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So Long, Miami Ink, Hello, LA Ink
Kat Von D. by Andrew Southam/TLC
One of my favorite reality shows, Miami Ink (which I’ve blogged about a couple of times) is airing its season-ender tonight at 10 pm/ET on TLC. Normally I’d be bummed that I’d have to wait a while for new episodes, but Kat Von D, is getting her own spin-off, LA Ink, starting on June 12 at 10 pm/ET.
Which is good… and bad. Good because I love Kat. In fact, she’s the month of May on my Miami Ink calendar, which I actually went out and bought (I swear, it's not a piece of swag). If I ever do break down and get a tattoo, I’d love to have one of her amazing portraits. I think she leads a fascinating lifestyle, and watching a show all about her promises to be very exciting. I’m totally setting up a TiVo season pass.
The bad part is that she’s leaving the Miami shop, and based on what I’ve read, it isn’t exactly on the best of terms. The headstrong Kat apparently went head-to-head with boss man Ami James and she ended up storming out. I haven’t seen it yet, but boy, doesn’t that sound juicy?
Over the past season she’s made it pretty clear that the Miami scene isn’t for her, that her coworkers just don’t like to party enough and that basically she doesn’t like being told what to do. I’ve got a hunch that this particular battle stems from her recent scuffle with Orange County Choppers honcho Paul Teutul Sr. If you missed it, the American Chopper personality and his lady love were going to have Kat and Garver fly up to New York and give them tattoos, but basically when Paul’s girlfriend wanted an arm band of hearts, Kat told them it was beneath her and that she didn’t see why she was going since it was a waste of her talent. Miami Ink store owners Ami and Chris Nuñez had to make nice with the gruff guy, and they both visited Orange County to do the tattoos personally as a show of good faith. Ami was less than pleased with Kat’s attitude, and I’ve got a feeling that they are going to butt heads over that issue big time on tonight’s episode. Since Ami is the one who typically does all the narration for Miami Ink, I’m sure we’ll get a heaping helping of his perspective, but thankfully it'll be only a couple of weeks before we’ll get to hear Kat’s side of the story as well.
Either way, I can’t help feeling excited to get twice as much Ink.
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May 8, 2007 11:59 AM
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I do not watch Miami Ink but I do watch American Chopper - and Kat who I have not clue about, came off as arrogant, rude and disrespectfull. I could not, in no way, shape or form blame Paul Sr. of AC on her attitude. He was friendly at first, showed a great sense of humor and was very patient - especially for him.
She was just a flat out bitch!
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May 8, 2007 12:40 PM
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I agree that Kat did not handle the American Chopper deal well at all, but I'm a little sad to see her go! Good news is that we'll still get to watch her work. Her portraits are amazing. I have to hand it to Ami and Chris, though, because they need to keep their business booming with well-mannered employees. Love Miami Ink!
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May 8, 2007 4:27 PM
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See, I have a problem with Ami always telling Kat "You have to do every tattoo that comes through the door" when Ami himself has--more than once--said flat out that he was not going to do a tattoo because he either didn't like the customer's idea or just flat out didn't want to do it.
Now, I agree that Kat didn't handle Sr.'s old lady's request diplomatically. Kat is, as Nunez and Ami both said, a 22 year old kid who is AMAZINGLY talented and is accustomed to people seeking her out spefically for the type of tattoos that does. Since her work has always sold it itself and she's never had to try too hard to sell herself, being asked to do an armband of 50 small hearts would seem degrading, and she said so without thinking about it because she is, in fact, still a kid. Nunez didn't like the idea any better than Kat did, but what he did was talk the customer out of that tattoo and into another, better-looking one that conveyed the same meaning ("I just turned 50 and I always wear my heart on my sleeve..."). Kat doesn't know how to do that yet because she's always been sought out for her specific talent at portraits and pin-up work. People don't walk into Miami Ink and just randomly choose an artist to do any old tattoo; they've seen the show and they are seeking out these artists because they KNOW that Ami and Garver do fantastic traditional Japanese work, that Darren does great cartoon and grafitti style tattoos, and Kat Von D can put any portrait you want on you and shade it so realistically that your jaw drops into your lap.
Believe me, when Sr.'s girlfriend had Kat on the phone and said she wanted an armband of 50 hearts, my first thought was, "Are you kidding me?? An amazing portrait artist is going to fly to New York--to come out to you so you don't have to make a trip--and you want her to just tattoo 50 hearts on your arm???" Please. Yoji could've done that. ANYBODY could have done that. You don't have a portrait artist fly up to you to do what any tattoo apprentice could have done. That said, Kat should've said okay on the phone and then let Garver talk the woman out of it once they were there. Or Garver could've done that one and let Kat do the dog portrait that Sr. wanted. But I can sypathize...I wouldn't have wanted to go through all the hassle to fly to another state to give this chick a tattoo she could've gotten from the local tattoo shop.
What's sad about this whole thing is that Kat is such a loving, open, and warm person, but as Ranger99's comment shows, no one who doesn't watch Miami Ink would know that. The AC audience got an incomplete and incorrect view of one of Miami Ink's nicest and greatest artists, and that's a crying shame. Kat is always so sweet to the people she tattoos and hugs every one of them after the work is completed and thanks them for their praise of her work. She's very genuine and very willing to help with anything she can. I'm sorry to see her leave Miami, but she is very much alone there. Her husand, siblings, mother, and close friends all live in California, and she's very connected to them and lonely for them. In the long run, I think this will be good for her, but it does appear that her split with the Miami shop is going to work some hardship on the rest of the group, and it's already causing friction between Ami and Garver (who was close to Kat and kinda treated her like a little sister). Garver's generally more quiet and reserved than Ami and never complains about things that bother him whereas Ami...well, does. Poor Garver.
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May 16, 2007 11:22 PM
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I enjoyed the Miami Ink season opener last night, but Kat's absence was a huge hole. The "guest artist" looked a lot like Kat, but her work couldn't compare. I love watching the guys at the shop (especially Ami and his 80 year old customer!) so I'll still be watching, but I'm curious to see how Kat does on her own show.
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Jun 13, 2007 9:27 AM
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