Hot Rod Tattoo brings a colorful slice of the New Jersey beach lifestyle to Atlantic City
ATLANTIC CITY — Tony Eldis of Absecon was trying hard to embrace his inner calm.
Not an easy task as Buffy Hotrod (OK, she just goes by Buffy) of Hot Rod Tattoos in Atlantic City was hard at work on his left arm, tattooing the outline of a pin-up nurse.
The work was classy, along the lines of the pin-ups drawn by Alberto Vargas or Olivia De Berardiniz. You could tell because Eldis already had a pretty cool completed pin-up on his right arm — part of the special birthday present he was giving himself.
“You have to kind of zen out,” he says, half grimacing and half smiling as Buffy kept working.
On the surface, this scene wasn’t all that unusual. Tucked behind a storefront on Atlantic Avenue near Florida Avenue, Hot Rod Tattoo has built a steady reputation for itself as a safe, reliable, and particularly artistic tattoo parlor.
And in this day and age, when more people sport ink than ever and body art has passed into the mainstream, there’s nothing unusual about the shop having a client.
Except Eldis was getting the tattoos for his 60th birthday. These two pin-ups seemed to be his first foray into the larger tattoo world.
In other words, a guy who came from a non-tattoo generation had been hooked.
“My generation didn’t really get tattoos,” says Eldis. “It was something you associated with the military. But I think when you look at it today — with the level and quality of the artwork and the wide variety of what you can have done and just how much exposure there now is to tattoos — it brings a little excitement to it.”
And tattoos are everywhere. In fact, Eldis says he was inspired by a co-worker who is working on a sleeve — usually a full arm tattoo.
“It’s something I’m getting to celebrate my 60th birthday,” he says. “I’ve always been a fan of pin-up art. It’s something I’ve been thinking about for the last few years.”
As have a lot of people. Tattoo art is hot right now.
This year’s theme was Boardwalk Empire and as the HBO series’ opening credits — bootlegged by Pernod-Ricard, to feature their bottles of Beefeater and Jameson washing up against Nucky Thompson’s wingtip spectators — flashed upon the stage of the Mahalia Jackson Theater, nominees and presenters in wide ties and suspenders, and tattoo-baring flapper dresses filed inside.
Plus DrewToonz takes on MTV's 'Jersey Shore' (again); Caribbean Luau at Renault Winery and the Album of the Week: Johnny Sansone's latest.
Their vision was to bring tattoo tradesmen together in Atlantic City for a gala extravaganza that not only included artists and tattoo recipients comparing notes, but also seminars, tattoo contests, vendors, live music and the kind of off-the-wall entertainment Henderson has become well known for in A.C.
The terrific new Swedish film The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a wonderful reminder of an era in film distribution when foreign-language films were a strong component of the independent-film scene. In the modern era, however, foreign films mostly just play in the major cities then go directly to video. It takes an exceptional film to break that pattern and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo fits the bill. It’s a multi-layered, intriguing mystery that encompasses investigative reporting, computer hacking, sadism, a dysfunctional family, Nazis and eventually, compassion and love.
Although they are all the rage today, tattoos have decorated people's bodies for thousands of years. While it's hard to say what culture originated these skin illustrations, their popularity has surg...
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1. Inker45 said... on Aug 25, 2011 at 10:20AM
“These guys really r the best! Buffy takes such pride &care in her shop - and now it's one of the best in the country IMHO! Clean, safe, friendly and just all around good vibe for all you tat-heads!”
2. Sid said... on Aug 25, 2011 at 02:37PM
“cool dudes there. they do some killer work.”
3. JerseyGuy said... on Aug 26, 2011 at 08:10AM
“Best shop around! Great article!”
4. Amy_Coming? said... on Aug 26, 2011 at 11:54AM
“is Amy still taking appointments this wknd? is the shop closed for Irene?”
5. Anonymous said... on Aug 26, 2011 at 09:14PM
“i'd assume with the area being evcuated, the shop probably isn't taking appointments. no people, no business.”