The Ulysses Guide to the Los Angeles River, published by Grime and Horitaka's GK Editions, is a gorgeous book inspired by the Los Angeles River, once unspoiled with a thriving ecosystem but now a graffiti-decorated industrial trench.

The book explores the biology and art surrounding the River with photos, fine art and stories of its plant and animal life, to its concrete canvas that exhibits the work of graffiti artists and inspires others in different mediums; for example, the work of tattoo artists Jack Rudy and Chuey Quintanar are featured in UGLAR.

On February 14th, the Pasadena Museum of California Art (PMCA) will present an exhibition of framed works from the book as well as installation-specific murals, which "recreate the setting of the LA River along with a few imaginative embellishments." Christopher D. Brand, Evan D. Skrederstu, Steve Martinez, and Matthew Brand (co-authors and editors of the book fathered by Ulysses Zemanova) are the guest curators of the exhibit.

The show runs until May 30, 2010. You can purchase the book from GK Editions here.

 
The Lizardman, born Erik Sprague, needs no introduction almost anywhere in the world. He has a new book out that I'll get to soon but first, a quick story:

A few years ago, I was on the Greek island of Chios, where my family is from, and went to a small photo lab to get some pictures printed. Now, Chios isn't your touristy kind of island, and unless you had a satellite dish, there was only a handful of TV channels to watch. But when I came back to the lab to pick the pics up, the owner couldn't contain his excitement: "The Lizardman, The Lizardman!" I stood there stunned and couldn't decide what was more bizarre, that the islanders knew of Erik or the hoppity dance the guy was doing. The shop owner then asked me a slew of questions like how do you know him, are those really tattoos, how do you split a tongue...I got my photo prints, only after answering all he asked, and left one Lizardman photo for him. As I was walking out, he said in English, "Tell Lizardman I like him very much."

The point of this story is that The Lizardman inspires excitement and curiosity from small Greek islands to NYC's Coney Island.

From 2003-2007, The Lizardman satisfied the curiosity of many by answering questions posed to him online in his column, Through the Modified Looking Glass, on BMEZine.com. He also interviewed other performers in his column like Mike Jones, Penn & Teller's tattooed jazz pianist; and Dick Zigun, "The Mayor of Coney Island."

With his book, "Once More Through the Modified Looking Glass," The Lizardman has collected, in one volume, his BME columns with notes and updates, in addition to three never before published columns.

The book is available online at Lulu for about $15. You can also order a special-edition signed and numbered copy (only 250 copies available) by contacting him via email. More info here.

My favorite part of the book is the Q&As, so I figured I'd share a bit with ya:
 
 
What words of advice would you have for someone interested in attempting a full-body transformation through body modification?

Get the rest of your life together first because the transformation will consume you otherwise. Plan, consider, revise, repeat. Find support before you begin. Think twice. Have a life besides the transformation project, in as much as it can take over your life at times, the project itself is not a life or a solution.
 

What is the biggest way your philosophical background affects your outlook on life, both as a modified man and as "just Erik"?

I take philosophy very literally - love of wisdom. Wisdom for me is the practical interpretation and application of knowledge / experience. The experience of life, while an end in and of itself to me, can be further enhanced through the practice of philosophy.
 
 
Why is my cat looking at me like I'm food?

You are food.
 

Having walked around with you in London, it appears to me that people seem more accepting and less fearful of you than some one with maybe only 25% tattoo coverage and a few facial piercings. Why do you think that is?

It's all in the presentation. Today it is a bit easier to attribute it to things like recognition but things today aren't much different than before I became the media whore I am now. I have always said that the key is how you present yourself. Nine times out of ten when people treat you like a jerk it is not because you have mods, it is because you are acting like jerk - walking around with some chip on your shoulder and not giving them the chance to be decent to you. Another theory I have is that it is easier for people to look at my project as just that - a project. It has an obvious theme and that reflects a certain amount of consideration. Even though this is the case for many other people, it is not as obvious to the casual observer and so instead of thinking 'creative person with an overall goal' they think 'punk' or 'thug' who doesn't give damn.
 
 
What wouldn't you do for a truckload of cash? Meaning, is there a moral you won't break for any amount of money?

I once turned down over $10,000 to eat a football as part of the super bowl halftime show. This was the same one that featured the infamous Janet Jackson nipple. Since no one else did it either I guess they dropped the bit or just couldn't find anyone. Frankly, the former seems much more likely. It wasn't so much a moral decision as it just wasn't my thing. I'm sure I could do it but I didn't want to. I don't have a lot of moral objections but I am very obstinate about only doing what I want or absolutely have to do.


Does it creep you out at all that someone has a tattoo of your face?

Not at all. I think it is incredibly cool. I just hope that down the road they still think it is as cool as I do. [You can find that portrait tattoo on this page (scroll down).]


Read more reptilian goodness in "Once More Through the Modified Looking Glass."

I've been obsessing over knuckle tattoos since Nathan Black of KnuckleTattoos.com visited the N+S headquarters in Brooklyn [Moe's Bar], during his 30 Days in the Air Tour via JetBlue.[Check Nathan's airport code tattoos from that trip.]

But considering my equal obsession with being gainfully employed, I found something at the Exit 9 boutique yesterday that could satisfy both:

Temporary Knuckle Tattoos for Him & Her.

Designed by Fred & Friends, the peeps that brought you the Stiletto Door Stopper and Pick Your Nose Party Cups, these temp tattoos seek to have you "toughen up, temporarily." With that kinda talk, I couldn't resist so I forked over five bucks each for two packs -- his and her.

I should've only bought the dude one, however, because I wasn't feeling the female options like "Gold Diga," "Porn Star," "Head Case," "AHot Mess," or "Mean Girl," among other messages a mano. The temp tattoos for him were more my taste: "Book Worm," "This Hurt," "Riff Raff," "Rock Star," "Last Call," & "Geek Life" (shown above). [I'll never be NerdCore as MC Router & her (real) knux but I can play one on the Internet.]

The temps were easy -- but not quick to put on -- and Brian and I giggled over my tattoo nerdiness, but the actual tough part was taking them off as we neither had baby oil nor rubbing alcohol around (the suggested products for removal). Nail polish removal and scrubbing eventually got the temps off, just in time for a work meeting.

They don't call 'em "career killers" for nothin.

Our Holiday Gift Guide is at an end and we'll be back to our regular news, events, and blah blah next week. Gonna run-down the week's posts but before I do, a gift from us to you:

A full free download of the Priestess and the Fool's album Ride On, Santa (by our own Brian Grosz and Saint Bernadette's Meredith DiMenna). It's a collection of re-imagined holiday music for scrooges, atheists, and all types of bah-humbuggery, which features old classics, cult Muppets and a drunken '80s Irish Pogue. Down a bowl of spiked-eggnog & enjoy.

And now the Holiday Gift Guide Round-up:

• * Russian Criminal Tattoo Apparel
• * Black Corset Candles
• * Must Have Books (check the comments for more suggestions)
• * Ambigram Tattoo Designs
• * Me Against the World tees (new advertiser)
• * Father Panik Industries (knuckle tattoo gloves and other accessories & apparel)
• * Body Jewelry Faves
• * Lea Vendetta Art Prints (and upcoming gallery show)

I hope we've helped with your shopping lists. The best gifts you could give us are supporting our advertisers; hitting the donate button (right); posting our banners; sharing our posts on your blogs, Facebook pages and in your Tweets; or just simply keep reading and giving us feedback so we can give ya what you want in a humble tattoo blog.

Much love. More Monday.

Today's gift guide post is inspired by an upcoming art show so I figured I'd meld the two to present the fabulousness of ...

... Lea Vendetta, tattoo artist, painter, model and -- little known fact -- accordion player.

Next Friday, December 11th from 6-10PM, is the opening of Lea's solo show, Sous Le Soleil Exactement (Exactly Under the Sun) at PreviewMod in Fort Lauderdale, FL. In this exhibition, she will present new works and old favorites of her Art Deco depictions of underworld women, from burlesque performers to painted ladies, as well as sultry couples cavorting on dance floors. A large body of her work pays tribute to her native France, particularly Paris (where Lea once walked the fashion runways), with a Moulin Rouge feel.

If you can't make it to the art show, you can purchase prints and cards of some of the works from her new online store. Ok, here's where the gift guide part comes in with a smooth transition.

The coolest thing about Lea's store is that you are given a number options on how you'd like her work printed with a few clicks. For example, you can order a $7 card, a $40 poster, a $50 matted print, or canvas, mounted and framed prints of various sizes ranging from $80 to $270. Delivery takes 10-15 business days.

If you're interested in Lea's wearable art, check her tattoo gallery. She's currently taking appointments at Altered State Tattoo in Lake Worth, Fl. but also does numerous guest spots across the country throughout the year.

Carved bone spirals by Ebone Designs.

Our Holiday Gift Guide ends tomorrow, and I hope we helped tattoo lovers with their lists this week, but we haven't forgotten our pierced pretties out there. Here are picks for top body jewelry available online and off.


* Ebone Designs has been my long time favorite since my old Needled.com days. Owner Dy Robbins in Bali works with local artisans who carve and shape organic materials into gorgeous designs, like the Garuda spirals above and this Dragon loop I love. The prices are very reasonable for these materials and craftsmanship. Check out their clearance page for even better deals. My go-to place for my stretched lobes.

* One Tribe Organics is also an eco-friendly small business comprising young artisans. Their showroom/workshop is in Richmond, VA, and they have a Bali workshop as well. Their wide selection of products are also reasonably priced. My recent faves are the Saraswati Swan in Bloodwood and the Chrysanthemum Moose Antler Plugs [see their statement on using animal byproducts here). Also check their selection of vegan friendly jewelry.

* Reign Custom Design specializes in large gauge plugs and weights that have more bling for ya buck. Their Copper Death Bowls are legendary for being beautiful and badass at the same time. [I'm trying to cut down on my "badass" usage but I'm at a loss for a better word to encapsulate the, well, badassness.] To buy online, download their catalog and email your order or head to BME Shop, which carries much of their merch.

* Venus by Maria Tash will always hold a special place in my heart because, a billion years ago, before Christina, Britney, & Jessica got pierced and adorned at Venus's luxe Broadway studio, I was at their local East Village shop, just a few blocks from my bachelorette pad, getting multiple holes in my body and filling them with gorgeous gold and gemstones. Maria was doin high-end body jewelry from the beginning.

* Le Roi is a larger company with a massive catalog of decently priced jewelry, from surgical steel to niobium to 18k gold. LeRoi Manhattan, which has been around since 1995, recently shacked up with DareDevil Tattoo, so you'll now find piercers in the back of their LES lair.

On a final note ...

A must for long-time piercing lovers and newbies wanting to know more is Elayne Angel's The Piercing Bible, the definitive piercing guide by a practitioner who revolutionized body art.

Oh wait, just one more thing ...

For piercing and tattoo care (and a variety of vegan skin products), check back on our Punk Medics post.

Madonna has Gaultier. Sharon Stone has Calvin Klein. Me...I have Father Panik Industries.

Celebs like Margaret Cho, The Van Zandts, and Dee Snider may model their wares on red carpets, but whose tattooed sleeves are modeling their Knuckle Tattoo Gloves online?

Who wears their hoodies, tees, shorts with the same aplomb, aplomb I say, as Anna Wintour wears dead animals?

And that gold Bad Ass nameplate? Who's tattooed cleavage has been photographed numerous times with that baby on?

Me.

And yet, Father Panik Industries has yet to officially declare me as their fashion muse. Oh, they do have rare moments where they woo me. A text saying they'd like to offer me a free manicure. But in the end they just want my stubby fingers to fill out their latest gloves with the thumb holes for texting tease ease. But I won't do it this year! That is, unless they make me the next tattooed Edie Sedgwick.

A girl's gotta play hard to get.

Or a girl can be totally shameless and tell you to shop the Father Panik Store Online or find them at fairs like the fabulous Gifted Market in Manhattan. If you do stop by their booth, tell them "their muse" sent ya. Maybe it'll work for me. 

Love Me/Hate Me Ambigrams by Tiffany Harvey

I've always wanted an ambigram tattoo -- a blend of lettering art and illusion that can be read upside down to read the same thing (or something completely different) so that the tattoo is a reminder to myself as well as message to others. Now, there are a lot of ambigram tattoo sites but I didn't want computer generated image or cliche word flash, so I went to my next Holiday Gift Guide artist to create personalized designs for me.

Check out Word Illusion, Custom Ambigrams by Tiffany Harvey.

Tiffany offers a variety of fonts, embellishments and arrangements to design your perfect ambigram tattoo. She can create one, two or three word ambigrams but for my design I wanted two separate words that read the same up and down. I picked the font, sent her the words, then sent payment -- $30 each -- via PayPal. [The price may be a bit more than a word generator but it is custom work, and like tattoos, you get what you pay for.] 

The designs take a week to create but with a day or two she had two sample sketches for me. They were both great but I had envisioned something different so she came back with two more designs, and I chose my favorite from those two, both stellar designs.

Now all I need is the courage to tattoo my wrists (my sleeves stop about two inches above the wrist for when I need to be a secret agent).

For a gallery of Tiffany's work, check out her Flickr pages.

One final and important note: Tiffany makes a living designing these ambigrams and yet many have ripped them off -- including a number of tattoo artists -- without compensation. To use a design that has already been created is only ten bucks, so taking a screen grab of her work and tattooing it not only makes one a thief but a cheap ass. You don't want that bad juju going into your body anyway so do the right thing and respect her copyright.