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Occult Vibrations

@occultvibrations.com
119 followers 19 following 78 posts

Exploring tattoo culture through the mysteries of history. occultvibrations.com

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Occult Vibrations @occultvibrations.com · 07/06/2026
Happy Pride Month yall. This is David- Suit by Cliff Raven. He’s seen here at a queer tattoo gathering that ran parallel to a major tattoo convention. Con during the day, party at night. It gave a safe space to the gay tattoo crowd that might not be as free to express themselves in mixed company.
Tattoo and piercing fan David. An Asian man, shirtless, covered in black and grey tattoo work that looks like armor. He’s wearing a leather “Muir” hat in the style of leather men. His septum is pierced with an oversized ring.
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Occult Vibrations @occultvibrations.com · 25/01/2026
Stuff.
A page from a zine.
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Occult Vibrations @occultvibrations.com · 13/12/2025
Lyle Tuttle, traditional Samoan tattooing, 1970s. Photo by Robin Ryan sacreddebbris.com
Tattoo Artist Lyle Tuttle being tattooed in the traditional Samoan way, 1970s. Photo by Robin Ryan
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Occult Vibrations @occultvibrations.com · 18/11/2025
Underground queer tattoo shop, 1970s. The artist was likely Ken Meyer (also seen spelled Meyers) and the client Bobby Mack. Filmed by Sailor Sid Diller. sacreddebris.com
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Occult Vibrations @occultvibrations.com · 21/10/2025
Larry Copeland hosted a gathering of tattoo and piercing fans at his Hoboken, NJ residence in 1974/5. In attendance was Emil Gundelach who continued getting tattooed into his 90s, Tatu Scotty, Spider Webb, Dave Slack, Mary, and Ken Meyer (among other unnamed friends)
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Occult Vibrations @occultvibrations.com · 21/10/2025
Dave Slack was a queer tattoo artist who worked in NYC in the 1970s/80s. He appeared in the legendary gay xxx video "NYC INFERNO" (playing a tattoo artist). This clip, recorded in approx 1974/5, also features Emil Gundelach, Larry Copeland, Key Meyer, and Spider Webb. sacreddebris.com
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Occult Vibrations @occultvibrations.com · 07/10/2025
This is the length (heh) I go to to not get banned on Instagram again. Leg tattoos by Raven sacreddebris.com
A fully tattooed body with a banner blurring his penis reading NSFMeta
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Occult Vibrations @occultvibrations.com · 10/09/2025
Underground queer tattoo shop, 1975. Ken Meyer (Florida) working on a homoerotic back tattoo. Screenshot from video. sacreddebris.com
a red screen that reads UNDERGROUND, FLORIDA USA 1975
blurry screen shot of a man tattooing another man, 1970shomoerotic tattoo, 1970s
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Occult Vibrations @occultvibrations.com · 02/08/2025
Robert E. Roberts - Maddog Tattoo - 1990s. Slide building is going well on the Indelible Identities lecture on Queer Tattoo History.
Screen shot of a lecture slide; a bearded man with a t-shirt that says MADDOG TATTOO is being interviewed by a possibly drunk woman in a leather hatA letter from Robert Roberts to Shawn Porter, 1997.
The letter talks about their meeting at a tattoo convention, and a desire to talk via phone.
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Occult Vibrations @occultvibrations.com · 01/08/2025
Every time.
A greedy cat holding a churu
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Occult Vibrations @occultvibrations.com · 24/07/2025
it's something.
"featuring the mutual tattooed penis admiration society"
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Occult Vibrations @occultvibrations.com · 22/07/2025
Proof copy of our lecture guide arrived with a friend. PFIQ ceased publication with issue 50 but there was one last issue cued up. Jim Ward was finally able to complete the run. So exciting.
Two books.
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Occult Vibrations @occultvibrations.com · 17/07/2025
Our friend @savagesal.bsky.social was kind enough to reimagine a Cliff Raven design to add a little razzle dazzle to my latest book - a visual companion to the lecture I’ll be giving on #queertattoo history in less than a month!
Cover of a book titled INDELIBLE IDENTITIES A QUEER HISTORY OF TATTOOING 01: John Dagion by archivist Shawn Porter

The cover feature a traditional tattoo design of a swallow and heart with a banner reading QUEER, designed by Savage Sal.
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Occult Vibrations @occultvibrations.com · 23/06/2025
Along with Ed Hardy & Don Nolan, Cliff Raven was one of a handful of Western artists responsible for popularizing Japanese influenced large scale tattooing to America. He was also an out gay man. Screenshot from 50+ year old video at an underground queer tattoo shop. Sacreddebris.com
A smiling bearded man tattooing a naked friend.
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Occult Vibrations @occultvibrations.com · 22/06/2025
I feel like a one-trick pony lately. All of my archival energy is going towards the first lecture in the Indelible Identities series. This page is from the introduction essay on the history of Queer tattooing- the final image is from NYC's TRON - part of the future of queer representation in tattoo.
Page from INDELIBLE IDENTITIES 01: John Dagion
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Occult Vibrations @occultvibrations.com · 16/06/2025
1981 REAL PEOPLE episode excerpt. I for one think that tattoos + perversion is a rad combo. Full video is on our Patreon: Sacreddebris.com
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Occult Vibrations @occultvibrations.com · 15/06/2025
Fired up the VCR today for some conversion. This cassette is likely from 1981 and features Bill Mokry. Sacreddebris.com
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Occult Vibrations @occultvibrations.com · 10/06/2025
Little rough teaser - still working on dropping some text in it any trying to work Cliff Raven in somehow- for my August lecture on queer tattooing history. Sacreddebris.com
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Occult Vibrations @occultvibrations.com · 08/06/2025
Capturing 50 year old tattoo video…
A screen capture of a letter board reading FEATURING THE MUTUAL TATTOOED PENIS ADMIRATION SOCIETY
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Occult Vibrations @occultvibrations.com · 03/06/2025
Still tweaking an essay for the Indelible Identities lecture companion book. I’m not a good writer, by any means, but I do what I can. #queertattoo history!
Tattooing was an outlaw subculture, and the queer community, particularly pre-Stonewall, were outlaws, too. They—we—were also at the forefront of self-expression, fashion, liberation, art, culture, and freedom from sexual hangups. That opened the door for tattoo clients who were up for larger, more adventurous, artistic pieces—and, more importantly, could afford to get them. It only makes sense that tattooing would find a welcome home in queer spaces, even when we weren’t welcome in tattoo culture at large. That led to certain choices: stay in the closet and get tattooed by a straight tattooer, or find an artist who was either an ally or part of the family.

That was, until fairly recently, easier said than done. While we have significant documentation of LGBTQ+ clients wearing work by legendary tattooers like Coleman, Sailor Jerry Collins, Bert Grimm, and Paul Rogers, the footprint of queer artists before the 1980s remains much smaller. Collectively, historians Paul R. King, Dr. Matt Lodder, and I have been able to come up with a list of around fifteen known queer tattooers active before tattooing exploded into mainstream culture in the late 1980s.

The pater familias was Samuel Steward, who tattooed under the name Phil Sparrow. Steward
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Occult Vibrations @occultvibrations.com · 30/04/2025
Dennis Avner (Stalking Cat) and Bob Shaw, 1980s. There was a time where facial tattooing was banned at most tattoo conventions; exceptions were made. #tattoo #tattoohistory #bobshaw
Dennis and Bob. A man tattooed like a tiger.
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Occult Vibrations @occultvibrations.com · 28/04/2025
Another 35mm negative scan from photographer Robin Ryan; Houston 1976. Peter Polous (left) and Dale Grande and friend. #tattoo #traditionaltattoo #occultvibrations #35mm sacreddebris.com
Three people in a black and white photo; two men, one woman. The foreground couple are both tattooed.
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Occult Vibrations @occultvibrations.com · 28/04/2025
Val Watson at the 1976 Houston Tattoo Convention. Val is the subject of a recent zine from tattoo historian/tattooer Sharky Pitts- thought to be the first professional female African American tattoo artist, Val was a fixture at early tattoo convention. This photo is by Robin Ryan, scanned from 35mm
A tattooed African American woman, she's holding a cup and is wearing a name tag- from the 1976 convention.
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Occult Vibrations @occultvibrations.com · 28/04/2025
Can't remember when I photographed this piece or who it was on. Getting old is fun. Paul Rogers, 1988.
A traditional tattoo of a ship by tattoo artist Paul Rogers
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Occult Vibrations @occultvibrations.com · 27/04/2025
When the subject of LGBTQ+ tattooers comes up, I’m usually greeted with calls of “Cliff Raven was amazing!” - and so he was. But there were a lot of trailblazers, folks who never rose to the level of acclaim Cliff received, whose stories need to be told. I look forward to adding to the series.
Fliers for the lecture series INDELIBLE IDENTITIES: a queer history of tattooing. One features a black and white portrait of a young man, the other features the same man twenty years later tattooing flames on the ass crack of a bent over man.
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Occult Vibrations @occultvibrations.com · 27/04/2025
Photographed this gent at the Mad Hatters Tea Party- late 1980s. At the time, some tattoo conventions wouldn’t allow guests with facial tattooing.
Man with a fully tattooed face - black spiky non representational “tribal” imagery. He’s also pierced
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Occult Vibrations @occultvibrations.com · 27/04/2025
(Not from our Archives) Filmmaker Werner Herzog showing off his Ed Hardy tattoo.
Filmmaker Werner Herzog showing off a tattoo of a skull.
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Occult Vibrations @occultvibrations.com · 25/04/2025
Dale Grande, Chicago, 1970s. Tattoo by Cliff Raven.
A bearded tattooed man
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Occult Vibrations @occultvibrations.com · 25/04/2025
Avery, Meadowlands Convention 1990. Avery wore tattoos by a variety of emerging artists who went on to become legends in the industry. Greg Kulz, Filip Leu, and an amazing "tortoise-saurus helmet" by Daniel Higgs.
Bald tattooed man with head tattooed like a tortoise shell.
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Occult Vibrations @occultvibrations.com · 25/04/2025
Shotsie Gorman, 1980s tattoo convention. (I think this was Knoxville, 1986) Shotsie was a passionate advocate for the tattoo community, bridging the fine art world with the tattoo world.
scene from a 1980s tattoo convention; a mustached man tattooing a smiling woman.
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Occult Vibrations @occultvibrations.com · 16/04/2025
I usually only post things that originate in my archive, and I admit I can't remember where I sourced this... Tom of Finland (L) and Samuel Steward (r) who wrote erotica under the name Phil Andros, and tattooed under the name Phil Sparrow.
Two older men- one is Tom of Finland, the other Samuel Steward aka Phil Andros aka Phil Sparrow
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Occult Vibrations @occultvibrations.com · 08/04/2025
Working on the lecture companion for my John Dagion presentation; not sure what it’s all going to look like in context but that’s part of the fun of it. #queertattoo history is tattoo history!
A two page spread from a book. Left side features a man in a tanktop tattooing a man with a mustache. Right side is text with the headline INDELIBLE IDENTITIES A QUEER HISTORY OF TATTOOING 01 John Dagion.
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Occult Vibrations @occultvibrations.com · 28/03/2025
Daniel Higgs, Philadelphia March 27, 2025
Daniel Higgs- A bearded man holding a banjo. His beard is white and he's wearing a neon colored knitted cap. Daniel Higgs- A bearded man holding a banjo. His beard is white and he's wearing a neon colored knitted cap.
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Occult Vibrations @occultvibrations.com · 07/03/2025
Here’s five seconds of soundless video of legendary tattooer Paul Rogers to start our day.
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Occult Vibrations @occultvibrations.com · 04/03/2025
The drawing by Bud, for Bud (thats a lot of Buds, bud) was tattooed by Cliff Raven, 1980s.
A two page spread from a book. One page features a man's tattooed back, the other his tattooed butt and leg.
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Occult Vibrations @occultvibrations.com · 04/03/2025
I have no horse in the 'physical vs ipad' tattoo drawing debate save to say that I remember a time when visiting a studio found you surrounded by full color studies for tattoos past and future and I thought that era was rad. Study by Don Ed Hardy. occultvibrations.com
A prismacolor drawing of a panther; it's wearing a 'bubble style' helmet with microphone. Writing on the illustrations ays "the big broadcast" by Don Ed Hardy
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Occult Vibrations @occultvibrations.com · 03/03/2025
Filmmaker Ethan Hill and archivist @thedocumentedbody.com palms up.
Two tattooed palms.
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Occult Vibrations @occultvibrations.com · 03/03/2025
This photo has gotten me in trouble several times on Instagram; they really dont like Dr Lemme's butt, it seems. Jack Preston and Dr Lemmes- both tattooed by Don Ed Hardy. Photo, early 1980s. occultvibrations.com
two men in a swimming pool. one is wearing trunks, the other is fully nude. both are tattooed, the nude man has a full body squid tattoo covering his back and legs.
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Occult Vibrations @occultvibrations.com · 02/03/2025
“My impression of Alan was of a rather private man who was a bit difficult to get to know. Not that he was particularly shy. He would casually disrobe and allow himself to be photographed, but there was always a reserved quality about his actions” - Jim Ward on Alan Oversby (left)
Tattooer Alan Oversby photographing a client.  Sacreddebris.com
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