Located about 20 miles outside of Los Angeles' epicenter - Hermosa Beach is one of three beach cities in L.A. County. It is a popular attraction for sun-bathers, surfers and paddle-boarders alike.
In this episode of Think Ink Drink, the Derm Dude team decided to pack up our gear and opt for a day trip to another attraction Hermosa Beach is known for - Yer Cheat'n Heart Tattoo shop.
The owner and chief tattoo artist of 'Yer Cheat'n Heart Tattoo' is a man named Johnny Anderson.
Aka Johnny 2/3, a nickname he has had for 20+ years but refuses to disclose the meaning or origins of, because he claims, "It's a disappointing story to tell."
Johhny 2/3rds is one of the busiest men I have ever met. He is a husband and father to five children. In the last 20 years of Johnny's tattooing career he has inked over 25,000 tattoos and counting. And if that wasn't enough of a workload, he's also an ordained pastor and a member of King’s Harbor Church in Redondo Beach.
As a tattoo activist, Johnny 2/3rds is responsible for thousands of tattoo shops being allowed by law to operate across the country. But, this tattoo badass didn’t just fight the law. He BEAT the law, thanks to his legendary first amendment lawsuit against the city of Hermosa Beach, CA.
Before his court case, tattooing was actually illegal in Hermosa Beach but permitted in other neighboring cities like Los Angeles. Johnny’s lawsuit was a seven-year legal marathon. In fact, Johnny and his lawyer initially lost their case. Ultimately, a bench of conservative judges (Yep, you read right) on the California 9th Circuit Appeals Court ruled in their favor. Johnny credits his faith with strengthening him, comparing his legal victory to David and Goliath. The comparison is apt. This one independent
tattoo shop owner set a national precedent that guarantees freedom and legal protection to tattoo shops across America. By all rights, Johhny is a hero in the tattoo community and we thank him.
In this episode, we drop-in on Johnny making some new permanent impressions at his shop. First, Johnny’s repeat client Greg gets a dagger with the quote “without struggle, there is no progress,” symbolizing both his sobriety and ongoing battle with addiction. Next up is Carla’s emotional tattoo journey, as she trusts Johnny to turn a painful reminder of her radiation treatments into a thriving, beautiful lotus, symbolizing her rebirth and victory in her battle with breast cancer. These are both badass tattoo stories that will touch your soul.
As Johnny 2/3’s says so perfectly, “The beauty of tattoos is their ability to summarize and symbolize our complex and heavy burdens.” Our thanks to Greg and Carla for sharing their stories, and thank you to Johnny for being an incredible human!
Rock n roll dudes,
-Drew Plotkin (Chief Dude Officer)
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