American tattoo legend Charlie Cartwright, founder of Good Time Charlie's studio in Los Angeles and of the fine-line style with Jack Rudy, talks to Inkers about his latest project: the creation of a tattoo museum in the United States. Located in Long Beach, California, it would be dedicated to preserving the history of the discipline in the mythical location of The Pike, the amusement park that became a hub for the best tattoo artists of the 1960s/1970s.
How did the idea of a museum come about?
Well, I always thought it was important to support the idea of a museum, although it was never considered a reality or something that would go beyond the level of a studio. I understand from Chuck Eldridge, one of the historians of tattooing in the US (www.tattooarchive.com), that there are twenty different mini-museums associated with shops in eight states. So there is no national tattoo museum. But I think it's very important to have one because of its sheer popularity and also because of the more than 100 years of tattooing on this continent.
This museum would be dedicated to the Pike, can you tell us about this place for those who don't know it?
The Pike was a huge amusement park on the West Coast in Long Beach, California. It literally had everything going for it. The typical carnival atmosphere to begin with, with things like human oddities, corndog stands, the stands where you knock over the dolls, shoot the guns, rides, a playhouse, roller coasters... There was a ballroom for dancing, fresh water pools and the beach right next door for swimming. There was no limit to the activities one could have. Not only for the locals and the navy, but also for the foreigners who came from all over the world. It was a port.
Why is this place so important in the history of American tattooing?
Because it was a port of Los Angeles. Because of the number of sailors who parked in the area after unloading their boats, tattoo parlors flourished in this part of California. The public also used the services of tattoo artists and many of them were well known in the business. For this reason alone The Pike, or the Long Beach area, has played an important role in tattooing on the West Coast.
Personally, what is your history with The Pike?
I worked for three years, between 1973 and 1975, and that's when I started tattooing professionally - I would say publicly. Before that I always did things privately. I never worked in a shop or with professional tattoo artists. It was also at the Pike that I learned my skills after a first experience in a shop in Downtown Los Angeles: West Coast Tattoo. Several months later I was sent to the Pike, where I worked for Captain Jim and Jimbo LaPorte, two partners in this shop.
Have there always been tattoo shops?
At least a dozen shops in the early 1950s and 1960s. Bert Grimm was probably the most famous guy, the one with the most history. There was also Lee Roy Minugh who had his own studio. Of the ones I remember, the independents, Lou Lewis was on the steps. Fred Thorton was on the other side of the block, another block from Bert Grimm. Lee Roy was in the next one. At one time Owen Jensen worked for Bert Grimm, but when he became much slower and couldn't see as well, Lee Roy put him there for his last days. Fred Thorton had his own shop, I ended up working with him at West Coast Tattoo.
Who else?
There were a lot of famous tattoo artists like Bob Shaw and Colonel Todd when they bought Bert Grimm's shop. So they themselves were the source of a number of stories. And then they employed people like Bob Roberts. Don Nolan worked there, Bob Heyman, who claimed to be Bert Grimm's nephew, tattooed me there. Those are the ones I remember at the time. Johnny Anderson worked at the Pike for a while as well. There was quite a bit of socialising between them, in close proximity, without much animosity. I think some of them had or might have had differences of opinion, but it was never expressed publicly. At least to my knowledge.
So the Pike was the starting point for many professionals.
There was a certain mystique to working at the Pike and it was a good thing for anyone who had that experience on their CV. Going through the Pike was a kind of formative institution for tattoo artists. A lot of guys got their start there. The Pike was instrumental in the evolution of not only the guys who went there, but also the West Coast style.
Has tattooing always been a lucrative business or has it gone through different waves of popularity?
Tattooing has always been popular in the Pike. There was always a segment of the population to demand to have a tattoo and determined to have one. In that respect, it was popular for a certain number of people, but not for the general public. I've always counted on estimating that half a percent of the general population would get a tattoo if they had the time and money. That's how it was back then. But now it's more like 75% of the public.
What population represented the core of your clientele?
In Long Beach, it was the navy and the foreign merchant marines. At one point, there were half a million American sailors in the area, so you only had to take a small percentage of that to understand that a few shops could stay pretty busy. It was mainly military. However, there were always the lovers who got their names tattooed as well as many of the Los Angeles gangs who were also frequent customers.
What about the Pike today, does it still exist?
The Pike as we knew it no longer exists. There are only corporate shops now and it has become just a very commercial area. There is only one tattoo shop left from the Pike days, Bert Grimm's, which is the oldest continuously operating shop in the US since 1927. It is now operated by Kari Barba who has had it for over twelve years. It is the only remnant of the original location, and I thank her for that. Most Americans should thank her for preserving this piece of American history.
Back to the museum itself, where would it be located and what would it contain?
The museum would be located in Long Beach, California, where The Pike was. I've never collected anything exclusively related to The Pike, but I have a personal history there, because I worked there for about three years, so I have a lot of fond memories of the place.
You say you need two million dollars for this, what would that money be used for?
For the construction and operation of the museum.
What ideas do you have for this project?
The absolute minimum would be to present great exhibitions, but I think it goes beyond that. We are planning to make a series of documentaries which, on their own, will be very useful in educating the world. We hope that this museum will become an international destination. God knows we have enough history to warrant one. I think that beyond the exhibitions and the documentary series, the items that will eventually be available for sale in our online shop will be of great interest.
How can people help you with this project and does it have a timetable?
The main thing they can do, apart from mentally supporting the project from afar, is to donate and contribute to the running of the project by providing financial support and possibly objects that would be protected, preserved and stored properly for display. But at the moment we mainly need money to build a place or to put it into operation. We could start with a smaller version, because it is a project in development. But I think we have the support of a big part of the nation, or even the world, at least I hope so. Many thanks to Kimiko Tokita for her help in making this interview. + IG : @tattoo_heritage_project @gtc_tattooman www.tattooheritageproject.com
