Johnny Depp, Iggy Pop, Jim Jarmusch, Eugene Hutz (frontman of Gogol Bordello), Joe Coleman (world-renowned painter), and Kelly Cutrone (TV personality/fashion publicist) are among those sharing memories about legendary tattoo artist Jonathan Shaw in the documentary feature Scab Vendor: Confessions of a Tattoo Artist.
Scab Vendor - which will be available On Digital and On Demand July 30 via Dark Star Pictures - examines the life of Shaw, who opened his Fun City Tattoo studio in New York City before tattooing was even legal in Manhattan.
Also featuring stories from Jonathan Shaw himself, the film is based on his 2017 book of the same name, and features music from Iggy Pop and Gogol Bordello. The film’s key art is from legendary cartoonist Robert Crumb.
Official Synopsis: A look at the life of Jonathan Shaw, the son of bandleader Artie Shaw and Hollywood starlet Doris Dowling. After overdosing in his 20s, Jonathan learned from the best American tattoo artists and quickly became the go-to tattoo artist in NYC. His Fun City Tattoo Studio opened before tattooing was legal in Manhattan and was frequented by his friends, Johnny Depp and punk legend Iggy Pop. Scab Vendor explores how a man, at the height of his career, chose to give up on his celebrity lifestyle to escape from his own vicious cycle.
Scab Vendor - which will be available On Digital and On Demand July 30 via Dark Star Pictures - examines the life of Shaw, who opened his Fun City Tattoo studio in New York City before tattooing was even legal in Manhattan.
Also featuring stories from Jonathan Shaw himself, the film is based on his 2017 book of the same name, and features music from Iggy Pop and Gogol Bordello. The film’s key art is from legendary cartoonist Robert Crumb.
Official Synopsis: A look at the life of Jonathan Shaw, the son of bandleader Artie Shaw and Hollywood starlet Doris Dowling. After overdosing in his 20s, Jonathan learned from the best American tattoo artists and quickly became the go-to tattoo artist in NYC. His Fun City Tattoo Studio opened before tattooing was legal in Manhattan and was frequented by his friends, Johnny Depp and punk legend Iggy Pop. Scab Vendor explores how a man, at the height of his career, chose to give up on his celebrity lifestyle to escape from his own vicious cycle.
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Short filmTranscript
00:00This is her first tattoo, so I might as well tell you,
00:03this stings a little bit.
00:05Oh, here comes Aunt Jonathan Shaw.
00:08Here comes trouble.
00:10Jonathan came in at a period of time
00:12when there was a real major renaissance
00:14happening in tattooing.
00:15He was world famous before any of us knew who he was.
00:19He's one of those gruff, old-school scab vendors, man.
00:24My childhood was a typical American dream nightmare.
00:28We'd hang out at Jim Morrison's place in Laurel Canyon
00:31or Frank Zappa's big log cabin down the road.
00:37Room 27, Hotel Buenos Aires.
00:39That's where I began my crooked tattoo journey.
00:45Artist Jonathan Shaw is to tattoo
00:47what Jimi Hendrix was to rock and roll.
00:50Jonathan was always surrounded by culture,
00:52whether it be low culture or high culture.
00:55Tattoos, drugs, sex, rock and roll.
01:00Jonathan was kind of a maniac back then.
01:03If you came to Jonathan's door and knocked on it,
01:05most likely he was going to open the door with a shotgun.
01:11Everything at times with him was a challenge.
01:16He saw art in tattooing like nobody else saw it.
01:19And he saw tattooing in other people's art.
01:22He saw tattooing in other people's art.
01:24The quest for redemption through art
01:26has been the only thing I ever did
01:28that didn't end up in the f***ing toilet.
01:39He really kind of helped elevate
01:42the consciousness of tattooing.
01:52Tattoos, drugs, sex, rock and roll.