new interview!

Brandon Bond is one of the most interviewed tattoo artists on the planet. Tattoo artist interviews are usually based on a "paint by numbers" list of uninteresting questions. "What are your influences?" "How long have you been tattooing?" and other retarted inquiries flodded his first 60 articles or so.
In an attempt to avoid this, Brandon posted a request for questions that YOU GUYS wanted to know about on the messageboard form on www.allornothingtattoo.com This is a collection of those quetions and his answers and will be used in the next round of interviews and featured articles worldwide.

The forum thread that produced this: http://www.allornothingtattoo.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1100

Q) What do you visualize before developing a tattoo?

A) The flow on the body and the ability to determine what the image is from afar is key. I work with a body part and go crazy with it.

Q) If you could tattoo anyone in the world (living or dead), who would it be and what would you tattoo on them?

A) I would tattoo a picture of Tupac on Jesus Christ. With an AK under it that says M.O.B. (money over b*tches) - or I would tattoo satan, with "la vida loca"

Q) do you ever sleep?

A) Yes but Not nearly enough, even my staff has no idea what goes on at the office everyday, theres no way they could - webguys see the webstuff, artists see the clients, stranglehold folks see the stranglehold orders, printers see the printing, the graphics dept sees the graphics, but I am the only person that sees ALL of it. Im not complaining a bit - thats the job I signed on for when I created this chaotic circus. Haters can say whatever they want, but no one has EVER called me lazy.

Q) What is up with your obsession with guns?

A) I get a lot of sh*t for the whole interest in guns from some folks, heres the deal: I was born into a wonderful family, I was taught that the protection of that family is my job as a loving participant. I was taught to shoot guns before I even knew what a cuss word was. I was taught safety, respect, and regard for human life, I was taught that a gun is as safe as its owner, and I am extremely careful with my firearms.

I love shooting, my father loves shooting, my wife loves it and a LOT of our staff and clients love it. I have very little free time, and what free time I have I like to spend with close friends and quality firearms, its a hobby, like quilting. It has NOTHING whatsoever to do with my job, or the 4 buisnesses I own.

I have been trained in tactical shooting, entry, sub-gun, long-gun, shotgun and hand-gun courses by our local SWAT team, as well as shot piles of law enforcement guns at law enforcement targets with the guidance of law enforcement officers. I have had extensive military training with a Lt Colonel involved in special forces focusing on disarming people and using their weapons against them, and Dave Tedder and I have been training off and on for over a year with a DEA firearms teacher (with an incredibly STRICT ciriculum. Its what we love to do, thats all.

Q) How did you get to be as good as you are and who was your teacher?

A) I had many teachers - in the since that I looked at tattoo magazines and lived in tattoo shops - but no one ever really sat me down and showed me much of anything after my "apprenticeship". I started tattooing at a small shop in FT Walton Beach FL that is still there called "TATTOO ZOO".

I think that I achieved the level of sucess that I have based on hard work - tattooing constantly, never giving in, focusing on nothing else, for over a decade. Perseverance, constant and throbbing. I tried everything, every machine I could, every ink, and when I was asleep I was still dreaming about tattooing.

I focused on it so much that I started to "resent" tattooing believe it or not. The buisness side of our empire is constantly attempting to take me out of tattooing, and have me focus all my energy on paperwork, advertisement, websites, etc.

It became second nature while simultaneously consistently reminding me of the life I was missing around me. I did nothing but tattoo related activities for year after year, worked seven days a week, moved city to city based solely on trying to be closer to better artists. I worked in 50 shops! If i didnt figure out how to do a decent tattoo after all that I figured I'd just go back to being a musician.

Q) Who was Brandon Bond before he was the tattoo artist?

A) I was a musician, I played guitar, keyboards, pianos, drums, bass, anything that made noise - tattooing was an easier way to make money so honestly it was my 2nd choice and I have always regretted that decision in a way.

Q) When you started All or Nothing Tattoo it was just you and a couple of other artists, today you have 11 tattooartists and a piercer, why you think all this grew so fast?

A) Actually we have a staff of over 70 people including webguys, graphics guys etc... it grew as fast as it did because we ar