Do you know about Sailor Jerry? It’s a brand of Rum, which even at 92 proof is smoother than 80 proof Captain Morgan. It’s excellent straight, neat, or mixed with Coke or root beer. Antonio Alvendia prefers Sparky’s Root Beer, and after trying it myself, I can see why. The stuff is amazing. Anyway, Sailor Jerry was also a guy. Read up: Norman Keith Collins (January 14, 1911 – June 12, 1973) was a prominent American tattoo artist who was also known as “Sailor Jerry.”
Life
Collins was born on January 14, 1911 in Reno, Nevada. As a child, he hopped freight trains across the country and learned tattooing from a man named Tatts Thomas, who is credited for showing him how to use tattoo machines. Practicing on drifters, he later sailed the Pacific Ocean before settling in Hawaii. A big brute with a dirty mouth, he often wore plain white T-shirts that exposed his ink-sleeved arms. Mike Malone, who took over Sailor Jerry’s shop after he died, described Jerry as “a class-A pirate.”
At age 19, Collins enlisted in the United States Navy. It was during his subsequent travels at sea when he was exposed to the art and imagery of Southeast Asia. He remained a sailor for his entire life thereafter. Even during his career as a tattoo artist, he worked as a licensed skipper of a large three-masted schooner, on which he conducted tours of the Hawaiian islands.
Sailing and tattooing were only two of his professional endeavors. He played saxophone in his own dance band and for years, frequently hosted his own radio show on KTRG, where he lectured against the impending downfall of the American political system by infiltration of liberals. He was a prolific writer and carried on in-depth communications with many pen-pals throughout the world.
Legacy of Sailor Jerry
Collins entrusted his artwork to his two proteges, Ed Hardy and Mike Malone, both of whom have become prominent figures in their own right. Hardy, who turned down an MFT scholarship to Yale in order to pursue tattooing, is known for his artistic sophistication and large-scale tattoos. Malone, who designed under the name “Rollo Banks”, and was known for his conceptual boldness and distinctive designs, died in 2007.
In 1999, Hardy and Malone partnered with a small independent Philadelphia clothing company to establish Sailor Jerry Ltd., which owns Norman’s letters, art, and flash, and produces clothing and an idiosyncratic collection of other items, such as ash trays, sneakers, playing cards, church keys and shot glasses. As an anti-sweatshop company, Sailor Jerry Ltd. produces nearly all its items in the United States. Items are sold on the company’s web site or from the Sailor Jerry Store at 116 S. 13th Street in Philadelphia, which frequently plays host to performances by independent musicians. The company also showcases rising talents with its “Artist Series”, which it describes as a way to “keep Sailor Jerry’s legacy alive and kicking”.
Sailor Jerry Ltd.
Sailor Jerry Ltd. produces a 92 proof spiced Navy rum featuring a quintessential Sailor Jerry hula girl on the label. As the bottle is emptied, additional Pin-up girls designed by Sailor Jerry are visible on the inner side of the label. The rum is distilled in the U.S. Virgin Islands. It takes its influence from cheap Caribbean rum, which sailors would spice with flavors from the Far East and Asia to make it more enjoyable to drink.
Sailor Jerry Tattoos
Popular symbols used by Sailor Jerry include:
* Bottles of booze
* Snakes
* Wild cats
* The infamous “Aloha” monkey
* Eagles, falcons and other birds of prey
* Swallows
* Motor heads and pistons
* Nautical stars
* Classically styled scroll banners
* Knives, guns and other weapons
* Dice
Collins expanded the array of colors available by developing his own safe pigments. He created needle formations that embedded pigment with much less trauma to the skin, and he was one of the first to utilize single-use needles and hospital-quality sterilization. His attention to detail was so precise that the depiction of rigging in his nautical tattoos was said to be perfectly accurate. Artistically, his influence stems from his union of the roguish attitude of the American sailor with the mysticism and technical prowess of the Far East. He maintained a close correspondence with Japanese tattoo masters during his career. He regarded tattoos as the ultimate rebellion against “the Squares”. He took the bold line style of tattooing and incorporated what he learned from his correspondences with the Japanese masters, known as Horis. He brought this style to the Sailor Jerry Tattoo parlor he opened on Hotel Street in Honolulu.
Sailor Jerry’s last studio was in Honolulu’s Chinatown, then the only place on the island where tattoo studios were located. He thrived in the hotbed of competition. His work was so widely copied, he took to printing “The Original Sailor Jerry” on his business cards.
This article was lifted straight from Wikipedia. Deal with it.
.: Bohan
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