Jeremy Friesen

Miss. C: Tell us a little about yourself. Who are you and where do you come from? Jeremy: My name is Jeremy and I'm a tattooer. I grew up in Saskatchewan and spent many winters drawing, trying to be a musician (by which I mean playing punk rock, not real music), and generally annoying my parents. Miss. C: What got you into tattooing in the first place? Jeremy: I fucking hate this question. I don't know. Does anyone ever really know? I'm not one of those people who fancies themselves some sort of gift to the art world "wanting to learn a new medium". I cringe every time I hear somebody say something like that. Tattooing is working class grunt art, not some art fag, abstract, "look what I can do, I'm special" medium. It's putting fucking pictures on people's fucking skin. Sorry. It's early, and I've only had one coffee today. When I started tattooing it was still a little bit on the fringe of society and I liked that. I liked that you could walk into a tattoo shop and not know if someone was going to get punched out. Loud music, swearing, wearing whatever the fuck I want to work... Basically I started tattooing because I don't belong in an office with nice people; I need to be segregated from polite society. That, and I started doing construction when I was a kid, and it wasn't that much fun anymore. Miss. C: As a tattooer, who influences you? Jeremy: My customers. I don't really look at other tattooers' work anymore, everything on myspace looks the same. When it comes to tattooing, my customers tell me what they want and bring in pictures of tattoos they found on Google. I throw those pictures in the garbage, find something that has nothing to do with tattoos, and I draw something for them. So, I guess that would mean I'm influenced by customers, nature and real life. Drawing and painting for fun is a different story; I tend to get most of my inspiration for that from tattoos. Miss. C: In five words, describe your apprenticeship. Jeremy: Full Of Threats Of Violence. Miss. C: What is the best thing about being a tattooer? Jeremy: Being a T.V. star. Miss. C: In your own words, tell me what "American Traditional" tattoos are. Jeremy: American Traditional tattoos are the tattoos that guys in the military and bikers got back when tattoos were dangerous. I don't consider anything that didn't come off a sheet of flash "traditional". They were drawn to be tattooed quickly, look good, and when they are done right they stand the test of time. It's also not something I tend to take pictures of. Miss.C: You have recently attended the Calgary Tattoo and Arts Festival. Do you have any plans for guest appearances or conventions in the near future? Jeremy: The Calgary convention really just fell in my lap and wasn't planned at all. If I had more than just a couple of minutes to think about it before committing, I don't think I would have bothered. It's a lot of work to pack up all your shit, take it somewhere, unpack it, and then tattoo in an unfamiliar environment. After that convention, I think I'm good for another six or seven years again. I do like guest spots though. I'd like to do more, but living on Vancouver Island sort of makes that a little inconvenient. I have to plan my travels around flights or ferries, plus I love it here so it's hard to tear myself away and go somewhere else. Miss. C: Anything else you want to say? Jeremy: Tattooing isn't for kids. It's not a game or a constant party. It's not like it looks on T.V. It's hard work, it's dangerous, and it doesn't belong in a kitchen. Leave it to the professionals. Oh, and watch the Simpsons. ___________ Jeremy can be found working at Tattoo Zoo (www.tattoozoo.net) in Victoria, Canada, and occasionally on his days off he's in the Cowichan Valley teaching people how to ride motorcycles. (www.vimotorcycleschool.com) ___________ Note from Miss. Chief: I happen to know Jeremy in real life, and yes, he's as much of a jerk as he sounds in his interview. Luckily he has the sense of humor, the work ethic and the beautiful blue eyes to back it up. (That last part is from my mom, Jeremy! Call her!) I took this picture of Jeremy one day when there was a freak power outage two minutes before he was finished with this girl's tattoo. Between the two of them, they figured out a way to finish it...