COOL DUDES I ADMIRE: NORMAN COLLINS
Collins at work
sailor jerry flash
Norman Keith Collins is a godfather in the story of American counterculture. In the window of his shop was a sign that read: “If you don’t think you have balls enough to wear a tattoo, don’t get one. But don’t try to make excuses for yourself by knocking the fellow who does” I think that sums up who Collins was-- he was never in the mood for bullshit.
one of my favorite sj pieces
Better known as 'Sailor Jerry', Collins lived a life similar to the beatniks of his generation-- hopping trains and hitchhiking across the United States in a time where more and more people were rejecting the idealized life-- not because they opposed the American Dream, but because the idea of traveling with no real destination was so enticing. He was a true advocate for opposing the mainstream. On his travels, Collins obtained his initial experience with a needle and ink that consisted of free-hand, stink n’ poke designs. When he eventually ended up in Chicago, two major events took place.
1. he picked up a tattoo machine
2. he enlisted in the navy
While in Chicago, tattooing legend Tatts Thomas taught Collins everything he knew (Collins would pay bums from skid row a few cents and some cheap beer to practice tattooing on them) But by joining the Navy, he would up the risks of his adventures that would eventually bring him across oceans-- landing on the shores of southeast Asia, he became exposed to the art and imagery of the region, instantly inspiring his art style.
When Collins was out of the Navy, he settled in Honolulu where he would begin to make a true name for himself— Mind you, Hawaii was the place where 12 million men serving in the US military would often take their leave. Men from all walks of life found themselves together on Honolulu’s Hotel Street— an entire neighborhood comprised of bars, brothels, and tattoo shops, just waiting to capitalize on a ton of servicemen with a ton of spare time. In addition to his career as a tattooer, he worked as a licensed skipper of a large schooner, which he conducted tours of the Hawaiian Islands on.
Collins would spend the rest of his life tattooing at the shop he owned in Honolulu. Before he died, he expressed a desire that his shop either be taken over by one of his three closest friends/protégés— Ed Hardy, Mike Malone, or Zeke Owen. Otherwise, he wanted it burned down. Although Norm Collins died in 1973 at the age of 62, his work has been re-created hundreds of thousands of times and his legacy has lived on— his influence on modern tattooing can be summed up by simply walking into any tattoo shop and looking at the flash on hanging on the wall. If there’s a Collins piece hanging up, then you’ve gone to the right place.
