Wear Your Dreams: My Life in Tattoos, by Ed Hardy - The Tattoosday Book Review

Ten years ago, only tattoo aficionados knew who <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Ed_Hardy">Ed Hardy</a> was.<br /><br />I still remember the moment I saw an Ed Hardy shirt for the first time. On Sixth Avenue in Manhattan on a hot, sunny day. Within months, it seemed they were everywhere.<br /><br />Honestly, my introduction to Hardy was an amazing volume he edited that was based on his correspondence with Sailor Jerry. As an up-and-coming tattoo blogger, I learned more from that volume, than any other.<br /><br />When all is said and done, there are two Ed Hardys - the great tattooer who learned from the legendary <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sailor_jerry">Sailor Jerry</a> (and others), and the brand. The Brand turns any self-respecting tattoo artist's smile into a frown, but the wave of Hardy clothing and paraphernalia cannot drown out the artist's contribution to the craft.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8O82jBc0eWAviR0T-kmb_YQklyVfbWMYy1xcoSDiGPtwvmRDibJDXiorUXtC1u4-muOh1zJ0pYPEs1kswDajYnQZF6skDHOry5Qr9Agx6f-dNBnFYRg07bdPzXPvrKoTImIhStlDZ1kg/s1600/wear+your+dreams.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8O82jBc0eWAviR0T-kmb_YQklyVfbWMYy1xcoSDiGPtwvmRDibJDXiorUXtC1u4-muOh1zJ0pYPEs1kswDajYnQZF6skDHOry5Qr9Agx6f-dNBnFYRg07bdPzXPvrKoTImIhStlDZ1kg/s640/wear+your+dreams.jpg" width="422" /></a></div><br />That said, when I got my copy of <a href="http://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1250008824/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1250008824&linkCode=as2&tag=bill03-20%22%3EWear%20Your%20Dreams:%20My%20Life%20in%20Tattoos%3C/a%3E%3Cimg%20src=%22http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=bill03-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1250008824%22%20width=%221%22%20height=%221%22%20border=%220%22%20alt=%22%22%20style=%22border:none%20!important;%20margin:0px%20!important;%22%20/%3E">Wear Your Dreams: My Life in Tattoos</a>, Ed Hardy's  autobiography, I wondered how he would address this vast disconnect. He didn't waste any time. The first line of the book reveals:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">"Today there have been nearly one billion Ed Hardy retail items unleashed on an unsuspecting but highly receptive public. That staggering sum makes no more sense to me than it does to you."</blockquote>What follows is a veritable feast of tattoo history. As one would expect from a biography, we watch Hardy grow up from a school boy in Southern California with a makeshift tattoo shop for his friends where he would draw designs om classmates, to his days as an aspiring art student heading to Yale, up to the present day, where Ed Hardy is known to more people as a brand.<br /><br />I'm always fascinated by the stories of tattoo artists and their craft, back before the "reality" show mentality crashed into our culture in the last twenty years. You really don't get the sense of the hard work and difficulties faced by artists nowadays, where a contestant spot on Inkmaster gives one more recognition than true masters of the art form, who have been slaving away, somewhat anonymously, for decades.<br /><br />It only seems fitting that we are getting the Ed Hardy story now, as tattooing is an industry that continues to grow by leaps and bounds. It's a way for people who are truly interested in the history of the modern American tattoo to discover how pivotal this one artist is.<br /><br />The book is a great read. Hardy's narration, with Joel Selvin, is matter-of-fact and delivered poignantly. He just tells it like it is, and the reader is rewarded with a narrative of an amazing life, from humble beginnings to the last tattoo. I particularly liked the tales of Hardy's early days, working with Sailor Jerry, his interaction with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Sparrow">Phil Sparrow</a>, and his experiences tattooing <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakuza">yakuza</a></i> in Japan.<br /><br />Not only can you grab <u>Wear Your Dreams</u>, which is officially released today, but Hardy is on a modest tour, starting tonight in New York, popping over to California, and ending in Honolulu next month. You can see the full schedule with venue details <a href="http://www.hardymarks.com/books/ed-hardy-wear-your-dreams-book-signing-schedule/">here</a>.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=bill03-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=1250008824" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br /></div><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry is ©2013 Tattoosday.</span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: x-small;">If you are seeing this on another website other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit http://tattoosday.blogspot.com and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.</span><br /><br />

Wear Your Dreams: My Life in Tattoos, by Ed Hardy - The Tattoosday Book Review

Ten years ago, only tattoo aficionados knew who Ed Hardy was. I still remember the moment I saw an Ed Hardy shirt for the first time. On Si...

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Ed Hardy - Tattoo the World: Contest Winner!

Congratulations to reader Adam, who won the Ed Hardy DVD!<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJZC1O0VBHMV-rUs-9G8cc-atCUodDos-Ie6WvfbaxrlHpxNViN8MoYvuH_32kqfKkXfVmCRY75_vkNkzL1KbfLN1_iKEOKLla1P06toXglarfFknITxtmM13luHA_j6w2l1GWJtqXD5E/s1600/MOMAHardyFlyer4large.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJZC1O0VBHMV-rUs-9G8cc-atCUodDos-Ie6WvfbaxrlHpxNViN8MoYvuH_32kqfKkXfVmCRY75_vkNkzL1KbfLN1_iKEOKLla1P06toXglarfFknITxtmM13luHA_j6w2l1GWJtqXD5E/s640/MOMAHardyFlyer4large.png" width="388" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I know this is a flyer for an event last February, but it's cool and worth sharing.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Entrants were input into <a href="http://randomized.com/">Randomized.com</a> and Adam got the nod.<br /><br />Lacking a review here (it will be forthcoming, I promise), check out <a href="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/alltherage/2010/09/ed-hardy-hits-the-big-screen-in-ed-hardy-tattoo-the-world-.html">this blurb</a> over on the <i>L.A.Times</i>.<br /><br />Thanks to everyone who entered, and congrats again to Adam!

Ed Hardy - Tattoo the World: Contest Winner!

Congratulations to reader Adam, who won the Ed Hardy DVD! I know this is a flyer for an event last February, but it's cool and worth sha...

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Tattoosday Giveaway! Ed Hardy - Tattoo the World

[This Contest is Now Closed]<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGCZHjHqGhoC3ROKFimI04zntA2sNlHI6oYk2A4LGh9Z2x9nrWRiDtnSz2hsuoZ2h8gXMhwHsjWbxHD0ols-ih8EVKfaEZajCY9OxHqySnIm4D9AseTITxFBL2ERlKYlkYsC2D-xnpndI/s1600/timthumb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGCZHjHqGhoC3ROKFimI04zntA2sNlHI6oYk2A4LGh9Z2x9nrWRiDtnSz2hsuoZ2h8gXMhwHsjWbxHD0ols-ih8EVKfaEZajCY9OxHqySnIm4D9AseTITxFBL2ERlKYlkYsC2D-xnpndI/s400/timthumb.jpg" width="281" /></a></div><br />We here at Tattoosday have in our hot little hands, a brand-spanking new DVD copy of <a href="http://www.edhardytattootheworld.com/">Ed Hardy: Tattoo the World</a>.<br /><br />It's yours for the taking. All you need to do to win is leave a comment on this post, or on the post on the Tattoosday Facebook page, sometime this week and a winner will be selected from among those entries.<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/-4BDLOEvSK0" width="640"></iframe><br /><br />The winner will be announced Saturday along with my review of the movie.<br /><br />More information about the film, including additional clips, can be found on its website <a href="http://www.edhardytattootheworld.com/">here</a>. <br /><br />Negative comments will disqualify entries. You are certainly entitled to your opinions, but we want to keep things positive, folks!<br /><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry is ©2011 Tattoosday. Video clip </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">©2011 Wabi Sabi Productions, LLC. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://tattoosday.blogspot.com</a> and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.</span></div>

Tattoosday Giveaway! Ed Hardy - Tattoo the World

[This Contest is Now Closed] We here at Tattoosday have in our hot little hands, a brand-spanking new DVD copy of Ed Hardy: Tattoo the World...

Read more »