Legendary Bowery Tattoo Artist Speaks of Life's Lessons 4 Years After His Death

Legendary Bowery Tattoo Artist Speaks of Life's Lessons 4 Years After His Death
June 17, 2011
PR Newswire

NEW YORK, June 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- In 2006 Walter Moskowitz was fighting cancer when he and his son started to make audio recordings capturing his life's stories. Walter's youngest son wanted to preserve his dad's voice, manner and the wisdom gleaned from his "life less conventional." Walter passed away in 2007 but his son kept on editing and building on their effort. The end result of this father and son collaboration is Last of the Bowery Scab Merchants, an unusually addicting audio documentary/audiobook. This double audio CD set features a collection of real life stories that takes the listener on a journey that is both intellectual and crude with stops at melancholy, absurd, triumphant and hilarious.

The common thread is the extraordinary story telling by Walter Moskowitz and his larger than life persona. Walter opens the window on places and times you might not think to visit. The listener is taken on an unforgettable journey filled with a pungent dose of reality, history, and some shock value. This one is not for the kids as it contains explicit language but does make for a great listening experience for those who like hear an authentic character.

Walter had a very charismatic yet "tough as nails" persona. He learned the tattoo trade (at age 15 in 1952) from his father and watching his older brother and brother- in-law (both named Stanley) practice the family trade on the Bowery in New York City.

The Bowery was a tough place back then where fist fights, disturbances and thousands of homeless people strewn about the streets gave real meaning to "watching where you step." You could walk into trouble at any time and trouble could easily find you.

The Bowery was also the birthplace of electric tattooing and also a hub for U.S. military personnel during and after WW II. Yet, in 1961 New York City banned tattooing. Walter and his brother then opened the first commercial tattoo studio on Long Island, N.Y. The gentle neighbors of Long Island did not want a tattoo shop in their backyards and the Moskowitz brothers faced strong resistance but S&W Tattoo remained open for more than 40 years.

As you learn about electric tattoo history and hear Walter speak about his experiences, something subtle is going on... you discover a dedicated family man who has accumulated a lot of life's wisdom.

The disc set includes a 24 page color booklet that acts as postcards from the journey with some interesting articles. There are also some guest commentators like Chuck Eldridge and Mike McCabe.

Hidden behind this professional sounding and looking product is the fact that this was produced by a son for his father, to mark his time, and thus Walter Moskowitz lives on.

Last of the Bowery Scab Merchants is available for sale at: Scabmerchant.com, www.Amazon.com and www.Bookmistress.com