Hell City Tattoo Festival ‘09: Let it Bleed
May 29th-31st, Killumbus, OH
Hell City, the tattoo festival mentioned heavily in my article on Durb Morrison recently, rolled through Columbus this past weekend. I’ve been going to the festival since its premiere back in 2002. During its early years Hell City was fresh, new, and exciting. It quite literally changed the landscape of what convention goers expected out of a tattoo convention. First and foremost, it was one of the first festivals to really capitalize on the transfer of the center of the tattoo industry from the biker community to the arts/music community.
This is a transition that had been taking place since the ‘90s, but Hell City really seemed to mark the changing of the color guard. Morrison booked punk, hardcore and rockabilly acts to play that first convention, as well as freak shows, fine art displays, tattoo memorabilia, and even live body suspensions. A bit of legendary Hell City lore: the Hyatt actually denied the request to perform the suspensions so the troupe famously performed a live human tug-of-war instead, with the rope attached to the performers via hooks in the flesh of their backs.
As years went by, more and more festivals started to implement some of the ideas first popularized by Hell City. As conventions around the country started to adapt, Hell City slowly lost some of its flare for me, culminating in my not even going onto the convention floor at the 2008 festival (you don’t have to pay to hang at the bar!!!). For the tattoo community, this adaptation is actually a good thing. While Hell City is, in my book, still the best convention in the country, not everyone can afford to come to Columbus from several states away, so it would be nice if conventions closer to home offered more. Hell City’s popularity has made this a reality.
On top of that, the past few years marked the height of the popularity of shows like Miami Ink and LA Ink, as well as artists like Kat Von D (I don’t fancy tattooists who gain fame that way, although she is getting good since I first heard of her). The sort of crowd this heightened attention drew was kind of a put off although, like most tattooed people, I want tattoos to become more and more socially acceptable so I, in turn, accept the increasing popularity.
This year, however, Hell City felt just like it did seven years ago. There was no Kat Von D, and therefore, no tele-junkies following her every move. The crowd was larger than last year, and the attendees seemed more psyched than usual. My normal tattoo convention buddies didn’t make the trip this year, but some other friends did; plus I made some wonderful, new friends throughout the weekend as well. I got to hang out with Famous Gabe, which is always something I look forward to. While I didn’t get tattooed by Gabe this year, we did plan on some pretty serious sleeve action to take place later this summer.
If the above wasn’t proof enough that this year upped the ante once again, living legends Lyle Tuttle and Philadelphia Eddie were both in attendance, solidifying the convention’s status as the place to be. Also, for the first time ever, Hell City was host to a roast of one of the industry’s own: collector, judge and MC, Chris Longo. The only man missing was Jack Rudy, who actually did take part in the roast via satellite.
As usual, a bevy of Suicide Girls were on hand to award the trophies for the tattoo competitions. These trophies are the best on the convention circuit, by the way. They are always spectacularly designed, with previous years featuring designs by artists like Don Pendleton and Joe Capobianco. Speaking of Joe, he was on hand and had a crowd surrounding his booth the entire weekend. His work truly is that seminal, and he always garners that kind of attention.
This year plenty of old collectors came out of the woodwork, as I saw more seniors with sleeves and body suits than in many of the previous years. The whole tattoo community was represented, from the bikers, the old timers, the hip hoppers, the punks, the metalheads, and indie kids right to the deviants. It sure felt like home again. The only thing left to do now is book my flight and room for Hell City’s Tattoo Vacation at the Biltmore in Phoenix. I hope to see you there!
–Luke Toney, photos by Alison Toney
