beautiful, i just want you to know

my (new) favorite show has been, for quite some time, miami ink. okay, three weeks ago i had a flirtation and dalliance with beauty and the geek but hey, i'm easily distracted. the real object of my tv affection is this tlc show about a tattoo studio.

there's a whole slew of "reality" shows about tattoo shops. lots of imitators, lots of half assed shows that are poorly edited, or the proprietors aren't interesting, or the tattoos suck. as the original show about tattooists, miami ink rules the roost.

what makes it such a winner? for one, all the guys (and a gal) in the shop are personable, intriguing, and true artists. they care about their work on an artistic level and when you see the finished products, the work leaves your jaw agape. the design, shading, and overall execution of some of the pieces are breathtaking.

each episode is loosely based around a theme -- be it family, redemption, whatever -- but for the most part it's just customers walking in and the guys inking people up. after awhile, all the motivations get to sound pretty much the same. the show makes you realize how stupid people sound trying to justify their tattoos.

i mean, tattoos have meaning -- not to mention permanence -- and i'm all about that, but for the most part the reasons for getting a tattoo are: (1) i want to remember somebody/thing (2) i'm embarking on a change and want to commemorate it (3) it represents me or my passions (4) it looks cool. that's about it. the top reasons to get tattoos.

the show provides you insight not into the why of a tattoo but rather the how. it's like watching a-team or macgyver -- but only the good parts when they're building shit. you see the collaboration between the artist and the customer to come up with an original and inspired design.

i'd love to walk in and just leave it up to these professionals and say "ink me up." i'd always approached tattooing from the standpoint that i'd want to design it, that i'd want to have just my vision on there. but then, watching the show makes you realize how special -- and important -- it is to have a collaboration. it's like getting a van gogh on your body; the tattoo is on and for you of course, but there's something great about the idea that your body is just a canvas for an artist.

another reason the show succeeds is that we never venture too far into any of the tattoers lives and the show's attention remains squarely on the shop. the downside is that in order to really find out about the stars of the show, you have to internet stalk them; like i have.

the cast is an ensemble of guys you'd love to hang out with. ami epitomizes the "gruff but sweet" persona; he's literally always got a twinkle in his eye. garver, nunez, and darren are all spectacular artists and take a bit of a backseat to most of the action but their work speaks for them. yoji is a former musician turned family man and the apprentice in the shop. kat von d was a substitute for season one but is now a regular.

i'm in love with kat von d, i think she's the coolest person ever and her ability to execute her specialty (black and white portraits) is amazing. she's got quite the fan base and it's got nothing to do with her looks; her tattooing skills are arguably the best in the shop.

where people get the money to throw thousands of dollars on permanent ink i'll never know, but i can't wait to do the same. for the forseeable frugal future however, i'll just continue to live vicariously.