Two New Memoir Releases Feature Portland's "Darker" Side

Tattoo shops and strip clubs sound like pretty good backdrops for memoirs, and are just what you get from these two new releases from Portland based writers.

Tattoo Machine: Tall Tales, True Stories, and My Life in Ink (Spiegel & Grau) by Jeff Johnson the co-owner of The Sea Tramp Tattoo Company, gives readers a behind-the-scenes look at Portland’s oldest tattoo shop.  Johnson will read from Tattoo Machine tomorrow at Powell’s City of Books at 7:30pm.  Here is the books publisher comments:

A behind-the-scenes tour of the fabled tattoo industry on the arm of a swashbuckling insider and natural-born storyteller.

Jeff Johnson, a master tattoo artist and co-owner of the Sea Tramp Tattoo Company, has a blazing personality and a surefire management philosophy: Protect your people, make them feel safe enough to be brave, help them grow, and always learn from them. And for God’s sake, pay attention to the toilets!

In this sharp, funny, and fascinating memoir, Johnson takes readers backstage at the Sea Tramp, Portland Oregon’s oldest tattoo parlor, where art, drama, and commerce come together in highly entertaining theater. Founded by the legendary Bert Grimm, tattoo artist to Buffalo Bill and Bonnie and Clyde, it’s an old-school street shop with a rich and colorful past.

Tattoo Machine reveals all the things that a TV show or a visit to your local establishment can’t capture. There are the bloodbaths, the scams, the customers from hell. And then there are the friendships, the practical jokes, the surprising acts of tenderness. At the center of it all is Jeff Johnson. Welcome to his world, where there are no do-overs, everything is written in permanent ink, and a picture lasts a lifetime.

The second book entitled Magic Gardens: The Memoirs of Viva Las Vegas is set to be released August 1st from Dame Rocket Press an imprint of Portland publisher Ink & Paper Group. Viva Las Vegas has taken turns on the stage as stripper, singer, and actor, while also writing for publications like New York Times, Village Voice, Portland Monthly, and Exotic Magazine.  Magic Gardens tells the story of:

A Midwest preacher’s daughter with a fabulous academic pedigree, Viva could have chosen any career, but chose to become a naked girl. This personalized tour of her milieu offers a unique perspective on a thriving industry that is largely condemned or ignored, while painting portraits of women who are passionate, smart, and entrepreneurial. With language that is at turns gritty and glorious, she preaches new paradigms regarding the sex industry and the women who work in it. Part coming-of-age story, part Portland (Oregon) love letter, and filled with sexy strippers, Magic Gardens appeals to diverse audiences worldwide. It’s a magical tale that makes a valiant case for following one’s dreams, whatever they may be.

Famed Portland filmmaker Gus Van Sant has given his seal of approval to both books.  Of Tattoo Machine he says “an amazing firsthand account of all things you wondered about tattoo shops. I loved it.”, and he declares Magic Gardens “pure Viva.”  Good enough for me.