Erich Weiss interview & Hori Smoku Sailor Jerry review (Curzon, 21st July 2010)
Reviewed by Claudia A. for Film-News UK

Hori Smoku Sailor Jerry is a feature length documentary by Philadelphia-based Erich Weiss, who devoted four years of his life to research and complete this fascinating insight into the life of Norman ‘Sailor Jerry’ Collins (1911-1973) – the ‘father’ of modern day tattooing and the foremost tattoo artist in Western culture.
More than that, Hori Smoku chronicles the cultural and social viewpoints of how tattoos and tattoo artists were perceived back in Sailor Jerry’s time and yes, one quickly realizes that it really was very much an underground and taboo environment – restricted to back alley ramshackle dens.

Based in Honolulu for most of his career, Sailor Jerry would engrave a name for himself by inking thousands of enlisted men embarked in Hawaii during WW2 – ready to die for their country and with one purpose in mind: to get “Stewed, Screwed and Tattooed”. Norman Sailor Jerry Collins tattoos blended traditional motifs with the finesse, shading and distinct patterns of Japanese tattoo masters, called Hori, hence the play on Jerry’s name – ‘Holy Smoke Sailor Jerry’. By fusing the best elements from East and West, Sailor Jerry created his distinct style comprised of bold patterns, creating vibrant new colours and tattoo equipment in the process. Today, his designs can be admired on bottles of Sailor Jerry rum, clothing and of course the skin of devoted fans of this particular body art.

In the docu, we find out through interviews with Jerry’s peers and protégées like Don Ed Hardy and Mike Malone about the multi-faceted character that was Norman Collins. In addition, archive footage enriches this incredible slice of film-making which is interesting not just for tattoo enthusiasts.

During the London launch party (hosted by Sailor Jerry rum, naturally), I had ample opportunity to not only sample the delicious rum cocktails on offer and gawk in amazement at the exhibited Sailor Jerry designs on the wall. After the screening, I also had the opportunity for an informal chat with director Erich Weiss, who reveals that he got his first tattoo when he was 14, but surprise surprise, of all the tats that grace his body, none is actually a Sailor Jerry one! So how did a 14-year old Erich keep his first tattoos secret from his family? “The tattoos were on parts of my body that I could cover with clothing” he laughs, “so my parents never spotted them, not even in the summer!”
After his first excursion into the world of body inking, Erich continued to have a fascination for tats and then discovered Sailor Jerry works, and decided to make a docu about the life of his tattoo hero. With no proper training and only film work for music videos to his credit, Erich achieved a remarkable documentary that deservedly was the ‘Audience Award Winner for Best Documentary’ at the New Orleans Film Festival in 2008.

Was he aware that his planned project would most likely appeal to a niche market and that he might lose invested money? “I financed it all from his own pocket and it didn’t concern me whether I would break even financially or better still, make a profit. I just wanted to make the docu no matter what because to me, Sailor Jerry symbolises someone who was one of a kind in so far that he stuck up a finger to conformity and the social prejudices of the time. It took a lot of persuasion to get the featured tattoo artists to participate in my film, and I had to approach them several times. They were (understandably) very reluctant at first, as they consider them to be part of the old masters and no one was prepared to talk about their craft and skills, let alone give their secrets away. Eventually, they all agreed, but it took a lot of phone calls, not to mention the time invested in convincing them that I’m not just another tattoo geek from the streets. As time went by, I think they could see that I was planning on a docu that gives a genuine impression of the art and the persons involved.”

So how difficult was it to get the source material and archive footage together? “Admittedly, it was a slow and longwinded process that involved travelling to archive libraries in places as diverse as New York City, LA, San Francisco, Chicago etc and of course, Honolulu. Prior to my trip to Honolulu, where I met up with Sailor Jerry’s son David, I had already a rough-cut version of the docu made but we re-cut everything because David’s own archive material was so important.”

Are you happy with the outcome? “Well, I took a long time to make the docu and it was not an easy ride, but I’m happy with the outcome. I don’t expect it to be on a mainstream success level because it’s catering more for a niche market, but it would be great if it would get appreciated within that environment. The DVD won’t be sold in tattoo shops I think, but the usual retail outlets.”

Hori Smoku Sailor Jerry will be screened in the UK for the first time at some film festivals throughout the year, with public screenings and UK-DVD release planned for 2011.