E: You came to England to learn piercing from P. Barry. Isn’t it possible to learn this in Germany?

Tom: Maybe, but I have a lot of friends in England. So I naturally went there. Also, piercing has a long tradition in England.

E: What body part would be recommended for the first tattoo?

Tom: For a woman I would say: The shoulder, the buttocks, the breasts or pubic area. There is also a nice spot above the ankle. The upper thigh is good but then the tattoo should be a bit bigger.

E: Are there any tattoos that you won’t do?

Tom: I don’t do political things or the name of a girl on a man, except they both do it at the same day. Then they both can fuss about it when they divorced or separated.

E: Do you work at bike-shows?

Tom: Working on bike-shows is against my principles. I don’t worry about that most people get drunk at these shows but I don’t think it’s good that they wake-up the next morning wondering where the tattooing is coming from on their body. I feel that a biker festival is not the right place to get a tattoo. A important decision, where the people should know what they really want. Also the fact of alcohol in the blood makes it difficult to make a good tattoo. The possibilities of really hygienic aspects of festivals like those are very small. Most of the time there is no running water and the air is full of smoke. That’s why I say you should keep it separated. A tattoo should be done in the studio or on a special for that kind of exhibition prepared tattoo convention.

E: I’ll bet it’s a lot more satisfying if people visit you knowing exactly what they want?

Tom: Not always. I also like to advice people, in what is possible. I always have to laugh if a customer says, he or she only wants one tattoo. I can almost be sure to see them in the future again.