Tat Chat: Hanksy’s Big Pun
This image has been archived or removed.
Hanksy’s “Run Forest Run” tattoo
Time to revive our on-again-off-again series, “Tat Chat,” in which we ask participants to divulge the stories behind their favorite tattoos.
Fresh off the second coming of “Surplus Candy” in Los Angeles, we caught up with street artist Hanksy to talk about his ink. The ubiquitous pun-master was eager to divulge his love of tattoos and the folks at Daredevil Tattoo on Division Street.
Bowery Boogie: Since puns are your game, does any of your own personal ink reflect that?
Hanksy: I’m huge into puns. I like small puns and I like Big Puns. I have CLR inked in classic script on my right torso. Stands for Christopher Lee Rios (like the rapper).
BB: Which is your favorite tattoo, and what’s the story behind it?
H: My skin suit is dotted with little black tattoos of all my favorite foods. Gummi bears, dumplings, and french fries are all well-represented. I’m really going for that Russian-prison-tattoo look. But with junk food.
BB: Favorite NYC tattoo parlor?
H: Chili Pete and the dudes over at DareDevil Tattoo treat me right.
BB: Do you regret any of your tattoos?
H: I regret that I didn’t make my Simpson’s donut bigger.
This image has been archived or removed.
Fan ink “R2DTupac,” Photo: Imgur
BB: Have any of your fans gotten tattoos of Hanksy art?
H: Yes. It always amazes me when I see pics pop up on social media. It’s a face slapping moment for sure. It’s also completely flattering.
BB: What advice would you offer to someone thinking of getting their fist tattoo?
H: I hear barbed wire or some sort of tribal arm ban is the next hot new design to get. Or maybe something on the lower back, right above the pelvis. So cool. So hot.
This image has been archived or removed.
Recent Stories
East Broadway Subway Station Turns 85
The East Broadway subway station wasn’t always a shady dungeon attracting crime. Once upon a time, the transit stop inspired celebrations across the Lower East Side. It was exactly eighty-five years ago – January 1, 1936 – that the East Broadway subway station debuted to the public. The feat of subterranean engineering, then known as […]
Looking at the New Ludlow House Annex Atop Demolished Libation Site
Well, that was quick. With Libation excised from the Lower East Side, the hole is now filled. Taken over by Ludlow House. The building at 137 Ludlow Street was demolished last year, and replaced in a matter of months. In fact, it’s already operational. The architecture of this one-story newcomer mirrors design elements of its […]
Stringer Promises ‘Fair Share’ of PPP for City Businesses
City Comptroller (and mayoral candidate) Scott Stringer held a press conference yesterday at the Chinatown kiosk on Canal Street, announcing a plan to funnel federal Payroll Protection (PPP) dollars to New York city businesses. It certainly triggered an uncomfortable memory of last year’s PPP fiasco. The first round of PPP went into effect just a […]
‘Open Streets’ Town Hall Yields More Questions than Answers
Tuesday night’s Town Hall on Open Restaurants and Open Streets, hosted by Community Boards 3 and 6 – left residents with more questions than answers regarding the long-term impact these pandemic-era health and economic neighborhood solutions have on a post-COVID city. However, the online meetup did bring a wide scope of information in terms of […]
Unused Half of Bowery’s Sunshine Hotel Flophouse Available to Rent
The leasing banner has been strung from the facade of 241 Bowery for more than two years. Without much success. The second and third floors (combined 8,938 square-feet) – once part of the Sunshine Hotel flophouse – are again on the market. And at a hefty price: $6,495 for a “raw” space that requires renovations […]
