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Cape Town – If you’ve ever wondered what happens at a tattoo parlour now’s your chance to find out.
CBS has a brand-new reality show which follows local tattoo artist Lewis Williams and his team at Rumble & Hum.
Channel24 got a small taste of what to expect from the show during a telephone interview with Lewis.
Speaking about how the show came about Lewis says it’s a long story.
“I do e-sport for which I am a show caster. I was at Rage live on air and one of the camera guys heard me. He wanted to know what I did for a living. After doing some investigating he discovered that I won some tattooing awards.”
“He then suggested we pitch a show and it was originally just supposed to be a sizzle but it grew into a pilot show and here we are,” says Lewis.
The show, which is an hour long, was picked up for a 13-episode run.
Lewis jokes that his team is a bunch of delinquents and if you have kids don’t let them watch, he warns.
His team is made up of Cole Moebius aka Moeb, Adrianne Black and Quinten Voster.
“They’re just a bunch of nut jobs and you can expect to see pretty much of that on a daily basis,” he adds.
As for the clients Lewis says they make up the bigger part of the show.
“They are all in their own right celebrities, millionaires or nefarious underworld bosses, which we can’t talk about. I’ll give you this there is one episode that you’ll see where you don’t see the clients face or name – and just so you know it's not because he is a priest.”
One of the biggest challenges the team faced during filming was trying not to swear says Lewis.
THE EVOLUTION OF TATTOOS
Asked if tattoos have become more mainstream or whether it’s still a social taboo Lewis says in South Africa it is becoming more main stream.
“We tattoo everyone from CEO's, directors of major companies and high-profile judges – you’ll be surprise at what they’re hiding under those robes.”
What he hopes this show will do is to break down some of the stigma surrounding tattoos.
“We tattoo people who have lost loves ones: Children, husbands, wives and people who are also celebrating something. I hope that people are firstly entertained by the show and that they take away that tattoos are for everyone, anyone can have a tattoo.”
THE GOOD AND THE BAD
For Lewis a client wanting a ‘weird tattoo’ happens almost weekly.
The weirdest one he has done to date was a photo realistic of bacon and eggs for a friend of his who is a security guard in Afghanistan.
“I just think he got it because he really misses bacon,” jokes Lewis.
Speaking about his own tattoos, Lewis says he got his first one when he was 17-years-old and that is quite embarrassing.
“I have a bulldog on my shoulder.”
“And it’s back to front,” shouts Moeb in the background.
“Yes, that’s correct my bulldog is facing the wrong way but in my defence I was young and impressionable. And well tattoos are permanent,” says Lewis.
If you’re in the market for a tattoo Lewis says these are the most important things to look out for.
“Always ask to see their portfolio – any reputable place will have some record of their work. Also check that if it is a picture the background is the same. A lot of people try to pass off work that is not theirs – if the background keeps changing chances are it’s not their work.”
“The best referral is word of mouth – if a friend gives you an artist it’s usually good advice. Spend some time with the artist too it doesn’t matter if they’re good at their job if they’re not a nice person. If they don’t have time for you and it looks like they’re doing you a favour -it’s probably not the best artist for you.”
Catch Rumble & Hum Monday - Friday at 21:00 on CBS' Reality (DStv 132).
(Photos: Paulo Toureiro)
