8 Years ago I wandered in of the street into a shitty little hippy shop in Glasgow and spontaneously had my nose pierced...4 years later I joined the Kamikaze Freak Show.
At A Glance Author Monoslug Contact [email protected] Artist Erm Me I guess Studio various stages around the UK Location United Kingdom I remember the first audition very well.
"This is a beaver trap" said Mr J Kamikaze
"OK" said I
"I want you to stick your hand in it"
"OK...what's the trick?"
"Oh no trick with this one"
"OK...wont that break my hand?"
"don't worry about that. Just stick your hand in and don't jerk it back."
I was a tad nervous at this point. The bloody trap was rusty and looked as if it was gonna give me instant blood poisoning, but...
SNAP
"That was a piece of piss" said me
"Told you" said he.
You see the thing I learned that day was trust. Not just the usual friendship trust thing but a trust that stepped into the realm of personal and group safety. In the show we did there were various moments where this distinct trust reared its ugly head. For example pulling a curved sword from the throat of Mr K as he,unknown to the audience,was making nasty choking sounds and bleeding. I had to trust he was OK but at the same time watch for the moment when the line of safety was drawing close.
We did a lot of outwardly crazy shit in that show. Everything from meathooks through backs pulling people ( The first time I did it they were fucking blunt ), eating the usual broken glass, swallowing neon tubes, eating locust, putting my genitals at the mercy of about 100 Chinese fire-crackers and other acts of general freaking.
The most amazing feat we ever pulled off was the astounding lack of injuries sustained. I personally only came out with a case of roasted genitals and a few mild glass cuts. I would say we were lucky... If I didn't know it was reasonably safe, if you had trust in your colleagues.
The same goes for the trust in your piercer/tattooist. If you cant trust this individual to do their job to the best of their ability then why risk it.
RANT
In my 5 years in the industry, from front of shop to body piercer, I have witnessed acts of stupidity, insanity and incompetence on the part of piercers and piercees alike. Imagine being so idiotic as to grab your piercers hand as they pierce you!!! Now I understand that you need to relax your customer as much as you can to minimise such behaviour and I am by reputation very good at it, but some people are so afraid of a small pin prick that they will risk their own safety as well as mine for the sake of fucking fashion.
I know the risks of my job very well and if everything is carried out in the usual safety first manner then accidents are minimised, but not eradicated. I personally am at the point where I am ready to quit my career. It has gotten to the point where I cannot trust my customers to behave in a sane manner and thus risk my health and their own.
The main problem that I can see is that it is no longer the domain of sound minded freaky people, but also Mr and Mrs average Joe and thier kids who want some modification. Also most of these people have had little or no experience of pain or discomfort due to thier rather sheltered lives in everyday urban hell. What I see as a small pressured sensation they see as a fucking big needle coming at them to cause big PAIN.
So what to do eh?
Well I could be a complete hippy and start using incense and oils to calm and relax my clients ( tho most would laugh at the thought and dismiss it instantly ), I could vet my piercees for mental insecurities or illness thus reducing the risk of involuntary muscle spasms or I could knock them out with a hammer...
I am open to any theories on this one.
The other major issue I have is the skill of piercers who freely operate everyday on anyone who walks through the door.
I was personally trained by a fuck wit. She had no idea about safety or hygiene all she had was a coke problem and crossed eyes ( I'm not joking ). Everything I was taught I had to go back over myself to correct using common sense and acquired knowledge from doctors and dentists. I also never let slip the knowlege that no matter how much I know I will still know nothing, so I continue to learn and usually find something everyday that makes my job safer or easier.
In the meantime back to thinking about a safe career in IT.