Big Ten Questions with Larry Brogan
By Mary Gardner
Touched by fate, Larry Brogan, a Chicago southsider, born November 27th,1969 shares his Sagittarian birthday with such legends as Jimi Hendrix and Bruce Lee. An artist since he could pick up a crayon, Larry has pushed himself to create exciting, artistic images, receiving academic honors after graduating from both the School of Airbrush Arts and art school in Joliet, Illinois.
“I can’t say I chose tattooing. Rather, it chose me,” reminisces Brogan. “I started tattooing part-time, when friends pushed me to tattoo them. I was still a diesel mechanic, working hard to pay the mortgage on my first house. It took me a while to realize that I could make a living as a tattoo artist.” Nineteen years later, Larry maintains a fresh, optimistic view of the industry. “The single most important change in the tattoo profession, as I see it,” says Brogan, “is the sheer quality of the artists. Twenty years ago, you could count the great tattoo artists on a couple of hands. Now you need a whole phone book to keep track of the greats, and there are tons of artists still coming at you who don’t put themselves on the Internet or allow themselves to be interviewed by tattoo magazines. After four or five years of tattooing, these young men and women with their amazing artistic abilities are at the top of the A List. It is truly a tattoo renaissance, and I feel extremely fortunate to be a part of it.”
A convention road warrior, Larry spends much of his time traveling and tattooing, working as many as twenty-one tattoo conventions and guest appearances a year. And so it comes as no surprise that Larry’s national and international awards total well over a hundred. His loyal fans and close-friend clients often show their support and admiration by traveling across the country with Brogan. It’s no wonder that this affable and outgoing nice guy has earned an entourage. Despite the hassles of air travel these days, Larry enthusiastically describes his life on the road as far less stressful than the boops and the beeps of running a tattoo shop. And yet, Larry has owned and operated Tattoo City since 1994.
Brogan’s stellar influences consist of first and foremost, the grandmaster of sci-fi fantasy art, Frank Frazetta.“ Without discovering Franzetta’s paintings as a child on the cover of books such as Conan the Barbarian,” remembers Brogan, “I may not have been inspired to pursue art the way I did. My tattoo influences include the usual suspects such as Guy Aitchison, Filip Leu, Cap Szumski and Paul Jefferies to more recent heavyweights like Joe Capobianco, Nick Baxter, Nikko Hurtado, Jeff Gogué, Kory Flatmo, Steve Moore and Bob Tyrrell.”
“The people I meet, the places I have been to and the trust people put in me to create an everlasting image on their bodies makes this one of the best careers in the world,” affirms Larry. In describing his stature in the tattoo business, Brogan includes his willingness to share information with newcomers. “Allowing people to look over my shoulder at conventions and ask questions keeps me on my toes, as well as help build a stronger art community,” he says. “If I can improve their tattooing ability by even one percent, that’s a step in the right direction. I’ve never understood the old-timers who threaten to cut your thumbs off if you open a shop down the street or chase you down the block if you ask for inside information of our craft. I continually have a lot to live up to, so I can’t rest on my laurels, not even for a minute.”
Be on the lookout for Larry’s new, as yet untitled, book, co-authored with Jim Bush, that documents a three-week, forty-nine-hundred mile motor cycle road trip highlighting the history and roadside attractions of U.S. Route 66. The book will feature concept-to-completion of a two-sleeve, full backpiece, fifties-themed history of this, the most famous stretch of road in the country.
1. If you weren’t a tattoo artist, what would you be? I’d be a painter/illustrator.
2. Whom do you most admire? My dad.
3. What is your favorite word? The F-word. You can use it in just about every context.
4. What is your least favorite word? No.
5. What piece of advice would you give to a newcomer to the business? Pursue an art education. You won’t make it far in this profession without one. That and draw your ass off.
6. What is your greatest accomplishment? Developing my career and maintaining my shop.
7. What is your greatest regret? I wish I’d pursued art earlier in my education, instead of majoring in electronics.
8. What kind of music do you like to listen to while you work? Mostly classic rock—Jimi Hendrix and Pink Floyd.
9. What is your favorite part of tattooing? Being able to put my own art and ideas on a living body that walks around and displays my work. It’s the coolest.
10. What would you like to change about tattooing? The old negative stereotypes and stigma that labels anyone with tattoos as bad people.
Larry Brogan
Tattoo City
14508 South Archer Ave.
Lockport, Illinois 60441
(815) 836-8282
www.larrybrogan.com
www.tattoocityskinart.com
Contact Mary Gardner at mary@tattooroadtrip.com.
