DWYER IS BACK-
THE FIRST EVER WILD WILD WEST
TATTOO EXPO
BY BOB BAXTER
WITH PHOTOS BY BERNARD CLARK

Dennis Dwyer definitely has friends. When the October 7, 1999 Tattoo Tour brought down the curtain on its string of 14 unforgettable and perfectly executed tattoo events, we all thought we'd never hear from the producers, J.D. Crowe or Dennis Dwyer, again. At least not on the convention circuit. Crowe had his very successful flash business (tattoo-art.com) and Dennis had Precision Tattoo Supply and Tucson's Ancient Art. But, for all intents and purposes, they were out of the convention game.

So, when we heard that Dennis alone had booked Tucson's Double Tree Hotel for a weekend of shoot-'em-up fun called the Wild Wild West Tattoo Expo, it made us remember the glory days, when Tattoo Tour was the best in the business. Here was a chance to both show support for one of its promoters, an honorable, tattoo industry man who we knew and respected, and to take part in an event that is run both ethically and with the artist in mind. Scheduled just a few, short days after the long, four-day weekend at the Nationals in Seattle, it would be interesting to see how many artists showed up to support Dennis. In fact, the talent list was outrageous. There was way more established, world-class talent in this fifty-booth Tucson show than in a half-dozen, no, a dozen other so-called big-deal shows held in the U.S.

Pretty hard to beat Greg James, Little Rob and Dollar Bill from Sunset Strip Tattoo, Shawn Anderson from Electric Dragonland, Mike DeVries from Art Junkies, Judy Parker, Catfish Carl and Rick Walters, Dick Goldman from Blue Dragon, Deanna Lippens, Patty Kelley from Avalon Tattoo, Corey Miller from Six Feet Under, Uncle Tim Heitkotter from far away Blue Kaua'i Tattoo, Sage O'Connell from Urban Art, Chuck Eldridge from Tattoo Archive, Tony Edwards from Old Towne Tattoo, Aaron Laidig from Red Region Tattoo, long-time Tucson denizen Rocket Rick, Derek Dufresne from Canada, Karen Roze from Sacred Rose Tattoo, Jack Rudy, Bert Rodriguez from Hangtown, Paolo Acuna from Divinity, Tony Olivas from Sacred Art, plus a raft of others. All in all, just two rows of booths, eight on each side, including a handful of T-shirt and tattoo paraphernalia vendors. Not bad for a comeback event in the middle of the freakin' Arizona desert.

More of a test of faith than anything else, Dennis really wasn't keeping track of the convention calendar when he chose a date so close to the Nationals. And if he were a little less rusty he'd certainly have scheduled a time that didn't conflict with the annual Tucson County Faire, the giant Sunday swap meet down the road and a major stock car event in nearby Phoenix. All in all, not the typical Dwyer production planning. But, never you mind, Dennis was so elated by the delightful doings that he plans to hold a copycat event in October of 2008.

April gave us cool breezes, big puffy clouds and 70-degree weather. Maybe October will offer the same. And the site was pretty near perfect. The hotel itself is a big, sprawling affair, with lots of large, well-equipped conference rooms and a large auditorium for the contests. There was even an on-stage big screen, so, with the help of a video camera, the fans could see the contestants' tattoos close up. Two of the photo rooms were upstairs, with big windows and plenty of water and hard candy for the models. At every turn, the staff made an effort to make everything comfortable and pleasant. I can't say the same for the hotel's Javelina Cantina restaurant. Billed as "one of Tucson's favorite watering holes," it had major problems getting food out of the kitchen. Dining inside the hotel was slightly better, but the menu items were mostly fried and smothered in melted cheese. There was a $27.50 brunch featuring every conceivable item from smoked salmon to rare roast beef, chocolate cream puffs to champagne mimosas, but that was only on Sundays. I didn't see many of the tattoo crowd availing themselves, anyway, just lots of old ladies going back for thirds. But the rooms were very nice, the TV worked and there was a shimmering swimming pool. Clearly, Tucson's version of paradise.

The show itself, as empty as it was on Friday and Sunday, was laid out beautifully. Most of the artists were working and, although the vendors didn't rake in the cash, it was a nice mix of collectible books, tattoo design purses and wearable art. And not one beef jerky booth in sight. You've got to hand it to Dennis for that.

There were a of couple nice touches: On Thursday, Dennis hired a bus to take anyone who wanted to go to a theme-park-kinda-wild-wild-west thingy à la Old Tucson, where costumed cowboys shoot blanks and bad guys steer their horses past the jeering crowd. The perfect host, Dwyer paid everyone's admission. I didn't witness the extravaganza, myself, but my old pal Billy Tinney says it was great, and he shot over 950 photographs. Go get 'em, Bill.

There were also several contests and plenty of nicely tattooed competitors, mainly because the local shops sent their best clients for the judging. And the trophies were cool, too. Winners received old-time, carved wooden plaques. Very cool.

Plus, Dennis walked around in a kind of Wyatt Earp cowboy outfit with a fancy, pearl-handled six shooter. Weird, but it was right. I especially liked it when, seeing Dennis, people would politely quip, "How ya doin', Sheriff?" and Dennis would always snap back, "It's Marshal," and stick his chest out, so everyone could clearly see the letters M-A-R-S-H-A-L stamped on his star-shaped badge. Go get 'em, Dennis.

Let's face it, the best thing about this event (except for an absolutely perfect day, weather-wise) was the chance to see old friends. That was the intent of the original conventions, anyway; bringing artists together to share ideas and learn new techniques. Some solid presentations by Chuck Eldridge, one on the history of sailor tattoos, for example, were first-class. As was Shawn Anderson's rice pencil stencil presentation and Dick Goldman's "Are They Employees or Independents Contactors" seminar. All topped off, of course, with the Reverend Dwyer's "Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth" Sunday morning sermon. Dennis had a goodly little crowd for that, about forty souls, who listened attentively to his inspirational words with both respect and admiration. After all, Dwyer just about settled this town, back in the '70s. Bikers ruled the roost back then, and Dennis, who is well under six feet (even with boots on) won a rather dramatic standoff with a pack of local biker lads. Consequently, Dwyer became the sole and best tattooer in all of Tucson.

Then, of course, came the Tattoo Tour. That's where Dennis won his stripes. The truth is, whenever classic tattoo conventions are talked about, you'll always hear the name Tattoo Tour. It is, without a doubt, the standard by which every other convention, before or after, is judged.

Dennis told me that he bought 30 radio spots, was featured in a handful of interviews and put an ad or two in the media. Not a lot, but a safe way to test the waters. Except for the rather scant crowd, the proceedings went along better than most. It reminded me of the time when both the artists and the fans didn't know what a tattoo convention was. It took a few years to fully develop disparate personalities. Some were big and bold, others were family-oriented and cozy. Yet, in the '80s and '90s, thanks to Tattoo Tour lighting the way, the majority of shows were focused on educating both the artists and the general public. This Wild West show was all of that. Dennis took a chance and won. But whatever the future holds for Dwyer, I'm bettin' his friends will join him.