Talk about getting close to the band! Eaves drop on this Mötley conversationwith renowned Sunset Strip Tattoo ink pusher Greg James, conducted during April 2001, as he yaks about the many times he's got under the Crüe's skin and left his mark on their lives forever. Greg's art has helped create the Mötley image, that has helped them to sell over 40 million albums worldwide.

Chronological Crue: This site traces the complete history of Mötley Crüe Greg and I'd like to step back in your career to begin with. Can you tell me about how you came to be a tattoo artist, and working at one of the world's most famous studios - Sunset Strip Tattoo?

Greg James: Well my brother Dave apprenticed me around late 1974. At that time, a man named Cliff Raven owned Sunset and he was at that time the very best tattooer around, specializing in Japanese and brand new innovative styles of tattooing. I knew that if I stuck it out and worked, maybe I would get a shot at working for him. He truly inspired me. His partner in 1985 was Robert Benedetti, an amazing and innovative tattooer whose work impressed me. I based a lot of my tattooing style on those two guys. I felt I was ready and went to talk to Cliff. He and Robert liked my work and felt they could take me to a higher level of tattooing, so they gave me a job. About a year later, Cliff retired and sold the business to Robert. Robert was known for tattooing all the celebs in Hollywood, so after about two years he was ready to slow down working, and he has been retired for about eight or nine years now. I started taking over his clients and started to become friends with Nikki Sixx around late '86. After doing a few tattoos on Nikki, I got to do some work on the rest of the Crüe.

CC: So what was the first tattoo you inked on Nikki, and what do you recall about that session?

GJ: To the best of my memory, which is not so f@cking great, it was on Valentines Day around 1990 and he had called and set up an appointment. He wanted a cherub or cupid like angel with a ribbon with his wife's name in it. Funny thing was, when they came in for the tattoo, I had spelled Brandi wrong on the stencil. I had Brandy. Whoops!

CC: Oh no!

GJ: So a quick change of a letter on the stencil and a few hours later the tattoo was done. I am not sure if that was the very first tattoo I done on him but I sure remember that day the most. It was always cool having the guys come to the shop. They would always go out of their way to be cool to everyone and give autographs, and sometimes buy a tattoo for someone. We had a lot of times like that, when they would just come in.

CC: That's cool of them. So Nikki had already had his right sleeve done by that time, right?

GJ: Yeh Robert Benedetti, the guy that owned Sunset Strip Tattoo, did the right arm.

CC: How much of his left sleeve did you then do, after the angel?

GJ: I did the octopus on the upper part of the arm and on the chest, and after their Japan tour he had a Samurai done by Horiwakka on his lower forearm, and then as time went on I finished the left arm. I think I finished most of it in Vancouver, BC. They flew me in and put me up, to do tattooing on them while they were recording with John Corabi. We turned the hotel room into a tattoo shop. There is a video of it out there somewhere... fucking fun!

CC: Cool. So that's where they had the album's working title Til Death Do Us Part tattooed on them then, was it?

GJ: No, they did those tattoos right before Vancouver. The guys were in the studio in L.A. and it was happening real good. One night they ALL came in and got the [Til] Death Do Us Part tattoos. I didn't get to do any of those 'cause I was working on another guy for a while. Eric [Blair] at the shop did John and a guy named Kobo did Mick. I think Eric did Nikki also and... well shit, I just can't recall who did Tommy... maybe Mike.

CC: Oh OK.

GJ: It was a great night and I think after I was done with the guy I was working on, I tattooed Nikki with a tribal piece as a cover of some weird thing on his leg. It was a very rare and cool bonding moment for the guys. They were so having fun and into making music and just ready to kick some rock'n'roll ass! We had a great night and it was pretty late when it was all said and done. All done without booze, chicks, drugs, and whatever - just tattooing and music and some good times. I remember John singing Shout At The Devil as would be sung by Frank Sinatra. Very Funny!

CC: [laughs] Nikki's back job was also progressing at this time. What can you tell me about that?

GJ: Well it was pretty straight forward. Nikki found the design and I drew it up and we started doing it. We did it at the Sunset Strip shop and I think after we did the outline, we worked on the tattoo every week until it was done. It was fun having him at the shop that much.

CC: Would that be your favourite tattoo you've done on Nikki to date?

GJ: I think when his daughter drew the heart tattoo that is on his leg probably would be. I have a lot of favourite tattoos on Nikki, but that day was real special. I was at their house tattooing Nikki and Donna, and Stormy drew a design. Nikki got me to tattoo it on his leg while I was doing a dragonfly (from memory) on him. I did a sun on Donna and her son's name [Rhyan] that day. Also, it was cool as I had my son David with me and he was swimming with the [Sixx] kids. After, we all had dinner. Nikki and Donna cooked.

CC: Wow. That's certainly sounds like a very special day. Kevin Brady from Sunset inked a lot of the Crüe's early tattoos then designed the album cover flash art on Dr.Feelgood. What do you recall about that?

GJ: Kevin is a very talented artist and it was fun. I learned a lot from watching him do the work. It was interesting times... full party mode at that time. I won't say anymore about that.

CC: Can you say then what the vibe within the studio was like, when the album went Number 1?

GJ: We were ALL very excited to be involved. It was 'Mötley RULES' around the shop. I can't remember all the kids that wanted to get Mötley tattoos but it was a lot. They made a great impression on the local music scene as I am sure the whole country. We would get collect calls from girls and guys all over the world asking for Vince or Nikki or Tommy or Mick... like they were hanging out all the time or maybe lived there or something, hoping to talk to one of them or find out something. I think our phone bill was as much as the cost of the tattooing we did on them for a couple of months. After a while, we just had to hang up. Some of the calls were funny!

CC: The video clip for Dr. Feelgood shows the Sunset Strip Tattoo logo. Were you able to be on set for any of the filming?

GJ: No, as a matter of fact they did it all on a sound stage and we didn't even know until the video came out.

CC: Right, OK. The Sunset Strip Tattoo logo was then visible again as part of the New Tattoo stage set. Did you see any of these shows, and how did it perhaps compare in your opinion to other Crüe shows you may have seen over the years?

GJ: I was able to go to some of the rehearsals and see them put the New Tattoo show together. That was very cool. I liked that show. My favourite was the Maximum Rock tour with The Scorpions because I got to go out with them for a week. All in all, I think the shows got better musically and were more fun!

CC: You also designed some flash for Nikki's bass guitar which he used on that last tour. How did that come about and what was the process in getting it on his aural weapon?

GJ: I was hanging out at rehearsal, and well... every time the guys do something, they like to have a sort of tattoo tie in, like New Tattoo. I was going to tattoo, or do or paint designs, or do something to Randy's drum kit, but it got too involved and there wasn't enough time. Nikki said he always wanted to have a tattooed bass.

CC: Cool.

GJ: I think if time and money were no object, and then if the ideas the boys come up with came to light and happened, people would shit themselves... the imagination is amazing.

CC: We've seen some tattoo artists go on and play in rock bands recently; guys like Kevin Quinn in American Pearl, and Limp Bizkit's Fred Durst. Are you a player yourself and ever had aspirations of rocking the stages around the world?

GJ: I have had the privilege of tattooing so many celebrities since I have been at Sunset, it is amazing. I know I should have made a list but to me it was never that important. All I know is that they are all cool to me and the shop, and in so many ways they are just like us. Most of the time, I don't even know they are famous until someone says, "Do you know who that is?" I guess I lead a very sheltered life... I am consumed with tattooing most of the time.

CC: True. We've spoken about Nikki's tatts a lot, but what are some of the tattoos you have done on Vince, Tommy and Mick?

CC: Hey, they can buy me one anytime! My artist says my skin is really good for inking. Who has the best and worst skin in Mötley generally, for tattooing do you feel?

GJ: They're all good!

Sumthin' For Nuthin' : Simply say the words "Mr. Crüe Tattoo" when booking your next appointment with Greg James and receive a special discount courtesy of Chronological Crue.

In 2012, Greg opened his own shop!

Tattoos Deluxe
4531 Van Nuys Blvd,
Sherman Oaks, California 91403
Phone: 818-783-1323

Thanks to Alex Berthod for the introduction.