My Dear Friends of Inked I do have a very old color piece on my ankle which you really can’t see so but other than that everything is black and white because everything in this world is black and white my name is Brett prestino from Staten Island New York.
Born in Brooklyn I had a great upbringing my parents are great they never stopped me from doing anything they just they were behind me 100 and still are the time you saw a tattoo wow I was a kid with my father probably.
On Avenue yo you know back then tattoos were frowned upon so but around 10 years old I said if I ever go bald I’m gonna tattoo my head and here I am 48 years later and when did you get that first time.
I was about 13. I had my friend’s Uncle take me out to uh big run out in Bayway about 30 something years ago 40 years ago whatever uh yeah he did my first one still have it what was it so kiss on my ass cheek Ron was always cool.
I I knew Ron for a while but uh you know I’ve gotten tattooed in sheds clubhouses friends in the various places but uh now we could get tattooed anywhere so I was always into body modification tattooing piercing.
Since it started one of my good friends is one of the forefathers of piercing so I was like his pin cushion so and then tattooing just came as parts of my life I guess changed or evolved like everything else he got addicted and now I can’t stop.
And I won’t stop I was getting tattooed in areas back in the day that were very frowned upon and yeah when I when I tattooed my neck in the 90s it was a visible reaction to people on how they looked at me and judged me.
Such as life still didn’t stop me I’m still me same me 48 years to be honest back then it was all negative today it’s more positivity than I expected that I wanted actually.
To be honest with you but uh yeah it um it is a work of art so I guess people appreciate it I guess I never followed the herd so yeah I always push the envelope with everything I never changed.
But Society changes apparently so uh I never really paid attention to anybody ever really cared what anybody thought might was done about two years ago two and a half years ago I was all in some of the sessions I fell asleep I guess I have the power to.
Bring myself mentally to another place that my endurance level is not human the inside my ears woke me up the outside I mean like I said I’m I’m able to endure more than the average so but the inside of my ears.
It was enlightening do you feel like your tattoos have helped you back no not at all not at all I ran a union shop for 25 years it was a foreman for 18. I was at all the meetings with all the CEOs presidents like this and I got more respect out of them.
Than anybody else because I’m not gonna lie I don’t lie I tell the truth I’ll forget the LIE so I just tell the truth the uniform they had no choice but to talk to me so if I talk to you intelligently I must be intelligent.
So they overlooked which most people should not look at my exterior take five minutes and talk to me you haven’t really gone off to your face oh you’ve sort of framed it mm-hmm I um yes um.
Out of respect for my mother I come from an old school Italian family and I respect the wishes as of now I I I’m Cut From a Different Cloth my family’s Cut From a Different Cloth my whole tattooing process when I go see my artist that’s my therapist.
So when I text them I text my therapist and I ask if I could have a therapy session but yeah it’s all spiritual for me I’m the roots of tattooing not like today’s people pick off a flesh I mean no offense but to each his own but I’m old school.
Well it’s a bond you get with your artist especially with this much work you know I just I was in hundreds of hours with this guy you know so before that it’s just I I guess it’s we just clicked as soon as I walked in you know so.
And then from there he’s been working on me for three years um no because I already seen so much today’s technology that I will implement when needed so uh no I don’t think I’ll be done until I stop put the shovel of dirt on.
Me
Brett got his first tattoo when he was 15. Sure, that’s illegal, but he got it in New York City at a time when it was illegal for anybody to get tattoo, so if you knew the right people nobody really cared. Since then he’s been filling up his body any time he gets a chance. We spoke with Brett about his journey and much more.
Welcome to Heavily Inked. In our newest series, we’re going to speak one-on-one with tattoo collectors and artists about what it means to be a heavily inked person. We’ll get deep as we go through the motivations behind their tattoo choices, the way they’ve been treated in society and much more.
Presented by Mad Rabbit: https://www.youtube.com/c/MadRabbitTattoo
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