If you’re a fan of Paul Booth chances are you’ll like Ryan Gillikin. Gillikin was recently featured on Weird News because of the oddities he collects and displays in his tattoo shop. Gillikin and his wife have owned the shop, Almighty Studios, for ten years and both are fans of body modification. Gillikin has horns and a surgically bifurcated (split) tongue which helps add to the atmosphere he’s going for with his collection.
Some of the items Ryan has on display in his shop include a pickled hand, an original piece of artwork by John Wayne Gacy, and a mummified cat. Creepy, dark stuff.
Part of his collection will be featured on the show “Oddities” which is shown on the Science Channel. It’s about a ventriloquist’s dummy that is thought to be possessed. Dummies, dolls, and clowns – they all freak me out.
Although I found this article published in a couple places on the web, I really wasn’t clear on why Ripley wants the Mexican Vampire Woman’s cast in their museum. I heard in the video that she was the most “unusual woman” so we’ll go with that.
Her name is Maria Jose Cristerna but she’s better known as the Mexican Vampire woman. It’s the combination of her completely tattooed body along with the many skin and dental implants the woman has. Including vampire fangs. Her tattoos tell the story of her life and the hardships she went through as a battered housewife. Now she’s using the publicity she attracts to raise money for a battered woman’s shelter located in Mexico.
Ripley’s says it will eventually have life sized wax statues of Maria throughout the world. Her tattoos will be hand painted on each statue.
This story combines two of my favorite topics – tattoos and dogs. This is about a big burly bunch of ex cons, covered with tattoo work, which have made a difference in the city of New York. They rescue defenseless animals from abusive homes and miserable conditions. These ex-cons are making up for their past lives by doing a great service on behalf of abused animals. They formed Rescue Ink in 2008 and then in 2009 National Geographic turned their cause into a reality show.
This week they are traveling to my home town, Albany, to support New York’s Buster’s Law. There is a proposal this week to strengthen the existing law by advocating stronger consequences for animal abuse. Something they are all for. They can help the cause by rescuing these animals but if the scumbags that are guilty of this abuse just get a slap on the wrist then they’ll continue to abuse animals. At least if we can throw their ass in jail, they may think twice.
They are the perfect choice when the situation calls for getting tough and making their point to the owners of the animals.
This is a picture of a very interesting woman. Not just because of her extreme body modification either. Most of the extremists I’ve read about or have seen in person, travel the convention circuit and they can actually survive doing various related shows and appearances. They create a career with their unique look.
This woman is a Mexican tattoo artist by the name of Maria Jose Cristerna. Nicknamed – Vampire Woman. She has also been a lawyer in a previous career. She comes from a family with serious religious beliefs and she went to religious schools.
She came from a very abusive background and relates her transformation with her liberation from her past.
Cristerna, mom to 4 kids, has tattooed nearly 100 percent of her body, has dental implants to look like vampire fangs, has multiple piercings, and titanium implants on her forehead and temple area. Maria says besides the physical alterations, her life is normal.
Hopefully, one of the major tattoo magazines will get a story on the woman – I’d like to hear more.
John Lynch, also known as Prince “John” Albert”, is quite a unique character whose story is just as interesting as his visible appearance. He is known for having the most piercings of anyone in the UK where he resides. You may recognize him from tattoo and piercing sites, tattoo conventions, and magazines. I’ve seen his picture in the media but never thought much about the man behind the metal. Until I read an interesting interview with him.
He worked in the banking industry for over 30 years and didn’t start getting tattoos and piercings until after he left this long running career. He was married for over 20 years and has a daughter and two grandchildren. He eventually admitted he was gay and left his marriage. He went from a banking career to managing a gay porn book shop. You might say this was the turning point of John’s life as well as a major career change. continue reading
Yes, another big breakthrough in the degree of understanding from “the mainstream”. A new law that wasn’t highly publicized but yet went into effect in January. It put an end to the 12 month waiting period that people were forced to comply with after getting some ink work done. The powers that be have come to their senses and realize the majority of shops and tattoo artists are responsible professional artisans and people are no longer going down to the local sleazy parlor to get a tattoo from a used, disease ridden needle. continue reading
Some of the items Ryan has on display in his shop include a pickled hand, an original piece of artwork by John Wayne Gacy, and a mummified cat. Creepy, dark stuff.
