for another day.
You bailed? Ahhhh. Both you and Blake are getting needled if I have any access to a) your bodies and b) GHB.
What were you going to get before you, ahem, BAILED?
Why did you bail??
Oh, sure. Like I’m just going to take your word for it when it’s clear—CLEAR!—you were just trying to throw us off the scent, Justin.
President Zachary TAYLOR (same last name? coincidence? impossible!) was a confirmed Mason, and it is very likely he had Edgar Allen Poe killed. Why has Justin Taylor been silent on the subject of Edgar Allen Poe on this blog? Hmm? Because like the rest of the literary elites (descended as they are from our Masonic presidents!) he has chosen to, through his silence, eliminate Poe (and Jack London! and El Cid!) from the canon? Hmm?
And what of Justin Taylor’s beard? Is it possible that it is NOT simply an inverse of the nonbeard of Illuminati Architect Nicholas Hawksmoor? Hawksmoor, a practitioner of Theistic Satanism had no beard. Satan is the adversary of man. The adversary of not having a beard is HAVING A BEARD! Taylor emphasizes his connection to Hawksmoor (and Satan!) by follicle metaphor. Hairs have follicles, but so, too, are there OVARIAN FOLLICLES. The ovarian follicle is the bud from which the egg is formed. Egg meets sperm. Embryo is conceived.
Embryoyo is a book by Dean Young. It was published by Believer Books, a division of McSweeney’s. McSweeney’s published Justin Taylor’s symposium on Donald Barthelme. Plato’s Symposium is a series of encomia on the nature of love delivered by a bunch of drunk Greek guys. People who are drunk often wake up to find that they have gotten what, readers?
TATTOOS!
I rest my case.
Very cool. I love the Daniil Kharms tats especially. Badass.
so JT, you have a book about tatts but no tatts?
interesting notion. i’ll just vote for you getting one sometime, as i would vote for anyone getting one.
that’s it. we’re totally adding austin to the book tour. for sxsw, perhaps!
@Catherine Lacey- I had a few different ideas, but the one I found (and still find) the most promising is the line “nor cease thou never now” which comes to us from a Middle English poem/song celebrating the return of spring. You can find it in the Norton anthology of English Literature–though I found it on the cover of an old Songs:Ohia EP.
@Nick Antosca- because I just wasn’t sure, and am still not sure.
@mark- yes, and we talk about this in the video (or anyway, in the sessions which may or may not make the final cut of the video). I actually think that it makes a lot of sense–and also supports the book’s larger argument about the mainstreaming of tattoo-culture–that a person who has no tattoos might still take a legitimate interest in the practice, and the attendant cultural contexts and implications thereof.
@Matthew Simmons- touche, sir. The only connections you missed were HP Lovecraft and the sinking of the Reuben James. But we’ll save that story for another day.
Very cool. I love the Daniil Kharms tats especially. Badass.
interesting notion. i’ll just vote for you getting one sometime, as i would vote for anyone getting one.
if you do get a tattoo, i want to be there..come back to HK for it! (or is that yet just another ploy to get you back here?)
c
if you do get a tattoo, i want to be there..come back to HK for it! (or is that yet just another ploy to get you back here?)
c
That is funny. Pure and simple. Unless you were serious, then it becomes a little creepy! lol
That is funny. Pure and simple. Unless you were serious, then it becomes a little creepy! lol