‘The Needle and the Damage’ done is a tattoo series produced by Loudwire and presented by the Inkcarceration Music and Tattoo Festival. Each episode was shot on site at the festival’s location in Mansfield, Ohio, at the Ohio State Reformatory, which is also where scenes from the ‘Shawshank Redemption’ were filmed. Here, artists reflect on the artwork scrawled into their flesh, recollecting their first tattoos, the most painful ones, deeper meanings and, of course, the stories behind them all. Enjoy while you anxiously await the announcement of next year’s lineup. Keep an eye out because tickets go on sale in December!
Tyler Carter is a freewheeling dude and the eclectic nature of his tattoos speak straight to the music he makes with Issues, drifting wherever his latest inspiration takes him.
There’s quite a lot of film memorialized on his skin, with tattoos from Austin Powers in Goldmember, the latest It movie (“I love the old version, but, let’s be honest — I was too young,” he said) as well as Nacho Libre.
On his stomach is his very first tattoo, which his mom took him to get before he was 18. In Zulu, “I found hope” is written, which was taken from an AIDS benefit song written by the pop trio Hanson. “If you must know, my guilty pleasure is Hanson,” Carter said of the “MMMBop” hit writers.
Portraits dominate the singer’s forearms, with Elvis Presley represented on his left and a third grade drawing of his grandmother on his right. “She raised me and I think she was the first person who realized I wasn’t just a young straight boy,” he said of his grandmother. “I think she realized I was bisexual/gay/queer way back in the day. She always elevated that part of my life — she let me play dress up, she let me play in the dirt; she really just catered to whatever my mind wanted, so she’s a great woman.”
Elsewhere we see a “death moth,” which was born of jealousy over the “death moth” inked on Attila frontman and Carter’s good friend Chris Fronzak. There’s a nod to The Distillers as Brody Dalle’s gender-smashing look intrigued him at an early age, a Crayon of his favorite color, a heart-shaped dream catcher dedicated to his mom and still more.
Watch the full episode above and follow Issues on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Get their latest album, Beautiful Oblivion, here.