RD: You've been tattooing for quite some time now..how have you seen tattooing change since the early 90s when there were only a handfull of good artists.(Deutsche,Aitchison,Leu,Corbin,you..etc)??

Paul Booth: I’ve been tattooing for 18 years now and of course tattooing has changed a lot. I guess I can only really tell you my story… (lights dim, wind howls) … In 1988, I scraped together cash I saved from my job as a repoman and paid $5000 dollars to get an apprenticeship with Ernie White (Tattoo Factory, Butler, NJ). It was a very traditional old school training… mopping floors, cleaning the shitter, making thousands of needles and most importantly learning to use acetate/charcoal stencils. Ernie may not have been much on Tattoo as Art (like many of the old timers of the day) but he definitely taught me about the ethical responsibility involved. On my days off he would let me tattoo my friends. I would usually not charge them as long as I could have the freedom to draw the art up myself. These days off really helped me stay inspired as I did thousands and thousands of Tasmanian Devils during the rest of the week. The fact is those little fuckers really helped me hone my fundamental skills. Once I struck out on my own "jobless" I went underground and did tattoo and biker parties to survive. I started drawing right on people because I was too fucking lazy to lug around books of flash. In ’91, I did a huge Demonic back piece on my girlfriend at the time and went to a convention in the hopes of finding a real shop to work in again. At the time, there really wasn’t any such thing. Of course there were skulls and dragons but no one was drawing creepy Demonic shit. I felt my work was acceptable enough to get a job somewhere, hopefully reputable, but I totally wasn’t prepared in the least for all the attention that this back piece drew. I would have been thrilled with just one or two people requesting my style…and before I could blink…That tattoo became my first magazine cover. These days I, and Many like me, have incredible amounts of Artistic Freedom to fully explore our art. There are so many great artists out there I can’t keep track of them anymore! It’s cool to see kids coming out of art school with formal training and approach Tattooing. It really helps further the art form by giving it a legitimate foundation in the art world. I think this helps to make it an acknowledged and more respected medium of Fine Art.

RD: youve really stayed the course with your style of artwork and tattooing..especially thru all the "TRENDS”. how did you manage to not fall into those traps??

Paul Booth: Better to reign in Hell than to serve in heaven. Aside from that, I’ve just stayed focused out of pure survival. I have to keep my head occupied so I don’t have time to think about the wrong shit and wake up those Demons. I’ve always made it a point to not compromise as well… I always dreaded the idea of having to feel stuck in my chosen career.

RD: what influences you artistically??

Paul Booth: I’m influenced by everything around me, the fucked up world we live in. It blows me away how so many people are satisfied living on blind faith. Its impossible for me to even imagine a decent life for future generations… if they even get the chance.

RD: how much of a role has tattooing high profile bands(slayer,pantera,etc)had on the stellar rise of your popularity as a tattooer??

Paul Booth: I don’t really know, but I’m sure it’s a greater role than I would like these days. I’m actually more appreciative for the people that respect my art itself rather than fans that are only really interested in who I know. In the past, I spent a lot of time on the road with bands tattooing backstage and on buses. I really just enjoyed the lifestyle quite a bit but for me it’s the ultimate collaboration when I enjoy someone’s music and they enjoy my artwork, we just vibe on the same creative level and its cool.

RD: what are your favorite styles of art..mediumwise??

Paul Booth: I enjoy oil painting the most as far as mediums outside of tattooing. Sound design, Sculpting, Bizstorming and I plan to direct horror films in the future.

RD: are the rumors that you are booked 5 years in advance true??

Paul Booth: No. I’m booked maybe 2 ½ years in advance. I’ve stopped taking appointments at this point because as it is, I can’t even get to everyone who puts in a request. These days I’m being super selective as to what I take on. I have so much ongoing work that I have to finish up and I am really enjoying just looking at people’s ideas and picking and choosing which ones I’d like to explore. I don’t mean to sound like some kind of artsnob but what else should or could I do.

RD: tell us a bit how you got into tattooing and how your art has brought you to where you are now??

Paul Booth: See answer #1.

RD: what was "tattoo the earth" all about and do you think it was a success??

Paul Booth: Tattoo the Earth was a tour to bring rock and really great Tattoo Artists together. It was definitely a production nightmare but still successful especially because The ArtFusion Experiment found its legs there.

RD: i know you are friends with Filip Leu(an amazing artist and person)??

Paul Booth: Yes, Filip, Titine, Loretta Leu are all very close friends, they are an amazing family and I have tremendous respect for them.

RD: tell us about LAST RITES and about the other artists there??

Paul Booth: Last Rites Tattoo Theatre is my tattoo studio. The other artists are Liorcifer, Tim Kern, Dan Marshall, Ethan Morgan and Jeremiah Barba, everyone’s portfolios are online at www.darkimages.com

RD: how did moving to NYC change your outlook on tattooing??

Paul Booth: Well right off the bat, No one cared what I did. I was right across the street from a church and I still could be my blasphemous self without any grief. I even had skinned body part props hanging from meathooks in my front window for quite a while. I love the freedom to be myself… I didn’t have that in Jersey.

RD: give us a quick list of bands and celebs youve tattooed??

Paul Booth: Slayer, Slipknot, Lamb of God, Hank III, Mudvayne, Cradle of Filth, Chimaira, Six Feet Under, Suffocation, Anthrax, Shadows Fall, Phil Anslemo, Superjoint Ritual, Satyricon,

RD: do people CONSTANTLY annoy you with questions about satanism and that INFAMOUS nun/devil tattoo??

Paul Booth: Occasionally but I think the initial shock to the system has worn off finally. People are learning to just deal with me and see past all that to reach the art.

RD: ive seen your color work..its amazing!!why dont we see more of it??

Paul Booth: Color work is something I recently started to consider more, I like subtle, muted tones. I still prefer black & grey work but I have fun playing with color, I have to be very interested in the work to commit to a color piece.

RD: how much do you travel a year??

Paul Booth: I’ve been doing very minimal travel, maybe one or two conventions a year, after this year no more conventions. I prefer to stay at home and work on large pieces, I find conventions to be too much pressure mentally and socially, it’s too hectic. I’d much rather travel to see friends and/or do guest spots with a more intimate feeling.

RD: what do you think of the current state of porn??

Paul Booth: I love porn, I’ll always find something that does it for me, I don’t really pay attention to trends and with the internet you can find anything that suits your kink… and yes… I have my kinks too… I’m just not gonna tell ya!! LOL.

RD: do you watch any of the tattoo shows..if so..do you enjoy them? If not..why??

Paul Booth: I’ve seen a few, some are good and some are pathetic, scripted soap operas. I would probably watch on a regular basis to keep up with what is out there but I don’t have a tv… I haven’t had one for at least 15 years. In general I hate the propaganda that is television, especially the fucking news… so I’m pretty clueless.

RD: has dark imagery always been a part of your life??

Paul Booth: Yes, as far back as I can remember I’ve always drawn skulls and bats and dark stuff. My mother has a bunch of my drawings from grade school and they are all skeletons, etc.

RD: tattooing and the adult industry have,in th last few years become friends(every porn star has tattoos now).any storys along those lines??

Paul Booth: Playboy was going to do an article on me but it didn’t materialize. My friend saw a show on Jenna Jameson and her brother, it seems, is a tattoo artist and had a Last Rites shirt on during the show, I though that was cool, I’d tattoo Jenna!

RD: the future for PAUL BOOTH??

Paul Booth: "Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow you may die"