SSKKIINN D DEEEEPP M MAAGGAAZZIINNEE • • 6655W
hen we think of the word garish, we often
come to think of the term as in someway
negative or erroneous; something that
we should aim to avoid or at the very least
keep hidden from view. But Matty challenges the rule-
book, revelling in the garish, in all its brazen beauty, its
loud and noisy aesthetic, and its kitschy yet contempo-
rary relevance. Much can be enjoyed in the trash aesthet-
ic; it is a place of humour, a knowingly self-deprecating
scene, a space of creative freedom where the limits of
taste are pulled apart and exposed in an explosion of col-
our and fun. We can all take life too seriously at times; we
have all been there, we have all fucked up once or twice,
and we will undoubtedly continue to face hardships and
mishaps that we would rather avoid. So, it is freeing and
wondrous to get totally and utterly lost in Matty’s work,
letting his unabashed and colourful take on the world
spark that glimmer of optimism in us all.
There is a great sense of humour in much of your
work, why is it important that tattoos can be fun?
Thank you! I think it’s pretty important to try and have fun
and find the daft and ridiculous in everything, or add it in
yourself if it’s not there. We live in truly depressing times
and if there weren’t these things to make us laugh and mo-
mentarily take your mind off the world then the inevita-
ble end of our planet would be here a lot sooner. When it
comes to tattooing, a lot of people want to express their
personality and style with their tattoos, and sometimes
that means that a tattoo might be humorous in nature just
like them. Or, someone might want a gator playing an ac-
cordion whilst smoking a ciggie just for the hell of it.
Would you define your work as being closely
affiliated with new school design? Or do you think
your work crosses many different tattoo styles?
I’m not really sure how to define it yet. I’ve always been
drawn to the bright colours and the more stylised drawing
of new school design, but don’t feel I’ve managed to stick
within any particular style yet. I think I’m just winging it
for now and waiting to see what develops. Tattooing has al-
ready forced me to try lots of different art styles and tech-
niques. I’ve learnt a lot from these, helping me develop my
work in new and interesting ways. I feel there’s still a lot to
learn and probably a lot of weird shit to come as a result.
You make the garish beautiful, why do you love
working with bright colours?
I’ve always loved the contrast of bright colours and
chunky black lines, probably from watching too many
cartoons as a kid. I remember always feeling this weird
sadness and disappointment as a child when the cartoons
would end and programmes with real people and normal
‘real life’ colours would come on. I think maybe I’m more
emotionally sensitive to colours and the weird and won-
derful, always wanting more brightness in my life!
Did you always see your work taking this direction
in style?
To be honest I didn’t ever expect that tattooing would be-
come a reality for me, but by the time it came around I’d
already had an idea of what I’d like to do if I was ever lucky
enough to get the opportunity to do it. I think when I was
younger I was drawing a lot of different things withoutWith a euphoric splash we fall head first into the bold and colourful
world of Matty Roughneck, a tattooist whose sense of fun and
energy is at bursting point in his trippy and highly stylised work
Word
s:^
Stev
enGuichard- K
en
nyOut
lines
a go go
@matty_roughneck