Jeff Johnson Books
Words from the author of Tattoo Machine
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Tattoo Machine

November 12th 2009 in Tattoo Machine

Tattoo Machine by Jeff Johnson
“THE ATMOSPHERE CRASHES IN, a singular vibe refined by generations, part carnival midway and part hypermodern clinic, with a splash of a foreign bar from a fragment of a dream, all wrapped in a fragrant mélange of soap, solvents, and pheromones. It’s Saturday and the stereo blares an opera from the Met. A creepy German woman is going on about something, God knows what, but she’s clearly insane and has found her perfect venue at long last. Every square inch of the walls is covered in a dense riot of bright, twisting images. Everything is buzzing, the atmosphere charged to explode, like a claymore mine packed with acorns of magic.

In front of me this beautiful canvas sighs, indicating her willingness to proceed. There is a dimple in the swell of her hip. A lone freckle rides high on her side. These features will be my frame for the next few hours.”

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John Irving on Tattoo Machine

March 25th 2010

“There are terrific stories in this book–not just tattoo stories, although Jeff Johnson has many good ones, but also stories about human nature.  Jeff Johnson is a gifted and natural storyteller, and he knows about things you don’t know.”
– John Irving, author of Last Night in Twisted River, Until I Find You, The Fourth Hand, [...]

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Tattoo Machine Nominated for the Alex Award

February 9th 2010

The Alex Awards, given by the American Library Association, are given to ten books written for adults that have special appeal to young adults, ages 12 through 18.  Tattoo Machine is among the vetted nominees.
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/alexawards/2010nominations.cfm

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The Garbocologist Published in Spring 2009 Edition of Weird Tales

January 29th 2010

Writer Jeff Vandermeer states:  “I should note there’s some awesome stuff in this issue, but “The Garbacologist” is perhaps the most awesome.”

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Katherine Dunn Reviews Tattoo Machine

January 29th 2010

The topic is prickly, but Tattoo Machine is a charmer. Jeff Johnson is a sharp-eyed master tattoo artist, and an extraordinary writer. His own remarkable story of up-from-under redemption weaves through this engaging, gritty, and meticulous examination of the shadowed art of personal symbolism. As co-owner and manager of the famed Sea [...]

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Publisher’s Weekly Review of Tattoo Machine

January 29th 2010

Tattoo parlors are showcases for the socially disreputable, the brazenly nonconformist and the indelibly creative, all on display in this colorful memoir. First-time author and veteran tattoo artist Johnson has a million tales of the tattoo demimonde, who come to his Sea Tramp in Portland, Ore., as well as tattoo shops around the country. Into [...]

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Washington Post Book Review: Tattoo Machine

January 29th 2010

In addition to the interwoven account of how the author survived a messed-up youth (which included crime) to become co-owner of the Sea Tramp, the oldest tattoo parlor in Portland, Ore., and a brief but very interesting history of the business and how it works, Mr. Johnson delivers a virtual cornucopia of rogues and rascals. [...]

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NY Post Reviews Tattoo Machine

January 29th 2010

In “Tattoo Machine,” Jeff Johnson gives a salty tour of the shops that nervous mothers once forbade their sons and daughters from visiting. As the co-owner of Sea Tramp Tattoo Company in Portland, Oregon, and a practicing artist who has wielded an ink-and-needle gun that “smacks the skin between 60 and 120 times per second” [...]

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Monsters of Ink: Tattoo Machine Reviewed in Portland Mercury

January 29th 2010

In his new book Tattoo Machine, Jeff Johnson does something I wouldn’t have thought possible in a town as ink-saturated as Portland: He makes tattoos seem cool again. Johnson is co-owner of the Sea Tramp, the oldest tattoo parlor in Oregon, and his behind-the-scenes account of life in the industry is a swaggering, gossipy read.
Read [...]

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Tattoo Machine Featured in the Oregonian

January 28th 2010

The Sea Tramp Tattoo Co. is the oldest tattoo parlor in Portland, but it’s not the Shop That Time Forgot. Sure, there are some old military recruiting posters high on the south wall, and some of the flash — the drawings by tattoo artists that show their skills — that covers the walls dates back [...]

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Interview with Jeff in TIME Magazine

January 28th 2010

Most tattoo artists prefer not to share the tricks and tales of their trade, but not Jeff Johnson. In his newly released memoir, Tattoo Machine, the Portland-based inkman shares some of the weirdest, wackiest and most disgusting details of his profession, from cleaning up after chudders (look it up) to the time he tattooed a [...]

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Jeff Interviewed on New Hampshire Public Radio

January 28th 2010

Listen to the interview:
Radio Interview: Jeff on New Hampshire Public Radio – 8-3-09

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Interview with Jeff on AM Northwest

January 28th 2010

In which he tells a great version of the Texas flag story.
Watch the video:
http://www.katu.com/amnw/segments/51430122.html

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